Canadian Science Funding Review Should Include Science Communication

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Sarah Boon, Science Borealis Management Team, and Pascal Lapointe, Agence Science-Presse What would happen to Canadian science and science culture if federal research funding included support for science communication? It’s not that far-fetched an idea. In the US, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has a ‘broader impacts’ component that requires scientists applying for research grants […]

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Science Rendezvous: Interactive Science Fun!

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by Bertha Chan, Science Rendezvous 2016 Marketing Coordinator Science Rendezvous began in 2008 as a joint program between the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, York University, and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Since then, it has grown into the largest annual Canada-wide science festival, suitable for all ages and interests. In 2015, more […]

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Who are science communicators? And a survey

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Susan Vickers and Lisa Willemse, Communication, Education & Outreach co-editors Let’s begin by clearing up a small point of possible confusion. This post covers two different surveys: one happening now, and one conducted last year. The current one is the Science Borealis survey of blog readers, which Science Borealis is conducting in collaboration with Dr. […]

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Science Blogging Essentials: Cutting the Dead Wood

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by Kimberly Moynahan Science in Society subject editor One of my freelance jobs involves writing panels for science centres, nature reserves, and museums. Informational and interpretive panels are an important way to deliver science to visitors who presumably already have an interest in the topic. But even with an audience that’s self-selecting, it’s still tricky […]

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How well do you know your audience?

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Susan Vickers, Communication, Education & Outreach co-editor As a chemist passionate about outreach, I’ve spent a lot of time and effort trying to combat the public’s fear of chemicals, dubbed by chemists as “chemophobia.” It infuriates me when companies tout products as “chemical-free” (who wants to buy a vacuum?!), and am convinced that this has […]

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