2015 Annual Meeting

• Workshop 10854: Communicating Science Vividly; Sunday, August 9, 2015; 12:00-5:00 p.m. See ESA2015 conference website to register. Scroll down for details, or view workshop description via conference online program.
• SciComm Section Business meeting: Monday, August 10, 2015: 6:30 PM; Stone, Hilton
• Joint mixer with Policy Section: Mixer will follow business meeting and will be held at Alewife; 21 N Eutaw St; 410.545.5112.
• Happy Hour with ESA Communications Team and DC Science Writers Association: The DC Science Writers Association organized a happy hour with us during the meeting and the Science Communication Section is invited. Click here for complete details.

Organizers:

Workshop Description:

Summary: Experienced science communicators will lead visual communication and writing activities to help participants build skills in conveying complex scientific concepts to broad audiences through storytelling and other creative narrative pathways.

Details: The ability to communicate ecological concepts meaningfully to a broad audience is emerging as a vital component of the modern ecologist’s toolkit.

In this workshop, ‘boundary-spanning’ science communicators with expertise in visual communication and creative nonfiction writing will guide participants through a variety of hands-on exercises to build their skills in conveying ecological concepts to broad audiences. Activities will include visual design and composition, drawing, photography best practices, systems mapping, color theory, messaging, and scene/character development.  By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to identify a clear storyline through their own scientific work. Aimed at a specified target audience, this storyline and accompanying visuals will enable participants to share their work in a comprehensible and compelling way.

Although the majority of the workshop will feature hands-on activities, short presentation topics will include the historical link between scientific inquiry and visual communication, and case studies of visual and written communication that have led to increased learning and broad impact across a range of audiences. A key focus will be how vivid science storytelling can build empathy and interest, respectfully motivating measurable behavioral changes in a scientist’s target audience(s).

The workshop is intended for scientists and educators of all experience levels. Evaluation at the outset and end of the workshop will contribute to analysis of science communication training strategies.

Minimum Number of Participants: 8; Maximum Number of Participants: 30

See ESA2015 conference website to register or view workshop description via conference online program.