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

Marine Technology as a Showcase for Communicating Science

Great to see that the Marine Institute - Foras na Mara ("Ireland's national agency for marine research, technology, development and innovation") will be represented at this upcoming event looking at how science communication can benefit Marine research...

In their session on "The Significance of Marine Technology in Science Communication" at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly 2009 in Vienna, Austria on the 23^rd April 2009 public Relation and communications experts from leading marine science centres all over Europe will present and discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with communicating the results of marine research to key target audiences, such as journalists, teachers, students, and the wider public, particularly through the use of video and photo material from the deep sea.

Supported by the Marine Board of the European Science Foundation five speakers from eminent marine research institutions in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, will present their respective approaches to such questions as:

• How can we reach the next generation of marine scientists through schools and universities?
• What profits can be gained from e-learning programmes dedicated to oceans and seas?
• How can the awareness of a wider public about fragile marine resources be increased by using underwater video material?
• How can deep sea video material best be made available to TV journalists and, through them, to a wider audience?

The speakers will tackle those questions and foster interactive debate with the audience in order to share experiences between (marine) scientists and public relations/communications experts.

Speakers:

Albert Gerdes, MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Germany;

Dr John Joyce, Marine Institute, Rinville, Galway, Ireland;

Kim Marshall-Brown, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK;

Kjartan Mæstad, Institute of Marine Research Norway

Jan Seys, Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee, Ostend, Belgium

Further information:

http://meetings.copernicus.org/egu2009

Film / TV science award winners just announced

I really enjoyed being on the jury at the Vedere la Scienza Festival in Milan last week - and the winners have just been officially announced. The photo above is taken from the brilliant observational documentary "Blast!", by the way.

... And the the winners are... (drumroll please)...

A - Television drama and docu-drama

The Moving Earth (Denmark, 2008, 52 min)

B - Documentaries for television or/and for home video distribution

Blast! (US, 2008, 74 min)

C - Documentaries developed by public or private science museums, science centres, scientific institutes, research centers

Space transportation: an ATV perspective (Netherlands, 2008, 32 min)

D - Videos for web, web TV and videophones

The Good Heart Attack (Great Britain, 2008, 6 min 30 sec)