# data[].attributes.body
Special issue of the Journal of Science Communication: Social Justice for Science Communication

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Why should we think about social justice in science communication?

by Emily Dawson, Mehita Iqani and Simon Lock

What is science communication for? We argue that science communication can be framed, reimagined and transformed in service of social justice, which is what the papers in this special issue examine. We understand the vocabulary of "social justice" to signal the centring of critical research and practice paradigms, an ethical commitment to righting wrongs, building equity for all human beings and the broader ideal of improving the world [Fraser, 2003; Sen, 2009; Young, 1990]. We argue that bringing critical social justice lenses to science communication can usefully interrogate, rethink and ultimately reshape our field. This special issue examines both critical perspectives on science communication and what equitable transformations might entail.

Volume 23 * Issue 04 * 2024 * Special Issue: Science communication for social justice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Journal of Science Communication | Collection:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Why should we think about social justice in science communication? by Emily Dawson, Mehita Iqani and Simon Lock What is science communication for? We argue that science communication can be framed, reimagined and transformed in service of social justice, which is what the papers in this special issue examine.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Dr. Elizabeth Rasekoala is an International Development Expert on Energy, Human Capital Development in STEM Education, Skills and Innovation and Gender, with over twenty years' experience in the UK, Brazil, Nigeria, South Africa and Africa. She has specialist expertise and track record in the following areas - Policy Reform and Development; Gender Equality, Diversity & Social Inclusion; Monitoring, Review & Evaluation; Research & Innovation; Transformative Capacity-building & Training; and Curriculum Development/transformation in Higher Education.

Dr. Rasekoala with a professional background in Chemical Engineering and industry internationally, has championed, advocated, researched, presented and written widely on public innovation and transformative development through advancing diversity, sociocultural inclusion, ethics and gender equality issues in science communication and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, skills and entrepreneurship development.

Dr. Rasekoala has provided extensive advisory and consultancy expertise to various governments, institutions and multilateral international organisations over the past 18 years, including the European Commission, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR); the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA); UNESCO; the African Union Commission (AUC); and the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Dr. Rasekoala's current advisory roles include:

- Member of the African Union Commission (AUC) Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Committee for the ten-year 'Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa' (STISA-2024).

- Member of the Advisory Group for the UK-Government Department for International Development (DfID)-funded Transforming Energy Access (TEA) Programme.

- Member of the Advisory Council for the Women in STEM Initiative of Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation.

Dr. Rasekoala has been conferred with international Commendations & Awards in recognition of her innovative contributions and leadership. These include, the International NAT AWARD for Science Communication, conferred by the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona - 2019; The UK-National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) Innovation Fellowship - 2003; Honorary Doctorate Degree conferred by Sheffield Hallam University, UK - 2000; and The Commonwealth Association for Science, Technology & Mathematics Award for Innovation - 1999.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
African Gong - The Pan-African Network for the Popularization of Science & Technology and Science Communication

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dr. Elizabeth Rasekoala is an International Development Expert on Energy, Human Capital Development in STEM Education, Skills and Innovation and Gender, with over twenty years' experience in the UK, Brazil, Nigeria, South Africa and Africa.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Red de Popularización de la Ciencia y la Tecnología en América latina y el Caribe (RedPOP)

Red de Popularización de la Ciencia y la Tecnología en América latina y el Caribe (RedPOP)

(Latin American and Caribbean Network for the Popularization of Science and Technology)
What is RedPOP?
It is an interactive network, which brings together centers and programs for the popularization of science and technology. It operates through mechanisms of regional cooperation that favor the exchange, training and use of resources among its members.

RedPop was created in November 1990 in Rio de Janeiro, at the request of UNESCO´s Program for Science, Technology and Society.
Who takes part in the RedPOP?
Centers and programs for the popularization of science and technology in Latin America and the Caribbean, such as science museums, interactive science centers, natural history museums, environmental parks, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums, magazines, as well as outreach, scientific journalism and non-formal education programs in universities and NGOs.
Why take part in RedPOP?
Belonging to the RedPop means being part of the most important community of practice and reflection on scientific communication in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is a platform that enables collaboration by sharing experiences and offering opportunities to develop joint projects. Every two years there is a RedPOP conference in which topics of interest in the field of public communication of science as well as different strategies to bring the trade to a professional status are presented and discussed.
Active RedPOP members receive benefits such as:

A discount on registration fees for these meetings.

