Inclusive SciComm Symposium 2023
Follow along Abbey’s journey at the in-person sessions of #ISCS23!
by Abbey Morris
Graphic by Abbey Morris
Image Description: A two-panel comic of Abbey’s thoughts on learning about science communication, where she reflects, “The moment I realized that science communication existed I felt a renewed sense of motivation and appreciation for science.” Top panel features a figure representing a sad Abbey before learning about science communication, thinking “Everyone else is so smart, why do I feel so dumb? Why are these papers so boring and so full of big words? Science is too hard for me. I love art and science, why can’t I do both?” Bottom panel features a figure representing a happy Abbey after learning about science communication, thinking “My lived experience is valid and science isn’t the only valuable knowledge source. They are using jargon to sound smart and exclude people when it could really be said in a more simple way. It wasn’t all my fault for not understanding. I can combine my passions for art and science.”
As part of our mission at SciComm Collective to engage equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice in science communication, it felt natural to participate in the Metcalf Institute’s Inclusive SciComm Symposium. This biennial event brings together people who are working to shift science and science communication toward a just, equitable, and inclusive future. This year, I earned a scholarship to attend the symposium in person at the University of Rhode Island from October 19-21. Throughout the symposium, I attended as many sessions as I could and created summary reflections about each of them. I did this because I am the kind of person who forgets things if I don’t write them down (sometimes I forget even if I do write it down…so having a digital reminder helps) and I wanted to share the knowledge that I gained with folks who may not have been able to attend the conference themselves. While these notes are by no means comprehensive, I hope that the information and resource links can serve as a jumping off point for future inclusive science communication endeavours!
Image Description: Participants sit at round tables in front of a projection of a presentation slide that says "2023 Inclusive SciComm Symposium.”
Image Description: Abbey Morris, a dark-haired Asian woman wearing glasses and a floral shirt, holds up her conference badge and smiles at the camera.
SciComm Theatre of the Oppressed: Embodying our strengths with inclusion, equity, and belonging
Presented By: Nic Bennett
My Fav Part: Getting to move my body to act out different scenes that represented what inclusion (and exclusion) in science communication can look like and debriefing in a small group setting.
Key Takeaways: In this workshop, I learned that the Theatre of the Oppressed is a participatory genre of theatre that fosters democratic and cooperative forms of interaction among participants.
Things I’ll be Pondering: How can theatre be used more widely within science/science communication? When is it an appropriate medium and when is it not? What does oppression look like in science communication?
Resources:
Experimenting with social media engagement in infrastructure-poor situations
Presented By: Virginia Schutte
My Fav Part: Hearing how Virginia received encouraging messages from people around the world who were following along on her journey in Antarctica via a WhatsApp broadcast channel.
Key Takeaways: In this presentation, I learned it is possible to receive grant funding to hire professional science communicators for cool research projects and more people ought to do it.
Things I’ll be Pondering: If WhatsApp is such a popular platform in other parts of the world, why are more science communicators in North America not using it? Or are they and I just don’t know about them? What are the benefits and limitations of WhatsApp compared to other platforms?
Resources:
Community science with community organizations: Building partnerships within the Budburst community science program
Presented By: Taran Lichtenberger
My Fav Part: Learning that Budburst exists (it’s a community science program run out of the Chicago Botanical Gardens) and hearing about some of the community engagement programs they are working on.
Key Takeaways: When working with communities, it’s important to remember to…
Form long-term relationships
Compensate community orgs and members
Create multi-lingual resources
Share back results and findings with the community
Things I’ll be Pondering: What does sustainability (in terms of funding, staffing, and other resources) look like and how do you convince people to support more community science programs?
Resources:
Creating More Inclusive STEM Content on YouTube and Social Media
Presented By: Gabrielle Ewing, Knatokie Ford, Sara Yeo
My Fav Part: As someone who loves to create and consume educational content, I enjoyed listening to some of the thought processes that go into creating science videos on YouTube (and beyond) from people who work at PBS.
Key Takeaways: Considerations when developing a storytelling hypothesis…
Connection points
relatability factors
life experiences
big ideas
Delivery style
explainer
documentary
breaking the 4th wall
sequencing & integration
Cast of characters
collaborators
subjects
Visuals
animations & graphics
cultural motifs & codes
settings & shooting style
Things I’ll be Pondering: What new YouTube shows will I be watching next on PBS Terra? How can we as consumers of YouTube content support and amplify diverse content creators?
Resources:
Transcending Boundaries: Lessons in Inclusive Science Communication from the Global South
Presented By: Elizabeth Rasekoala
My Fav Part: The importance (and nuances) of language has been a recurring theme throughout the ISC Symposium. In Elizabeth’s talk, she highlighted the power of language as an agent of communication and a carrier of history and culture.
