Programme Day 3: 20 November 2024

For those attending the conference online, please note that not all the parallel sessions will be broadcast. Only those sessions labelled LIVE STREAM will be available to view online.

See Day 1: 18 November 2024 and Day 2: 19 November 2024

WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2024, DAY 3 – morning session

08:30 – 10:00
Vista venue
Live stream

PLENARY 6: SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH ABOUT COMMUNICATING DISCOVERY SCIENCE

Chair: Sara Yeo
Rapporteur: Linka Maritz

PRESENTATIONS

Communicating basic sciences in India: A landscape analysis

Banya Kar (National Institute of Immunology New Delhi, India)
Co-author: Sarah Iqbal (India)

In my talk, I will explore the What, Why, and How of public communication of basic sciences in India, drawing on insights from a nationwide survey of current practices among basic scientists at Indian research organisations and academic institutions. I will also share case studies of science communication initiatives in fundamental sciences. Through our SciCommINsights Initiative, my co-author Sarah Iqbal and I aim to identify challenges, opportunities, and best practices, offering recommendations to enhance science communication funding, policies, and programmes.

Mapping science communication in the Netherlands: Perception and practices amongst physicists

Sabine Heij (Leiden University, The Netherlands)
Co-authors: Julia Cramer (Leiden University), Margriet van der Heijden (Eindhoven University of Technology); Ivo van Vulpen (Leiden University), The Netherlands

Academics play a crucial role in instigating science communication, helping to make research accessible and impactful to a wider audience. But how do academics, particularly in physics, currently communicate about their work? In this talk, I will present findings from our study on science communication attitudes and practices of Dutch physicists. From the influence of tenure to the use of various communication formats, I will explore key insights into how physicists engage with the public. Finally, I will discuss the broader implications of our findings for science communication activities within physics and the academic community at large.

North American discovery scientists’ communication goals

John Besley (Michigan State University, USA)
Co-author: Anthony Dudo (University of Texas at Austin, USA)

All strategic communication builds from goals. We cannot help scientists communicate effectively if we do not know what they hope to achieve from their communication efforts. Similarly, conversations about communication ethics require honest discussions about what we are hoping to achieve from the time and energy we put into communicating. This presentation will share survey data (n = ~1,900) about the priority audiences and goals of North American-based basic scientists from several different fields. It will also suggest practical and conceptual paths forward focused on the importance of putting goal discussions at the centre of future science communication discussions.

WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2024, DAY 3 – morning session

10:00 – 11:00
Vista venue
Live stream

PARALLEL SESSION 7: CIVIC SCIENCE: ALLOWING ALL PEOPLE TO SHAPE AND BENEFIT FROM SCIENCE AND ITS HORIZONS

Chair: Brooke Smith
Rapporteur: Lili Rademan

PRESENTATION

The civic science movement – origins, evolution and future prospects

Jeanne Garbarino (The Rockefeller University, USA)

Civic science represents the progressive movement of our global society towards a future where everyone can shape and benefit from science, including its unanticipated applications. There are countless ways in which civic science can manifest in our lives and communities. We are dedicated to understanding the core principles of civic science, ultimately leveraging our insights to amplify its impact.

PANEL

Civic science fellows’ perspectives on communicating discovery science

10:00 – 11:00
Breakout venue

PARALLEL SESSION 8: CATALYSING DISCOVERY: EMPOWERING RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS FOR EFFECTIVE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH BASIC SCIENCE

Facilitator: Jadranka Jezersek Turnes, Institute Kontekst, Institute for Scientific Engagement and Outreach, Slovenia
Rapporteur: Magdalena Eriksröd-Burger

WORKSHOP

This interactive workshop is designed to enhance scientific outreach skills within research institutions, focusing on closing the gap between academia and society by promoting a culture of public engagement. The workshop covers strategic outreach planning, developing interactive programmes, fostering collaborations, and evaluating impact. Participants will learn how to tailor messages for diverse audiences and design engaging initiatives, including citizen science projects and science festivals. The goal is to inspire a new generation of science communicators, ensuring sustained and meaningful public engagement with discovery science.

11:00 Coffee / tea

11:15 – 12:45
Vista venue
Live stream

PLENARY 7: INTEGRATING POLICY AS AN OUTCOME OF DISCOVERY SCIENCE COMMUNICATION

Chair: TY Branch
Rapporteur: Nicola Davies-Laubscher

DISCUSSION POINT

Policy makers and decision leaders often seem keen to focus on only the practical aspects of science for improving social wellbeing or solving societal problems. How do communicators engage the policy landscape with basic science?

PRESENTATIONS

From “science” to “sciences”: Public engagement in a plurality of contexts

Achintya Rao (University of the West of England, United Kingdom)
Co-authors: Emma Weitkamp (UWE), Claire Wilkinson (UWE), Christine Sutton (UK), Erik Stengler (SUNY Oneonta, USA)

With public engagement (PE) increasingly involving participation, we ask what form PE can take if non-specialists cannot participate in research. This talk focuses on the particle-physics community, represented by the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) collaboration at CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics. Our research suggests that calls for PE focusing on participation may be unsuitable where meaningful public involvement might be impossible. Acknowledging that there is no universal form of public engagement helps us move away (a) from treating research as homogeneous and (b) from “public engagement with science and technology” to “public engagement with sciences and technologies”.

Science as a public good – breaking through the policy barriers

Heide Hackman (Stellenbosch University, South Africa)

In a global context, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) framework has provided a powerful and dominant framing for the pursuit of research impact by scientific communities across the world. What does the lack of adequate progress in achieving those goals suggest about the role and responsibilities of science, whether it could accelerate and amplify its impact and what that might entail?

The story of aptamers: From fundamental research to applied fields of study and back again

Janice Limson (Rhodes University, South Africa)
Co-author: Tanya Accone (Unicef, USA)

Every year, approximately 2.8 million women and newborns die due to pregnancy complications, many of which could be prevented with access to accurate pregnancy testing. Unfortunately, accessing these tests remains a significant barrier for women in low-income countries. This presentation will detail a partnership between Rhodes University’s Biotechnology Innovation Centre and UNICEF, which has shaped a research and innovation journey to develop new products in this applied field. I will explore how unique research partnerships can unlock opportunities for fundamental research, driving new discoveries, and how these collaborations have influenced our communication strategies.

PANEL

Isaac Ramovha (Department of Science and Innovation, South Africa)
Allison Eckhardt (Department of Energy, USA)
Kamini Govender (South African Young Academy of Science and University of the Free State, South Africa)
Michael Ellis (South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement)

12:45
Vista venue

FINAL SESSION AND FAREWELL

Closing remarks

Marina Joubert, Brooke Smith, Rick Borchelt, Michelle Riedlinger

13:00 Lunch

Day 1: 18 November 2024 – Day 2: 19 November 2024

The symposium aims to deepen understanding of effective public engagement around Discovery Science, also known as basic or foundational science, by exploring ways to improve the practice of communicating Discovery Science, share insights and create a supportive community for scientists and science communication practitioners focused on basic science.

General and programme enquiries

Linka Maritz
info@discoveryscience.co.za

Social media

Post using #DiscSciComm24

Programme Day 3: 20 November 2024

WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2024, DAY 3 – morning session

WEDNESDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2024, DAY 3 – morning session

General and programme enquiries

Social media

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