A short note on the 3rd Balkan Science Journalism School 2019
Last month, on 5 of April, an event of great importance took place in Belgrade, Serbia in the premises of Radio Televizija Srbije — the 3rd Balkan Science Journalism School 2019.
In Ecognize we are very much into science communication and environmental journalism, and this is what we do — the reason this blog is rolling.
So when the opportunity to share tips& tricks of pitching, grow knowledge and network arises, we don’t waste a second — we apply, pack a backpack, and go!
Today we’d like to share some of the take-away messages and insights, that were carefully noted during the event.
First and foremost, the event was co-organized by the Balkan Network of Science Journalists, Center for Ethics in Science and Journalism, and the Joint Research Center (European Commission’s science and knowledge service). We give direct links, so you can subscribe and follow interesting research and reporting opportunities, open calls for journalism workshop/ conferences/ round tables/ etc, read pieces by courageous and enthusiastic journalists and reporters.
The day started with Marton Hajdu talking about the role EC’s Joint Research Center (JRC) takes, namely it provides science and knowledge management to policymakers to tackle various problems (literally, from car emissions to terrorist attacks, and beyond).
JRC provides scientific advice to the government, lobbying and influencing the state policy, implementing sustainability on a state level via Ministry of Sustainability (or Environment, or Environment & Tourism; names vary from country to country).
In the ideal world, science research and further science communication lead to policy-making.
One of the ways to bring together thousands of local governments voluntarily committed to implementing EU climate and energy objectives is this wonderful initiative called Covenant of Mayors.
How many non-EU countries have such a bond between science-makers and policy-makers? We’re curious to know if it’s a common practice in any of the countries our readers are from.
An interesting fact from David Suzuki’s ‘The Sacred Balance’: no government on Earth had a Minister or Department of the Environment when ‘Silent Spring’ by Rachel Carson was published in 1962. Carson’s book dealt with DDT and is considered to give a major push to the global environmental movement. For example, in British Columbia, protesting nuclear weapons testing on Aleutian Islands gave birth to Greenpeace in Vancouver.
One of the interesting tools journalists use to tell their data-correct stories is Copernicus.
Among the most striking examples of how Copernicus is used is the project on the disappearance of the Aral Sea
For more information about how Copernicus improves daily lives in 99 stories: https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Copernicus_improving_daily_lives_in_99_stories
Then, Chiara Saviane from Sissa took the stage and shared a piece of great news — Trieste, Italy will host the next edition of the EuroScience Open Forum — ESOF, the biennial pan-European meeting dedicated to scientific research and innovation on 5-9 July 2020.
ESOF 2020 scientific programme focuses on 9 themes that cover the main challenges and opportunities of present-day society and which explore how natural and social sciences can help innovate approaches to address them.
1.Blue planet
2. I compute therefore I am
3. Science and society
4. Nourishing the planet
5. Sustainable future
6. Breaking frontiers in science and knowledge
7. Live long and prosper
8. Science for policy/ policy for science
9. The smart city
Do you have a project related to any of these 9 topics? Submit it until 15 June 2019 here!
Science to Business program aimed at fostering interaction between players in innovation management and tech transfer, researchers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers.
It is now of fundamental importance that the full spectrum of scientific knowledge be transferred to the business world in order not only to ensure growth but to make sure that growth is sustainable and conducive to the wealth of both human beings and the environment.
For the ESOF2020 Science to Business programme, there are 4 themes for proposals:
- The 4th Industrial Revolution
- Value-Driven Innovation
- Public-Private Partnerships
- Innovation Ecosystems
Have an idea? Submit your proposal here by 15 June 2019.
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That day science journalists from around Europe shared their pitching/ time-management/ writing (spoiler: use Grammarly and Ludwig) techniques and tips, ideas on how to communicate complex and challenging research on sustainability, climate change and alike to the broad public, and many more.
We are proud to have been invited to the 3rd Balkan Science Journalism School with Ecognize blog, communicating scientific and environmental news and concepts in such a company is a great privilege and responsibility.
We’ll keep on carrying our flag for better awareness and competency of us all.
