{"id":1910,"date":"2012-02-19T15:20:49","date_gmt":"2012-02-19T15:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/ofschemesandmemes\/?p=1910"},"modified":"2012-09-04T11:50:31","modified_gmt":"2012-09-04T10:50:31","slug":"science-online-nyc-sonyc-9-beyond-a-trend-enhancing-science-communication-with-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/ofschemesandmemes\/2012\/02\/19\/science-online-nyc-sonyc-9-beyond-a-trend-enhancing-science-communication-with-social-media","title":{"rendered":"Science Online NYC (SoNYC) 9 \u2013 Beyond a Trend: Enhancing Science Communication with Social Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Thursday evening, we hosted the ninth\u00a0instalment\u00a0<\/a>of the monthly Science Online NYC (SoNYC) discussion series.\u00a0For this month\u2019s SoNYC we teamed up with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) for a special event for\u00a0Social Media Week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The topic for debate this month was, \u201cBeyond a Trend: Enhancing Science Communication with Social Media.”<\/p>\n

As a communications tool, social media is an undeniably effective way to enhance your message. But within the science realm, top communicators \u2013 both academic and professional \u2013 strive to use social media for something greater: to engage the public in a conversation about science. Never before has it been so easy for researchers, public information officers, educators, students, and journalists to talk directly to the public about the benefits, limits, and implications of scientific knowledge. Social media not only makes these meaningful conversations possible, but it often also makes them fun and compelling. During this session, hear from scientists, communicators, and educators who use social media tools and the philosophy behind them to find creative, collaborative, and engaging learning opportunities.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Preparing for the event\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In anticipation of the discussion,\u00a0we ran a series of guest posts here on Of Schemes and Memes, recounting experiences where social media has been a key part of a science education project.\u00a0To start the discussions,\u00a0Dr Alan Cann<\/a>\u00a0from Leicester University\u00a0gave us an\u00a0academic\u2019s\u00a0viewpoint\u00a0<\/a>on how social media can be used as part of the curriculum. Next we heard from Ben Lillie, co-founder of\u00a0The Story Collider<\/a>,\u00a0revealing how social media can also be used to tell a\u00a0science\u00a0story. We then took a look at the, \u201cThis is what a scientist looks like\u201d\u00a0initiative, interviewing\u00a0writer and multimedia specialist,\u00a0Allie Wilkinson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This month\u2019s panel:<\/strong><\/p>\n

– American Museum of Natural History educators who are developing a \u201ctool kit\u201d of mobile apps, websites and more to help middle school students collect, share and present data on urban biodiversity<\/p>\n

– Ben Lillie, the co-organizer of The Story Collider, which tells science stories by combining verbal narratives with podcasts, Twitter and an online magazine<\/p>\n

– Matt Danzico, a BBC journalist who conducted a 365-day blog experiment called \u201cThe Time Hack\u201d looking at how we perceive time<\/p>\n

– Carl Zimmer,\u00a0a science journalist whose latest book,\u00a0Science Ink: Tattoos of the Science Obsessed,<\/em>\u00a0is based on feedback he received on his\u00a0Discover Magazine<\/em>\u00a0blog when he asked the question: are scientists hiding tattoos of their science?<\/p>\n

– Moderator: Jennifer Kingson, day assignment editor, Science Department,\u00a0The New York Times<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To read what people on\u00a0Twitter\u00a0<\/a>were saying about the event, check out our Storify of tweets at the bottom of this post.<\/p>\n

Blog posts about the 9th #sonyc<\/h4>\n

Do let us know if you blog about the event and we\u2019ll include a round-up of links here.<\/p>\n

Social Media as Science Facilitator:\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0Write up in the\u00a0Dana Foundation Blog<\/p>\n

Live-streaming and video archiving<\/strong><\/p>\n

We live-stream each SoNYC event to give as many people as possible the chance to take part in the debate. Check out this month’s\u00a0livestream<\/a>, or take a look at our\u00a0archives where you can view the previous meetings.<\/p>\n

Finding out more<\/h4>\n

The next SoNYC will be held on March 20th and will be focused on deterring and detecting fraud in scientific publications. \u00a0Details will be announced soon \u2013 keep an eye on the\u00a0SoNYC twitter account\u00a0<\/a>for more details and\/or watch the\u00a0#sonyc<\/a>\u00a0hashtag.<\/p>\n

If you have a suggestion for a future panel or would be interested in sponsoring one of the events, please get in touch.
\n