Public Engagement with Science at the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting

Are you attending the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA and interested in science communication and public engagement? You can peruse the online program for scientific sessions under the “Advocating for the Future” track, and explore the keyword listings under “citizen science,” “informal science education,” “online communication,” “public engagement,” and “science communication.” Or if you prefer, here’s a cheat sheet for (most of) what’s happening! Events subject to change. Please consult the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting App for up-to-date locations and event descriptions. Thursday, February 13, 2020

Seminars Special Events

•9 AM Engaging with the •1 PM Engaging Scientists and Media on Science-Society Engineers in Policy (ESEP) Topics Discussion •11 AM Building Community •4 PM AAAS Leshner Fellows for Inclusive Public Announcement Reception Engagement with Science •2:30 PM Breakout Sessions

[Seminars] Don’t miss this year’s Communicating Science Seminar on Thursday, February 13 (free to attend even if you’re not going to the rest of the Annual Meeting). This year’s panels are:

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM Engaging with the Media on Science-Society Topics Research and strategies for communicating with the media about science topics that have varied political, religious, value-based or ideological perspectives.

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM Building Community for Inclusive Public Engagement with Science What does it mean to broaden participation in science engagement? How can individuals and organizations prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion in public engagement?

2:30 PM - 04:00 PM Afternoon Breakout Sessions • Networking Session: Finding a Research/Practice Partner • Science Outside the Box: Rethinking Relevance for Millennial Engagement • Using Critique As An Assessment Tool for Science Engagement • Networking Session: Getting Credit for Public Engagement: New Incentives & Foundational Support • Broader Impacts 101 Workshop

Events subject to change. Please consult the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting App for up-to-date locations and event descriptions.

[Special Events/Expo Events] 1 PM - 2 PM Engaging Scientists and Engineers in Policy (ESEP) Discussion For scientists, engineers, students and science enthusiasts interested in participating in public policy, this event will highlight what other sessions to attend at the meeting.

4 PM - 5 PM AAAS Leshner Fellows Announcement Reception This reception is primarily meant to introduce the new cohort of Leshner Fellows and to provide an opportunity for networking. By invitation only. Please email [email protected] if you’d like to attend.

Events subject to change. Please consult the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting App for up-to-date locations and event descriptions.

Friday, February 14, 2020

Special Events Scientific Sessions Workshops

•3 PM Foundational Skills for •8 AM Learning Through •10 AM Communications, Science Communication Citizen Science Engagement and Advocacy: •12 PM Bringing Scientific •8 AM Science is Political, Not The Role of Science in Evidence to Meeting Local Partisan: Best Practices for Decision-Making Policy Challenges Science Policy Advocates •12 PM Citizens, Scientists, •6:30 PM Connecting •10 AM Transforming Higher and Elections: How Scientists Scientific and Religious Education Culture Are Engaging in 2020 Communities •3:30 PM How to Counter •12 PM How to Make Intersectional Biases in Compelling Outreach Videos Social Media When Your Science Seems •3:30 PM Public Trust in Dull Science: Strength and Skepticism

[Special Events/Expo Events] 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM SciComm Training Discussion: Foundational Skills for Science Communication Participants will continue discussions stemming from the SciComm Training Network and white paper, focusing on how to build collaboration between science communication researchers, trainers, and practitioners.

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Bringing Scientific Evidence to Meeting Local Policy Challenges The session will focus on three critical public policy areas: the use of a targeted stakeholder engagement workshop to explore how scientific evidence can inform state and local policymaking on natural resource and environmental issues; direct engagement with local officials on voting technology and election security; and a virtual center established by the North Carolina General Assembly to facilitate dissemination of the policy and research expertise of the state’s university system for practical use by state and local government.

6:30 PM – 8:00 PM Connecting Scientific and Religious Communities: AAAS DoSER Reception Are you a scientist looking to engage with religious individuals or communities, or a person of faith who wants to engage at the interface of science and religion? Please join us at a reception to learn more about the AAAS Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program and how you can get involved. Open to all Annual Meeting attendees.

[Scientific Sessions] 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM Learning Through Citizen Science: Enhancing Opportunities by Design This session presents the findings and implications of a new National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report: “Learning Through Citizen Science: Enhancing Opportunities by Design.” The session will highlight the importance of designing projects for diversity, equity, and inclusion. It will also lay out a research agenda to help fill gaps in the current understanding of how citizen science supports science learning and enhances science education.

