Ecsite e-news February 2011

News about Ecsite projects and an up-to-date guide to science communication conferences and events you might not want to miss.

News from the Ecsite Office

Ecsite Annual Conference 2011: Registration opens this week

Conference registration opens Wednesday, February 16. Book your spot by March 13 to enjoy early bird rates. Look for the at-a-glance version of the programme, available in pdf form on the Conference website: www.ecsite.eu/sites/default/files/programmeataglanceAC2011.pdf. Full session details are available here. Conference-related questions? Contact Aliki Giannakopoulou at agiannakopoulou@ecsite.eu or by mobile phone at: +32 473 414574.

Conference participant profiles: An easier way to make connections

Ecsite’s new registration system will allow participants to network with other attendees prior to the Conference. Just complete your profile and include research interests, share facebook and twitter accounts and create your own personal programme by selecting the sessions you plan to attend. Organize meetups with people who have similar interests- it’s the easy way to connect at conference with over 1,000 participants!

Get ready for the biggest Ecsite pre-conference ever

This year’s pre-conference brings insightful workshops from Ecsite’s THE Group and Nature Group as well as content about exhibit labelling and accessibility. Be sure to register for pre-conference events via the online registration form. For more information, visit the pre-conference page.

Limited spaces left in the Business Bistro – book your booth today!

It’s a great way to network, expose people to your ideas and sell your products. Just visit us online to book your booth: www.ecsite.eu/annual_conference/business-bistroor contact Donald Goedheid for more information: dgoedheid@ecsite.eu.

Entrances and departures from the Ecsite Executive Office in Brussels

Marzia Mazonetto, Projects Coordinator, comes to Ecsite from graduate studies in science communication at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. She is excited to begin working on the TWIST, Accent and Xplore Health projects.

Emma Wadland, Communications Officer and Webmaster, brings a Masters degree in Journalism to her new post. In addition to taking care of the Ecsite website, she is responsible for Ecsite’s quarterly printed newsletter, Ecsite e-news and communication for the PLACES project.

Michael Creek, an Ecsite veteran of four years, has moved on to freelance project management consulting work. The Ecsite team thanks Michael for his dedicated work and wishes him good luck in his new endeavour.

News from Ecsite Projects

Open Science Resources

Teachers and science communication professionals have the opportunity of contributing their own educational materials to the Open Science Resources portal in the ‘Discover Open Science Resources’ summer schoolorganised in Crete in July 2011 to train interested professionals in the use of the to construct online educational resources for use in formal and informal settings. Sign up free to the Open Science Resources portal to discover digital content from major science centres and museums in Europe. For more information please contact Jennifer Palumbo: jpalumbo@ecsite.eu.

TIME for NANO

It’s time to participate in the second edition of the TIME for NANO online video competition. Monetary prizes are available for the first prize winners of the national contests, plus there will be a European prize awarded by Ecsite. The videos must be made by groups or single teenagers about topics of social and ethical relevance in nanotechnology. For more information contact, Jennifer Palumbo: jpalumbo@ecsite.eu.

PLACES

The PLACES web platform, OPEN, is gearing up to be an unparalleled opportunity to engage in discussion and planning about the development of European Cities of Scientific Culture. Stay tuned to the Ecsite website for updates. The project’s first Regional Science Cities Workshop took place recently at Thinktank Science Museum in Birmingham, England, where discussions led to important insights about the interplay between science and society. Also, the first PLACES conference is set for September 2011 in Paris, France. Details about these items and much more are on the horizon as PLACES continues to build momentum. For more information, contact Antonio Gomes da Costa: agomesdacosta@ecsite.eu.

TWIST

The TWIST project (Towards Women in Science and Technology) partners are preparing to celebrate the first Gender Day event on March 8th, International Women’s Day. Activities include Science Showroom, Scientist Speed-dating and an “XX” conference where young people and adults come together to discuss gender issues. More information can be found on the TWIST Project website.
TWIST project partners will meet in March to discuss the evolution of several products such as a computer-based test to explore implicit gender biases, as well as a European multimedia database on women scientists, an exhibition module on gender issues and guidelines addressing science centres and museums to promote scientific communication from a gender perspective. Contact Marzia Mazzonetto for more information: mmazzonetto@ecsite.eu.

