A Waikato University science symposium looking at ways to spread the word about science takes place on July 8.
Science in the Public is a symposium that aims to find innovative and effective ways of communicating science events to the public through discussions from researchers, workers and organisations working in the field of science.
“The symposium is ideal for anyone who is involved in or has an interest in public science events,” says Faculty of Science and Engineering senior lecturer, Dr Kathrin Otrel-Cass. “There will be plenty of learning and networking opportunities.”
The day-long symposium will be organised in three workshops, beginning with presentations from a range of speakers representing research organisations, tertiary institutions, and media. This will be followed by a trip to Excite at the Waikato Museum, with the final workshop taking place at the university’s Café Scientifique, held at The Bank on Victoria St in Hamilton.
Discussions on the day will cover a range of topics, which include examining how different organisations adapt public science events to social needs; how effective new technologies are at disseminating information; and, how rural communities can access science material to start their own science focused events.
The keynote speaker is Shaun Hendy, a theoretical physicist, who works at Industrial Research Ltd and Victoria University of Wellington. Dr Hendy leads a research team in nanotechnology and materials science, and is currently the Deputy Director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology.
The Science in the Public symposium takes place on Thursday July 8. For more information on this symposium visit www.sci.waikato.ac.nz/cafescientifique/