Events subject to change. Please consult the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting App for up-to-date locations and event descriptions.

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM Science is Political, Not Partisan: Best Practices for Science Policy Advocates In an era of “alternative facts” and polarized politics that spurns scientific consensus, it is more important than ever that today's and tomorrow's scientists are not only allowed, but encouraged to engage in public and political discourse. Facilitated by the National Science Policy Network, this session will include presentations from several early career scientists whose outreach and engagement efforts are applying their science and engineering research to governance and policy.

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Transforming Higher Education Culture: Coordinating Reform with Agents of Change This discussion will be framed around themes identified from the 2019 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) convocation, Promotion and Tenure Policies and Incentives in Higher Education. Innovative, actionable solutions to the challenges of reform initiatives will be explored by examining elements of successful culture change, such as assessing risks, engaging leadership, and normalizing new practices.

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM How to Counter Intersectional Biases in Social Media This session combines first-hand experiences and research on topics including online harassment, hate speech, and algorithmic biases. In addition to case studies, attendees will gain an understanding of strategies, tactics, and resources to help counter biases and leverage social media successfully.

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Public Trust in Science: Strength and Skepticism This panel discusses how publics view and connect with science, drawing on the latest data from the Science & Engineering Indicators report, Pew Research Center surveys, and the Wellcome Global Monitor surveys. They will share advice on how scientists can approach building stronger connections with those who are skeptical of science.

[Workshops] 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Communications, Engagement and Advocacy: The Role of Science in Decision- Making What is the role of science -and scientists- in deploying facts and evidence to support informed decision-making? Attendees will draft a Play Book for their own involvement in the deliberative process and will identify skills and resources they need for success, and where to acquire them.

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM Citizens, Scientists, and Elections: How Scientists Are Engaging in 2020 There are many non-partisan ways scientists can engage in elections to shape the public dialogue. This workshop features speakers who trained scientists to participate in the 2018 mid-terms in different ways, including writing op-eds, organizing candidate forums, and engaging directly with candidates.

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM How to Make Compelling Outreach Videos When Your Science Seems Dull Faculty and graduate film students will share techniques to engage audiences while remaining faithful to study methods and results, to help participants create a video with illustrative content beyond simple “talking heads” and static shots of campus.

Events subject to change. Please consult the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting App for up-to-date locations and event descriptions.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Special Events Scientific Sessions Scientific Sessions Workshops

•10 AM Talking About •8 AM Science Advocacy: •1:30 PM Public •10 AM Make ‘em Laugh: and Acting On Climate Lobbying for Evidence Engagement at Science Comedy to Ignite Locally •10 AM Citizen Science Universities: Pathways Curiosity and Increase •11 AM Family Science and Big Data: From for Institutional Support Self-Confidence Days Engagement to Action •1:30 PM Public •10 AM The Science of •7 PM Public Engagement •10 AM Detecting, Engagement at Communicating About with Science Networking Combating and Universities: Pathways Science Reception Identifying Dis- and Mis- for Institutional Support •1:30 PM Navigating •7 PM 2020 Science Information •1:30 PM Saving Science Difficult Situations in Policy Networking Mixer •10 AM Political Animals: Journalism: Actions for Public Science Behavior, Knowledge, Science Communication Communication Reason and Tomorrow’s Researchers •1:30 PM Science in the Policymaking •3:30 PM Geoscience Public Arena: Informing •10 AM STEM Research Literacy and Community Decision Makers in High- Experiences for High Resilience Profile Settings School Students •3:30 PM How Congress •1:30 PM Boundary Uses Science and Spanning: Environmental Technology for Policy: Science and Decision- Emerging Research Making

[Special Events/Expo Events] 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Talking About and Acting On Climate Locally Discussants and audience members will share their ideas and experiences engaging with communities on climate responses, successful messages for climate communication, and how to move from dialogue to action.

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM AAAS Family Science Days AAAS Family Science Days is a free public event that offers an array of hands-on family and child-friendly activities. Family Science Days features interactive booths appropriate for K-12 youths and their families, highlighting diverse areas of science, as well as a live stage show and the opportunity to talk with scientists.

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Public Engagement with Science Networking Reception This networking reception provides a space for attendees interested in public engagement to network and collaborate.

