Recently, I've seen and heard a lot of talk about the relevance of science communication. Of course I totally believe it's relevant. I also totally believe Elvis was right asking for a little less conversation and a little more action. So George Musser and I, we decided to run a workshop that actually communicates science, physics in particular, astrophysics and cosmology specifically. Our "Workshop for Science Writers: Astrophysics and Cosmology" will take place May 27-29, 2013, in Stockholm. It is is hosted and mainly funded by Nordita, and co-funded by the Swedish Research Council, Vetenskapsrådet. All the relevant information is on our website:
The organization is well under way, and we have meanwhile assembled a great list of lecturers, that we will bring together with a selection of excellent science writers. The details of the schedule aren't settled yet, but we are planning on lectures focused on recent developments and running and upcoming experiments, followed by question and answer session. I am very much looking forward to this workshop as I myself am not an expert in the area and I expect to learn a big deal.
Space for this meeting is limited but we will select some applicants among those who register online. The application deadline is March 31st. So if this sounds interesting to you, either as a physicist or as a science writer, you can fill in this application form.
This isn't the typical workshop that I normally organize. It's somewhat of a challenge for me to figure out the needs of science writers. George's suggestions have been invaluable while I've mostly taken care of the local issues. We're still in the midst of preparation though. I'll keep you updated on how it's going and you can expect some coverage of the event on this blog.
Congratulations on getting Barrow to attend. I've read most of his popular-science books, most recently The Book of Universes. His books are not only well written but usually have an additional angle which other books covering the same general territory don't. There might be a few other popular-science writers who are just as good or perhaps even a tiny bit better, with regard to clarity, presenting things at the right level, knowing what is important, and of course factual correctness (Isaac Asimov comes to mind), but I think Barrow is probably the best popular-science writer who is also an active scientist (and not only that, but one of the major players in his field, and a nice guy to boot).
ReplyDeleteLooks like a really good initiative Bee. Is it aimed mainly at physicists who want to write for the public, or journalists who want to write about physics?
ReplyDeleteI ask because it's not that clear from the website and I once sat in on a science writing course where all except me were science journalists - which was fine, but not really relevant for me.
Hi coraifeartaigh,
ReplyDeleteIt is aimed at journalists. Best,
B.
Hi Phillip,
ReplyDeleteI've only read one of his books but, yes, I found it to be very informative and well written. Also, unafraid to add details and own opinions. Best,
B.