Evolving Science Communication symposium

Evolving Science Communication: learn, adapt, collaborate
26 & 27 March 2009

The Science Communication Unit at the University of the West of England, Bristol held the Evolving Science Communication symposium on 26 and 27 March, 2009 at the Watershed Media Centre, Bristol. This event was supported by the Wellcome Trust.

The symposium was a meeting ground for academics and practitioners in the field of Public Engagement with Science and Technology. The symposium explored key issues facing the sector including: transferability, sustainability, demonstrating impacts, sharing knowledge and collaborative working. The discussions and ideas generated will be collated and distributed after the event in the form of an edited report. Copies of the summaries and powerpoint presentations will be available here shortly.

A full report on the symposium is available, containing synopses of each of the sessions written by the speakers involved as well as summaries of the main discussion points raised.  You can also download the evaluation report for the event which is based on participants' feedback.

Sessions

Keynote speaker: Andrea Bandelli, VU University Amsterdam

Andrea Bandelli is a specialist in informal learning and science communication, and is currently director of the European Project "DECIDE" - an international collaborative of science centers and museums to foster public participation in science and technology policy issues. In the last 10 years he has worked in different roles with several science centers, universities and public administration in many European countries, the USA, South Africa and Brazil. His current academic field of research is how public consultations and dialogue processes inform the governance of science museums.

The symposium will contain a mixture of streamed and plenary sessions to maximise discussion and sharing of ideas between delegates.  The six themes covered are (click on a link to see further detail about each session including key invited contributors):

Models of Collaboration - relationships for success including partners, consortia and contagiousness of ideas and project formats

Demonstrating Impacts - impact vs. metrics, going beyond evaluation 

Evolution - exploring public engagement as an evolution of or addition to public understanding of science 

Repositories of Knowledge - sharing knowledge to avoid reinventing the wheel 

Adaptation - within venues, cultures and contexts

Creating a Sustainable Future for Science Communication - forming partnerships, linking theory and practice

Concluding remarks were made by Frank Burnet, Frank Burnet: Science Communication Consulting

Session details

Models of Collaboration - relationships for success including partners, consortia and contagiousness of ideas and project formats

Speakers in this session will discuss relationships and how they contribute to successful projects. Case studies will be used to demonstrate different relationships and how they affect projects.

Contributors: Paul Cox, National Marine Aquarium; Karen Bultitude, Science Communication Unit at UWE; Gillian Rendle, Research Councils UK

Demonstrating Impacts - impact vs. metrics, going beyond evaluation

Evaluation of science communication projects is now the norm, but what does evaluation tell us about the impacts of these activities on participants and deliverers? Speakers in this session will discuss the latest thinking on capturing the impacts of science communication activities and how this links to evaluation.

Contributors: Ben Gammon, Ben Gammon Consulting; David Shakespeare, Square 2 Learning; Rosalind Mist, Royal Society

Evolution - exploring public engagement as an evolution of or addition to public understanding of science

This session is a chance to explore the bigger picture of science communication. Speakers will unpick current thinking on the relationships between public understanding of science, science communication, and public engagement with science and technology.

Contributors: Roland Jackson, British Science Association; Derek Bell, Wellcome Trust

Repositories of Knowledge - sharing knowledge to avoid reinventing the wheel

How are projects and activities recorded and documented so others can learn from experience? Speakers will examine existing instances of documentation and sharing knowledge whilst looking at how this can be taken forward in the future.

Contributors: Sophie Duncan, National Coordinating Centre for the Beacons for Public Engagement; Juliet Upton, STEM Directories Project Manager; Maggie Leggett, Centre for Public Engagement, Universty of Bristol

Adaptation - within venues, cultures and contexts

This session will showcase science communication activities that have successfully moved on from their initial focus by transferring to new venues, cultures and contexts. Speakers will highlight how and why these activities were able to adapt to their new circumstances.

Contributors: Wendy Sadler, Science Made Simple; Jan Riise, Göteborg Center for Public Learning and Understanding of Science; Kat Nilsson, Dana Centre

Creating a Sustainable Future for Science Communication - forming partnerships, linking theory and practice

In this discussion session four agitators with controversial or challenging views will stimulate conversations about the future direction of science communication. All delegates will be invited to contribute.

Contributors: Lesley Paterson, Royal Academy of Engineering; Catherine Aldridge, Catalyst Learning and Communication Ltd.; Justin Dillon, King's College London; Savita Custead, Bristol Natural History Consortium; Helen Featherstone, Science Communication Unit at UWE