Communicating Science, Math and Engineering to Broader Audiences

Program

April 12th, 2007

7:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Welcome and Introductions
Topic I: Why Communicate?
A report by the Royal Society found that scientists wanted "greater clarity about the definition, goals, and roles and objectives of public engagement among funders of research and higher-education institutions". This session asks you to help identify the goals of communicating to broader audiences in the context of your own interests and situation.
9:00 a.m.

Motivation: At your table, discuss what 'Communicating Math, Science and Engineering to Broader Audiences' means to you? Why are you concerned about this issue? What do you hope to learn at this conference?

9:20 a.m. Plenary Talk: WHO ARE WE TALKING TO?: Case studies from the feral fringe. Margaret Wertheim, author and founder of the Institute For Figuring an innovative Los Angeles based organization devoted to enhancing the public understanding of the poetic dimensions of science and mathematics.
10:30 a.m. Break
10:50 a.m. Discussion
11:30 p.m. Wrap up: By tables, answer the following question: What are the most important arguments for communicating math, science and engineering to broader audiences? What are the most important audiences to you?
12:10 p.m. Lunch
Session II: Communicating Research
Communicating research results is motivated in part by funding agency priorities and thus is attracting attention among researchers, as well as institutions that rely on federal research funding. Communicating research poses some unique challenges for scientists and writers. This session focuses on identifying those challenges and resources that can be used to improve this type of communication.
1:30 p.m. Communicating research. At your table, answer the following questions: What are the primary challenges of communicating research outside the scientific community? What "works" and how do we know it "works"? Compose one or two questions per table for the panel discussion.
2:00p.m.

Panel discussion: What works and how do we know? Panel members will discuss the challenges of communicating research and strategies for overcoming those challenges. Panelists include:

  • David Ehrenstein, Editor for Physical Review Focus, a publication of the American Physical Society that provides short stories on current exciting research for use by non-specialists and journalists.
  • W. Wayt Gibbs, Contributing Editor for Scientific American magazine and Executive Editor at Intellectual Ventures
  • Sean Carroll, astrophysicist and founding member of the Cosmic Variance blogsite
3:20 p.m. Break
3:45 p.m.

Communicating Research to Funding Agencies: Leslie Fink, Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, National Science Foundation will talk about how NSF uses the information provided in highlights, and how researchers can craft effective highlights.

4:30 p.m.

Telling the Story of New Scientific Frontiers: The Future of Augmented Cognition (FAC) short film was commissioned to tell the story of AugCog science and technology, with an eye to how it will mature and be used in the coming decades. This movie is not only a look at today’s sensor technology potential as we currently think of it, but it is also a close look at enhanced closed-loop AugCog systems in the years to come. The film was produced by DARPA and presented at the International Human/Computer Interface Conference in 2005. Judy Singer and Alex Singer, the writer and director of the film, will discuss the origin and making of the film, and its impact.

6:00 p.m. Reception and Poster Session. Participants will be invited to bring posters on efforts at their institutions to communicate with broader audiences, including using popular culture and/or sports as a classroom theme. The reception will allow time for people to talk and peruse the posters.
8:00 p.m.

Talk for the Public – Hollywood Science: Golden Eagles and Turkeys of Science on Screen . Sidney Perkowitz, the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Physics at Emory University will speak on the intersection of Science and Film in a lecture open to conference attendees and the general public. Abstract.

Location: Wick Alumni Center, Pascale Great Room (1520 R Street)

April 13th, 2007

8:00 a.m.

Breakfast

Topic III: Increasing Scientific Literacy
There is plenty of evidence that the STEM community has not done a very good job providing people with an understanding of how science works, or even basic science literacy. On the positive side, many people say that they interested in learning more about science, math and engineering. How do we pique that interest and provide quality information for these people?
8:30 a.m. Table discussions: What ways can be used to motivate people to learn more about science, math and engineering?
9:00 a.m.

Panel discussion: The benefits and challenges of using popular culture to communicate science. One way to get people interested in science, math and engineering is to relate it to things they already have an interest in. What are the perils and challenges of this route of communication?

10:00 a.m.

Break

Topic IV: Preparing for the Future
The need for broader communication of STEM issues isn't going to go away. How do we prepare people for this task? Where does communicating with the public fall in the reward structure?
10:30 a.m.

Table discussion: Everything I know about communicating, I learned in...? Where did you learn how to communicate? What are the essential skills that science, math and engineering students should learn for their future responsibilities?

11:30 p.m.

Panel discussion:

  • Stacey Pasco, AAA Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellowship Program
  • Sharon Franks, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and University of California -- San Diego
  • Kristine Kelly, science writer and public relations officer at Rockefeller University in New York
  • Boyce Rensberger, Director, Knight Science Journalism Fellowships, MIT
12:30 p.m.

A box lunch will be provided so that participants who need to leave can take lunch with them. Those who can stay will be encouraged to continue the discussion.