Events

GlobalSCAPE has been seeking to learn about the perspectives of science communicator’s across the globe, especially those working in countries that often do not receive as much attention from the global community as they deserve. 

In addition to gathering some of those perspectives for 12 months from 2021 to 2022, we have developed an academic science communication module and also delivered media and writer based workshops through our colleagues Springer Nature.  Alongside those deliverables, our colleagues from Leiden University’s Science communication and Society department have also designed a set of globally relevant workshops that focus on linking science communication practitioners with some of the latest research in science communication. 

These workshops are provided as an open access resource, freely available for anyone to download and adapt and use within their own contexts.  Before the release of these workshops, we will be delivering a set of free online sessions in February 2023, for all interested practitioners to attend and experience the workshops first hand.  We hope that attendees can also offer any thoughts or feedback on how they feel the workshops align with the contexts of their own nation, culture or field of science communication.

There are two workshops being offered.

• Global Relevance in Science Communication 

• Justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) in Science Communication

Global Relevance in Science Communication explores how science communicators can practice their work in a globally relevant way that acknowledges and reflects the efforts of science communicators across the globe, as well as the diverse audiences and institutions they work with. 

Justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) in Science Communication considers how we can focus on JEDI to deliver more inclusive and responsive science communication with and for our varied global communities.  To ensure that as a global field, science communication strives to promote equitable practices and can contribute to global citizens as a force for justice in the world. 

Each workshop is delivered ONLINE via Zoom, and in two parts, of 2-hours each.  There are two main formats available for this.

Option 1: Both parts of the workshop are delivered in the same day.  The first part is in the morning and the second part is in the afternoon. Of course, the specific timings depend on which timezone you are in but we are running the workshop multiple times to cater for different time zones. However, regardless of your own timezone, you are welcome to choose whichever time suits your schedule best.  Please see the specific dates and timings below. 

Option 2: The two parts of the workshop take place at the same time of the day but on two consecutive days.  As in option 1, the specific timings depend on which timezone you are in but we are running the workshop multiple times to cater for different time zones. Again, regardless of your own timezone, you are welcome to choose whichever time suits your schedule best. Please see the specific dates and timings below.

PLEASE NOTE, all times shown here are UK times to avoid any confusion. 

Also, regions in parentheses indicate some of the regions in a timezone that these sessions may suit best.

Workshop 1 – Global Relevance in Science Communication

• Fri 10th February 2023 

Parts 1 & 2: 19.00-21.00 UK & 23.00-01.00 UK (Hawaii, Western USA)

• Mon 13th February 2023

Part 1: 06.00-08.00 UK (Asia, Oceania)

Parts 1 & 2: 15.00-17.00 UK & 19.00-21.00 UK (Central & Eastern USA, South America)

• Tue 14th February 2023

Part 2: 06.00-08.00 UK (Asia, Oceania)

• Wed 15th February 2023 

Parts 1 & 2: 09.00-11.00 UK & 13.00-15.00 UK (Europe, Africa, Western Asia)

Workshop 2 – Justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) in science communication

• Fri 17th February 2023

Parts 1 & 2: 19.00-21.00 UK & 23.00-01.00 UK (Hawaii, Western USA)

• Mon 20th February 2023 

Part 1 0600-0800 (Asia, Oceania); 

Parts 1 & 2: 15.00-17.00 UK & 19.00-21.00 UK (Central & Eastern USA, South America)

• Tue 21st February 2023

Part 2 06.00-08.00 UK (Asia, Oceania)

• Wed 22nd February 2023  

Parts 1 & 2: 09.00-11.00 UK & 13.00-15.00 UK (Europe, Africa, W/Asia)

These one-day skill-building sessions aimed at science communicators will be delivered by Springer Nature, as part of the GlobalSCAPE consortium, in six different locations around the world: Spain, South Africa, Australia, India, Colombia, Japan (more information below).