Information about opportunities - in the region and worldwide - for their center or program.

Presence on the web site and social networks of RedPop.

Participation in RedPOP´s General Assembly in which the network´s policies and strategies are determined as well as collaboration with similar networks and centers.

The opportunity to work in projects of international cooperation for research and professionalization in the field of communication and non-formal education of science and technology.

Discounts on international conferences and courses in museums, education, communication and mediation among others.

Access to information on funding sources and products of science communication.

Participation in the symposium on Professionalization in science communication to be held in Costa Rica in 2016 and the World Summit of Museums and Science Centers in Japan in 2017.

How to become a member of RedPOP?
An institution or program may enroll at any time. Each member pays an annual fee of U.S. $ 200 (if the institution's annual budget is less than U.S. $ 1,500,000) or U.S. $ 400 (for those that have a U.S. $ 1.5 million budget or more). This payment is very important for the survival of this non profit network. Information on how to become a member of RedPop is available on the website www.redpop.org or may be requested by email [to the address] direccion@redpop.org
Board of Directors 2018-2019 More information:
direccion@redpop.org

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Red de Popularización de la Ciencia y la Tecnología en América latina y el Caribe (RedPOP) - RedPop

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Red de Popularización de la Ciencia y la Tecnología en América latina y el Caribe (RedPOP) (Latin American and Caribbean Network for the Popularization of Science and Technology) What is RedPOP? It is an interactive network, which brings together centers and programs for the popularization of science and technology.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A Symposium on Advancing Inclusive Science Communication

Science communication is a rapidly growing area of research and practice with the potential to significantly increase public participation and sense of belonging in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical (STEMM) fields. The University of Rhode Island's Metcalf Institute launched the InclusiveSciComm Symposium in 2018 to center inclusion and equity in STEMM engagement and to build a community of practice around this philosophy.

The symposium is a novel national convening of practitioners, trainers, researchers, educators, and funders who work across disciplines and sectors, with the aim of discussing effective approaches for prioritizing inclusion, equity, and intersectionality in science communication.

The symposium defines "science communication" in its broadest sense: any information exchange designed to engage targeted audiences in conversations or activities related to STEMM topics. InclusiveSciComm spans many related fields, such as public engagement with STEMM, informal science learning, journalism, community-based participatory research, inclusive pedagogy, and others.

The inaugural Symposium was held at URI in September 2018. Thanks to the generous support of sponsors and a desire to meet the growing demand for this type of gathering, the symposium was expanded to three days in 2019 to accommodate more participants, workshop sessions and activities.

Future InclusiveSciComm Symposia will be held biennially at URI and in different parts of the country beginning in 2021 to allow for regional meetings in between symposia and to expand inclusivescicomm initiatives across new networks.

2019 Symposium Summary

InclusiveSciComm Resources

Values Statement

Everyone is affected by the problems and progress of science. Thus, we need an inclusive community that welcomes and engages all voices in the scientific dialogue. This symposium advances the national discussion about how to achieve inclusive public engagement with science. We strive to include all voices here. We commune to find solutions for all.

Symposium Code of Conduct

.
For additional information about the InclusiveSciComm Symposium, please email symposium@metcalfinstitute.org. Join the conversation on Twitter via #InclusiveSciComm and @InclusiveSci

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A Symposium on Advancing Inclusive Science Communication Science communication is a rapidly growing area of research and practice with the potential to significantly increase public participation and sense of belonging in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical (STEMM) fields. The University of Rhode Island's Metcalf Institute launched the InclusiveSciComm Symposium in 2018 to center inclusion [...]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
EASST-4S 2024 - Making and Doing Transformations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The 2024 quadrennial joint meeting of the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST) and the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) invites panels, presentations, making & doing contributions, and other events that explore the role of STS in making and doing contributions to transformations in an era of grand societal challenges. STS scholars globally are warmly invited to curate conversations about how they relate to their topics of study, what experimental forms of normativity their work enacts and empirically explores, and how various engagements shape the positionality and reflexivity of STS scholars. Urgent challenges such as moving beyond our reliance on fossil fuels, fostering solidarities across migration statuses and diverse identities, and turning our workplaces into decolonial practice spaces, are increasingly becoming part of our scholarly and personal lives. Moreover, the sciences - broadly defined as in the European notion of Wissenschaften - are ascribed special roles in contributing to transformations that should help, mitigate climate change, improve food security, and tackle glocal (health) inequities. Governments and funding agencies ask that researchers specify how their work contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals while at the same time expecting them to contribute to the very forms of growth and innovation that generated these challenges in the first place.

