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#MySciComm: Johanna Varner on the personal interactions that make a big difference

This week, Johanna “Pika Jo” Varner responds to the #MySciComm questions! We’re thrilled to share her story with you, not least because she was the originator and on-going inspiration for our annual #SketchYourScience activity at the C&E Section booth at annual meetings.   Johanna Varner is an ecologist who studies how climate change affects pikas, small mammals closely related to rabbits….

Annual Meeting

#ESA2021 has gone virtual. #ESA2021 will be fully virtual, according to this announcement from ESA.  Whether online or in-person, we are committed to centering inclusion and underrepresented voices in the programming the C&E Section contributes to at the annual meeting and always. Please contact us directly (or anonymously through our website contact form) if you have anything you’d like us…

Resource of the Week: 10 (ten) simple rules for drawing scientific comics

Excerpt from the paper Ten simple rules for drawing scientific comics: There are few scientists who haven’t heard of Randall Munroe, the artist behind the web comic “xkcd,” which features amazing graphic explanations on everything from climate change to data storage. These comics are widely appealing to a diverse audience and are posted on walls in laboratories and pubs alike. The ideas…

ESA 2018 Wrap-Up

Wowza, ESA 2018 was epic! There were nearly 40 sessions that related to communication and engagement, careers, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Your C&E Section officers led, co-organized, or presented in 10 sessions, and section members were active in several more. We also led an invited workshop for ESA’s first career fair, held as part of the annual meeting. And,…

Prepping for Social Media at #ESA2018: Tips & links to ESA policies, ok/not-ok icons, and more

  Like we did last year, we’re sharing some tips for using and doing social media for #scicomm and #sciengage efforts at #ESA2018. The conference launches the first weekend of August, and the official hashtag is #ESA2018. Use #ESASciComm and/or #EngageESA if you’re joining/tracking along with the Communication & Engagement Section and discussions, sessions, and more on C&E topics. ESA 2018 annual meeting…

Resource of the Week: Is there any evidence linking creativity and mood disorders

Image: screenshot from the article “The Romantic stereotype that creativity is enhanced by a mood disorder is dangerous, and dissolves under careful scrutiny.” from @aeonmag As we’ve recently shared, stereotypes about who is or can be a scientist, who is or can be an artist, and how stereotypes of creativity play into these identities can be problematic. That’s why Christa…

2017 Annual Meeting

Sessions hosted by the ESA SciComm Section workshops; live storytelling session & discussion; “Ask A Pro” mentoring meet-ups; #SketchYourScience; business meeting & meet-up — details below. 1. Workshop: Improv Your Science: building skills for effective communication Monday, August 7, 10:15-11:30 am OCC room C123 Start the Annual Meeting off right and join in on a fun and interactive session. We will focus…

Prepping for #ESA 2017? Handy tips & links re social media #scicomm (tips, ESA policies, plus ok/not ok icons)

We thought we’d share a couple of handy notes re social media #scicomm at #ESA2017 next week, starting with the ESA social media policy for this year’s conference. The official hashtag is #ESA2017). Use #ESASciComm if you’re joining/tracking along with the SciComm Section. #ESA2017 Social Media Policy Highlights: NO photo, video, or audio recordings during scientific sessions (talks and posters) unless you are…

#ESA2017 SciComm activities (a long list)

Of course, the SciComm Section is hosting sessions! We have 2 workshops, 2 storytelling sessions, 3 mixers, a business meeting/meet-up, and #SketchYourScience all lined up! We’re especially excited about the following: If you’re looking for even more SciComm at the conference, quite a few sessions caught our attention. SciComm-related sessions are listed on our website, here, according to type: Social/Business, Workshops, Ignites,…