Xplore Health

Find brand new experiments, videos and discussion games on the Xplore Health website (www.xplorehealth.eu/), a European-funded project dedicated to creating an educational portal about cutting-edge health research. Find out how drugs are developed, who pays to develop them and who has access to treatment. A second module on biotechnology is under construction.
The five members of the Outreach Committee – Centre for Life and At-Bristol in the UK, Copernicus Science Centre in Poland, Jardin des Sciences in France and Domus in Spain – will participate this month in the second Training Workshop which will be hosted by the Barcelona Science Park in Spain, coordinator of the project. The training will focus on the reproduction of experiments in the laboratory and the practice of dialogue games on ethical, legal and social aspects involved in drug development. Download the games here.
The Outreach Committee has also formed a focus group to assess the website’s user needs and will organize two Xplore Health events this year in each of their institutions. For more information, contact Marzia Mazzonetto at mmazzonetto@ecsite.eu.

Polka

As of February 2011, Hungary and Denmark are leading the pack of Polka PlayDecide sessions – each organizing more than ten percent of total sessions. PlayDecide sessions have taken place in 18 countries, including 16 EU/EEA member states, plus Brazil and Canada. The more sessions you organise, the more likely you will receive an Award! Ecsite offers 400 euro grants for organizing games relevant to POLKA themes. Find out how you can start playing here.

Courses, conferences, competitions and more

Communicating Science: Pleasures and pitfalls of historical narrative, 20 Barcelona, Spain, December 2010 – 30 May 2011

The Societat Catalana d'Historia de la Ciencia i de la Tecnica is offering a seminar series to reflect on the history of science and its public identity. The series looks at the importance of generalist and popular works in the making of history of science as a discipline, and the role of writing and narrative practices. International authors reflect on the pleasures and pitfalls of producing s introductory works on the history of science, technology and medicine. Find more information about the series here.

Week of Innovation, Lille, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France, 21 – 25 March 2011

The Lille Innovation Conferenceopens the Week of Innovationwith speeches about major economic changes, new models to promote innovation in the broadest sense and good European practices. TheLille Innovation Conference will present some of these models and their application in regions and businesses. The program includes a presentation about the future of mobility, a workshop on the anticipation of innovation and a workshop on services and product-service-systems.

University of the West of England Science Communications Masterclass, 11 – 14 April 2011

UWE's Science Communication Masterclass is an intensive course created to provide professional development in science communication. The masterclass draws on the existing expertise of the team that delivers UWE's popular and practical MSc in Science Communication. Please complete the online registration form . If you would like to be kept informed of future opportunities, please register your interest by contacting science.communication@uwe.ac.uk.

Academia Film Olomouc (AFO), Olomouc, Czech Republic, 12-14 April 2011

AFOcurrently ranks among the top European festivals focusing on popular science documentaries. Its major goal is to connect scholarly research with art, through the medium of film, to promote science to general public, academics and film and television professionals. The AFO Program offers an International and Czech competition, screenings of new popular scientific documentaries, an introduction of outstanding filmmakers and promoters of science as well as specialized screenings and discussions.

5th Lego Idea Conference, Billund, Denmark, 14 April 2011

The theme of this year’s LEGO Idea Conference is “play to learn” – a day where future notions of play, learning and creativity are explored and analyzed. This is the chance to meet international experts who have cutting edge knowledge about present and future trends in play, learning and creativity. Participation is free, but travel and accommodation are not covered. There are only 300 spots available, so please confirm attendance before the end of February. Register by contacting: Kirsten.Stadelhofer@LEGO.com. For hotel bookings, contact: tina@LEGOLAND.dkor by phone: +45 79511336.

The Scientix European Conference, Brussels, Belgium, 6 – 8 May 2011

This conferenceis a unique opportunity to learn more about different science education projects in Europe, get to know the people behind the projects, and share your expertise, knowledge and best practices with colleagues from across Europe. Also, it gives a thorough view of the potential and possibilities of the Scientix portal and community.

The 1st Bio:Fiction Science, Art & Film Festival, Vienna. 13-14 May 2011

Vienna’s Museum of Natural Historyhosts this event which aims to raise public awareness of synthetic biology and its ramifications for our daily life in the future. Synthetic biology is the design and construction of new biological systems not found in nature. The field creates new forms of life for practical purposes. By applying engineering principles to biology, scientists will be able to design life forms very different from those obtained through breeding or traditional genetic engineering. This initiative is designed to encourage filmmakers to share their cinematic visions of a present or future society shaped by synthetic biology. Prizes will be awarded for Short Fiction, Documentary Film, Animation, and more.

Summer School for Science Communication, Rethymno, Crete, Greece, 3 – 9 July 2011

The summer school will gather practitioners from science journalism and science communication to learn about new trends and new tools that they can apply to their work. The program includes practical workshops, keynote speeches and lectures, as well as field visits to the Natural History Museum of Crete, the Aquarium and the Skinakas Observatory on the top of one of Crete's legendary mountains. There will also be time to explore Cretan nature and local culture.Contact: info@scienceview.gr.

