http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net Sessions, workshops and sponsored events from the 5th World Conference of Science Journalists, Melbourne Australia 17-19 April 2007 Fri, 22 Jun 2007 05:21:42 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Well there it was. The 5th World Conference of Science Journalists. What an adventure. We wanted this conference to improve the status of science journalism here in Australia, strengthen and grow an international network of science communicators and promote the rich diversity of Australian science. I believe we succeeded. However success is ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/admin/feedback/ PRODUCER: Rada Rouse, Medical Observer CHAIR: Pallab Ghosh, BBC (UK) SPEAKERS: Gus Nossal, consultant, WHO and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Ian Frazer,UQ Director, Diamantina Institute for Cancer Immunology and Metabolic Medicine “Vaccines buy you a lot of health for a small amount of money,” says renowned immunologist Sir Gustav Nossal. Trouble ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/vaccines-politics-vs-science/ PRODUCER: Emma Young CHAIR: Bob McDonald SPEAKERS: Fiona Fox, Kim Griggs, Amy Forbes SESSION REPORT: Get it onto page one By Boonsri Dickinson Bob McDonald, Quirks & Quarks (Canada) opened this fast-paced session by describing how making a story bigger doesn’t mean you have to sensationalize it. Describing how the hobbits story changed from ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/big-story-bigger/ PRODUCER/CHAIR: Jacinta Miller, SPEAKERS: Jaelea Skehan, Jane Pirkis, Steve Waldon SESSION REPORT: Sensationalist or sensitive? By Christine Dell’Amore Suicides should appear in the media as a way to increase understanding of mental illness, but journalists should be cautious in how they portray them, experts said Thursday. Several health organizations worldwide, including one in Australia, ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/reporting-mental-health/ PRESENTERS: Cathy Sage, Don Alcock PANELLISTS: Phil Batterham, Ward Rooney, SESSION REPORT: Use the KISS principle By Nguyen Dang Vu Long Scientists who are important contributors to socio-economic development must become more familiar with high-level communication skills. They need to concentrate on their research while promoting the relevance of their work to practical life. More ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/scientist-media-skills/ PRODUCER: Jean-Marc Fleury CHAIR: Toss Gascoigne PRESENTER: Barbie Drillsma PANEL: Kathryn O’Hara, Julie Martineau, Fida Aljundi, Gervais Mbarga, Jenni Metcalfe SESSION REPORT: Build your own network army By Ochieng’ Ogodo Forming science journalist associations is an important aspect of science journalism, but it requires conforming to some basics. “The first step is to discover how many ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/science-communication-associations/ PRODUCER: John Matlock, Kali Madden, CHAIR: Stephen Pincock SPEAKERS: Gerard Milburn, Howard Burton, Raymond Laflamme, Andrew White SESSION REPORT: THE REVOLUTION’S HERE! by Raphaëlle Derome Having trouble writing about quantum computing in a simple way? Well, keep working on it, because the quantum revolution is happening, and it’s here to stay, said experts at ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/quantum-information/ PRODUCER: Craig Cormick CHAIR: Fiona Fox SPEAKERS: Mark Burgman, Lydia Buchtmann, Pallab Ghosh, Rosemary Robbins SESSION REPORT: Progress: It’s a risky business By Wu Chong Food safety, nuclear power and chemical pollution… We live in a risk society where the hazards of scientific and technological progress step into highlight. And in the public perception of ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/risky-business/ PRODUCER: Chee Chee Leung CHAIR: Robin Marantz Henig SPEAKERS: Geoff Carr, Mal Washer, Janet Salisbury, Peter Mountford SESSION REPORT: Stem cell research: The debate rages by Robert Frederick From Plato’s Euthyphro to UNESCO’s Universal Ethics Project, ethicists have failed to define a universal ethic. Unsurprisingly, today’s discussion on the ethics of stem cells ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/stem-cells-and-bioethics/ PRODUCER: Cathy Reade CHAIR: Rosemary Okello-Orlale SPEAKERS: Annmaree