ASC2020 - 16-19 Feb, Melbourne

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Is it working? Development and testing of a National Evaluation Guide for STEM gender equity projects

The Government supports and invests in a range of gender equity in STEM initiatives intended to that boost the participation of girls and women in STEM education and careers. Evaluation is imperative to gauge whether initiatives are achieving their intended outcomes and to shape future interventions [1]. However, evaluation is often neglected [2] due in part to lack of resources and perceived expertise to evaluate projects in a professional and accountable manner [3].

The Office of the Women in STEM is developing a National Evaluation Guide to provide a standardised framework for rigorous evaluation of funded gender equity programs across Australia. The National Evaluation Guide will be piloted with the Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship (WISE) grants program in 2020 to evaluate project impacts and outcomes. This paper will provide an overview of the National Evaluation Guide and discuss the implementation of the pilot project with WISE in 2020.

[1] Australian Academy of Science. Women in STEM Decadal Plan. 2019

[2] Coordination Committee on Science and Technology. Audit of Science Education and Awareness Initiatives Delivered by CCST Member Organisations in 2006/07 Financial Year, Results and Recommendations. Canberra. 2008.

[3] Salmon, R. A., & Roop, H. A. Bridging the gap between science communication practice and theory. Polar Record, 1-14. 2019.

 

Presenter
Isabelle Kingsley, Research Associate, Office of the Women in STEM | University of New South Wales

 

When: Monday 17th February, 2:00-3:30
Where: Room G02, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

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Changing environmental behaviours, using ABC’s War on Waste as a case study

The first season of ABC’s War on Waste led to an immediate funding boost of $1.2 million dollars to organisations that rescue food, Responsible Cafes increased from 400 registered cafes to 1,400 almost overnight, and KeepCup reported a 400% increase in sales the week after War on Waste aired.

So how did the series do it?

One of the most interesting findings of the ABC’s 2018 War on Waste survey found that millennials—those aged between 18 and 34—produce more waste in their households compared to all other generations. This survey was one of Australia’s largest ever studies on waste behaviour change and was completed by 36,722 participants around the country.

Millennials were more likely to have thrown out rotting food, thrown food scraps into the general waste, placed recyclables in the general waste and purchased fruit and vegetables in plastic bags or trays. Yet when it came to using BYO coffee cups instead of disposable and non-recyclable coffee cups, millennials outperformed all other generations.

So why, out of all the environmental behaviours in War on Waste, was the BYO coffee cup adopted more than others? And how exactly did the War on Waste provoke this change in behaviour in millennials?

We asked Melbourne millennials their thoughts in a one-hour focus group.

Engaging storytelling, non-preachy tones, gentle learning curve, a joint-learning experience with the host, relatable contexts, targeting consumers, businesses and government and step-by-step guides on how to change behaviour, all played a key role.

But one of the main findings was that these preferences aren’t unique to Melbourne millennials—other generations make decisions in the same ways. Findings demonstrate overall consistencies with existing theories about edutainment interventions and cognitive processing.

We’ve put together some practical tips to help waste education practitioners engage communities in waste issues, using War on Waste as a case study.

Learn about new insights on:
-striking the right tone in a waste education campaign
-choosing pro-environmental behaviours that are most likely to be adopted -inspiring change on issues perceived to be too overwhelming
-the psychology on how we make decisions

Entertainment-Education (edutainment) interventions are communication strategies that have a predetermined educational or persuasive outcome, and aim to motivate and inspire social change.

 

What will participants gain from attending your presentation?
Attendees will learn about new insights and practical tips on how to engage communities on complex topics, and learn the latest on edutainment communication research. The presentation will outline a practical step-by-step framework that attendees can take home on how to create a communication campaign that will lead to social change.

