The Keynotes were recorded and posted on YouTube. Direct links are below.
October 20, 2023, 2-3pm.
President, African Gong (The Pan-African Network for the Popularisation of Science & Technology, and Science Communication)
Transcending Boundaries: Lessons in Inclusive Science Communication from the Global South, with Dr. Elizabeth Rasekoala
President, African Gong (The Pan-African Network for the Popularisation of Science & Technology, and Science Communication)
In the past decade, the field of science communication has recognized the urgent need for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in its practices, audiences, and among its professionals. However, these efforts lack a comprehensive, intentional approach, leaving important issues unnoticed or ignored.
This context, and the extra spotlight on global inequities during the COVID-19 pandemic, have led science communication practitioners from around the world to unite in championing race and other aspects of sociocultural inclusion in their field. By addressing these often-overlooked themes, science communicators aim to bring a wider view to discussions about science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) for meaningful and systematic change.
Dr. Elizabeth Rasekoala, president of African Gong: The Pan-African Network for the Popularization of Science & Technology and Science Communication, will share practical insights about these themes in a keynote talk on October 20, 2023, as part of the 2023 Inclusive SciComm Symposium. Dr. Rasekoala, a veteran science communication scholar and practitioner based in South Africa, is editor of the new book, “Race and Sociocultural Inclusion in Science Communication: Innovation, Decolonisation, and Transformation.” This book assembled 30 diverse practitioners and academics from across the Global South and North to present empowering ideas and transformative concepts about inclusive science communication. Dr. Rasekoala will share broadly relevant insights and innovative perspectives from this influential collection, paving the way for more globally inclusive, representative, and paradigm-shifting approaches to science communication.
Watch Now
Saturday, October 21st, 2-3pm.
University of Maine System Office Native American Waiver and Educational Program Coordinator, University of Maine’s Wabanaki Center Outreach and Student Development Coordinator
Rediscovering The Story in Ourselves, with John Bear Mitchell
John Bear Mitchell is a citizen of the Penobscot Nation from Indian Island in Maine. He presently serves as the University of Maine System Office Native American Waiver and Educational Program Coordinator, University of Maine’s Wabanaki Center Outreach and Student Development Coordinator, as well as, a Lecturer of Wabanaki Studies and Multicultural Studies at the University of Maine in Orono. He has served on numerous museum and educational boards throughout the state with missions based on Maine’s Wabanaki people.
John’s research centers around the history of Native Americans in higher education. He also speaks about Tribal Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in regards to the traditional use of natural methods of surviving in cooperation with the natural world.
For 15 years John visited schools in Maine as a Maine Touring Artist delivering an Arts in Education program. During that time, he visited over 150 schools. While working his way through college, he toured with the Native American Storytellers of New England. He presented a traditional and contemporary program in Native American Stories and Song. His singing and storytelling can be heard in many Maine PBS, tribal-sponsored awareness videos, independent film, HBO Lionsgate TV, and many documentaries with topics on Maine’s Native People.
Watch Now