We’re expanding our services to support science and science communication teams in universities and research institutes.
We can help for example:
- If you’ve got a big story that needs an extra national or international push.
- If you need a strategy for a project or centre.
- If your team needs coaching for an ARC interview, or media training.
- If you want mentoring to grow your public profile.
Prices start from $800 for media training.
Prizes open now
- $80,000 GSK Award for excellence in medical research – open till 4 July
- Two $1.25million CSL Centenary Fellowships for mid-career medical researchers – closing 31 July
- $25,000 2016 CSL Young Florey Medal for medical research – open till this Monday, 6 June
- veski innovation fellowships of up to $150,000 – bringing international talent home to Melbourne, closing 14 July
- Two $50,000 Victoria Prizes – for life sciences and physical sciences, closing 23 June.
Changes in science advocacy
Catriona Jackson is leaving Science and Technology Australia. She’s done a fantastic job advocating for science in the tough Abbott era. But she’s not going far – to Universities Australia as their deputy CEO.
Kylie Walker will take her place, moving from her role as communication director at the Academy of Science. The Academy CEO Sue Meek is also moving on, as is Peter Thomas who drove the SAGE gender equity initiative. He’s going to AAMRI, the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes.
Sue and Kylie have transformed the public and political impact of the Academy.
My thanks to Stephen Machett’s Campus Morning Mail for the heads-up.
Fresh Science
Fifty young researchers from 30 organisations are performing around the country this month and next.
Thank you to the 17 universities, four museums, and other groups who have partnered with us to deliver Fresh Science 2016.
Now you can see your early-career researchers taking the next step – engaging with the community, media, government and industry around the country. There are still free tickets left for the pub nights in Adelaide (15 June), Brisbane (18 July) and Sydney (26 July) and school forums in Perth (8 June) and Sydney (26 July).
Media and communication training
We’re running courses in:
- Melbourne: Tuesday 21 June, Thursday 21 July, Tuesday 6 September, Thursday 27 October, Tuesday 13 December
- Sydney: Thursday 7 July, Friday 2 September, Tuesday 15 November
- Canberra: Wednesday 29 June
- Adelaide: Thursday 4 August
- Perth: Wednesday 14 September
More below, or you can register now via Eventbrite.
In this bulletin
- Fresh Science: the next generation of media-savvy research leaders
- Folding batteries, flying sharks and more in Stories of Australian Science 2016
- Prizes for medical researchers young and old
- Bringing the best to Victoria – veski innovation fellowships
- Plus awards for Victoria’s best and brightest
- Meet the media in Melbourne – and you ask the questions
- And media training around the country – Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth
- Science in Public – planning, mentoring, communicating
Fresh Science: the next generation of media-savvy research leaders
Thank you to the 17 universities, four museums, and other groups who have partnered with us to deliver Fresh Science 2016.
Now you can see your early-career researchers taking the next step – engaging with the community, media, government and industry around the country.
The Victorian Freshies presented to a sold out pub night in Melbourne on Tuesday, and we’re sold out in Perth next week too.
There are still free tickets left for the pub nights in Adelaide (15 June), Brisbane (18 July) and Sydney (26 July) and school forums in Perth (8 June) and Sydney (26 July).
And you can keep up with the images and stories by following #FreshSci on Twitter.
Fresh Science is giving 50 up-and-coming researchers from 30 organisations the chance to hone their communication skills, and practise presenting their science to journalists, schoolkids, science leaders, and to the public at a pub.
A big thanks to all 25 of our partners:
- In Victoria, Museum Victoria, CSIRO, Deakin University, Monash University, RMIT University, Swinburne University of Technology and The University of Melbourne.
- In Western Australia, the Western Australian Museum, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University, the University of Western Australia and the University of Notre Dame Australia.
- In South Australia, the South Australian Museum, Flinders University, the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia.
- In Queensland, Econnect Communication (presenting the Brisbane event), the Queensland Government, Queensland University of Technology, the University of Queensland and the University of the Sunshine Coast.
- In New South Wales, the Australian Museum and the University of New South Wales.
- Nationally, New Scientist
More at www.freshscience.org.au. You’ll see their stories there and at stories.scienceinpublic.com.au in the coming months
Folding batteries, flying sharks and more in Stories of Australian Science 2016
Australians are collaborating with international colleagues to pinpoint the causes of Motor Neurone Disease, and to see through the smoke of bushfires.
They’re saving oiled penguins, halving brain scarring after stroke, building foldable batteries, and much more.
The work of close to 150 Australian scientists is featured in this year’s edition of Stories of Australian Science.
All this year’s stories are now online at and we’re sharing them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
We believe the heroes of Australian science deserve to be celebrated so please feel free to share the stories with your own audiences.
Everything is cleared for reproduction and you can search through hundreds of yarns from our past collections.
Print copies will be available later this month.
More at: stories.scienceinpublic.com.au
Prizes for medical researchers young and old
$80,000 GSK Award for excellence in medical research
GSK are looking for leaders in medical research who are working to improve human health, to award their annual $80,000 grant.