O’Keeffe, Jacqueline Ashby, Subbiah Arunachalam SESSION REPORT: Empowering rural women farmers with science—key to achieving food security by Imelda V. Abano In many parts of the world, it is the women who are responsible for food security, yet rural women farmers have little access to ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/reaching-women-and-children/ PRODUCER: Richard Jefferson SESSION REPORT: Thinking positively patents By Graeme Stemp-Morlock Everything is patented, especially in the life sciences. It seems every time an institution finds a gene it immediately patents it and sells it to some company. But, this is incredibly problematic for those people who need this technology ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/who-owns-science/ PRODUCER: Julie Clayton CHAIR: Alison Leigh SPEAKERS: Tata Padma, Jia Hepeng, Nalaka Gunawardene, Christina Scott, Talet Ng'andwe, Luisa Massarani SESSION REPORT: Emerging economies face different challenges by: Aleem Ahmed Lack of capable science journalists, communication gap between media and scientists, restrictions on reporting against the “official” opinion of the state, lesser-qualified public relations officers ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/reporting-science-in-emerging-economy/ A two course sit-down lunch presented by the Australian Science Media Centre and theSouth Australian Government The challenges that face society at local and global scales make it abundantly clear that knowledge of science and technology is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity. How do we build a ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/coming-in-from-the-cold-sponsored-lunch-australian-science-media-centre/ This post is solely to hold the second (part 2) mp3 file. It appears iTunes and other feed readers can't see two or more files attached to the one post. All text content relating to this session can be found in the joint part 1 and 2 post. http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/uncategorized/life-and-death-in-2020-how-will-science-respond-part-2-mp3-only/ PRODUCER: Toss Gascoigne SPEAKERS: Michael Hartmann, Fiona Poletti, Kathy Williams SESSION REPORT: Progress: It’s all in the telling By Graeme Stemp-Morlock In a very active discussion at this ASC workshop, delegates heard how to urge political action, information science could really use. The most important thing is preparation according to Fiona Poletti, a ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/influence-decision-makers/ PRODUCER: Tom Noble CHAIR: Peter Calamai SPEAKERS: Deborah Smith, Garry Linnell, Peter Fray SESSION REPORT: Science does sell By Laura Garcia Oviedo Convincing media editors to give more space to science stories is difficult but not impossible. That was the main idea expressed during this session. Debora Smith, who works at the Sydney Morning Herald ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/seducing-gatekeepers/ PRODUCER: Michelle Riedlinger CHAIR: Bernie Hobbs, SPEAKERS: Peter Cook, Doug Holden, Ian Lowe, Wang Yu SESSION REPORT: Leading edge technologies maximize coal efficiency By Jia Hepeng More efficient use of coal, using new technologies, provides cheaper energy and reduces carbon dioxide emissions, according to the panel discussion at this session. Peter Cook, head of ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/coal-fuel-of-the-future/ PRESENTER: Chris Del Mar SESSION REPORT: Medicine breakthroughs: The Clayton's Promise By Andreas von Bubnoff Why is it that medical studies that are widely reported in the media sometimes later turn out to be wrong? One reason is that there are many different designs of medical studies, which means that the quality ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/evidence-based-medicine/ PRODUCER/CHAIR: Jenni Metcalfe SPEAKERS: Tim Flannery, Asa Wahlquist, Mike Young, Mike Rann SESSION REPORT: Is Australia running out of water? By Imelda V. Abano Water in Australia is emerging as a scarce commodity, fueled by population pressures, intensive irrigation and erratic weather patterns brought on by global warming. Addressing science journalists at this ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/water-wars/ PRODUCER/CHAIR: Paul Willis SPEAKERS: Deborah Smith, Chris Turney, Bert Roberts SESSION REPORT: The Hobbit saga