Science Communicators
Our emails to Victorians with an interest in science communication.
Today: discover the Eureka Prize finalists
Tonight: Eureka winners announced – if you’re not at the dinner follow us for the announcements (@eurekaprizes and @scienceinpublic)
Saturday: listen to Suzanne Cory’s ABC Boyer Lecture on science and a health society
Monday through Wednesday: using the Year of Light to promote science – briefings in Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane
Monday night: Join Q&A with Tony Jones and a science panel
Also in this bulletin:
[continue reading…]
A mixed bag of things this week.
Clunies Ross nominations are open to 29 August for superstars of applied science and technology.
Research Australia’s annual philanthropy conference kicks off in Melbourne on 19 August. Hot topics will include: the fundraising impact of debate on the medical research trust fund; how Cancer UK raised $830 million in a year.
Tomorrow in Melbourne you can meet the Science Editor of The Economist at an informal lunch I’m hosting at the University of Melbourne. Geoff Carr is here for AIDS2014 and has time on his last day in town to chat about science and The Economist.
You can also meet leaders of AIDS2014 at a public forum at the Melbourne Town Hall tomorrow. The panel is Nobel Laureate Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, Salim Karim, Sharon Lewin, Matt Sharp and Leslie Cannold. More at the venue’s website.
A woman in the USA recently had a growth of mucus-producing nasal cells removed from her spine – the result of failed stem cell therapy. It’s a reality-check on where we’re at with stem cell science, but also feeds our imagination about its possibilities. Two stem cell pioneers will be speaking in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne about the potential, the reality, and the dangers of stem cell therapy. They are Irv Weissman, who discovered human blood-forming stem cells, and Ann Tsukamoto, a leader in the commercial development of stem cell medicine.
Also PhD top-up grants in physics, chemistry and biology at the new ARC Imaging Centre of Excellence.
And national tours for the Mythbusters, and astronaut Chris Hadfield. [continue reading…]
Are you or your researchers keen to speak up for science? Now more than ever we need to hear stories of science, how science has made an impact and changed our lives. We need to see and hear from passionate researchers who are making a difference.
In this bulletin I’m focussing on training, prizes and showcasing science.
[continue reading…]
Young scientists are performing around the country. No jargon, no lab coats… and they’ve only got 3 minutes. Come and support your researchers at FameLab Australia.
We need new ways to advocate for science and for science in policy – FameLab is one small step in that direction. While our science leaders talk big picture, I think we need to see more young scientists engaging locally: talking to journalists, politicians and the wider community about their discoveries.
Read on for more about FameLab, BioMedVic and prizes for research.
[continue reading…]
The ASC welcomes anyone with an interest in science reporting. It’s the peak body for all science story-tellers, and counts Robyn Williams, Leigh Dayton, and Wilson da Silva among its foundation members.
I think the ASC and the conference are a good resource for anyone whose round includes health, environment, science, agriculture or technology. [continue reading…]
Public forum Wednesday, 5 June 2013
Diseases that were largely eradicated forty years ago are returning. Across the world children are getting sick and dying from preventable conditions because nervous parents are skipping their children’s shots.
Yet the stories of vaccine reactions are frightening, with cases of people being damaged, even killed, by vaccines. How do we decide whether to vaccinate or not, and what are the real risks?
- Why are Melbourne babies getting whooping cough?
- Why are measles epidemics appearing in Europe?
- Why does vaccination remain so controversial?
- While more than 90% of Australians support vaccination, why are many of us delaying or refusing vaccines?
- What’s going wrong with the community conversation about vaccination?
Explore these issues and more at a public forum with Sonya Pemberton, the producer of JABBED, a documentary premiering on SBS TV on Sunday 26 May 2013. [continue reading…]
This is my occasional bulletin for science communicators in Victoria.
Join Prof Fiona Stanley, Baroness Susan Greenfield, and RoboGal Marita Cheng this Monday as they chat about their lives in science with Paul Willis.
Experience the explosion of humanity on 6 December with Owen Gaffney, whose stunning data-driven animation Welcome to the Anthropocene visualises the transformation of our planet initiated by the industrial revolution. The film was viewed by 188 heads of state and ministers at the UN’s Rio+20 summit last year. [continue reading…]
Grab a beer and meet a dozen bright sparks at Fresh Science at the Pub after work on Monday 15 October.
You’ll hear about growing galaxies and building spaceships, arthritis in your gums and gaming addictions. [continue reading…]
I’m reintroducing my occasional bulletins about science-related events in Victoria.
Will climate change Victoria’s wines and how do we save the plants that feed and clothe us – find out at free public talks as part of the 18th International Botanical Congress in Melbourne this week. [continue reading…]