Five topics relevant to science communicators from all backgrounds will be explored through a variety of formats including interactive exercises: 

• Sourcing your stories
• Understanding your audience
• Effective writing strategies
• Preparing your press release 
• Maximising external promotion

Six workshops will be delivered all around the world

GlobalSCAPE workshops will take place in six different location all around the world:

• Valencia, Spain, Universitat de València – 5 September 2022 
• Johannesburg, South Africa, Wits University – 9 September 2022 
• Bogotá, Colombia, University of The Andes – 25 October 2022 
• Tokyo, Japan, Nihonbashi life science hub – 11 November 2022 
• Pune, India, The Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics – 25 November 2022 
• Melbourne, Australia, RMIT – 30 November 2022 
  

Practical information 

Participation in these workshops is free for everyone. Attendees will have to cover their own expenses related to travel, accommodation and subsistence (lunch and snacks will be offered during the day)

GlobalSCAPE can offer financial support (up to €750) to a selected number of participants: check out our “Mobility Scheme” News. 

• Each workshop will welcome up to 30 participants.
• They will be delivered in a one-day session, from 9 AM to 5:30 PM (local time). Participants are expected to attend the whole day.
• Please note that the use of a laptop (not provided by the local host) will be required.

Workshop programme:

GlobalSCAPE: Promoting Research from Your Institution

Introductions (09:00 – 09:15)

1. Sourcing your stories (09:15 – 09:40)

This section introduces strategies for finding appropriate studies, identifying key trends, and building and nurturing relationships with scientists at your institution.

2. Understanding your audience (09:40 – 10:00)

This section discusses useful strategies in understanding your target audience using scoping and framing to ensure your story effectively engages the reader.

Activity 1 (10:00 – 10:15) Groups will identify key aspects about a specific audience (industry or general public) via scoping strategies online

Q&A (10:15 – 10:30)

Break (10:30 – 10:45)

3. Effective writing strategies (10:45–11:45)

This section discusses the importance of logical flow and structure in a news story and ways to improve the understanding of scientific research via improving readability to non-specialists.

Activity 2 (11:45 – 12:00) Groups will improve a passage of academic writing to make it easier to understand for a non-specialist audience

Q&A (12:00 – 12:15)

Lunch (12:15 – 13:15) 

4. Preparing your press release (13:15–14:45)

This section implements a useful strategy to ensure the information given by the researcher is structured in a compelling manner for the reader in a press release.

Activity 3 (14:45 – 15:15) Attendees will improve their pre-written press release based on the strategies learned during the workshop

Q&A (15:15 – 15:30)

Break (15:30 – 15:45)

5. Maximizing external promotion (15:45–16:45)

This section reviews various strategies to promote research from the institution, such as engaging with the media, promoting on social media, and leveraging institutional websites.

Activity 4 (16:45 – 17:00) Attendees will prepare a mock social media post about a research study from their institution.

Final Q&A (17:00 – 17:30)

Our trainers

(Workshops in Spain, South Africa, Australia and Japan)

Dr. Jeffrey Robens is Senior Editorial Development Manager at Nature Research and is responsible for conducting the Nature Research Academies—training workshops to improve publication output worldwide. He has strong scientific qualifications with 20 years of academic experience and numerous publications and awards. He received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and then worked at premier research institutes in Singapore and Japan, including RIKEN and Kyoto University. Since leaving academia in 2012, he has conducted over 250 academic training workshops across Asia and the Middle East to help researchers improve their publication quality and impact.

(Workshop in Colombia)

Dr Harry Shirley is an Editorial Development Manager at Nature Research, and specialises in training on Scientific Writing and Publishing. He has a particular interest in Open Access publishing and publishing innovations. Although his background is Chemistry he has experience in delivering training to researchers from a range of disciplines. Harry holds a   PhD in Chemistry from Queen Mary’s, the University of London, which he followed by Postdoctoral study at the University of Auckland in New Zealand followed by the University of Oxford. Harry is experienced in delivering training both face to face and virtually, and has an engaging presentation style.

(Workshop in India)

Subhra Priyadarshini is Chief Editor at Nature India. After a bachelor’s degree in zoology from the Odisha University of Agriculture Technology, she majored in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, India. Subhra has been on the programme and selection committees of the World Conference of Science Journalists and is a member of many national and international committees on science communication, science policy, environment and healthcare.

