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PCST 2018 Video
Okay, this is a little different. If a picture can tell a thousand words, then by posting a video, I should pretty much not have to say anything at all! This is a video made by Tourism New Zealand to capture the essence of the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) Conference held in Dunedin, New Zealand from 3-6 April, 2018: The next conference will be in Scotland in 2020. Make sure you go and don’t miss out on all that the PCST Conferences have to offer for anyone interested in the area of science communication,. Photo: Plenary Panel at PCST 2018 featuring (left to right): Marina Joubert, Jan…
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Is Writing Becoming an Irrelevant form of Communication?
It takes a lot of confidence to call yourself a writer. I had published several books and won a handful of awards before I dared to put my occupation down as “writer” on any form. It was a seminal moment in my life, one that I remember well: the first time I let myself believe that I actually deserved to be called a writer. And yet, I have always been a writer. Just as I need to breathe in order to get oxygen to the cells in my body, I need to write in order to derive a type of satisfaction for my soul that comes only from writing. I…
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Narrative and Video: untapped possibilities for science communication
The way we communicate or, rather, consume media has changed drastically in just the last few years. Online video on-demand is where things are at. However, even though consumption rates are through the roof, the amount of video available online is daunting. As is often the case for science communicators, it becomes a question of how to reach the target audience and get yourself seen/heard with all the competition for eyes and ears. Associate Professor Bienvenido León (University of Navarra in Spain) and I are part of a large international study looking at science videos on YouTube. We have analysed the narratives in over 800 videos and, on one level,…