Specifically the audience will learn about insights on:
-striking the right tone in a waste education campaign
-choosing pro-environmental behaviours that are most likely to be adopted -inspiring change on issues perceived to be too overwhelming
-the psychology on how we make decisions

 

Presenters

Rachael Vorwerk, Communications Consultant and RMIT Research Assistant, Self-employed and RMIT

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-vorwerk/

When: Monday 17th February, 2:00-3:30
Where: Room G02, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

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Sustainable Stand Up: Cultivating laughter to save humanity

All too often conversations about sustainability become negative and accusatory, and alienate the very people we need to connect with. In this session we’ll talk about Sustainable StandUp, a different way to approach communication, using a highly compassionate form of comedy.

Belina Raffy teaches stand up and improv practices to sustainability champions (environmental and social) to help them to talk about important and scary ideas in delightful ways that bring people in, instead of frightening them away.

Based in Berlin, Belina has now run Sustainable Stand Up courses and shows over 33 times across 10 countries and has also written a book Using Improv to Save the World (and me) .

The talk will feature some excerpts of live comedy from Melbourne-based Sustainable Stand Up teacher and comedian, Tejopala Rawls.

 

What will the audience get out of it?

Insights on a new way to approach difficult conversations, a smile and some optimism!

 

Structure
A live cross to Belina Raffy in Berlin, and some examples of comedy from Tejopala Rawls, along with a discussion of how he develops material and some audience Q&A.

 

Producer

Phil Dooley, Phil Up On Science, and Sustainable Stand Up teacher, Canberra

 

Presenter

Belina Raffy, Empress, Maffick Ltd and Founder, Sustainable Stand Up

 

Presenter/Performer

Tejopala Rawls, Activist and stand up comedian

 

When: Monday 17th February, 12:00pm-1:00pm

Where: Room G21, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton

Hashtag: TBC

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Applying Behaviour Change to Science Communication: Lessons from BehaviourWorks Australia

This is a two-part workshop on science communications using a behaviour change approach, sharing insights from BehaviourWorks Australia (BWA), a university-based behaviour change research enterprise that works with government and industry to find behavioural solutions to real-world problems.

The workshop will begin by taking attendees step-by-step through a model of behaviour change which can be applied to science communications (the “Comms Mini Method”). The second part of the workshop will focus on the practical side of communications, sharing learnings from BWA’s science communications experiences.

This workshop is based on BWA training to develop capability in science communications among new behavioural insights teams in government and industry.

 

Structure

The session will consist of three sections.
(1) The first section will focus on applying the BWA Method (https://www.behaviourworksaustralia.org/the-method/) of behaviour change to science communications. Kun Zhao or Mark Boulet will present this behavioural approach to communications, dubbed the “Comms Mini Method” and its three stages of “Exploration”, “Deep Dive”, and “Application”.

(2) The second section will focus on the practical side of BWA’s experiences in behaviour change communications with government and industry. Geoff Paine will present on BWA’s own communications activities and products, as well as learnings, issues, and challenges.

(3) The third section will be an informal Q and A discussion with the audience around the content in the first two sessions, plus some of the common issues that are encountered in this area of science communications (e.g., how do we manage expectations and communicate what behavioural insights can do?).

 

What will participants gain from attending your session?

The session aims to provide attendees with a practical understanding of how behaviour change methods can be applied to the communications planning process. This is done by taking attendees step-by-step through the Comms Mini Method.

The session also aims to share with attendees BWA’s own experiences from communicating about behaviour change with government and industry, including practical tips, learnings, and remedies for common problems. It is intended that attendees can draw from the BWA perspective and apply these to their own communications challenges and issues.

As the Comms Mini Method is relatively new, the session presenters also wish to receive some feedback from attendees on the Comms Mini Method (e.g., what could be improved, what other contexts it could be applied, what are some potential shortcomings with the approach).

