ASC2018 - 11-15 Nov, Sydney

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Kickstart Science

When: Wednesday 14th November, 8:45am – 9:45am
Where: L3, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right
Hashtag: #W5

The Kickstart Science workshops are aimed at HSC Science students and teachers and are designed to meet the demand expressed by teachers in response to previous and upcoming changes to the HSC Science syllabus. Parts of the syllabus requires equipment or expertise in areas that many schools may not be able to provide. Kickstart workshops give HSC students a chance to do experiments and demonstrations of key ideas in the syllabus that are difficult to do in the classroom.

Kickstart Science makes HSC Physics accessible for students and teachers. The experiments and demonstrations have covered aspects of the core and optional HSC Physics syllabus all in the setting of real teaching laboratories. Classes spend two and half hours going through our experiments in small groups. Each group has its own casual academic tutor and covers many dot points of the syllabus in depth. Worksheets are provided for all students and teachers.

The case study will introduce the Kickstart Science outreach program from the University of Sydney Faculty of Science, including how it is run and how it has changed in its history. We will cover some of the unique aspects of Kickstart Science including justification of how it is designed, reporting on how it is received by students and teachers and how it is held within the faculty of Science. We will also include challenges and future work.

Session

Case studies: Education

Presenter

Tom Gordon, Senior Science Communicator, University of Sydney, Faculty of Science

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Elevating science communication through social science

When: Wednesday 14th November, 11:55am – 1:25pm
Where: Theatre, Level 2 down the stairs to the right of the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #W10

Effective communication and engagement is key to achieving impact from science. This session highlights how harnessing social science research can improve science communication. Three case studies from Australia’s lead science agency, CSIRO, will demonstrate how social scientists are collaborating with science communication practitioners to elevate science communication and engagement with target audiences. Strategies include formulating engaging key messages, identifying appropriate channels/platforms, and using language and tone to meet communication objectives.

Session Producer/Presenter

Dr Tsuey Cham, Communication & Stakeholder Manager, CSIRO GISERA

Melina Gillespie, Communication Advisor, CSIRO Energy

Session Producer/Chair

Helen Beringen, Communication Manager, CSIRO Land and Water

Presenters

Dr Nadine Marshall, Environmental Social Scientist, CSIRO Land & Water

Dr Andrea Walton, Social Scientist, CSIRO Land & Water

Dr Elisha Frederiks, Senior Research Scientist, CSIRO Land & Water

Amy Edwards, Communication Advisor, CSIRO Land & Water

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The risky business of communication risk (or what to do when normal communications no longer work)

When: Thursday 15th November, 12:00pm – 4:45pm (including lunch)
Where: Powerhouse Museum, 500 Harris St, Ultimo
Room: L3, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right

In this workshop you will examine the theory behind risk communication, and learn how to apply it in practice. We will use case studies and shared learnings to develop risk communication frameworks for people’s own professional situations that you can then apply in your workplace.

Workshop presenter

Craig Cormick, Science Communicator and Writer

Purchase separately or free for conference+workshop delegates (RSVP during registration).

Register now!

**This is a public event. Register to save your seat!**

Share on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/242782939725080/

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Developing a breadth of skills by Learning through Play: the Six Bricks program

When: Wednesday 14th November, 3:45pm – 4:15pm
Where: Theatre, Level 2 down the stairs to the right of the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #W18

Six Bricks is a simple yet powerful program for learning using just six LEGO® DUPLO® bricks. It was developed in South Africa in 2013 as a means of providing children and their educators from less advantaged backgrounds with daily physical activities with which to improve their perceptual, pre-numeracy and pre-literacy development.

Six Bricks is a concept owned by the LEGO Foundation, used in some of their projects, and while it is not commercially available, there are great lessons to be learned.

There are well over 250 short exercises that can affect reasoning, literacy, numeracy and perceptual skills, and not just in children, but anyone at any age and from any background. From schools to corporate team-building, from playful learning to serious science communication, the Six Bricks program is demonstrably effective.

During the ASC2018 conference I will lead a ‘hands-on’ Six Bricks demonstration that involves curiosity, collaboration, communication, creativity, critical thinking and a can-do attitude, the “6Cs” of 21st century STEM skills.

Six Bricks is an example of a cost-effective program that is readily understood and simple to train others to implement. Delegates should come away with fresh ideas and the confidence to apply Learning Through Play methodology in their own work.

