Communicating research findings to the media and wider public in a way that is accurate and captures their interest can prove tricky. How do you stay in control of the story and where does real and imagined fake news fit in?
Two free events open to the wider community on Wednesday, March 6 will explore those issues further with experienced journalists, communicators and a scientist – “Issues and Challenges in Science Communications” and “Communicating Science in the Age of Fake News.”
It’s those kind of questions that Faculty of Health psychology Professor Julie Conder’s students in Psychology 4180: Critical Thinking in Psychology often ask and part of the reason she decided to organize a seminar that would look at some of those issues and challenges. Students in the course interact with complex scientific articles and need to present them in plain language so a non-scientific audience can understand. The project is part of a larger initiative of Conder’s, funded by the Academic Innovation Fund to teach students how to communicate in clear language.
Issues and Challenges in Science Communications
The Faculty of Health and Faculty of Science are co-organizing this first event moderated by Dan Falk, an awarding-winning science journalist and the Faculty of Science Communicator in Residence. The seminar will run from noon to 2 p.m. at Winters Dining Hall, Room 001, Winters College, Keele Campus, presented by the Faculty of Health and Faculty of Science.
The following presenters will talk about their own experiences and what works best:
- D. Colen, a former reporter and editor with the Washington Post and an upcoming Faculty of Science Communicator in Residence
- Ivan Semeniuk, The Globe and Mail science journalist
- Freelance science journalist Genna Buck
- Faculty of Science biology Professor Dawn Bazely, and
- David Manly, Manulife Kids Science Coordinator at Sick Kids Hospital.
For more information, contact Conder at conder@yorku.ca.
Communicating Science in the Age of Fake News
The Faculty of Science is presenting this second event, a workshop that will explore how to communicate valid scientific research in a world where fake news is often mistaken for truth.
The event will run from 6 to 8 p.m. in Room 306, in the (Leonard G.) Lumbers Building, Keele Campus.
Join Dan Falk, B.D. Colen, Ivan Semeniuk and Dawn Bazely for a lively discussion on the topic.
Seating is limited and RSVPs are required for the workshop, “Communicating Science in the Age of Fake News,” and can be submitted by emailing fscomms@yorku.ca. Refreshments will be served.