Over two days, we each developed media pitches on our own research, which we presented to a panel of journalists on the second day. Despite my suspicions being confirmed that materials science is somewhat harder to sell to the media and the public than some other fields of science, SAVVY was definitely a valuable experience. The focus was very much on media skills, and as such a fair portion of the workshop was devoted to learning about how the media works; this included a visit to TVNZ and a media Q&A panel with journalists from both television and print media. Many of the skills developed, however, were more general communication skills, and as such are definitely applicable to any form of science communication. At this point I’d like to share a few pieces of advice I picked up over the workshop. These aren’t necessarily key take-home messages from SAVVY, but they’re tidbits that really resonated with me.

1. When talking to the media, you are talking to the sofa people.

The sofa people being your average people who sit on the sofa in the evening and channel surf. The point is, that when talking about your science, you need to think about who your audience is and find a way to engage with them. It’s not actually the interviewer that you are speaking to – it’s the public who are going to watch that interview.

2.  ‘Eliminate the latinate’ or ‘cut the crap’.

Avoid jargon. This one seems obvious, but what didn’t occur to me is that the ‘jargon’ is not necessarily just niche scientific terms, but can just be overly complicated language. The way we’re trained to communicate as scientists means that we regularly use a lot of ‘big words’ (eg. utilise, generate, parameters, propagate, phenomenon) when a simpler expression (eg. use, make, limits, spread, event) would do just as well, and probably make us sound a lot less pretentious.

3.  Beware the tyranny of precision.

I work with conducting polymers. I hate referring to my polymers as ‘plastics’ when trying to explain my research to a non-science person… it’s just so imprecise! But sometimes you just have to sacrifice precision or your audience will tune out after three words because they don’t understand what you’re talking about. I know, it’s hard to do.

So that’s it from me. Many thanks go to MESA and to the Science Media Centre for giving me the opportunity to attend SAVVY. Thanks in particular to the workshop facilitators, Michael Brown, Peter Griffin and Dacia Herbulock, whose advice and feedback was invaluable. I would highly recommend SAVVY to anyone in working in science who ever talks to anyone outside their field. Which, apart from some reclusive mathematicians, is pretty much everyone.

Lisa Strover is a PhD student in the Travas-Sedjic group at the University of Auckland. Find out more about the SAVVY workshop here.

A handful of students in New Zealand had the chance to be student delegates to the Transit of Venus conference in Gisborne on June 5-7^th.   Elf and I were lucky to part of that inspiring event. Despite predictions of unfavourable weather, the universe aligned itself otherwise.  It did not rain, it was not grey during the duration of the conference.  During the sighting hours the clouds parted at the right moment to let the Transit of Venus be witnessed at the serene Tolaga Bay school grounds and historic, rugged wharf.

Attended by a sort of truncated who’s who or their proxies in science, science education, policy, maori science, innovation led technology or vice-versa, and its promoters,  the Transit of Venus forum was a congregation that had no “authority”, but a vision: to commemorate Sir Paul Callaghan and to advance to action the idea that science will be a strong player in the economy environment and cohesive society in New Zealand.    It was palpably energised by a diverse roll call of achievers or protagonists who found its purpose worthy enough to commit to and engage in with gusto.

Garth Morgan, Derek Handley,  Sir Peter Gluckman, Dame Anne Salmond, Sam Johnson (Young New Zealander of the Year), Sir Peter Blake awardees, hi-fi professors,  crown research institute kahunas,  tech start up stars,   Greater Council chairs, Iwi Trusts,  bankers with a science-community thumb,  Prime Ministers Science Prize awardees…the Wattage could go on and higher  :  the old school and the flash new kids on the block.  And…MESA reps

There was not a single presentation that was …death by power point.  I remember most as mature, thorough, with a latent fervour that accompanies achievement and deep experience, despite some bristling at being “held back” by the “system” – perhaps government,  or the small scale of science and society in New Zealand, or an attitude or institution that prevented collaboration or the four letter…PBRF.   We witnessed an interpretation of Capt Cook’s first encounters with the Maori communities of the North East coast, of a period before “disciplines had fragmented”.  We got a hint of what the logistics of protecting biodiversity meant for a port authority and what role molecular i.d. technology could play in facilitating that role.  We were asked how sustainable development could be explained, seriously and honestly, to a child who is growing up in New Zealand.  Our notions of green New Zealand were turned brownish with facts about water quality.  Dairy or agriculture’s voice was heard in response to perhaps pointed fingers.   There was a proposition that the close to the heart of NewZealanders environment required management by people who had studied and grown up here.

Some speakers were so engaging the panel chair just let them transit right through the timekeeper’s signals:  Sam Johnson’s narration of the volunteer army of Christchurch’s use of the web and telecom tech and his meeting with Hillary Clinton.  For statistical purposes, a very small fraction of the talks made me nod for a few minutes or step out  of the room to stretch.    The science described by the believer-doers-leaders ranged from rock and seaweed- that of the exploration of the EEZ and marine education in coastal reserves to the thoughtscape of evaluation of risk , the role of innovation in reducing risk, of the networks of collaboration,  the evolution of homo hubris  and ecosystems of innovation .

A few simple themes appeared :  Science should be relevant to the tool of diplomacy;  Matauranga Maori should develop its own identity without the rejection of modern science; science scholarship is not a luxury for rich countries but a necessity;  silo-isation of science ain’t helping, cut it out whoever you are;  scientists should provide advice – focussed, based on  knowledge, and the emotions should respond to knowledge;  New Zealand should see itself as and be a small clever nation relevant to the Pacific doing better in science and art than it is at the moment; the communication of science,  speaking the same language across platforms of collaboration and tapping into the need to help were essential in engaging with youth.

If the speakers were enough of a spread, the attendees or their backgrounds were..flat out.  Germans, Americans, Latinos, Pacifika, Asiana, Oceania, Kiwiana, consultants, paediatricians, psychologists, radio station hosts…I met the world record holder for the longest continuous FM broadcast while downing a koha based mussel chowder in Tolaga Bay.  If you haven’t grown up along the coast in a small community, and you think you know a lot, go spend a sabbatical or summa at Tolaga Bay.  Ill share this with you as a primer: UAWA : unrelenting attitude with achievement.

We had a flash dinner with a genuine Iwi-Pinky forget-the-P.C.-rubbish -host, the naval band, a bit of old school graze-n- bump dancing,   a Mayor with Pavarottian vocal chords and some random speeches. Historical, stimulating, memorable, a tribute, the journey starts, in Sir Paul’s words- “its all about love”.

- Riyad M. M. Mucadam

CONTACT
Associate Professor: Maan Alkaisi
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
University of Canterbury
Email:maan.alkaisi@canterbury.ac.nz
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
Tel: +643364 2987 extn 7272
Website: http://www.elec.canterbury.ac.nz/people/alkaisi.shtml

The global transition from analogue to digital media has received a great deal of scholarly attention over the past decade. In New  Zealand, this brought industrial change and attention for the economic stimulus and brand value it has brought the country. So far,  there has been little consideration of the globally mobile workforce this has spawned. Studies to date have ranged from a focus on the promotional effects of ‘The Frodo Franchise’ to effects of the shift from an agricultural to a technology-based economy in wool to Weta. This research considers the implications of digital image production, skills migration and employment networks for New Zealand’s cultural economy.

The talk will be held in LB118 at Victoria University but will be recorded by the committee and published online within a week.