6th Science Centre World Congress, Cape Town, South Africa, 4 – 8 September 2011

The call for posters deadline for this event has been extended to March 30th 2011. Poster proposals are different from session proposals, because individuals can submit posters without international collaboration from three different continents. Poster topics must relate to one of the congress sub-themes, available in the Call for Sessions guidelines. Congress registration is now open, with discounts for early registration and delegates from countries with a low gross national income (GNI). Accommodations with designated congress hotels can also be booked through the registration process. More information about registration fees and accommodation rates can be found at www.6scwc.org.

The British Science Association Award Lectures for researcher-communicators, 10 – 15 September 2011

The British Science Association is seeking nominations for its Award Lectures to be delivered during the British Science Festival in Bradford, 10 – 15 September 2011. The Award Lectures recognize five researchers who are also talented communicators and are able to share their work with a general audience. Nominees must be active researchers and have demonstrated outstanding communication skills to a general audience.

IRENEC 2011: 1st International 100% Renewable Energy Conference and Exhibition, Istanbul, Turkey, 6 – 8 October 2011

This conference pursues improvements in energy end use efficiency and renewable energies. , IRENEC, International 100% Renewable Energy Conferences and Exhibitions aim to promote this monumental transformation from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources and to contribute to the 100 percent goal to be reached without nuclear energy or carbon-capture technology. IRENEC 2011, will gather the most notable international audience to share this inspiring but achievable vision and to seize the opportunities and deal with the challenges. For details about the call for papers, see this pdf: www.irenec2011.com/dosya/call_for_papers.pdf.

33rd International Society for Education Through Art World Congress, Budapest, Hungary, 26 June – 1 July 2011

Art, space, education is the theme of this year’s inSEA World Congress. Art education has long gone beyond schools or even lifelong education environments. It penetrates all areas of life, where visual design, creation, communication and perception is a dominant activity. During the Budapest congress, members of InSEA are invited to enter a series of art spaces: contexts where visual culture is relevant, visual communication is dominant, where art sets the stage and the context is defined by the hands of the creator or the eyes of the beholder. Ecsite’s Open Science Resources Project will be presented at this conference.

12th International Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference, Florence, 18 – 20 April 2012

The conference will be held for the first time in Italy, at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Florence. The Italian bid was selected after a rigorous competition with other cities. The theme of the event will be Quality, Honesty and Beauty in science and technology communication. Proposed areas of analysis include science journalism, science communication and science in society research, science museums and communication activities by research institutions. Plenary speeches will be delivered by key international experts in science communication research and practice. Visit the conference website for more information: www.pcst2012.org/.

A look back at the RELATE (Research Labs for Teaching Journalists) project

The RELATE Final Conferenceran 28 January, 2011, with over 80 people in attendance at the Scotland House in Brussels. European journalists, researchers, teachers, students, editors, PR and members of the European Commission and other institutions met for the final event of the two-year RELATE two-year project. The project looked for ways to close the gap between scientists and journalists – the two professions responsible for communicating science information to the general public. The initiative saw the involvement of 78 young journalists, who spent five days in 30 laboratories from 12 outstanding European Union research centres from seven different European countries.

Hot off the presses

The 2011 Science in Society Facts and Figures, release 23 February

Science in Society Facts and Figures,now in its seventh edition, provides, in a brief and accessible format, key data and information to understand the state and transformation of research and innovation of contemporary societies: human resources and investments in research and innovation, patents and use of technologies, public attitudes toward science, a chronology of the main events that marked the relationship between science and society during the previous year and a list of sources and relevant publications.

Periodic Tales: The Curious Lives of the ElementsBy Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Viking.

Get to know the Periodic Table in a whole new way. Aldersey-Williams helps readers see how elements exist in our daily lives and demonstrates the inherent challenges of chemistry. Read The Economist book review.

EyewitMem – The Assessment of Eyewitness Memory: A Multi-Componential, Correspondence-Oriented Approach

The goal of this FP6 NEST project which began in 2007 was to develop objective and effective methods of assessing the extent to which a particular eyewitness memory report can be relied on as evidence. Experts from the fields of memory research, forensic psychology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and law joined forces in this interdisciplinary effort. View the EyewitMem project report here or visit the project’s website: www.eyewitmem.eu/.

Read something interesting? Have an event coming up? Tell us about it.
Contact: Emma Wadland, Ecsite Communications Officer and Webmaster, at ewadland@ecsite.eu

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