The call for proposals is now closed.
The deadline for proposals for the Inclusive SciComm Symposium has been extended to July 14, 2021.
The University of Rhode Island’s Metcalf Institute and symposium planning committee invites you to submit proposals to participate in the 2021 Inclusive SciComm Symposium, which will be held virtually over three half-days, October 14-16, 2021.
Inclusive SciComm comprises varied approaches, including community engagement, informal science learning, arts, community organizing, journalism, community-based participatory research, inclusive pedagogy, service learning, library science, and many others.
The purpose of the Inclusive SciComm Symposium is to build a community that actively challenges the status quo and promotes a paradigm shift in science communication. Through these transformations, the Inclusive SciComm community will reimagine and change how science is conducted and discussed.
2021 Inclusive SciComm Symposium Themes
- Theme 1: Decolonizing science communication
Proposals within this theme might address: introductions to decolonizing science/scicomm; successful examples of decolonizing scicomm; material actions to decolonize scicomm vs. metaphorical decolonizing; multilingual scicomm; foregrounding non-Western methods; integrating multiple ways of knowing. - Theme 2: Dismantling oppressive/exclusionary institutional structures
Proposals within this theme might explore the ways that inclusive SciComm can be used to address or discuss: scientific gatekeeping; whose perspectives are amplified/silenced; defining what “expertise” is and who is considered to be a “scientist”; moving from “outreach” to “engagement”; institutional change; facilitating difficult conversations across difference; ethics of the practice, role, or responsibility of science communicators and communication. - Theme 3: Building a supportive and collaborative Inclusive SciComm community
Proposals within this theme might address: building and supporting equitable relationships and collaborations with marginalized communities; supporting inclusive SciComm in your organization; moving past “firsting”; building a sense of belonging in the movement; caring for the science communicator (e.g., strategies for countering burnout).
Proposals should connect to one or more of the three themes. Across all themes, we strongly encourage submissions that represent multiple perspectives, integrate research and practice, and provide guidance and experiences that will help symposium participants put knowledge into action.
The deadline for proposals has been extended to July 14, 2021.
Learn more about the call for proposals
Accessibility
The symposium will provide ASL interpreters for the keynote lectures and captioning at all events. Please make requests for any additional accessibility needs in your proposal.
All videos and slides, whether posted for asynchronous viewing or presented live during the symposium, must be provided with captions by session speakers. Support and user guides will be available to help presenters with captioning.