Sunday, Jun 23: 1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Educational Course - Half Day (4 hours)
COEX
Room: Conference Room E 6
How can science influence societal decision making and policy, if scientists do not involve their communities in the scientific process? Our community members largely contribute to the funding of our research and are ultimately our research targets. Increasingly, in current times where mistrust in science prevails, it is more important than ever to get outside of the lab and communicate with the public. But, how are we supposed to do outreach, if (1) our scientific productivity is solely measured by how many papers we publish and hours we spend in the lab, and (2) there is no infrastructure in place to guide us and help us navigate the science outreach world? In the first half of the talk, I will stress the importance of integrating science outreach training and initiatives in academia and I will share tips on how to get started on this journey. I will bring my own experiences and lessons I learned attending science communication workshops and spearheading my own outreach activities. I will show how the most effective way to do outreach is by bringing one’s passions into the equation (art, games, writing, sports)! The second half of the talk will be interactive and will involve hands-on science communication activities and a brainstorming session where we will come up with ideas of outreach projects we can take back home.