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM 2020 Science Policy Networking Mixer Join us for an evening of reflection and networking with AAAS S&T Policy Fellows and others interested in the intersection of science and policy.

Events subject to change. Please consult the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting App for up-to-date locations and event descriptions.

[Scientific Sessions] 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM Science Advocacy: Lobbying for Evidence Policy scientists and philosophers of science will consider recent studies of the contributing roles of political context, social psychology and knowledge of scientific methods in shaping views about scientific legitimacy. This session will invite discussion of new options for advocacy that go beyond better science communication and appeals to scientific consensus.

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Citizen Science and Big Data: From Engagement to Action This symposium will dive deeply into a critical review of three long-term, cutting-edge, big data science projects that are built on a citizen science approach to data generation and that collectively stretch across scientific domains and program structures: Foldit, Zooniverse, and COASST. Presenters will focus on what it takes to create and sustain a decadal project attracting thousands to hundreds of thousands of participants.

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Detecting, Combating and Identifying Dis- and Mis-Information This session brings together experts from social science, computer science, and journalism. Panelists will discuss computational training for journalists, the development of new technology to better identify and detect disinformation before it spreads, automated fact-checking systems, and methods for propagating corrections to misinformation.

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Political Animals: Behavior, Knowledge, Reason and Tomorrow’s Policymaking The panel will discuss insights from the behavioral sciences, social sciences and humanities to revise the picture of human political behavior. Speakers will exchange ideas and emerging solutions on how to re-design policymaking processes to allow facts, evidence and reasoning to play the part that they should in a democracy, and what role should scientists have in all this.

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM STEM Research Experiences for High School Students Several mentoring programs in the US banded together to create the Global SPHERE Network, a website that serves two purposes: helping high-school students all over the world find local programs to apply to; and creating a community of mentoring program directors and STEM researchers where they can share knowledge, experience, challenges, and best practices. Talks about the programs will be followed by a poster session where presentations by students who have graduated from these programs over the last couple of years will be shared.

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Boundary Spanning: Environmental Science and Decision-Making Boundary spanners connect and manage interactions between science, society, and policy. This session features new developments in boundary spanning research and practice, as well as regional and national organizations connecting environmental science and environmental decisions.

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Public Engagement at Universities: Pathways for Institutional Support This session will showcase examples of ways institutions are increasing support for public engagement, such as investing in capacity-building opportunities, shifting cultures and norms, and advocating for public engagement as an integral piece to creating a sustainable future. An interactive discussion will further elicit additional examples of work to change academic cultures for better recognition and support of public engagement in order to bring greater awareness of existing options and generate new ideas.

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Saving Science Journalism: Actions for Science Communication Researchers While researchers are equipped to supply communication professionals with evidence about the factors most likely to affect their efforts, professional communicators possess the real-world experience and judgment needed to identify how these general insights can be adapted to local needs. In this symposium, three collaborations between academic researchers and professional communicators will be presented that can serve as models for encouraging similar, future collaborations.

Events subject to change. Please consult the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting App for up-to-date locations and event descriptions.

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Geoscience Literacy and Community Resilience This session explores the roles of formal and informal education and scientist-community partnerships in building the skills needed to educate for a changing planet. Discussion will focus on the synergies between different strategies in creating forward-looking communities prepared to adapt to the changing Earth in the future.

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM How Congress Uses Science and Technology for Policy: Emerging Research This session will focus on research about how lawmakers obtain the information they need to make decisions about the many policy issues in which science plays a role. By understanding more about the capacity of

Congress to access, interpret, and use information on science and technology, we can better understand how to improve its science and technology advisory system.

[Workshops] 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Make ‘em Laugh: Science Comedy to Ignite Curiosity and Increase Self-Confidence Join this workshop to learn how to make people laugh with, and sometimes at, science. We will teach you how to write jokes, how to use a stage, and how to draw inspiration from your work: by the end of these 90 mins, you will have enough material for your own 3-min stand-up gig!

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM The Science of Communicating About Science In this lively and hands-on workshop, team members from the University of Florida's Center for Public Interest Communications (realgoodcenter.jou.ufl.edu) will share insights from social, behavioral and cognitive science and help participants apply them to their own #scicomm efforts.

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Navigating Difficult Situations in Public Science Communication This workshop shares tips and strategies for dealing with difficult and unexpected situations and will guide participants through improv activities that give attendees the opportunity to put these skills into practice.