Whereas STS scholars are generally not immune to the normative importance of addressing grand societal challenges, our detailed empirical analyses, focus on enactment and the world-making properties of scholarship, and scholarly appreciation for humility often results in contributions that refigure the problem space, at times through experiments with different practices, rather than meet pre-set solutions. Calls for scholarship that produces transformations thus revive questions regarding the roles, commitments, and approaches of STS with and for society: How can we, through our own involvement in scholarship that speaks to societal challenges, both frame transformations in STS terms and participate in making and doing them? How can we continue to bring our commitments into our scholarship while extending our repertoire for avoiding co-optation, scientism, and technosolutionism? How can we, for example, continue to highlight flows of learning between STS and its fields rather than slip into linear-model images like 'impact' or 'revolutionary transformation'? In short, how can we become part of making and doing contributions to transformations through mobilizing STS sensibilities? Attending to emerging forms of knowledge production, expression, and travel, the conference theme aims to speak to many ongoing conversations in STS, broadly defined, ranging from speculative ethics in care to the governance of science and technology, and from decolonial scholarship to innovation studies work on transitions.

Contributions in formats that differ from the traditional paper presentation are particularly welcome. In addition to experimenting within panels, the STS Making & Doing program that has been part of 4S meetings since 2015 and of EASST-4S meetings since 2020 offers ample opportunities for contributions that mobilize other forms of knowledge production, expression, and travel. Given the diverse STS genealogies, approaches, and themes for discussion, we also welcome tracks, papers, and other contributions not related to the conference theme but relevant to the field.

# data[].attributes.body
Links to amazing crowd sourced gdoc of resoures & links to other sites on the inclusive science communication symposium site

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The crowdsourced InclusiveSciComm Resources list covers a wide range of topics related to inclusive science communication, education, and public engagement.

InclusiveSciComm Resources

Selected Resources

The Inclusive Science Communication Starter Kit provides an introduction to techniques and strategies for inclusive science communication.

This paper calls for a critical approach to science communication that centers inclusion, equity, and intersectionality.

The State of Inclusive Science Communication: A Landscape Study defines key traits of inclusive scicomm, explores challenges and pressure points for the movement, and offers recommendations. Download graphics created by Christine Liu for the Landscape Study here.

The helps to identify how and why particular examples of practice may be more or less equitable. By mapping your practice, the compass can help support planning for improvements in equitable practice." Watch a Equity Compass, developed by the YESTEM project, "video about using the Equity Compass.

Neglected Spaces in Science Communication presents 10 commentaries exploring this issue.

This special collection of open access papers in Frontiers in Communication explores inclusive science communication in theory and practice.

This report summarizes participant responses from the 2019 Inclusive SciComm Symposium.

This paper summarizes participant responses from the 2018 InclusiveSciComm Symposium.

View InclusiveSciComm Speaker Presentations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The crowdsourced InclusiveSciComm Resources list covers a wide range of topics related to inclusive science communication, education, and public engagement. Selected Resources The Inclusive Science Communication Starter Kit provides an introduction to techniques and strategies for inclusive science communication. This paper calls for a critical approach to science communication that centers inclusion, equity, [...]

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The University of Aberdeen is delighted to be able to invite you to attend PCST 2025. The conference theme will seek to explore transitions (change versus stability), traditions (the old, current and the new) and tensions (dispute versus consensus) that influence all of our work as science communicators.

