National Academies to Host Seminar on Science Communication
Readers in the DC area will definitely want to check out the upcoming event on June 23 at the National Academies. Details are posted below. I hope to be able to attend and to report back on some collected remarks.
It will be interesting to compare the thoughts of the assembled practitioners with the conclusions from the article we published last week at Nature Biotechnology, which synthesized relevant research in the fields of science communication, ethics, and policy and highlighted eight key recommendations.
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The National Academies Presents: An Educational Event on Science Communication
The National Academies is holding an educational event on innovative strategies for communicating science. The event is intended for scientists, practitioners, students and educators looking for new ways to reach audiences and effectively communicate scientific issues to the public. Speakers include Shawn Otto, CEO of Science Debate 2008; Phil Plait, President of the James Randi Education Foundation; and Jerry Zucker, Director of Ghost and Airplane! and Vice-Chair the Science & Entertainment Exchange.
NOTE: This event is free and open to the public. An RSVP is required for each individual session. Please contact Olive Schwarzschild, oschwarz@nas.edu
Tuesday, JUNE 23, 2009
The National Academies
500 Fifth Street, N.W.
Keck 100
Washington, DC
Session 1 – 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Science for All Seasons: Communicating Science to Diverse Audiences
This panel will explore various ways in which science is communicated to diverse, non-specialist audiences. The mix of participants, selected to represent contrasting but complementary approaches, will highlight a variety of outreach strategies, describing “best practices” scenarios from which scientists and science organizations can learn.
Panelists Include:
· Sue Allen, The Exploratorium
· Don Hoyt Gorman, Senior Editor, SEED Online
· Meghan Murphy, Director of Outreach, X Prize Foundation
· Shawn Otto, Co-founder and CEO of Science Debate 2008
· Kelly Stoetzel, Producer, TED conferences
Moderated by: Barbara Kline Pope, Executive Director, Office of Communications, The National Academies
NOTE: RSVP is required. Please contact Olive Schwarzschild, oschwarz@nas.edu.
Session 2 – 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Information – and Misinformation – at the Speed of Light
Featured Speaker: Phil Plait, President of the James Randi Education Foundation and author of the highly popular Bad Astronomy blog
Phil Plait looks at how science communication has been changed by the Internet. He will talk about how blogging, online media, and even Twitter have been leveraged to spread science information – and sometimes misinformation – to millions of people around the globe, focusing on the best ways to harness all that the Web has to offer.
NOTE: RSVP is required. Please contact Olive Schwarzschild, oschwarz@nas.edu.
Session 3 – 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Science and Hollywood: Education Through Entertainment
Beyond good storytelling, entertainment channels affect opinions, inform ideas, and even change behavior. This panel will focus on the intersections of science and entertainment to explore the power of the popular media to communicate key ideas in science.
Panelists Include:
· Neal Baer, Executive Producer for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Chair of the Advisory Board for Hollywood, Health, and Society
· Jim Kakalios, University of Minnesota physicist, author of The Physics of Superheroes and science advisor to the film Watchmen
· Bruce Joel Rubin, Screenwriter for Deep Impact, The Last Mimzy, and the forthcoming adaptation of the best-selling book, The Time Traveler’s Wife
· Anne Simon, University of Maryland virologist, author of The Real Science Behind the X-Files and long-time advisor to the television series
Moderated by: Jerry Zucker, Director of such feature films as Ghost, First Knight, Rat Race, and Airplane!, and vice-chair of The Science & Entertainment Exchange
The panel will be introduced by President of the National Academy of Sciences, Ralph J. Cicerone.
NOTE: RSVP is required. Please contact Olive Schwarzschild, oschwarz@nas.edu.
