Hi Nicky,
If you (or anyone else) is interested what you have described
(inspiring/helping/training academics to communicate effectively with the
public) is exactly what I do - and yes I would recommend myself! ;)
Do please contact me for more info.
There is quite a bit of information on the website, although it is quite new
so do ask if I have missed anything off.
Kind regards,
David
Dr David Price
0788 6611 686
[log in to unmask]
www.unravellingscience.co.uk
-----Original Message-----
From: psci-com: on public engagement with science
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Nicola Buckley
Sent: 19 August 2010 18:46
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] Update from Science for All Follow on group: Science
Communicators
Hello all
With (sort of) reference to this interesting discussion: does anyone have
recommendations for good science communication trainers? Inspiring people
who could talk to PhDs, postdocs etc and start them off or develop their
learning how to be engaging communicators, mainly in the context of live
communication events with young people / the public of all ages? We know a
few very good people round here, but additional recommendations on or
off-list would be helpful!
thanks
Nicky
Nicola Buckley
Festivals and Outreach Manager
Cambridge Science Festival and Cambridge Festival of Ideas
Office of External Affairs and Communications
University of Cambridge
The Pitt Building
Trumpington Street
Cambridge CB2 1RP
Tel: +44 (0)1223 764069
Mobile: +44 (0)7774 017688
Email: [log in to unmask]
Cambridge Science Festival www.cambridgescience.org
Cambridge Festival of Ideas www.festivalofideas.org
Cambridge Community Knowledge Exchange
www.cam.ac.uk/ccke
________________________________
From: psci-com: on public engagement with science
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Richard Ellam
Sent: 18 August 2010 13:31
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] Update from Science for All Follow on group: Science
Communicators
HI Dom (and All)
As someone who has the Museums Diploma (the AMA), gained a good few years
ago now, I have serious reservations about the utility of this, and similar
qualifications, as my experience suggests that once people have gained them
they forget about most of the stuff they've learned and just carry on much
as before. So the motivated and professional carry on being motivated and
professional and the rest just muddle along as they did before, too. In
theory the MA is supposed to maintain a check on professional standards, but
it has never, to my knowledge censured a professional member for failing to
behave in a professionally competent manner.
There is maybe some merit in having some kind of entry-level qualification
for science communicators, but I really don't think there's much merit in
having any kind of professional qualification. Broadly speaking science
communicators generally sit with people like journalists, and live
performers, and teachers. There are courses that you either can do or have
to take in order to enter these occupations, but they don't lead to a
'professional' qualification with the regulation of standards that this
implies.
This is not to say that I don't believe in continuing training - as a
regular organiser of sessions at the BIG Event I certainly do- but I'm not
sure that wrapping this continuing training up into some form of
qualification actually achieves anything useful.
Another point to ponder - the Museums Association adminsters the AMA
qualification. It has about 6000 members, and they pay about £50 a year each
to be members. The MA also has corporate members who, although fewer in
number pay rather more each per year. This income maintains a central
London office and a small staff.
If we create some kind of professional qualification for science
communicators who do you envisage running the scheme? There isn't any single
body in our business which could do this at the moment. So do we create yet
another organisation to stand alongside BIG and ECSITE UK and the BSA, or do
dragoon one of these into running the scheme. And who pays?
I'm all in favour of training, and wish there was more of it offered as this
would largely meet Anabella's requirements, but I can't see any merit in a
professional qualification, I'm afraid.
Hope this helps
Cheers
Richard.
Richard Ellam
L M Interactive
Science Shows and Hands-On Stuff
[log in to unmask]
On 18 Aug 2010, at 11:27, Anabella Gale wrote:
Hi all,
I think the Museums Association Scheme looks like a good model to
start with. It may be difficult to set up to begin with as there is
still an issue with how you accredit people with 20 years +
experience
in a meaningful way, but once established it could be really useful.
Personally, I would like training that gives opportunities to work
with new aspects of science communication that part of my current
job.
I often meet and work with people who have skills that I would
really
like to learn. The ideal way would be to work on a project together,
but to collaborate you need to bring a useful skill, and even then
you
don't necessarily learn what you hoped to.
I think a scheme like this could be a great way for someone entering
the industry to gain a range of skills, but for those who are more
experienced it could allow them to branch out and try something new.
Bella Williams
On Mon, Aug 16, 2010 at 4:57 PM, Dominic McDonald
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hi again everyone
Many thanks for all your comments so far about the idea of a
qualification for science communicators which might look a bit like the
Associateship of the Museums Association scheme
(http://www.museumsassociation.org/careers/associateship-of-the-museums-asso
ciation).
I think there are a couple of really interesting issues that
have been raised, and I wondered if I could stimulate some further
discussion around the two questions that Suzanne asked, namely:
What training would you like to help you do whatever you do
better?
and
What training do you need before you can start doing what
you'd like to do?
Please believe me when I say that I don't need a fully
worked up syllabus! All comments are incredibly useful in terms of helping
us to get a flavour of what people want and/or need, and would they would
actively fight against...
Yours in anticipation
Dom
**********************************************************************
1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for
example,
send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask] with the
following message:
set psci-com nomail -- [include hyphens]
2. To resume email from the list, send an email to
[log in to unmask] with the message:
set psci-com mail -- [include hyphens]
3. To leave psci-com, send an email to
[log in to unmask] with the message:
leave psci-com -- [include hyphens]
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.ac.uk
6. To contact the Psci-com list owner, please send an email
to mailto:[log in to unmask]
**********************************************************************
**********************************************************************
1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example,
send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask] with the following
message:
set psci-com nomail -- [include hyphens]
2. To resume email from the list, send an email to
[log in to unmask] with the message:
set psci-com mail -- [include hyphens]
3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with
the message:
leave psci-com -- [include hyphens]
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.ac.uk
6. To contact the Psci-com list owner, please send an email to
mailto:[log in to unmask]
**********************************************************************
********************************************************************** 1. To
suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example, send an email
to mailto:[log in to unmask] with the following message:
set psci-com nomail -- [include hyphens]
2. To resume email from the list, send an email to [log in to unmask]
with the message:
set psci-com mail -- [include hyphens]
3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the
message:
leave psci-com -- [include hyphens]
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.ac.uk
6. To contact the Psci-com list owner, please send an email to
mailto:[log in to unmask]
**********************************************************************
**********************************************************************
1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example,
send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask] with the following message:
set psci-com nomail -- [include hyphens]
2. To resume email from the list, send an email to [log in to unmask]
with the message:
set psci-com mail -- [include hyphens]
3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the
message:
leave psci-com -- [include hyphens]
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.ac.uk
6. To contact the Psci-com list owner, please send an email to
mailto:[log in to unmask]
**********************************************************************
**********************************************************************
1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example,
send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask] with the following message:
set psci-com nomail -- [include hyphens]
2. To resume email from the list, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message:
set psci-com mail -- [include hyphens]
3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message:
leave psci-com -- [include hyphens]
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.ac.uk
6. To contact the Psci-com list owner, please send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask]
**********************************************************************
|