The Network for the Public Communication of Science and Technology Conference: Creating Common Ground

April 11, 2023

Rotterdam, The Netherlands

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C2ST’s proposal to showcase our Science Communication Internship at the PCST conference in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, has been accepted!

The main theme of PCST 2023 is ‘Creating Common Ground.’ This theme signifies the role and value of science communication as boundary work that connects scientists, engineers, policymakers, business leaders, and citizens.

Creating common ground entails the idea of a broad perspective on science communication research and its practices. This aligns with the ongoing discovery of the science communication domain. One might view science communication as a social network of connected professionals and the public, collaboration between research and practices, which all together steers science and technology development and vice versa.

The PCST Network has brought together practitioners, educators, and researchers in science communication at its series of conferences, starting in 1989. Previous conferences have occurred in South Korea, Brazil, Australia, and many other countries. PCST-2023 puts into practice what we preach: the hosts are a Dutch consortium of science communication professionals, both practice- and research-based.

C2ST Session Details

The “Finding Common Ground” conference theme fits squarely with C2ST’s experiences of creating a successful Science Communication Internship. C2ST’s new Science Communication Internship is designed to be a sustainable endeavor that provides essential skills in science communication to students from Chicago-area universities. Science communication is an essential skill for science professionals who learn in their degree programs to communicate primarily with other scientists but not with the broader public. Providing science communication skills makes science more accessible for all while increasing the science literacy of our communities through the production of scientific material they can understand.

During this storytelling session, C2ST will share staff and intern experiences, including the joys, struggles, and growth of everyone involved during the first year of the internship via a short reflection video about the Science Communication Internship program. The brief highlight video will overview the training sessions, such as Writing the C2ST Way, Writing for Your Grandma, and Interviewing for Blogs. Interns will share their perspectives on creating 5-8 written pieces of content for C2ST and the process of growth they experienced. This approach allows 18-20 minutes of the remaining time to answer questions from attendees and welcome constructive criticisms and suggestions.