AAAS: 2011 International Science Events Conference | Earth System Science Informal Education Network

The 2011 International Public Science Events Conference

A pre-conference of the 2011 AAAS Annual Meeting
February 16 – 17, 2011
Washington DC

Registration is free, with limited attendance available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Register now to save your spot!

This February the first ever International Public Science Events Conference (IPSEC) convenes for two days in Washington DC. From multi-million dollar citywide festivals, to intimate cafe meetings at the corner pub, new public science events are popping up across the globe. Join professionals from around the world to trade ideas and inspiration, forge new collaborations, and consider what is next for this rapidly growing field. And it is all timed to lead into the annual meeting of the world’s largest general scientific society: the AAAS.

Announcing our plenary panel speakers:

February 16:
Tracy Day, co-founder, World Science Festival
Kathy Sykes, co-director, Cheltenham Science Festival
Vittorio Bo, director, Genoa Science Festival

February 17:
Bruce Alberts, editor-in-chief, Science magazine
Sir Roland Jackson, chief executive, British Science Association
stay tuned for more announcements soon

Who should attend?
IPSEC is for anyone associated with the production of educational science events. The 2011 meeting will have a strong focus on two strands: science festivals and science cafes. As of mid-December over 140 people had registered to attend, including dozens of festival and cafe organizers, as well as representatives from many national organizations.

Science festivals:
Science festivals are large, inspiring celebrations of the fascinating world of science and technology that reach people where they live, work, and play. Festivals present science in unusual venues and innovative ways, making each celebration an incubator for new outreach formats. Want to make the most of a festival’s big main event? Looking for a new way to reach a target audience? Wondering if your evaluation captured all of the impacts? Join us at IPSEC and learn about creative approaches other festivals have come up with. Other topics will include festival collaborations, unique fundraising approaches, festival benchmarking…and the best of what you suggest!

Science cafes:
Science cafes are spreading across the globe, with well over 300 cafe series worldwide. These intimate dialogue events are making a big impact on nearly every continent. With a low cost of entry, anyone can start a science café tailored to their audience and community. This has lead to a wide range of approaches for fostering lively interaction between the public and science professionals. What tricks and tips have folks come up with to bring out conversation in tough audiences? Are there new resources available to help you keep your café fresh? What are the latest great examples of how a café series complements other outreach efforts? Join us at IPSEC as we discuss the future of this emerging movement.

Call for session proposals:
The online registration form includes a call for session proposals related to public science events generally, as well as the two conference strands. A first round of session proposals will be conducted in early December, and notifications from this first round will be sent out in mid-December.

Organized by: