2018 Symposium

Agenda

Thursday, September 27, 2018 at the Beaupre Center, Room 100, 140 Flagg Road, Kingston RI
5:00 - 6:30 pmPublic Film Screening of “Can We Talk? Difficult Conversations with Underrepresented People of Color about Obstacles to
STEM Fields
” followed by discussion with filmmaker Kendall Moore and panelists. Reception to follow.
(Richard E. Beaupre Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences)
Friday, September 28, 2018 at the Memorial Union, 50 Lower College Rd., Kingston, RI
8:30 - 9:00 am Arrivals, Check-in (URI Memorial Union Ballroom)
9:00 - 9:15 amWelcoming Remarks (Memorial Union Ballroom)
9:15 - 10:00 amIntroductory Mixer. Participants will discuss the following questions:
What is the question you would most like to be asked when you meet a new person?
What inspired you to attend this symposium? (Memorial Union Ballroom)
10:15 - 11:45 amConcurrent Sessions. These sessions are designed to instigate foundational discussions about needs and opportunities for more
inclusive, intersectional, and asset-based approaches to science communication and public engagement.
Session 1: Frameworks Partnerships Developing Equitable Collaboration between Communities and Scientists. (Memorial Union Atrium1)
This session will explore three ways that communities and scientists are working together in ways that honor community
knowledge and put communities priorities first. Community leaders know best their community context and have the
knowledge to work with scientists to develop impactful and sustainable solutions and tools that work for them.
Each panelist will speak about how their work is making these community science partnerships a reality, what the benefits are
for both communities and scientists, opportunities and challenges of such partnerships and how community science
partnerships can improve the use and practice of science for future generations.
Daniel Aguirre, Fleet Science Center (+ Moderator)
Natasha Udu-gama, Thriving Earth Exchange
John Taylor, University of Rhode Island
Session 2: Media Journalists on the Front Lines of Public Engagement with Science (Memorial Union Room 318)
Equitable representation of perspectives requires a range of viewpoints from both journalists and their sources. News
coverage of environmental and other scientific issues requires careful consideration and communication of science and
social contexts.
Kendall Moore, University of Rhode Island (+Moderator)
Ricardo Sandoval Palos, InsideClimate News
Simon Moya-Smith, Contributing Columnist, NBC and CNN
Session 3: Challenges Addressing Structural Challenges for Inclusive Science Communication and Public Engagement.
(Memorial Union Atrium 2)
Meaningful access to STEM learning is both constrained and enabled by social and institutional structures. New structures
are needed that promote science learning for everyone - especially those marginalized in STEM. In this session, panelists
who are researchers, administrators, funders, and practitioners in informal learning settings will share their experiences
addressing the structures that pose barriers to STEM learning for all.
Christine Reich, Museum of Science, Boston (+Moderator)
Angela Calabrese Barton, Michigan State University
Ellen McCallie, National Science Foundation
Kishore Hari, Chan Zuckerberg Inititiative
Session 4: Frameworks Inclusive Pedagogy: Why it matters for science communication. (Memorial Union Room 360)
This session will elaborate on the importance of inclusive approaches to communicating science at different scales. Whether it
is pedagogy within the college classroom, the redesign of an academic ecosystem, or the structure around which science is
communicated, approaches that are inclusive of diverse voices are important. Each panelist will speak to the scale at which
they work, including measures of success and work yet to be done. We will also discuss the ways in which our work is
synergistic, pertaining to broader social aims of inclusive science communication.
Bryan Dewsbury, University of Rhode Island (+Moderator)
Christine Ortiz, Station1
Ralph Bouquet, NOVA
11:45 am - 1:15 pmWatch video of Dr. Raychelle Burks' keynote address
Voice and Value: "Fake it until you make it" and "Keep it real" are such common bits of advice: they've become clichés.
Dr. Burks will discuss how incorporating both advisory standards helped her find her voice and the value in science
communication.
Raychelle Burks, St. Edwards University
1:30 - 3:00 pmConcurrent Sessions. These sessions are designed to highlight the work of scicomm and public engagement researchers and
practitioners whose work demonstrates effective inclusive, intersectional, asset-based approaches for their fields.
Session 1: Strategies & Media Expanding Public Discourse and Engagement in STEM with Art and Technology (Memorial Union Room 318)
The combination of art, technology, and social networking has created a huge range of opportunities for innovation in public
engagement with science. Panelists will discuss trends, including how publics engage and learn with each as part of every day
practice, and how they have changed their teaching and research practices to be more holistic and inclusive. Some practical
examples include utilizing story telling, integrating multimodal technologies with crafting and art, and leveraging professional
networks. Panelists also will discuss opportunities and challenges, and will lead a discussion around successful and less
successful strategies and future directions.
Regina Barber DeGraaff, Western Washington University and SparkScience podcast host (+ Moderator)
Gabriela Richard, Pennsylvania State University
Dorothy Santos, REFRESH
Session 2: Strategies Novel Strategies for Bringing Science to Real People (Atrium 1)
Whether it’s farmers breeding genetically varied crops or neighbors figuring out how much rain causes street flooding,
science is part of daily life. Yet the basic communication tools that science relies on - and uses to measure its own progress -
are largely inaccessible and irrelevant to many public audiences. From zines, to street art, to digital videos, this session will
feature novel strategies for reaching audiences beyond the traditional science formats, methods for developing them, and
evaluating their respective impacts.
Julia Kumari Drapkin, iSeeChange (+Moderator)
Oludurotimi Adetunji, Brown University
Christine Liu, Two Photon Art, U.C.Berkley
Session 3: Frameworks Intersectional Approaches to Community Engagement (Memorial Union Atrium 2)
Inclusive science communication requires an acknowledgement of how the interaction of race, gender, ethnicity and other
dimensions impact the lived experience of individuals and their engagement with the dominant culture and norms of
science. Building on a working definition of intersectionality in science communication, panelists will share examples of
recent work and current challenges in the fields of environmental justice and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
(BIPOC) representation in media, using audio to create inclusive science narratives, and training scientists and program
staff toward effective community engagement.
Rabiah Mayas, Science and Society, Northwestern University (+Moderator)
Rackeb Tesfaye, McGill University and founder of Broad Science Podcast
Michael Estrada, Brown Environmentalist Media Collective
Session 4: Strategies Different Abilities, Different Perspectives: Access as a Key to Engagement (Memorial Union Room 360)
Access, or its absence, affects the participation of people with disabilities in STEM at many levels: from public engagement
in informal learning settings to professional representation in STEM fields. Panelists will describe their work to increase
science access and engagement through video, design, and assistive technologies, as well as partnerships with the maker
movement and Arduino, an open-source electronic prototyping platform. Bring your questions!
Bryan Gould,
National Center for Accessible Media (+Moderator)
Joshua Miele, The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute
Gabriela Serrato Marks, MIT-WHOI Joint Program
3:00 - 3:30 pmBREAK
3:45 - 4:45 pmMaking it Happen: These facilitated breakout sessions will build on the four themes discussed throughout the day.
Participants will discuss the thematic intersections in greater detail with the goal of identifying specific actions and resources
that can be applied in their own work.
  • Strategies (Memorial Union Atrium 1) -- Deep Teaching - Science pedagogy for meaning and purpose (Bryan Dewsbury, URI)