continues by Piyaporn Wongruang A new round of excavations in the so-called Hobbit cave will be resumed in the hope that it will end the lasting controversies in the human evolution scientist community. Dr Chris Turney, a scientist from ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/uncovering-the-hobbit/ PRODUCER/CHAIR: Deborah Smith SPEAKERS: Tony McMichael, Alistair Woodward SESSION REPORT: Climate change has far-reaching ramifications by Piyaporn Wongruang Former U.S. vice president Al Gore climbed over an elevator in one of the scenes featured in his recent Oscar Award documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth” to demonstrate how high the carbon dioxide greenhouse gas would ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/climate-change-and-the-spread-of-disease/ PRODUCER: Melissa Trudinger CHAIR: Alan Finkel SPEAKERS: Rebecca Wilson, Clive Cookson, Simon Grose SESSION REPORT: Let the buyer beware, let the consumer be wary By Catherine Beehag The divide between reporting science and reporting about technology-based businesses, was the focus of the discussion forum chaired by Dr Allan Finkel entrepreuner and executive publisher ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/science-versus-business-%e2%80%94-a-clash-of-cultures/ PRODUCER: Barbie McKaige, SPEAKERS: Ross Bradstock, Dick Williams, Kevin Hennessy, Garry Cook, Peter Christophersen, John Schauble CHAIR: Derek Guille PANEL: Kevin O’Loughlin SESSION REPORT: Burn, baby, burn By Brendan Borrell As that 40-foot wall of fire closes in on your uninsured home, it’s important to remind yourself that wildfires have been humanity’s erstwhile companion ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/wildfire-friend-or-foe/ PRODUCER: Peter Calamai, Sandra Zicus, CHAIR: Veronika Meduna SPEAKERS: Louis Fortier, Kathy Conlan, David Hik, Steve Rintoul, Patti Virtue, Michael Stoddard SESSION REPORT: Now is not the time for complanency By Julia Hind Our planet is changing, a leading Arctic scientist warned this week. Speaking at the Wednesday morning session, Louis Fortier, Professor at the ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/poles-apart/ PRODUCER: Simon Torok CHAIR: Wilson da Silva SPEAKERS: Kevin Hennessy, Geoff Love, Ian Lowe PANEL: Chris Mooney, Simon Torok SESSION REPORT: Climate Change in Ocean and how the media balance the reporting By Xuxiuhua (from www.people.com.cn,China) Climate change is now a hot topic to governments and scientists in developed and developing countries. But it ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/reporting-climate-change/ PRODUCER: Louise Goggin CHAIR: Peter Pockley, Australasian Science SPEAKERS: John (Charlie) Veron, Daniel Gschwind, Paul Marshall SESSION REPORT: Take your head out of the sand By John Bohannon “How much time do we have left?” This was one of the hard questions asked at this session. John Veron, coral reef scientist replied: “I’d say ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/reefs-going-going-gone/ PRODUCER: Ruth Armstrong CHAIR: Fiona Fox SPEAKERS: David Vaux, David Henry, Martin Van Der Weyden PANEL: Chris Del Mar, Julie Robotham, Ruth O’Halloran SESSION REPORT: Lost in translation By Andreas von Bubnoff The problem is well known: Often reports in the media on medical studies are misleading or even wrong. Whose fault is it and ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/evaluating-clinical-papers/ PRODUCER: Julian Cribb CHAIR: Brad Collis SPEAKERS: Jack Ng, Ravi Naidu, Stevan Green SESSION REPORT: This way to "zero waste" By Christine Dell 'Amore The cocktail of chemicals that are the byproducts of a modernizing world pose an increasing public health burden to people. Exposure to environmental contaminants such as arsenic, mercury and persistent organic ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/purifying-poisoned-planet/ PRODUCER: Veronique Morin, Alana Mitchell CHAIR: Kathryn O’Hara SPEAKERS: Pallab Ghosh, Phil Campbell, Geoff McFadden, Leigh Dayton SESSION REPORT: Embargoed "till when?" By Brendan Borrell “The relationship between [science journalists] and the journals defines the way the rest of the world views science,” said Pallab Ghosh from the BBC. He criticized journalists who pay undue ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/scientific-journals-breaking-news/ PRODUCER: Gael Jennings CHAIR: Fiona Fox SPEAKERS: Simon Chapman, Catriona Bonfiglioli, Sophie Scott, Christina Scott, SESSION REPORT: Distinguish science from spin By Hannah Hoag Sometimes, evidence-based medicine is misreported because it is complicated or counter-intuitive. At Good for You: Public Health for Public Good producer Gael Jennings promised to remind science journalists and communicators ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/good-for-you/ PRODUCER/CHAIR: Natasha Mitchell, SPEAKERS: Deborah Blum, Jonica Newby, Fred Mendelsohn SESSION REPORT: The brain: The final frontier of science By Hannah Hoag For the journalist, there’s a certain amount of seduction in covering the brain. It’s mysterious and carries cachet, perhaps because it is hidden from view. Covering the brain sciences is a ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/you-are-not-your-brain-scan/ PRODUCER: Sonya Pemberton CHAIR: Graham Phillips SPEAKERS: Peter Rees, Catherine Marciniak, Nalaka Gunawardene, Sonya Pemberton SESSION REPORT: Lights, Camera, Explosion! By Daniela Abusqueda "Are TV science shows really science journalism?" asked Graham Phillips, chair of this session. Peter Rees, the creator of the famous TV show “Mythbusters”, said the show’s success lies in the fact ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/wise-up-the-truth-about-tv-science/ PRODUCER: Susannah Eliott CHAIR: Rob Morrison SPEAKERS: Abigail Thomas, Caroline McMillen, Ashley Bush SESSION REPORT: How will science face the challenge of the future? By Mahmoud Al-Dwiri (Jordon) Life and Death in 2020: How will science respond? The title of this session led to many questions by both the speakers and the audience. One of ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/life-and-death-in-2020-how-will-science-respond-part-1-and-2/ PRODUCER: Julie Egan CHAIR: Jim Handman SPEAKERS: Phil Campbell, Warwick Anderson, John Rennie PANELLIST: Carol Nader SESSION REPORT: Ask, then ask again By Robert Frederick “Who here, by show of hands, does not trust peer review?” John Rennie, editor in chief of Scientific American, asked that question of a ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/a-peer-review-of-peer-review/ PRODUCER: Jesse Shore, Tim Thwaites CHAIR: Jonathan Holmes SPEAKERS: Ziggy Switkowski PANEL: Harrie Oster, Peter Calamai, Jim Falk, Hujun Li, Hanns Neubert SESSION REPORT: The nuclear debate faces contamination by new issues By Hujun Li The media faces more challenges following the resurgence of interest in nuclear power in many countries, said a panel of ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/reporting-nuclear-power/ PRODUCER: Elizabeth Finkel CHAIR: Norman Swan PANEL: Kim Hee Won, Jia Hepeng, Warwick Anderson, Phil Campbell, Phil Vardy SESSION REPORT: Exposing the ugly By Karen Dente Ever since last year’s scandal surrounding Korea’s cloning researcher Hwang Woo Suk gained worldwide media attention, the issue of scientific fraud exposure seems to have taken on some ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/scientific-fraud/ PRODUCER:  Abbie Thomas CHAIR:  Bernie Hobbs SPEAKERS:  Ian Allan, Abigail E. Thomas, Chris Smith, James Massola SESSION REPORT: Podcasting: Radio on the Web By John Bohannon The fact that the room was fully packed for this session reveals the keen interest among journalists to explore the virtual world. Ian Allan gave an overview of ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/new-media/ PRODUCER: Tim Thwaites, Melissa Trudinger CHAIR: Robyn Williams INTRODUCTION: John Brumby, SPEAKERS: Chris Mooney, Jia Hepeng SESSION REPORT: Speak out scientists. Speak out Chinese By Boonsri Dickinson The Science Show’s Robyn Williams opened the session by asking the audience if the biased science communication in ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/session/biasing-scientific-information/ PRESENTED BY: Australian Centre of Plant Functional Genomics SESSION REPORT: Tougher crops through science By Raphaëlle Derome Drought, soil salinity, frostbite: Australian crops face it all. To help farmers, scientists with the Australian Centre for Functional Plant Genomics (ACPFG) is working to make crops more tolerant to harsh conditions. “Functional genomics studies ... http://wcsj2007.internetguruhosting.net/program/big-australian-breakfast/