Registration for these workshops is now open to everyone!

Practical information

This new series includes three workshop topics delivered on separate days. You are strongly encouraged to attend the whole series of three workshops.
We are offering two strands of the workshop series to accommodate participation from all over the world: Strand 1 (Asia Time zone) is available to participants from Asia, India and Australia; Strand 2 (Europe Time zone) is available to participants from  Africa and Europe.

Workshop content

Working with scientists
This day will tackle two aspects of the collaboration with scientists: how to source scientific stories (through publications and events monitoring via various channels) and how to enhance communication with scientists to go beyond structured answers.

Writing effective press releases
The second day will be dedicated to press releases: how to write them, how to structure a science story, best distribution strategies and common problems that can be encountered.

External promotion
The last day of this series will give an overview of relevant promotion channels (social media, institutional websites) as well as general concepts of news, media, advocacy and outreach.

Your trainers

Dr. Jeffrey Robens is Senior Editorial Development Manager at Nature Research and is responsible for conducting the Nature Research Academies—training workshops to improve publication output worldwide. He has strong scientific qualifications with 20 years of academic experience and numerous publications and awards. He received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and then worked at premier research institutes in Singapore and Japan, including RIKEN and Kyoto University. Since leaving academia in 2012, he has conducted over 250 academic training workshops across Asia and the Middle East to help researchers improve their publication quality and impact.

It is becoming increasingly important for academics to be able to clearly communicate their research to a broader audience, such as researchers in other disciplines, the public, policymakers, and even funding organisations. However, communicating complex findings in an understandable manner for non-specialists is challenging for many scientists.

The GlobalSCAPE virtual workshops have been developed to support researchers to develop science communication skills by providing practical strategies on how to achieve these goals.

The first series is aimed at researchers and academics interested in generating impact through effective science communication tools and techniques. The following series will be specially tailored to science communication professionals and will be announced soon. Some in-person events will also be organised around the world later in the year, stay tuned!

Registration is now closed.

Practical information

Participation in these workshops is free for everyone. Places are limited to 250 participants. You are strongly encouraged to attend the whole series of three workshops.

We are offering two strands of the workshop series to accommodate participation from all over the world: Strand 1 (Asia Time zone) is available to participants from Asia, India and Australia; Strand 2 (Europe Time zone) is available to participants from the Americas, Africa and Europe.

Workshop content

Understanding Science Communication:
This day will be a general introduction to science communication. You will discover the mutual benefits that both the general public and researchers can get from it, an analysis of your audience’s expectations as well as basic recommendations to help you choose and structure your story.

Effective Writing Strategies
The second day will be dedicated to writing techniques. The first two sections will give you tips and tricks to structure your writing and keep the readers’ attention. You will be invited to examine two examples of good and bad practices in written articles.

Platforms for Communicating Science to the Public
The last day of this series will give an overview of the different media on which research is generally communicated to the public: press releases, science journalists or direct interactions with the publish such as blog articles, videos etc.

More about Nature Springer experts

Dr. Jeffrey Robens is Senior Editorial Development Manager at Nature Research and is responsible for conducting the Nature Research Academies—training workshops to improve publication output worldwide. He has strong scientific qualifications with 20 years of academic experience and numerous publications and awards. He received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and then worked at premier research institutes in Singapore and Japan, including RIKEN and Kyoto University. Since leaving academia in 2012, he has conducted over 250 academic training workshops across Asia and the Middle East to help researchers improve their publication quality and impact

Dr Harry Shirley is an Editorial Development Manager at Nature Research, and specialises in training on Scientific Writing and Publishing. He has a particular interest in Open Access publishing and publishing innovations. Although his background is Chemistry he has experience in delivering training to researchers from a range of disciplines. Harry holds a   PhD in Chemistry from Queen Mary’s, the University of London, which he followed by Postdoctoral study at the University of Auckland in New Zealand followed by the University of Oxford. Harry is experienced in delivering training both face to face and virtually, and has an engaging presentation style.