Thread by @scicommsci

As it pours in India today, we are ready for an intellectual pour down Towards a #PolicyFramework for #Indian #SciComm in partnership with @spf_in 🥳

Day 1 discussions starting in a few minutes!!

5.30 - 7.30 PM 🗣️

👩‍💻Don't forget to tweet your comments at #PFI_SciComm

And the Day 1 discussions begin!!

We are on our way Towards a #PolicyFramework for #Indian #SciComm in partnership with @spf_in!

Let #PFI_SciComm be the bugle for your opinions this evening. 📢

Starting with: #Funding & #Infrastructure

@scicommbot

@AnamZille, @yaskap94 & @ChampakSuchitha curating this live thread especially for all you on behalf of @spf_in & @scicommsci

@ChagunBasha & @SiddhrthKnkaria setting the stage for the evening, an open #forum for all the voices including #scicommers, funders, and overall ecosystem presence .

A great opportunity to build upon the multiple past discussions, with a diverse set of audiences 👥.

Question: Why #scicomm is integral to science?

@kpmadhu2000 points out science reporting without methods can be dangerous and that's why engaging scientists in #scicomm is very important.

Point of discussion: Funding & Incentivising #scicomm

@ipsawonders highlights that most #scicommers work independently & do not have grants helping them out. Also, institutional affiliation should not be mandatory criteria for securing funding for doing scicomm.🧑‍💻

@sreshthamondal Scientists should be able to outsource their research to #scicommers or scientists themselves, dual benefit: More opportunities + outreach more

@reetika on collaborations in scicomm:

👉Not everyone is able/willing to do #scicomm
👉Instead of putting the onus on PI or scientists, even students can take it up
👉#Collaborations with illustrators and other individuals having useful skillsets can help

#PFI_SciComm

@chandrakant highlights a pertinent #challenge in interacting with people not familiar with #science but wants to take steps.

Difficult to convince such prospective funders that the money you put in #scicomm, will come back in the future, when #science is communicated better.

@chagun raises a very relevant question to @manojpatairiya about challenges of sci comm funding?

Some challenges:

👉If we can tie #scicommers to institutions, it will be helpful
👉A collaborative mechanism can be evolved over a period 🤝

@RTandon_PRIA also points out the need to focus on purpose, content, & audience for communication.

We need to address the relation between #science and #society: Two-way relation important.

Moreover, the issue of #accountability needs to be raised as well.

Point of discussion: Academics in #SciComm

@manojpatairiya highlights

👉Lack of active #science #communicators in institutions
👉We need more of formal MSc and Ph.D. degrees in #SciComm
👉Need to remove gate-keeping barriers

Point of discussion: Payscales and career progression for #scicommers

@ipsawonders points:

👉Need to figure out the mediums
👉Responsibilities shall change based on progression
👉Clear distinction on what responsibilities #scicommer should do and how experience is measured

@tejashwini adds on:

👉Institutes should have a #scicomm unit instead of an individual
👉Let people focus on what they are good at
👉Remuneration is compulsory for the different skills they bring on
👉Remuneration should be decided on time and quality of work

Point of discussion: #Umbrella body for #scicomm? Who takes the responsibility of #National framework for scicomm?

@RamanSpoorthy:

👉Supportive of a national body for scicomm
👉Can start with examples from the US and UK
👉Plan and evolve and tailor for India

How to bridge the gap between #science and #creativity, #arts? Rather than making scicomm a separate stream, have more creative training and activities and evolve it as scicomm.

@sreshthamondalpoints out #scicommers don't have adequate job prospects.

For umbrella bodies, adding small teams to a national team in tier 3 and 4 cities to create a conducive and
bottom-up approach for effective #scicomm can help.

#Research is creating new knowledge - Neil Armstrong

So now we begin with theme 2 for Day 1: #Multidisciplinary#Research

Let us know all the thoughts coming to your big brains. Tweet your comments at #PFI_SciComm

@spf_in

@SiddhrthKnkaria setting the stage:

👉How does #knowledge brokerage happen in society?
👉#India is a unique place, so it is important to understand how to effectively do scicomm
👉How do we formulate research, the questions to better understand #scicomm

@sreshthamondal & @ShreyaScilens highlight the need to instill a basic understanding of methods of #scicomm in both #researchers and #professionals, with a further differentiation in curricula for particularly for different sets of people with different aims.

@bahudari proposes a pertinent point in a unique manner.
Exemplifying RadioLab, new sounds, different music engages different listeners. The issue to be focused here 'SUBJECTIVITY'.

A visual artist while doing #scicomm chooses different colors, even that is subjective. So accounting for #subjectivity in the framework is both tricky, important, and should not constrain the communicator.

@SarahHyder brings in important questions about the definition of roles:

👉Who does #scicomm is multidisciplinary and the objectives of scicomm are multidisciplinary
👉“Science communicator” is not very well defined - a very wide umbrella
👉Who should make the case for #scicomm

Point of discussion: How to measure the impact of #scicomm

#SciComm needs to be impactful and the impact needs to be measured creatively.

@SomdattaKarak furthers the need to utilize known measures, and use the right spaces and know-hows about doing and measuring #scicomm.

@SiddhrthKnkaria adds on the need to involve a mixed-methods approach of both quantitative and qualitative measures for measuring impact.

Point of discussion: Creating chairs for #scicomm research within STEM universities:

👉Is it necessary?
👉Pros and cons?
👉Who to appoint?
👉Is it a feasible model?
👉Who do we choose?

@sreshthamondal points out very few faculty/researchers in scicomm thus a huge demand-supply gap huge. Having chairs may not be feasible, and even if #scientists do #scicomm, does it makes them too as contenders for these positions.

Anusheela adds: When scientists are encouraged to do scicomm, putting them as chairs, we may reinforce hierarchy.

Point of discussion: #Vernacular #scicomm and translating the scientific terms

@RamanSpoorthy enlightens:

👉Outreach is a challenge as the audience is focused
👉Need to go beyond words and written means of #scicomm
👉It is more than translation: contextualization important

Another interesting thought to take home:

Point of discussion: Fighting #misinformation, #fakenews, and #pseudoscience in andthrough #scicomm

👉Tackling the beast - ways/strategies
👉Inculcate critical thinking, rationality, scientific temper, skepticism
👉How to inculcate scientific temper in school children?

@SomdattaKarak emphasizes to pay attention to:

👉Increase rigor
👉Adding values and mindset
👉Make resources more accessible

while planning out sessions

@SiddhrthKnkaria asks how important is it to consider audience interests/motivations??

@ShreyaScilens answers:

👉The approach is very unidirectional - dump facts, tell them facts, and expect them to take it on and move on.
👉Building trust is very important

👉Channel of communication : WhatsApp vs Newspaper news they believe what they trust
👉We need to understand why they believe a particular misinformation/pseudoscience - understand why it is so close to them?

Viraj points out:

👉When we do #scicomm, we only communicate results or findings or interpretations for various limitations
👉We need to get more people in between the #facts and what people trust and understand

👉Most importantly to have people who not just give the news, but understand, interpret and provide the science to the audience by personalizing with the audience

And we have a wrap to the most interesting set of deliberations!!

Thank You all for attending and tuning in on #PFI_SciComm

We will meet you tomorrow for Day 2 at the same time 5.30-7.30 PM🗣️🤓

@threadreaderapp can we have an unroll!