This month, CPAS academics, students, and alumni met in Rotterdam to join the global discussion on science communication at the Public Communication of Science and Technology Network (aka PCST) Conference 2023.  

Since 1989, the PCST network has brought together practitioners, educators, and researchers in science communication. Previous conferences have been hosted in South Korea, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand. This years’ conference was built on the theme of ‘Creating common ground,’ highlighting the continual nature of discovery and how it relates to technical and scientific advancement. 

The value of a collaborative network of researchers and practitioners in science communication cannot be overstated. Together, they can improve the relationship between researchers and the public, fostering trust in science and innovation. 

Over the four days of the Conference, there have been many thought-provoking debates, suggestions, and insights from researchers from all over the world. It has also been an amazing opportunity to get to know other research projects and reconnect and/or expand our networks.  

Enjoy a few stories and images from some ofthe CPAS attendees:  

For first time attendee, Postdoctoral Fellow Dr Dan Santos says, “the PCST conference was a fantastic way to appreciate more fully the breadth and diversity of the field of science communication. I was especially keen to hear more about the wonderful work being undertaken by science communication practitioners, and I actively sought out these sessions and talks in particular.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PhD Researcher Indigo Strudwicke attended previous PCST Conferences and is always amazed by the variety of topics. She says, "It was great to see the sorts of science communication research happening all over the world, and to reflect on common themes and challenges globally. It has sparked my reflection on thinking about the purpose of this work and aligning what we already know about science communication theory and practice to the challenges it can help to address." 

Associate Professor Will Grant shares, "The Conference was fantastic to reconnect with colleagues and friends from around the world – to hear about the projects they’re working on, to grimace at our shared dilemmas, and to get their insights into new developments in science communications." A/Prof Grant presented during a parallel session on, "GM All Over Again? Reflecting on a Systematic Literature Review on Attitudes to the Use of New Breeding Techniques in Food."

Postdoctoral Fellow John Noel Viaña and colleagues presented a roundtable (image below) on Queering science communication: Bringing an LGBTIQA+ lens to #scicomm theory and practice, which pulled stories from their book recently published! "PCST provided an opportunity to disseminate our research on science communication towards racial minorities and for LGBTQIA+ people. Although there is still more work to do, it is heartwarming to realise that there is wide support on these topics and an increasing number of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in science communication," states Dr Viaña. 

For Lecturer Dr Anna-Sophie Jürgens, this was her first time attending a science communication conference. At the conference, she presented in two different sessions around science and pop culture and met a variety of people. The highlight for her PCST experience was the statistician knitting statistics. Dr Jürgens states, "Associate Professor Kathrine Frey Frøslie from Norway has a unique way of showing her science poncho." Looking at the photo below, can you guess what she studies? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, Associate Professor Merryn McKinnon was fully immersed in the conference as she presented in three different sessions. The first, was a roundtable discussion on involving journalists in science engagement between communities and scientists. Whereas her other two presentations were demos on understanding intersectionality and using evidence-based pedagogies. A/Prof McKinnon shares, "the best part about PCST was being able to meet people who I'd been working with virtually for a few years, but we'd never actually met face to face." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall the conference was a major success, with 650 attendees that came from 55 different countries! Below is a visual summary by Carolina Pereira Marghidan, a PCST Communications member, sharing what they learned during the Conference. What part connects with you most? 

To learn more about PCST or join the network, click here.
To learn which sessions CPAS participated in, click here.