Spinning Science - Training for Scientists

With money so tight everywhere now Irish researchers urgently need to get out there and tell taxpayers why they should continue to receive funding.

Otherwise they might simply be forgotten about and find themselves in financial trouble very soon.

I hope lots of scientists take the time to go to the workshops on communicating science being run by the Science Spin magazine team. As they say themselves:

Scientists in Ireland have long been wary of the 'media' and its potential for harm. There has been little appreciation of the benefits that come from media coverage.
[...]

Now, for a scientist working at third-level to be successful, he must be very adept at making the case for why he should receive funding. For without funding, nothing can be achieved. To do this, he must be adept at communicating messages to a number of key audiences.

The one-day workshop programme looks very comprehensive with Sean Duke, Joint Editor of Science Spin aiming to provide scientists "with the skills, and insider knowledge you require, to achieve your communication goals."

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And they're off... Science at Cheltenham

There's a nice slideshow overview of The Times Cheltenham Science Festival on-line. It's narrated by Kathy Sykes and gives a good preview of the festival's events.

The festival programme itself looks great - and it claims that "With a theme of Heresy, the festival will challenge your thinking, whatever your age, on all things science". And there'll be a real who's who of science-related celebrities at it from Dara O'Briain to Carol Vorderman. The festival runs from 3-7 June 2009.

The slideshow is worth watching if only for the slightly menacing picture of UK Science Minister Paul Drayson they've chosen:



Are you at the festival? E-mail me or leave a comment to let me know how you're getting on and what the best things are! Thanks, Diarmaid

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Shopping for science

There's a really interesting upcoming conference in Belfast which will be looking at the whole area of Science Shops which are described on Wikipedia as...

"A science shop is a facility, often attached to a specific department of a university or an NGO, that provides independent participatory research support in response to concerns experienced by civil society. It's a demand-driven and bottom-up approach to research. Their work can be described as community-based research (CBR)."

And here's an overview of the conference itself...

Living Knowledge Conference 2009

Engaged Communities, Engaged Universities

Developing policy and practice in participatory research

Queen’s University Belfast 27 – 29 August 2009

This conference will provide an opportunity for policy makers, academics and civil society organisations to consider current practice and future opportunities in the field of research partnerships.

Living Knowledge 2009 will bring together some of the key thinkers and practitioners in the area of community based research, university/community partnerships and Science Shops. The conference aims to provide opportunities for collaborations and to ensure that this area of work is prioritised on policy agendas both nationally and internationally.

Themes

· Engaging students in community based research

· Planning for demographic change

· Science shops, sustainable development and climate change

· Knowledge exchange, transfer or exploitation?

· Sustaining Community Based Research practice through arts and cultural forms

· Critical reflections on community engagement in the natural sciences,

technology and innovation

For further information, please check the Conference website www.livingknowledge2009.org or email the conference organisers at livingknowledge2009@qub.ac.uk

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Irish Science, Engineering Communications and Outreach conference

I've just booked my ticket for this upcoming science communication conference in Dublin - it looks like it's going to be a really interesting event with the mix of Irish and international speakers really adding to it...

The 3rd Annual Science, Engineering, Communications & Outreach Conference

Will Be Held At Engineers Ireland, 22 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 On Thursday 21st May 2009 Theme: Best Practice in Science Communication, Outreach & Public Engagement. International Perspectives & Experiences and the Irish Context This one day conference will review and discuss a range of topics including gender balance, maths promotion, and evaluation techniques. A professionally facilitated panel discussion will take place at the end of the conference. The aim of this discussion will be to develop a ‘white paper’ highlighting the top 10 best practice tips on the subject of Science, Communication, and Outreach in Ireland. It will be an ideal opportunity for those working in the Science, Communication, and Outreach fields, to share experiences and problems with key industry professionals from Ireland, UK and continental Europe. For further information or to book a place, please contact Caitríona Geraghty on 01-6651307 or at cgeraghty@steps.ie