2022 Communicating Science Seminar

Cultural Humility and Cultural Competence in Public Engagement with Science

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time

Building Connections and Reciprocity Between Scientists and Communities

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Breakout/Discussion Sessions

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time

1. Come Together to Unpack and Process the Communicating Science Seminar
2. Science Communication to Get Policymakers’ Attention
3. Connecting Science Communication Researchers and Practitioners
4. Mentorship in Science Communication and Engagement
5. Breaking Boundaries: Exploring SciComm From Around the World (India, Israel, Kenya, New Zealand, South Africa & the U.K.)

COMPLETE SCHEDULE

Cultural Humility and Cultural Competence in Public Engagement with Science

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time

How do we invite those with varied lived experiences into conversation, and find entry points and common ground for conversations about science and how we use it in our lives? This session will reflect on our own assumptions and biases about other people’s motivations and expertise, and how proactively learning about and from the communities we want to collaborate with builds bridges to productive dialogue and action. Participants will share both experience and research in how being authentically curious and open to changing their minds changed their interactions - and their science - for the better. 

Moderator:

Greetchen Díaz, Director of Science Education and Community Partnerships, Ciencia Puerto Rico

Talks/Speakers:

Where You Begin the Journey: Multiple Pathways to Empathy and Equity Through Researcher Community Collaborations

• Rebecca Jim, Executive Director, Local Environmental Action Demanded (L.E.A.D.)
• Dan Brabander, Frost Professor of Environmental Science and Geoscience, Wellesley College
• Martin Lively, Local Environmental Action Demanded (L.E.A.D.)
• Claire Hayhow, Wellesley College, Geosciences Department

Leading with Assumptions: Promoting Community in Science

• Ella Greene-Moton, Administrator, Community Based Organization Partners (CBOP) Community Ethics Review Board (CERB) and Michigan Regional Affiliate Representative of the Governing Council (ARGC) of the American Public Health Association (APHA)
• Suzanne Selig, Professor Emerita of Public Health and Health Sciences, University Michigan-Flint

Building Connections and Reciprocity Between Scientists and Communities

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time

This session will discuss ways of building the connections and relationships that are integral to effective, respectful, and mutually beneficial public engagement with science, particularly with communities that have been mistreated by scientists. This will include the perspectives of public participants, scientists doing engagement, and practitioners of science engagement and communication. Speakers will discuss approaches to engagement built on the principle of reciprocity, in a variety of different contexts and areas of science.  This session is co-sponsored by the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion (DoSER).

Moderator:

Julie Maldonado, Associate Director for the Livelihoods Knowledge Exchange Network, Co-Director of Rising Voices

Talks/Speakers:

Pastors and Scientists as Collaborators:  Building Relationships and Research

• Christopher Spencer, Community Engagement Officer, Black Belt Community Foundation
• Pamela Payne-Foster, Preventive Medicine/Public Health Physician and Professor of Community Medicine and Population Health, University of Alabama

Restorative Engagement: Centering Communities in Cycles of Knowledge Exchange, Ideation, and Action

• Nicole Hewitt-Cabral, Associate Director of Public Engagement, Public Agenda
• Adam Parris, Deputy Director of Climate Science and Risk Communication, City of New York

Breakout/Discussion Sessions

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time

1. Come Together to Unpack and Process the Communicating Science Seminar

• The SciEngage Steering Committee (Daniel Aguirre, Manasi Apte, Stacey Baker, Julie Fooshee, Geoff Hunt)

Often when attending sessions at a conference, one might be left to unpack the content that was covered on their own. We are aiming to disrupt that cycle by holding space for those who would like to unpack what they just heard and explore ways to put their learnings into practice as well as hear different perspectives that you may not have considered. Listening can be a community effort and we invite you to dig deeper with us.

2. Science Communication to Get Policymakers’ Attention

• Taylor Scott, Co-Director, Research-to-Policy Collaboration (Pennsylvania State University)
• Elizabeth C. Long, Director of Research and Evaluation, Research-to-Policy Collaboration (Pennsylvania State University)

How can scientists get the attention of legislators? This session will walk through the nuts and bolts of how to engage with legislators and their staff, from finding the right staffer and writing an email to them, through following up after a meeting. Speakers will also discuss communication strategies shown through experimentation to enhance engagement among legislative audiences. Attendees will have several opportunities to participate in exercises to prepare them for engagement in line with best practices and actively reflect on their approach to science communication.

3. Connecting Science Communication Researchers and Practitioners

• Reyhaneh Maktoufi, Rita Allen Foundation Civic Science Fellow in Misinformation at GBH|NOVA

While many science communicators might be interested in receiving information on the science of science communication through learning about the research or talking to SciComm researchers, in practice, such interactions don't seem to happen that often. In this session we discuss "communicating the science of science communication" and ask questions such as, what are the topics in SciComm we would like to see the evidence for? What are SciComm research topics that are most helpful to practitioners and how does the practitioners' experience add to that research? What are barriers that might be stopping a connection between research and practice and what are opportunities to overcome those barriers? This session will be a lively discussion that welcomes SciComm researchers and practitioners, SciComm enthusiasts, and individuals who are active in communicating the science of science communication.

4. Mentorship in Science Communication and Engagement

• Rob O’Malley, Project Director, AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion (DoSER)
• Kristin Lewis, Project Director, AAAS Center for Public Engagement with Science

This breakout session will focus on the role of mentorship in developing science communication and engagement skills. We will discuss characteristics to look for in a mentor, and discuss networking strategies. We will also share resources for further reflection.

5. Breaking Boundaries: Exploring SciComm From Around the World (India, Israel, Kenya, New Zealand, South Africa & the U.K.)

• Sarah Iqbal, Independent Science Engagement Consultant, India; Co-creator and Lead Superheroes Against Superbugs
• Marina Joubert, science communication researcher at Stellenbosch University, South Africa
• Roselyne Namayi, Media Engagement Coordinator, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kenya
• David Price, Science Made Simple Ltd, UK
• Jessica Rohde, PhD Student, Centre for Science in Society, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; Events Co-lead at the Science Communication Training Network
• Meital Salmor, Founder and Director of Scicomm Skills, the 1st Israeli initiative for practical training in SciComm, Israel; Events Co-lead at the Science Communication Training Network 

Hear from science communicators around the world about what they and others in their countries are working on and what challenges and opportunities they’re facing, and participate in an interactive discussion about what we can learn from one another including how to collaborate across borders and timezones.