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Science in the Public Arena: Informing Decision Makers in High-Profile Settings This workshop will explore how research on risk perception and communication about the environment can be applied to policy engagement. As one example, we’ll focus on WA State’s efforts to save the endangered southern resident orcas, and how using risk perception and communication research aids scientists in communicating their research to policy makers.

Events subject to change. Please consult the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting App for up-to-date locations and event descriptions.

Sunday, February 16, 2020

Special Events Scientific Sessions Flask Talks Workshops

•9 AM Science •8 AM Science •3:30 PM •10 AM Self- Communication and Communication Communication and Documentation of Engagement with Strategies for Community-Building Field Research and Religious Publics Building Visual •10 AM Science Relationships with Communication Engagement and the Public •3:30 PM Building a Advocacy: From •10 AM Cultural Responsive Network Theory to Practice Connections: for Tomorrow’s •11 AM Family Communicating Science Science Days Science to Communication •1:30 PM Speed- Communities and Needs Pitching Your Science Congress •3:30 PM Friends of •3:30 PM Developing •1:30 PM Social Media the Science Pod: Ethical Guidelines for and the Podcasting, Science Journalism Transformation of Outreach, and Science Advice Professional Networking

[Special Events/Expo Events] 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM Science Communication and Engagement with Religious Publics AAAS facilitators will discuss how considerations of faith and spirituality can be important in science communication and engagement, and present some strategies and best practices for constructive, inclusive dialogue about science and society.

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Science Engagement and Advocacy: From Theory to Practice This conversation brings together individuals from the fields of advocacy and academia to discuss the practicalities of working at the nexus of science and policy, and what attendees can do to join and contribute to these conversations.

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Developing Ethical Guidelines for Science Journalism With this debate, the World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ) kicks off a series that will help it develop some basic ethical guidelines. Speakers will give brief perspectives, but most of the session will be dedicated to frank debate among all the attendants. Everyone present will be encouraged to encouraged to think about the dilemmas and consider other perspectives.

Events subject to change. Please consult the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting App for up-to-date locations and event descriptions.

[Scientific Sessions] 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM Science Communication Strategies for Building Relationships with the Public In discussions about the goals of science communication, outcomes for science are often placed at the center— for example, engaging public audiences to build excitement about science or seeking input to shape the direction of future research. What happens when connections to audiences are considered first? Insights from several projects that have critically involved establishing relationships to achieve affective objectives will be discussed, paired with strategies that can be adopted by individual practitioners.

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Cultural Connections: Communicating Science to Communities and Congress

Speakers will discuss ways for scientists to consider cultural contexts and identities when sharing their stories, best practices for connecting with specific audiences, and recommendations of how to code switch from one to another. The panelists will discuss common mistakes and emerging techniques to help ensure that science- based messages get through, whether in night clubs, underserved communities, kindergartens, or Congress.

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Social Media and the Transformation of Science Advice In this symposium, the role that social media plays in transforming and democratizing science advice in Europe and North America will be explored, considering how social media platforms such as Twitter subvert the power and status differentials that traditionally governed the formulation, delivery and uptake of science advice. In discussion with the audience, innovative ways of using the internet and social media to encourage more evidence-informed policymaking will be considered. [Flash Talks] 3:30 PM - 4:20 PM Communication and Community-Building This group of Flash Talks describes efforts to improve communication and integrity, enhance educational experiences, in addition to exploring ways to support communities in times of environment-related upheaval.

[Workshops] 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Self-Documentation of Field Research and Visual Communication Today, providing visuals of your work is more important than ever to help provide context of and communication about that research for the public. Improving the use your smartphone, contextualizing your research, using social media and developing better skills when interviewed will be covered in this hands-on, interactive workshop. 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Building a Responsive Network for Tomorrow’s Science Communication Needs This session focuses on current efforts to create a strong community of practice for science communication by featuring individuals and organizations that have successfully developed thriving science communication communities.

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Friends of the Science Pod: Podcasting, Outreach, and Professional Networking This workshop addresses podcasting as a means to engage the public about scientific scholarship. Attendees will learn how to develop their own podcasts, effectively communicate their research, and learn how to reach and connect with a broad audience in order to engage more fully with their communities.

Events subject to change. Please consult the 2020 AAAS Annual Meeting App for up-to-date locations and event descriptions.