This session is supported by PlayFutures www.playfutures.net

Further information:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/725765130822588/

https://www.legofoundation.com/en/learn-how/knowledge-base/six-bricks/

Session Producer/Presenter

Adam Selinger, Executive Director, Children’s Discovery Museum Ltd

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Little Bang – Bright Sparks: Delivering a national priority through local collaboration

Little Bang Discovery ClubWhen: Wednesday 14th November, 8:45am – 9:45am
Where: L3, Level 2 to the left of the registration/foyer area, down the hallway and through the doors on the right
Hashtag: #W5

In an era of ‘false news’, a growing mistrust of ‘the expert’ and almost universal access to unfiltered advice from the internet of all things, the need for a science-literate community has never been more important.

The ability to critically assess information starts early and needs to become one of the pillars of education: reading, writing, arithmetic and CRITICAL THINKING.

Science communicators and educators can work smarter to better engage and sustain community understanding of how science works in producing evidence-based knowledge. The resulting democratising of knowledge, and the ability to discern trusted sources, enables better decision making for individuals, and the community as a whole.

This case study involves a series of science engagement initiatives that utilise the exisiting trusted and nationally distributed network of public and school libraries. By working in concert with this ‘third space’ we have a unique opportunity to influence a generation of children, their families and whole community outside the status quo of home, school and the workplace.

The overwhelmingly positive and enthusiastic response from librarians and participating families is evidence of the scalability and sustainability of these low-cost programs, with measurable impact on attitudes and understating of science.

Session

Case studies: Education

Presenter

Adam Selinger, Executive Director, Children’s Discovery Museum Ltd

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Engaging Regional Communities with Science – the Power of the People

When: Monday 12th November, 11:55am – 12:55pm
Where: Theatre, Level 2 down the stairs to the right of the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #M7

How can we bring science to where people go? Find out how Inspiring Australia fosters lasting collaborations with regional communities to take science to new audiences. Learn how to grow science engagement activity and infrastructure through working with established networks. Discover what works and what doesn’t, the importance of working in partnership with local communities and understanding stakeholder needs.

Science engagement from the ground up – the NSW experience
Building STEM capacity in a rapidly evolving, global innovation system requires national effort on many levels – particularly at the grass roots. Inspiring Australia’s NSW Regional Science Hub network offers a low-cost response to this challenge. With modest funding support that is matched by partner investment, Science Hubs involve hundreds of organisations that come together at a local level to share skills and explore scientific issues. This capacity building approach helps increase scientific literacy through the delivery of creative and engaging public programs led by local communities. Discover how Science Hubs take the lead to create, collaborate and connect scientists with a diverse public, through festivals, events and programs that provide rich and memorable experiences for people of all ages. 

Finding our way through discovery and creativity – the SA experience
Inspiring South Australia has experimented with a number of regional engagement strategies and has found a few to be especially effective in engaging communities with science. Its regional Science and Arts Working Together program is designed to tell the stories of science through the arts, bringing together science and arts organisations, groups and practitioners to create fascinating projects that feature local stories and discoveries while engaging the community in the development and in the telling. Another effective regional program is a partnership between Libraries SA, the Children’s Discovery Museum and Inspiring SA that equips librarians to deliver science programs to 3-5 year olds. Covering a range of concepts, Little Bang Discovery Club empowers both children and their accompanying adults as co-learners and collaborators in the investigative process.

Session Producer, Session Chair, Presenter

Jackie Randles, Manager Inspiring Australia NSW, Inspiring Australia

Presenter

Sheryn Pitman, Programme Manager Inspiring South Australia, South Australian Museum

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The Rescue Project Podcast – Stories of Kind Acts of Environmental Rescue

When: Wednesday 14th November, 10:20am – 11:20am
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #W6

**Have you ever rescued a riverbank? A tract of bush, an eroded beach, a waterway, some farmland, a garden or a native tree? A native animal or bird? What do you feel as you tend to tired earth, or engage with the intrinsic value of an old-growth giant, or as you look into that creature’s eyes? And, in some way, do these things rescue you?**

The Rescue Project is citizen storytelling in online and podcast form.
Launched in early October it is a public invitation to contribute a 500-word story to the Rescue website – a collaboration between Landcare Australia and Gretchen Miller/UNSW. The stories are currently growing there with opportunity for anyone to read and respond.
The next stage will be The Rescue Project Podcast, beginning production in early 2019 – 10 of the stories read aloud by the writers and set to sound. The podcast series will also include an audio documentary focusing on one special habitat rehabilitation site selected from the uploaded stories.
“Rescue” is an organic, living website, changing by the day and inviting its contributors to feel a part of something bigger. It functions as an online clubhouse for discussion of the personal power of taking action to benefit habitat, animals and the humans who get involved. The intention is to reflect the rich experience, both practical and psychological, that engaging with environment brings, building a deeper recognition of how little things can grow bigger ones.
https://landcareaustralia.org.au/rescue

Session

Case studies: Environment and community engagement

Presenter

Gretchen Miller, Rescue Project Director/Producer, Media Consultant, Gretchen Miller Media

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Pint of Science – the evolution of the Australian festival

Pint of Science JiranaWhen: Tuesday 13th November, 9:15am – 11:15am
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #T3

What better way is there to learn about cutting-edge research than over a brew?