Key Takeaways: Inclusion in science communication (and in any other spaces) can no longer be just a “nice to have/optional extra”; it must be central to all science communication work.
Things I’ll be Pondering: What isn’t being said? What hidden stories exist but are being suppressed by the Western colonialist narrative? How can we build equitable science communication practices through reconciliation, recalibration, and remediation?
Resources:
Building/Unbuilding: Design as an Inclusive Research Strategy
Presented By: Justin Morris-Marano, Melody Stein
My Fav Part: The people facilitating this workshop encouraged the group to think in terms of opportunities/processes as opposed to problems/solutions and began by trying to frame our thinking using an abundance mindset. I appreciated that the facilitators were not academic scientists and brought a unique perspective to science communication.
Key Takeaways: At one point during the workshop, the group had somehow come to the decision to build a sound muffling creation out of paper with the intention of reducing the amount of noise in the room for a participant who is blind. However, during the building process, the blind person ended up leaving the room because it became too loud with paper crumpling, shuffling movements, and voices talking over each other. In an effort to “help” the marginalised person in the room, we quite literally forced them out. In frustration, I spoke up and said something, but I should not have had to in the first place. This could have been avoided if we were all truly prioritizing inclusivity. This felt like a metaphor for science/academia as an institution and it makes me upset.
Things I’ll be Pondering: In what ways can scientists incorporate design thinking into their practice? What happens when we shift value from outcomes to processes? Would a focus on the process have prevented the exclusion of the person who is blind in this situation? What happens when we are not afforded the opportunity for reconciliation post-marginalisation?
Resources:
Inclusive Public Engagement Happens on Purpose: Ways to Use Intentional Decision-Making as Indicators of Success
Presented By: Karen Peterman, John Besley, Allison Black-Maier, Regina Ayala Chavez
My Fav Part: Meeting John Besley because I’d heard and read great things about his work with Anthony Dudo on strategic science communication.
Key Takeaways:
Strategize
identify behavioural goals
choose priority objectives
Implement
implement priority tactics
Evaluate
assess use of tactics
assess against objectives
assess against goals
Things I’ll be Pondering: Who determines what the goals, objectives, priorities, and tactics are when working with marginalised communities (in theory vs. in practice)? How do we avoid helicopter science and science communication? While checklists are helpful tools for measuring progress, they are not measures of success. How do we move beyond checklists to build meaningful relationships?
Resources:
Rediscovering The Story in Ourselves
Presented By: John Bear Mitchell
My Fav Part: Stories are like fireflies (or another light source)…
Stories that have been told burn brightly
Stories that are forgotten get dimmer
Stories that are not told have no light
It’s up to each one of us to keep it bright; to share our own stories and to give old stories new light.
Key Takeaways: There is value in Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)/Indigenous Knowledge and a lot of it gets passed down through stories from our Elders.
Things I’ll be Pondering: What stories do I have inside of me waiting to be lit? What stories will I learn from my elders? Where is the best place to tell my stories? How can I foster connections, build trust, and form relationships through storytelling?
Resources:
Intersections of Identity and Science Communication: From A(rt) to Z(ine)
Presented By: Jaye Gardiner, Shayle Matsuda
My Fav Part: Writing a one-sentence story based on an experience I’ve had in science communication and using that to create a page for a collective zine.
Key Takeaways: Why use zines for science communication?
They are inexpensive and accessible
Straightforward to make, easy to produce/distribute
Very flexible format with room for creativity
Reaches a broad audience
Can show the faces behind the science
Images can be more engaging/memorable than text alone
Things I’ll be Pondering: What ideas do I have that could be communicated through zines? What are the limitations of using a zine format? How can I improve/refine my drawing/mark-making abilities to tell engaging science stories?
Resources:
Image Description: Elizabeth Rasekoala poses with Abbey; both smile at the camera.
Image Description: A smiling Abbey poses with John Besley.
Image Description: Jaye Gardiner, Abbey, and Shayle Matsuda smile at the camera.
While I learned a lot and had a great time meeting many wonderful people working to make science communication more just, equitable, and inclusive, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of frustration that an entire symposium needs to be dedicated to this topic. Why are science and science communication not naturally just, equitable, and inclusive spaces? How can we move from talking about what needs to be done, to actually acting upon what needs to be done? How can we harness the powerful actions already being taken by some of the changemakers at the symposium and amplify their efforts? How do we get more people in positions of power to understand the value of inclusive science communication? I don’t have the answers to these questions… yet… but by attending this symposium, I have hope that change is possible if we all do our own small part and work in collaboration.
Image Description: Gallery of Abbey’s #ISCS23 reflections from the text above, displayed in colourful summary pages.