 

Presenters

Kun Zhao, Research fellow, BehaviourWorks Australia, MSDI

Mark Boulet, Research fellow, BehaviourWorks Australia, MSDI

Geoff Paine, Content Curator, BehaviourWorks Australia, MSDI

 

When: Monday 17th February, 2:00pm-3:30pm
Where: Room G31, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

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The emergence of modern science communication: the Book

So there’s a book, with chapters from Iran, Pakistan, Jamaica, Estonia, Russia, and all the usual suspects. It charts the different pathways 39 different countries followed as they moved to modern science communication and it gets launched in May.

In this sneak preview, the editor talks it over with two authors and a member of the Editorial Board.

How did Russia hold the Guinness record for the highest circulating periodical? What derailed the polio campaign in northern Nigeria? What does mātauranga mean and why is it important in Aotearoa? What were the fifteen questions and is this a flawed concept?

Why do the Americans describe their experience as vibrant, jostling and complicated? How does fascism and colonialism influence the story? And what about Lake Como and Aberdeen?

Jenni Metcalfe is ringmaster, and it will take all her skill to control panellists Joan Leach, Michelle Riedlinger and Toss Gascoigne, PLUS handle audience participation.

 

How will your session be structured?
Well, Jenni will say something and then Toss says something different and Michelle will disagree and Jenni will ask a question and Toss tries to be serious but the others laugh and the audience gets involved

 

What type of session will this be?
Workshop: allowing participants to actively engage in exploring a project or concept in science communication., A discussion about a book with audience participation on how we can learn the lessons from 39 different accounts, written by 103 authors

 

What will participants gain from attending your session?

Ideas, mostly, for both practice and research. A cornucopia of ideas.

Australia has played tough, done good in science communication; and now we’re helping the world tell its story.

(After all, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” )

 

Presenters

Toss Gascoigne, Visiting Fellow, CPAS, ANU

Jenni Metcalfe, Director, Econnect Communication

Michelle Riedlinger, Associate Professor, University of the Fraser Valley, Canada

 

When: Monday 17th February, 2:00pm-3:00pm

Where: Room G21, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton

Hashtag: TBC

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Understanding how nature works: five pathways towards a more ecologically literate world

The sustainability of human life on Earth depends upon the integrity of the relationship between humanity and nature. Nature supports humanity, and knowledge and understanding of how nature works form the foundation of ecological literacy. It is ecological literacy that underpins our capacity as humans to make well-informed decisions about how to live in sustainable ways. It is therefore of concern that levels of ecological knowledge and understanding within many contemporary human communities may be too low to enable effective decision making in support of sustainable human settlement.

Our concern led to an exploration of the concept of ecological literacy and the assessment of a sample of South Australian adults. We found that while ecological literacy can vary significantly in correlation with a range of socio-demographic and psychographic characteristics, no one factor is necessarily more critical than another. Based on this work we have identified five pathways for growing eco-literate communities. While the patterns and drivers of ecological knowledge and understanding naturally vary between cultures and communities, our findings certainly invite serious consideration for a society, and indeed a world, that aspires to cultivate informed citizenry, leadership and governance with capacity for building sustainable human settlements.

Many people are constantly searching for ways to assist communities in becoming more sustainable. We suggest that ecologically literate leadership and citizenry is necessary for achieving sustainability. Our research has uncovered several pathways which can lead to more ecologically literate communities and thus pave the way for more sustainable human settlements. This presentation aims to convey the essence of our findings and provide a foundation for developing policies and processes that can make a difference

 

Session Producer

Sheryn Pitman, Program Manager – Inspiring South Australia, South Australian Museum

 

When: Monday 17th February, 12:00 noon-1:00pm
Where: Room G02, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

 

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Adding a new tool to your tool-kit – an introduction to digital sound and music for science communicators

Audio forms of science communication are extremely varied and have a range of applications – music, both traditional and created using new technologies, and sound, such as audio captured in the field or complex communication soundscapes, can be used in performances, documentaries, podcasts, apps, and live presentations. The ability to use sound and music represents a novel and effective skill that science communicators can add to their tool-kits.