This award recognises outstanding achievements in medical research and facilitates career development.
Last year’s winners Jim McCluskey and Jamie Rossjohn discovered how vitamin B provides an early warning to our gut’s immune cells.
Other past recipients include Chris Goodnow, Ingrid Scheffer and David Craik.
Nominations close Monday 4 July.
http://au.gsk.com/en-au/research/gsk-award-for-research-excellence/apply-for-the-2016-are
Two new $1.25million CSL Centenary Fellowships for mid-career researchers
CSL are celebrating 100 years in science by establishing two new annual fellowships – each worth $1.25 million over five years.
These generous fellowships will cover a full-time salary, plus research costs and/or a postdoc assistant.
They are open to mid-career (three to six years post-doctoral) medical researchers for discovery and translational research with a focus on rare and serious diseases, immunology, and inflammation.
Applications close Sunday 31 July.
www.csl.com.au/centenary/fellowships.htm
And $25,000 for the early-career medical researchers
Nominations for the $25,000 2016 CSL Young Florey Medal have been extended until Monday 6 June.
This award recognises an Australian biomedical researcher for significant early-career achievements in biomedical science and/or human health.
www.aips.net.au/news-events/csl-young-florey-medal
Bringing the best to Victoria – veski innovation fellowships
International scientists and Australians looking to return home are being wooed by the Victorian Government via the veski innovation fellowships program.
So if you’re got an overseas colleague you’d love to see more of, encourage them to apply.
Applications are sought from individuals working in the areas of energy technologies, bioengineering, advanced manufacturing, biomed or biotech.
Applications for the next round are due by Thursday 14 July, and the application must be overseas when they lodge their application.
www.veski.org.au/vicprize-criteria
Plus awards for Victoria’s best and brightest
Two $50,000 prizes for science and innovation
Leadership, determination and creativity by two Victorian researchers will be rewarded with a $50,000 Victoria Prize for Science and Innovation – one in the life sciences and one in the physical sciences.
Scientists and researchers who have made, or have the potential to make, a significant scientific discovery or technological innovation are eligible for the prize.
Potential to produce a commercial outcome or other substantial benefit to the community will be highly regarded.
Nominations are open until Thursday 23 June.
www.veski.org.au/vicprize-criteria
The Melbourne Awards – for inspiring Melburnians
The City of Melbourne celebrates its inspirational citizens through the Melbourne Awards.
The awards recognise Melbourne individuals and corporations who have made significant contributions in the areas of environmental sustainability, community, profile and multiculturalism.
Nominations close Monday 6 June (and you then have until 12 July to complete your final awards submission).
Meet the media in Melbourne – and you ask the questions
We’re turning the tables on the media on 27 June, and letting you ask the questions.
- Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in a newsroom?
- Who decides what stories to cover and when?
- Where do science stories fit in?
- And how do you get your research in the news?
We’re teaming up with the Australian Science Communicators and Royal Society of Victoria to introduce you to our local Melbourne science (and science-interested) journalists.
The panel of working journalists will tell us about what they do and what they look for in a story. Then you can turn the tables and ask them your questions.
This event is free, but you’ll need to reserve your place via Eventbrite.
And media training around the country – Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth
We’ve also just announced our media and communication training dates for the rest of the year.
- Melbourne: Tuesday 21 June, Thursday 21 July, Tuesday 6 September, Thursday 27 October, Tuesday 13 December
- Sydney: Thursday 7 July, Friday 2 September, Tuesday 15 November
- Canberra: Wednesday 29 June
- Adelaide: Thursday 4 August
- Perth: Wednesday 14 September
Registrations are now open for all these courses via EventBrite.
In this course we’ll help you shape the story of your research into a form that works for the media, as well as for government, industry and other stakeholders.
Over the years we’ve helped Monash launch the world’s first printed jet engine, revealed the loss of half the coral on the Great Barrier Reef, helped CERN announce the Higgs boson, and revealed the link between CSIRO’s Wi-Fi patent and Aussie astronomy.
Working journalists from television, print and radio will join us over the course of the day to explain what makes news for them. And you’ll get the chance to practise being interviewed in front of a camera and on tape.
The day’s insights and training will help you feel more comfortable in dealing with journalists when media opportunities arise.
Find out more at www.scienceinpublic.com.au/training
Science in Public – planning, mentoring, communicating
Contact me to find out more about our services to train, mentor, plan and deliver media and communication strategies for science. We offer:
Communication plans, mentoring and training
We can review your stakeholders, messages and tools and help you and your communication team refine your plans. We offer this service for individual announcements or for a whole program or institute.
Media releases, launches, and campaigns
We can help you develop an outreach program, from a simple media release through to a launch, a summit, a conference, or a film.
Publications and copy-writing
From a tweet to a newsletter; from a brochure to a Nature supplement, we can write compelling and accurate science-driven copy which captures the essence of your story and purpose.