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38 publications found

Jul 22, 2024 Conference Review
#AISCICOMM24. Discussing the role of (generative) AI for science communication research and science communication practice

by Julia Metag

The annual conference of the Science Communication Division of the German Communication Association (DGPuK) was held in Zurich, Switzerland, from 5–7 June 2024. The conference attracted around 125 researchers and science communication practitioners from Europe and beyond. In this review, I provide an overview of the conference and discuss some of the challenges for researching AI in science communication as well as for science communication practice.

Volume 23 • Issue 05 • 2024

Jul 18, 2024 Conference Review
International Symposium on Public Communication of Science and Technology in Zacatecas, Mexico: between diversity, inclusion and pending questions

by Margoth Mena-Young

There are current challenges that affect the Public Communication of Science and Technology that must be thought about collectively and for which there are still no answers. These challenges include changes in media ecosystems and consumer preferences; decline of democratic systems and rise of populism; advance of the planetary crisis; growing social inequalities; economic crises and budget cuts; exacerbated misinformation; and distrust in science and its agents; to mention a few examples. The space proposed by the International Symposium on Public Communication of Science and Technology 2024 and the IX National Colloquium on Scientific Recreation, held in Zacatecas, Mexico, was ideal to share several questions — theoretical and practical — that are a guide to address current challenges in this profession.

Volume 23 • Issue 05 • 2024

Jan 25, 2024 Conference Review
Reimagining science communication in the age of AI

by Lourdes López-Pérez

This review analyses the presentation of “Campus Gutenberg Museo de la Ciencia CosmoCaixa 2023” held in September 2023 in Barcelona and reflects on the connection of the event with the necessary redefinition of the social communication of science in the face of the impact of artificial intelligence.

Volume 23 • Issue 01 • 2024

Jul 03, 2023 Conference Review
Fail better

by Sarah Rachael Davies

This short text discusses PCST2023, held in Rotterdam in April 2023, and reflects on the event's connections with science communication research and practice as a whole.

Volume 22 • Issue 04 • 2023

Jun 12, 2023 Conference Review
Hindsight, Insight, Foresight: Australian Science Communicators (ASC) Conference 2023

by Lisa Bailey and Heather J. Bray

The recent conference of the Australian Science Communicators (ASC) association (15–17 February 2023) held in Canberra was an opportunity for the 140 delegates to reflect on a decade of the national strategy for public engagement with the sciences, “Inspiring Australia”, and consider the future role for science communicators in the Australian science and research landscape. The conference was the first in-person conference since the COVID-19 pandemic, and other discussions focused on the role of AI in science communication and the importance of networks.

Volume 22 • Issue 02 • 2023

Jan 23, 2023 Conference Review
Science communication in Germany. A practice in transition

by Mhairi L. Stewart

Alongside informative discussions on Science Communication and Public Engagement, Forum Wissenschaftskommunikation 2022 reveals a field, a practice, and a community in transition. In and out of session discussions uncovered underlying tensions as well as potential synergies along a spectrum of practice between established disseminatory methodologies and participatory approaches. The future for best practice, collaboration, and growth for science communication in Germany will be a fascinating one to track.

Volume 22 • Issue 01 • 2023

Nov 23, 2022 Conference Review
Challenges and opportunities for science communication in a post-COVID world: the IAMCR 2022 Suzhou Pre-conference

by Ruifen Zhang

Aiming to address various fundamental questions regarding science communication solutions to a polarized post-COVID-19 world, the IAMCR 2022 Suzhou Pre-conference was held from 8 to 10 July 2022. More than 300 delegates gathered online to discuss a variety of topics related to science communication and public engagement with science in a post-COVID-19 world. With its focus on China, alongside the involvement of leading scholars from around the world, the conference provided an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the factors that shape science communication, and societal responses to science, in different country contexts.

Volume 21 • Issue 07 • 2022

Oct 17, 2022 Conference Review
Bringing society inside the walls of scientific facilities

by Frank Nuijens

The Public Awareness of Research Infrastructures (PARI) three-day conference held in July 2022 at the SKA Observatory’s Global Headquarters (U.K.) discussed the science communication issues that practitioners face at research infrastructures, like community building, science diplomacy and equity, diversity and inclusion in STEM. We concluded that we need to bring society within the walls of the scientific facilities as much as we need to help scientists engage with society.

Volume 21 • Issue 06 • 2022

Oct 10, 2022 Conference Review
“Be the change” — how Cheltenham Science Festival used a central theme to centre social change within the festival

by Gary Kerr, Emma Whittle and Marieke Navin

“Be the change” (BTC) was the theme for Cheltenham Science Festival. BTC set out to empower audiences as individuals and as a collective to enact positive change across a wide range of global issues linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We examine the role of theming within festivals and analyse how BTC centred social change within the science festival. We conclude by noting that science festivals do not have to have science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) themes, but can instead be themed around global social issues.

Volume 21 • Issue 06 • 2022

Sep 21, 2022 Conference Review
#ecsite2022 — a festive and reflexive gathering of science communicators

by Vanessa Mignan and Marina Joubert

The 2022 Ecsite conference took place in Heilbronn, Germany, from 2–4 June after two years of virtual meetings due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This review presents some highlights of this event, including two memorable keynote talks by disability activist Sinéad Burke and author/educator Lucy Hawking.

Volume 21 • Issue 06 • 2022