Civic Science Media Lab

Science Talk 2025
2024-04-03 - 2024-04-05
Science Talk is the annual conference of the Association of Science Communicators (ASC). ASC’s mission is to empower and inspire the science communication community to expand their communication potential and affect the world.

Generative AI and the Implications for Science Communication
2023-11-07 15:00 - 16:30 UTC | Virtual
New innovations in large language modeling and other generative artificial intelligence tools, such as ChatGPT, have spurred debate about their capacities, risks, and broader societal implications. The Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication is hosting a public webinar to 1) explore what these technologies are, how they work, and how they may change the information landscape going forward; 2) consider positive innovations they could facilitate in science communication; and 3) discuss systemic limitations and risks, as well as the broad ethical and social implications of these technologies.
Moderator:
Sandra González-Bailón, Standing Committee Member and Carolyn Marvin Professor of Communication, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania
Panelists:
Melanie Mitchell, Professor, Santa Fe Institute
Sendhil Mullainathan, Roman Family University Professor of Computation and Behavioral Science at Chicago Booth School of Business, University of Chicago
Chirag Shah, Professor, Information School, University of Washington – Seattle
Sophie Bushwick, Technology Editor, Scientific American

Generative AI and the Implications for Science Communication from The National Academies on Vimeo.

SciPEP 2023: New Insights for Communicating Basic Science
2023-07-25 - 2023-07-26 | Virtual
On July 25-26, 2023, “SciPEP 2023: New Insights for Communicating Basic Science” explored new research, findings, and implications for how to support scientists communicating about basic, discovery science. Science communication scholars, practitioners, and trainers came together to discuss new insights and generated ideas and opportunities to advance basic science communication research and practice.
Two years earlier, SciPEP’s “Communicating the Future: Engaging the Public in Basic Science” conference virtually gathered more than 1,200 people from 60 countries to explore what we know – and don’t know – about basic science communication. The sheer magnitude of the conference (and deep, rich discussions there and since) reinforced that this is what the community is hungry for: evidence-based tools and resources to better equip scientists and professional communicators for basic science communication. A detailed summary of the 2021 conference and video recordings are available for reference. Also, the SciPEP team published “Charting a Path for Public Engagement in Basic Science: A Prospectus,” to summarize key questions that arose from the 2021 conference and a framework for addressing those questions.
The SciPEP team has identified (and commissioned) new research, and convened or facilitated conversations, that have deepened our understanding of key gaps and refined the questions identified during the 2021 conference.
Attendees of SciPEP 2023 learned more about these findings, connected with others to discuss new insights, and helped plan the next steps for our community.