This interactive presentation will provide participants with an introduction to capturing and using sounds, as well as making music that can be used in their science communication practice. It will cover the following:

-Why music?
– How can music improve science communication?
– What makes a good piece of music for science communication and why?
– The fundamentals of music making
– What’s music anyway?
– The key elements of a piece of music
– The creative process
– Creativity hacks to get your juices flowing
– How to make it?
– What devices can you use
– An introduction to some of the best apps
– How to apply it
– Ways to incorporate it into your practice

 

Presenter

Michael Helman, Director, Communicatrium

 

When: Monday 17th February, 12:00pm-1:00pm

Where: TBC
Hashtag: TBC

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Creativity in Science Communication: What we can learn from 23 of the world’s leading science organisations

Animal mascots. Enormous sculptures made of rubbish. Digital storytelling. Radio programs on lemurs.

In 2018, Kate Cranney travelled around the world, interviewing science communicators from 23 organisations. She spent time with the Smithsonian Institute, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the David Suzuki Foundation, to name a few.

She asked each group: How do you communicate your work in creative and innovate ways? What are the bright spots in your organisation—what communications campaigns were successful and why? And how do you collaborate with the public, especially with artists and children?

This presentation provides a tasty smörgåsbord (Kate visited Sweden!) of some of the most creative science communication happening around the world.

Kate’s fellowship was funded by the International Specialised Skills Institute and the George Alexander Fellowship: www.issinstitute.org.au.

Presenter

Kate Cranney, Communications Advisor (Land & Water, Energy), CSIRO

 

When: Monday 17th February, 2:00pm-3:30pm

Where: Room G01, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

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Forgotten heroes of science communication: Maynard Shipley (1872-1934)

Forgotten heroes of science communication: Maynard Shipley (1872-1934)

Maynard Shipley was born in Baltimore in 1872, one in a family of ten children. He managed to become a scholar with little formal education. He educated himself through hard study after work; he worked in a variety of jobs from acting to teaching the piano, to working as a retail shoe clerk. He was a mature student at the University of California (Stanford) for about a year, but never obtained formal qualifications.

In 1898, his interest in science began and he formed a discussion group called the Seattle Academy of Sciences and began lecturing in science. In 1904 he started a boarding school for boys which continued for only two years. At this time, he joined the Socialist Party and became a close friend of Eugene Debs, the Socialist Presidential candidate.

In 1920, he was the unsuccessful socialist candidate for Congress in Alameda County, California. His living from 1922 onwards depended on his lectures on astronomy and evolution, his writing science articles for newspapers and magazines, producing two long-standing radio programs and writing Little Blue Books for the publisher Emanuel Haldeman-Julius.

His second wife was Miriam Allen deFord, whom he married in 1917 and she was also a successful writer. He founded the Science League of America in 1924. He continued an amazingly active life communicating science through all the means that were available to him at the time until ill-health in 1932 and his death in 1934 brought his efforts to a close.

 

Presenter

Dr W. P. Palmer,  Retired Science Educator.

 

When: Monday 17th February, 3:00-3:30
Where: Room G21, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

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Do common names influence willingness to conserve threatened species?

Words matter and how we name things can have a particularly large influence on how others perceive them. Previous research has demonstrated that animal common names can influence willingness to conserve species (Karaffa et al. 2012), and may even impact their conservation support and threat status. We use experimental surveys to test the influence of five different “common name frames” on perceived conservation importance, willingness to donate, and willingness to volunteer. We also test whether these responses are mediated by information seeking and processing variables in the audience – problem recognition, constraint recognition, level of involvement – to disentangle how each name change influences perceptions and intended behaviour. This work could inform strategic name changes of species common names to improve perceptions, support and ultimately conservation success.

 

Presenter

Emily Gregg, PhD Candidate, RMIT University

 

When: Monday 17th February, 2:00-3:30
Where: Room G03, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

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