Well, it’s nothing new … it’s science in the pub. It’s been done before, and we’d almost be brave enough to guess that almost all the science communicators at the 2018 ASC conference are pub-science veterans. So how is Pint of Science anything more than just another pub event? What makes us different? And why do volunteers, speakers and venues want to get involved?

In this talk, we’ll pull apart what makes Pint of Science unique by looking at the ways the festival engages its audience, speakers, volunteers and sponsors. In doing so, we will outline the recent evolution of the Australian festival and conclude with some forward thinking about how Pint of Science will continue to contribute to the broader Australian science communication landscape.

https://www.pintofscience.com.au

Session

Case studies: Cultural Institutions and Festivals

Presenter

Dr Tom Carruthers, Senior Content Producer, Australian Academy of Science and National Director, Pint of Science Australia

Jirana Boontanjai, National Director, Pint of Science Australia

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Trust Me, I’m a Scientist: A Case Study about Science Communication, Co-design and Community

When: Wednesday 14th November, 10:20am – 11:20am
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #W6

As most science communicators and scientists know, even the most engaging and carefully-crafted communication will be ineffective if your audience doesn’t trust you. As Victoria’s environmental regulator, the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) is acutely aware of the importance of trust, particularly when it communicates and engages with communities.

In early 2014, a fire at Hazelwood Mine burnt for 45 days, covering much of the Latrobe Valley region in smoke. As a result, community confidence in EPA and the Victorian government was low both during and immediately after the fire.

Since then, EPA has worked closely with Latrobe Valley communities to strengthen relationships and improve how it communicates its science. This work cumulated in the roll out of a ground-breaking co-design process in 2016, which relied on extensive input from community, scientists, engagement experts and a science communicator. The primary task of a community panel was to design an air monitoring network to complement EPA’s existing air monitors in the Latrobe Valley.

In this session you will hear how a co-design process helped build community trust from the point of view of a science communicator. I will:
• show you how science communication improved the community’s understanding of air pollution and helped build community trust
• share my challenges and triumphs of working side-by-side with scientists and community
• explain how lessons learnt through a co-design process have made me a better science communicator.

Session

Case studies: Environment and community engagement

Presenter

Catherine Healy, Science Communication Advisor, Environment Protection Authority Victoria

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Citizen Storytelling – How the Small Stories can Combat the Global Warming Hyperobject

When: Monday 12th November, 10:25am – 11:25am
Where: Theatrette, Level 2 behind the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #M4

The stories around us regarding climate change are shocking and both the concerned public and scientists are exhausted. Every day there is a new petition to sign, a plea for a donation for campaigning and another set of terrible statistics. Talk to lay people and their eyes glaze over, talk to friends within environmental communications they can finish the story for you. So how can we re-engage ourselves and those around us? Does art and storytelling have a further role to play in reconnecting a fatigued public who want to act but can’t bear the tidal wave of bad news? This discussion with science and activist communicators will look at how new formats might help us include and engage those who are running out of steam. We’ll discuss new digital and social trends including podcasting and citizen storytelling and how broadcasting is remaking itself, alongside the use of performance and installation arts to help us colour in shades of grey and provoke emotive responses. And we will consider how to break through the exhaustion to positively engage others and encourage actions both large and small.

Robyn Williams AM has presented and produced the science show on ABC RN every week for over 40 years and knows just how to find a new angle.

Paul Brown is an academic professor in environment studies at UNSW, was campaign manager for Greenpeace and is also a verbatim playwright.

Gretchen Miller is a former radio documentary maker from ABC RN currently doing a PhD in her specialist arena of citizen storytelling, podcasting and environmental communications.

James Link manages the corporate partnerships program at Landcare Australia and is accustomed to telling great stories of the work of everyday Australians to attract new funding.

Tessa Fluence is public narrative coordinator leading the Changing the Story work at the Australian Conservation Foundation.

Session Chair

Gretchen Miller, Podcast producer, lecturer and media consultant, Gretchen Miller Media

Presenters

Robyn Williams AM, Presenter, The Science Show, ABC RN

Paul Brown, Associate Professor Environment Studies, UNSW Faculty Arts and Social Sciences

James Link, Head of Corporate Partnerships, Landcare Australia

Tessa Fluence, Public Narrative Coordinator, Australian Conservation Foundation

Australian Science Communicators

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Questions? Please contact Kali on asc2018@asc.asn.au.

Acknowledgements

© 2018 Australian Science Communicators

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