  • Challenges (Memorial Union Room 318) -- Toward a New Reward Structure: Advocating for the Value of SciComm in Academia
    (Raychelle Burks, St. Edwards University)

  • Frameworks (Memorial Union Atrium 2) -- Tools for Reflection and Conversation: Outcomes from the CAISE Broadening Participation
    Task Force (Angie Calabrese Barton, Michigan State University)

  • Media (Memorial Union Room 360) -- Increasing Accessibility through Interactive Media (Julia Kumari Drapkin, iSeeChange)
5:00 - 6:30 pmClosing Remarks and Reception (Center for Biological Life Sciences Atrium)
Saturday, September 29, 2018 at Paramaz Avedesian '54 Hall, 7 Greenhouse Rd., Kingston, RI
8:30 - 9:00 amContinental breakfast (Paramaz Avedisian '54 Hall Lobby)
9:00 - 10:30 amConcurrent Workshops
Workshop 1: Unlock Research Funding with Inclusive Engagement (Avedisian Hall Room 240)
Oludurotimi Adetunji (Brown University).
This workshop will help researchers, practitioners, and educators identify the components of strong broader impacts plans
for grant proposals that emphasize inclusive approaches for public engagement with science and effective project
evaluation. Participants will collaborate to develop hypothetical broader impact activities focused on several themes and
learn how to identify potential collaborators and co-creators for their conceptualized broader impact plans.
Workshop 2: The Chance of Birth: Recognizing Personal Power and Variations in Privilege (Avedisian Hall Room 130)
Catalina Martinez (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), Bryan Dewsbury (URI), Gyasi Alexander (URI).
Being fully inclusive takes awareness, introspection, and effort, and can be a life-long pursuit of choice, discovery, and
opportunity. Join this powerful workshop where participants will take a journey through the life of an anonymous
participant through a series of activities and will uncover the advantages and disadvantages associated with this individual’s
existence. As this is a group activity, each participant will walk in the footsteps of another, leading to deeply meaningful
discussions and insights. This workshop is appropriate for students and professionals alike. As a result of this workshop,
participants will:

  1. Recognize variations in privilege;
  2. Empathize with alternative life experiences;
  3. Develop self-awareness in areas of identity and bias that will lead to greater understanding of self and others; and ultimately
  4. Gain clarity around personal power and an individual’s ability to alter outcomes through deliberate thoughts and actions.
10:30 - 12:00 pmWorkshop 3: Next Steps: Building a National Network for Inclusive Public Engagement with Science. (Avedisian Hall Room 170)
Following a day of brainstorming, networking, and idea-sharing, this final workshop will identify possible paths for linking
the professionals and students from diverse fields who are working to advance inclusive, asset-based approaches for science
communication and engagement.
12:15 - 1:30 pmNetworking Lunch (Avedisian Hall Lobby)