Apologies for cross posting
ALPHAGALILEO eNEWS - March 2002
CONTENTS
* International expansion deadline
* Your reports
* Other languages
* Think before you click
* Need an Expert?
* AlphaGalileo in Russia
* Adding your logo to releases
* Natural Environment Research Council
* Job vacancies
* Site statistics
* The Hits Parade
* Contact details for AlphaGalileo
AlphaGalileo's eNews is supported by the Natural Environment Research
Council as part of its commitment to science communication
<http://www.nerc.ac.uk>
INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION DEADLINE
If you requested information on becoming partners in the management of
AlphaGalileo please remember that the deadline for us to receive
applications is 11 March.
A common question that we have had concerns the funding for becoming a
member of the partnership. We need to have assurances that the funding
will
be available in the response on March 11. The charge for becoming a member
and our carrying out the new software and promotional work will only
become
payable once the AlphaGalileo Management Board has accepted the new
partners. The Board will meet on 15 April in Berlin.
Application forms should be returned to Peter Green, AlphaGalileo, 23
Savile
Row, London, United Kingdom W1S 2EZ
YOUR REPORTS
We've received a number of reports from contributors by post. While these
are of interest to the team they are not very helpful for the 3000
journalists registered to use AlphaGalileo's Library. Save the postage and
widen your audience by adding them as a PDF to the Libary via the on-line
form or, send them as a PDF email attachment and we will add them for you.
OTHER LANGUAGES
Are you tired of receiving email alerts of press notices in languages you
can't read? There's no need to. All you have to do is logon and select
'change your details' in the left hand menu. Under 'Preferred languages 2'
untick the boxes of languages you are not interested in receiving alerts
in.
THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK
Contributors, once you've submitted your press release to AlphaGalileo it
will normally be approved almost instantly. Remember, even under embargo
email alerts about this release will go instantly to all journalists that
have selected to see releases whose keyword selection matches theirs. At
this stage there is little to be gained by taking it off the site; the
feeding frenzy's started. So, if you have any reservations about when your
release should 'go live' type a message asking the release to be held
until
further notice in the 'Notes to AlphaGalileo administrators' in the
on-line
form.
NEED AN EXPERT?
Take note journalists and researchers. Looking for a quote? Need to check
a
scientific fact? Then don't forget our Experts service where you have over
3,700 scientists who have registered to offer their services to help you.
Using the free text search facility you can locate the person or topic you
are interested in. Alternatively, you can send an email to those who have
agreed to respond to general enquiries.
The Experts service was formerly the Media Resource Service of the
Novartis
Foundation.
ALPHAGALILEO IN RUSSIA
In mid-February AlphaGalileo helped provide the expert input to a two-day
seminar intended to raise the profile of science press officers in Russia.
The seminar was organised by the Informnauka Press Agency and the British
Council in Moscow.
Against the backdrop of a dissapointingly snow-less Moscow an audience of
around 60 press officers and researchers from Russian research institutes
heard Ted Nield, from the Geological Society, and Peter Green,
AlphaGalileo,
describe the British experience of science and media interaction, whilst
Lubov Streinkova from Informnauka compared it to the pioneering work her
agency was doing done in Russia. The highlight of the meeting was the
decision to continue the work of the seminar by forming a Russian society
to
promote science communication in the media.
Russian science is like the country - in transition. It was fascinating to
listen to the previous Russian experience of media relations where the
media
would report almost every word of speeches by the Directors of research
institutes. The British concerns over the need for better media coverage
of
science because of the benefits it brings in terms of recognition by tax
payers, young people and industry, are important but added to them is the
imperative to find funding sources for research.
Informnauka gave examples of Russian science news carried by AlphaGalileo
that had generated global interest. As we have discovered in the UK
medicine
and archaeology news is always in demand. In one case a Russian researcher
had received an invitation to attend a conference in the west and as a
result made contacts that were helping him to continue his research.
ADDING YOUR LOGO TO RELEASES
Contributors can now add the logo or symbol of your organisation to your
personal details so that it is displayed alongside any material that you
post, as well as in your address book details.
Don't worry if you don't have a logo as an electronic file on your hard
disc. It will be sitting on your organisation's web site. To add it to
your
details on AlphaGalileo simply right click on the logo, if you are using
Windows or click on it and hold down the mouse button on the Mac. A set of
options will be displayed. Select 'Download to disc' and then save the
image
to your hard disc.
Then log onto AlphaGalileo and select 'change details'. Scroll down to
upload your organisation logo and click on 'browse'. Now using your hard
disc's normal open/save file window navigate to where you downloaded the
logo, select the file and click on open.
Now press submit at the bottom of the 'change your details' form. Then
wait
till the duty team member has accepted the change and from then on all the
material that you submit will have the logo with it.
