Get Ready for Your Close-up at the 225th AAS Meeting
Richard Fienberg AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force
One of the great things about working in astronomy is that the press and public are keenly interested in what we do. That’s the good news. The bad news is that few of us receive any training, in our education or on the job, in how to communicate effectively with the press and public. Yet funding agencies increasingly expect researchers to reach beyond the scientific community to share discoveries and insights with a broader audience.
To help fill the gap between expectations and preparation ― and to help you avoid panic if a reporter calls ― the AAS is partnering with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory to present our first-ever half-day AAS/NRAO Science Communication Workshop on Sunday afternoon, 4 January 2015, in conjunction with the 225th AAS meeting in Seattle, Washington. The program runs from 1 to 5 pm and includes a halftime refreshment break.
Engaging and interactive, the workshop will focus on communication theory — concepts that can help bridge the gap between scientists and the public — and real-world techniques and resources that you can use to be a highly effective communicator. Topics will include what makes a science story newsworthy, how press releases are created and distributed, what do to if you think you have a newsworthy result worth publicizing, how to work with the public-information officers (PIOs) at your institution and funding agencies, how to prepare for a press conference, how to describe your research in pithy yet accurate terms, and tips to survive your first on-camera interview. Presenters include NRAO PIOs Charles Blue and David Finley, former AAS press officer Steve Maran, and NBC News science editor Alan Boyle.
The workshop costs $55 and is open to all attendees but will be especially valuable to early-career astronomers. To register, use the Workshop Registration Form linked from the AAS 225 registration page. Note that the regular-registration deadline for the Seattle meeting is 13 November, and the late-registration deadline is 18 December.