Dear PSI-COM list member,

A small question with regard to your experiences as Science Communication professional: 
With a team of young science communication professionals and students, we are preparing a conference panel session about 'Professionalization in Science Communication' (Friday April 20th, 8.30-9.45 AM, at PCST2012 in Florence). We see Science Communication (= SC) as a continuously evolving work-field. Therefore we aim to contribute with our session to the further professionalization of the field. 

How? Read further below.

In order to organise our PCST2012 session*, we explore visions of science communication professionals and -students on the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and personal traits that are personally experienced as essential in science communication practise. Every SC practitioner may have a different vision on skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed for daily SC-practise, and therefore we take the challenge to collect and analyse them!

To help us in our exploration, I would love to invite you to our short questionnaire about your SC-experiences and -visions:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEF1NmpteVUxT3E0c3owRE0ta1lJbGc6MQ#gid=0 
The questionnaire is explained further in detail when you open the link.

With this questionnaire, we offer you as (future) science communication practitioner the unique opportunity to 'influence' the design of our PCST session about professionalization - with your vision on what skills, knowledge, attitudes, and personal traits you experience as important in practise (/internship) - ánd we offer you to become part of our unique professionalization project*.

The questionnaire can be done anonymously, and will take about 5 to 10 minutes. There is an option to leave behind your email address in the end of the questionnaire, so we can keep you informed about the progress of our project on professionalization.

Thanx in advance! We are looking forward to your unique and personal insights!
See you at PCST2012 in Florence?

Warm regards,
Marjoleine Georgette van der Meij

On behalf of:

* Our session is named "Professionalization: Working Towards Competence-Based Science Communication Career Models for Science Communication Students and Curriculum Developers". We design this PCST-session for students, curriculum developers, and all other (future) science communication professionals that are interested in equipping themselves - or students - for science communication practise.

During the PCST session itself, we will address questions like: What skills, knowledge, attitudes, and personal traits are needed in which kind of science communication practise? Are there generic science communication skills that 'count' for all SC-jobs? To what extent do curricula anticipate those needed skills, knowledge and attitudes in practise? And (to what extent) should students be equipped with those skills, knowledge, attitudes, and traits already?

By means of co-creation (with this session as a start), we hope to eventually develop several tools that facilitate professionalization for students, curriculum developers, and science communication practitioners interested in life-long learning. We see the PCST session therefore as successful, if all participants leave the session with new ideas on professionalizing themselves and/or others!

--
drs. ir. M.G. van der Meij
www.mgvandermeij.nl
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