In this context of our climate emergency, of global health imperatives, such as food and water security, and poverty alleviation PCST will come together in 2025 to discuss science communication can and should be used to positive effect in our changing world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The University of Aberdeen is delighted to be able to invite you to attend PCST 2025. The conference theme will seek to explore transitions (change versus stability), traditions (the old, current and the new) and tensions (dispute versus consensus) that influence all of our work as science communicators.

# data[].attributes.body
The next Inclusive Science Communication Symposium at The University of Rhode Island is in 2025...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Save the date for the next Inclusive SciComm Symposium! In person October 19-21, 2023 in Kingston, RI, USA; additional virtual dates 9/29/23, 10/6/23, 10/13/23, and 11/3/23.
The Symposium aims to convene science communication (SciComm) practitioners, scholars, and educators working across many disciplines, sectors, methods, settings, and topics to discuss practical approaches for advancing inclusive approaches to SciComm and public engagement. The symposium defines SciComm in its broadest sense, as any information exchange designed to engage specific audiences in conversations or activities related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or medicine (STEMM).

Inclusive SciComm comprises varied perspectives, including community engagement, informal science learning, arts, community organizing, journalism, community-based participatory research, inclusive pedagogy, service learning, library science, and many others. The purpose of the Inclusive SciComm Symposium is to build a community that actively challenges the dominant, frequently marginalizing norms of STEMM and deficit-oriented approaches to communication culture, and promotes science communication that values individual and group assets. Through these transformations, the Inclusive SciComm community will reimagine and change how science is conducted and discussed.

Practical approaches to inclusive SciComm are particularly important given the pandemic, ongoing racism, and structural inequities. These overlapping events and experiences have highlighted the urgent need for action. We need strategies for putting intentionality, reciprocity, and reflexivity - the key traits of inclusive science communication - into practice. Science communication is continually and rapidly changing; therefore, we must be aware of our intent and impact as we communicate, educate, and research.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Save the date for the next Inclusive SciComm Symposium! In person October 19-21, 2023 in Kingston, RI, USA; additional virtual dates 9/29/23, 10/6/23, 10/13/23, and 11/3/23. The Symposium aims to convene science communication (SciComm) practitioners, scholars, and educators working across many disciplines, sectors, methods, settings, and topics to discuss practical approaches for advancing inclusive [...]

# data[].attributes.body
Might we want to do a PCST symposia? Or our own webinars? Or a workshop at PCST?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
PCST support includes publicity in the international science communication community, advice on themes and speakers, and direct involvement of our Scientific Committee in the organisation and presentation of the event. Invited speakers should usually include members of the Scientific Committee.

Supported events may be in the form of PCST symposia with a high level of PCST involvement, and seminars held in association with PCST with a lower level of PCST involvement. These events should run for one or two days. They should be either an international event focusing on one particular topic OR a regional event covering a broader range of science communication topics. They should be aimed to advance knowledge and sharing of experiences on particular aspects of science communication. They will typically take place in the years between PCST conferences.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
PCST support includes publicity in the international science communication community, advice on themes and speakers, and direct involvement of our Scientific Committee in the organisation and presentation of the event. Invited speakers should usually include members of the Scientific Committee.

# data[].attributes.body
This great example of inclusive science communication - useful as an example of something that works really well, uses patreon, has a whole network and an active community who also are included in making the knowledge

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Listen to Ologies on Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts.

# data[].attributes.body
Another podcast that's a good example of science and culture in and for the anthropocene

# data[].attributes.body
Another example of science communication where it meets culture that combines art and science

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Dublin / Berlin

An evolving network, pop-up podcast, and event series exploring the way Art + Science shape each other and society. Founded in Trinity College Dublin in association with Science Gallery Dublin, now kindly supported by Creative Futures Academy. Co-founded & co-convened by Dr Autumn Brown & Dr Amelia McConville. Production by Daniel Tatlow-Devally. Welcome to the Salon!

THE ART+SCIENCE SALON's tracks

published on

published on

published on

published on

published on

published on

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An evolving network, pop-up podcast, and event series exploring the way Art + Science shape each other and society. Founded in Trinity College Dublin in association with Science Gallery Dublin, now kindly supported by Creative Futures Academy. Co-founded & co-convened by Dr Autumn Brown & Dr Amelia McConville. Production by Daniel Tatlow-Devally.