Stories of Australian Science 2011 now open

Australian science stories, Bulletins, Stories of Aus Sci

We’ve opened submissions for Stories of Australian Science 2011 –our third edition of this magazine style collection of science stories.

We’ve also included a reminder of the closing dates for L’Oréal’s For Women In Science Fellowships, the PM’s Prizes and Eureka Prizes, and a brief mention of The Conversation – another way of getting your ideas to a national audience.

Our collection of Stories of Australian Science 2011 will put your research and researchers in front of hundreds of science journalists who came to Melbourne in 2007, including reporters from Nature, Scientific American, Science News, Reuters, BBC, China Daily, Associated Press, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.

It will be given to delegates at the 7th World Conference of Science Journalists, to be held at Doha, Qatar in June 2011 and sent to Australian embassies and government offices around the world.

We first published this magazine-style collection of Australian science stories for the 5th World Conference of Science Journalists in 2007.

Our next edition was circulated to attendees at the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers in 2009.

Now we are inviting contributions for our third edition.

The cost of participation ranges from $840 for a story to $1,800 for a full page advert.

There will be three stories on each page – each comprising 240 words and a single colour image.

We can either write your story from scratch – literally all we need is your scientist’s phone number and email. Or you can supply media releases, brochures or research reports as a starting point.

There are discounts for booking multiple stories.

Alternatively you can supply a print resolution pdf advert ready-to-go:

The prices are:

  • One story: $840
  • Two stories: $1,400
  • Three stories: $2,000
  • ¼ page advert: $800
  • ½ page advert: $1,200
  • full page advert: $1,800.

All prices are ex-GST.

Stories of Australian Science is not commissionable (the cost is the same whether you book directly or via an agency).

You can book online and pay by credit card via PayPal at www.scienceinpublic.com.au/stories, or you can book by email and we’ll invoice you.

What works best are stand-alone discovery stories that would pique the interest of the reader. We’ll create a lively story aimed at journalists and the public and we’ll check it with you before we go to press.

You can view the 2007 and 2010 editions online here: www.scienceinpublic.com.au/stories.

We are accepting submissions until Wednesday 4 May 2011.  The publication will be going to press at the end of May.

For more information please feel free to call me on (03) 9398 1416 or drop an email to niall@scienceinpublic.com.au.

L’Oréal Australia For Women In Science Fellowships close 2 May

Each year L’Oréal Australia offers three $20,000 Fellowships which are intended to help early-career women scientists consolidate their careers and rise to leadership positions in science.

The Fellowships are awarded to women who have completed their PhD in the past five years – allowance is made for maternity leave – and who have already shown scientific excellence and leadership.

Nominations for these fellowships are now open and I’d like to enlist your help in identifying and encouraging eligible, high-achieving female scientists to apply.

The one-year Fellowships can be used to help finance the personal scientific research of the Fellows, including equipment, reagents, consumables, travel expenses and conferences.

The Fellowship may also be used for child care or hiring a research assistant to cover maternity leave.

All the information on how to apply is online at www.scienceinpublic.com/loreal/

Applications close at midnight on Monday 2 May 2011 and will only be accepted via the online form.

The Fellowships are supported by the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian National Commission for UNESCO.

Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science close 13 May

The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science are open now and close 13 May.

Prizes are awarded in five categories:

  • Prime Minister’s Prize for Science ($300,000)
  • Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year ($50,000)
  • Science Minister’s Prize for Life Scientist of the Year ($50,000)
  • Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools ($50,000)
  • Prime Minister’s Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools ($50,000)

Nominations close 13 May 2011. For further information visit https://grants.innovation.gov.au/SciencePrize/Pages/Overview.aspx

The Australian Museum Eureka Prizes close 6 May

The Eureka Prizes reward excellence in research & innovation, science leadership, school science and science journalism & communication. Most include a $10,000 cash prize.

Nominations close midnight Friday 6 May 2011.

For more information visit www.eureka.australianmuseum.net.au/

If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact me on (03) 93981416 or at niall@scienceinpublic.com.au.

I occasionally send bulletins with information on other science prizes and events across the country. If you’d like to receive these bulletins, please let me know.

Also if you would prefer not to receive these alerts, please let me know.

The Conversation

It’s been a big few weeks for science in the media: the medical research campaign, the loss of science education funding, women in science and a host of op-eds appearing. One new outlet for op-eds is Andrew Jaspan’s new website, The Conversation.

Andrew is the former editor of the Age and he’s looking for leading Australian scientists, their ideas and research.

He says, “Our authors will all be accredited academics and researchers largely drawn (initially) from the Group of Eight unis (ANU, Mbne, Monash, Sydney, NSW, Qld, UWA, and Adelaide) plus CSIRO.

We also have funding support from the Federal Dept of Education in Canberra and the Dept of Innovation and Business in Victoria.

The aim is to use academics to help us understand complex issues and contemporary affairs.  We have a team of 12 editors who will help ensure the academics publish in Plain English!

More at www.theconversation.edu.au