Try to select a small image file something around 150 pixels in width. And
of course whilst you are doing this check that you have added a paragraph
of
around 100 words that describes your organisation, so that journalists who
do not know you can get a quick idea of the work your organisation does
and
how it is funded
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL
Those of you who pay attention to detail will have noticed that the
AlphaGalileo eNews is now generously sponsored by the UK's Natural
Environment Research Council (NERC).
NERC is one of the seven UK Research Councils that fund and manage
scientific research and training in the UK. NERC funds and carries out
impartial scientific research in the sciences of the environment and
trains
the next generation of independent environmental scientists. It is the
research council that carries out earth system science: it is advancing
knowledge of planet Earth as a complex, interacting system. Its work
covers
the full range of atmospheric, earth, terrestrial and aquatic sciences,
from
the depth of the oceans to the upper atmosphere. Because the environment
is
global, it works with scientists and other partners around the world. NERC
uses a budget of about £220 million a year to fund scientific research in
universities and at its own sites. About 2,700 people are employed in NERC
research centres and a further 1,800 are funded annually through a variety
of research and training awards in university departments and other
bodies.
More than 3,000 postgraduate students have been funded by NERC over the
last
five years. Half its budget supports research and training in
universities,
and half is invested in work at its research centres.
For more information visit their website at www.nerc.ac.uk
JOB VACANCIES
PRESS OFFICER - UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE Salary: up to £32,537 per annum
The Department of External Affairs and Development invites applications
from
graduates possessing significant experience in journalism, within a press
office or an agency. Acting as University spokesperson when required, you
will be a contact point for general media enquiries and will liaise with
Departments to source newsworthy features which you will place with the
appropriate media. An enthusiastic self-starter, you will be an excellent
communicator and will be computer literate, preferably possessing
knowledge
of WWW packages such as Dreamweaver. (Ref: 12/02)
For application form, quoting appropriate reference number, and further
particulars (available on request in alternative formats for applicants
with
a disability) contact the Personnel Office, University of Strathclyde,
Glasgow G1 1XQ, Tel 0141 553 4133 (24 hour Voicemail Service). Application
closing date is 8 March 2002.
SITE STATISTICS
On the 3 March the site had:
Journalists 2618 (2613 at the end of February)
Contributors 1317 (1316 at the end of February)
Experts 3640 (3640 at the end of February)
Press Releases 7428 (7415 at the end of February)
Events 1030 (1027 at the end of February)
Books 36 (35 at the end of February)
Library 79 (79 at the end of February)
THE HITS PARADE
The top five releases by hits for February:
04/Feb/2002 Overcoming language barriers on the Internet EURESCOM 1436
hits
<http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=readRelease&ReleaseID=853
5
>
20/Feb/2002 Rebuilding old relics New Scientist 715 hits
<http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=readRelease&ReleaseID=866
9
>
06/Feb/2002 Mobile phones under fresh scrutiny New Scientist 498 hits
<http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=readRelease&ReleaseID=855
0
>
08/Feb/2002 Fuel From Natural Gas Informnauka (Informscience) Agency
366
hits
<http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=readRelease&ReleaseID=857
4
>
05/Feb/2002 Sick Beans lead to Nanotech WILEY-VCH Verlags GmbH 359
hits
<http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=readRelease&ReleaseID=854
0
>
CONTACT DETAILS FOR ALPHAGALILEO
The AlphaGalileo team works from offices across southern England and also
whilst travelling. Reaching us can therefore be difficult. We recommend
that
you use email to reach us and address emails to:
<[log in to unmask]>
This address sends mail to all members of staff and the duty team member
will respond.
Traditional post should go to the British Association, 23 Savile Row,
London
W1S 2EZ.
Our partners in France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Portugal and the UK will
also be pleased to provide advice
<http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=supporters>
If you need to email or speak to an individual team member and know that
they are at their home base you can contact them at the following email
addresses:
Peter Green, Director: <[log in to unmask]>
Laura Miles, Manager: <[log in to unmask]>
Adrienne Meredith, Assistant Manager (eNews editor) :
<[log in to unmask]>
The site is available 24 hours a day 365 days a year. The management team
operate from 08.00 hrs to 19.00 hrs UK time five days a week. At weekends
the site is checked at 09.00 hrs, 13.00 hrs and 18.00 hrs Saturdays and
Sundays.
Adrienne Meredith
Assistant Manager
AlphaGalileo Internet-based press centre for science, medicine and
technology
[log in to unmask]
+44 (0) 1793 514276
Mobile +44 (0) 7813 805695
http://www.alphagalileo.org
**********************************************************************
1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example,
send an email to [log in to unmask] with the following message:
set psci-com nomail
2. To resume email from the list, send the following message:
set psci-com mail
3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message:
leave psci-com
4. Further information about the psci-com discussion list, including list archive,
can be found at the list web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/psci-com.html
5. The psci-com gateway to internet resources on science communication and science
and society can be found at http://psci-com.org.uk
**********************************************************************
|
