ANU Centre for the Public Awareness of Science CPAS

"The Biden administration sent a clear message to Silicon Valley: a regulatory wave is imminent, and adopting responsible practices is crucial to maintaining a competitive edge. But this message may have backfired, fuelling new support for Trump and creating a political rift within a community that was once solidly a Democrat stronghold."

CPAS Responsible Innovation Lab's Dr Ehsan Nabavi and Xhao Han Drummond write for the ANU Reporter 🔋✏️

Silicon Valley’s Trump love affair shows it can’t and won’t regulate itself Silicon Valley has promised more responsible innovation. But support for Trump shows companies don’t want the burden of responsibility.

What's up, danger? The latest of the Science. Art. Film. 2024 Program is out, with out first screening this Thursday!

What do we have in store for you? Here are a few hints: 🧛🏿🗡️ / 🕸️🌻 / 🥶👽 / 🫀🍫/🌱⌛

Join us for free screenings of these films, followed by panel discussions about the weird and wonderful facets of science and art on the big screen: https://www.nfsa.gov.au/events/program/science-art-film-program

It's National Science Week 2024! 🔍

Happy National Science Week! 🎉👩🏻‍🔬

We've got an incredible lineup of events for Science in the Centres Day 1:
👉 Questacon at Westfield Belconnen
👉 ANU Parasitology & Australian Geospatial Intelligence Organisation
👉 Geoscience Australia
👉 STEM Education Research Centre, University of Canberra
👉 Canberra Reptile Zoo and Mt Stromlo Observatory
👉 Upper Murrumbidgee Waterwatch
👉 ...and more!

Enjoy science while you shop during Science in the Centres Weekend 1 (10-11 August) at Canberra Centre, Marketplace Gungahlin,Westfield Belconnen, Westfield Woden, Cooleman Court Shopping Centre and South.Point Tuggeranong. 🛍️

Go on, tell us how you're going to science this National Science Week. 👇

📢Application deadline for has now been extended til Sunday 11 August! Get your presentation abstracts, long paper abstracts, and making and doing proposals in before then ⏰

AusSTS 2024 Call for Proposals AusSTS 2024 Conference Call for Proposals “(De-)Territorialising STS: Discipline, Place, Power” Date: Monday 18th to Wednesday 20th November, 2024 ECR Day: 18th November Main conference: 19-20th No…

Joan Leach, Director of the Australian National Centre for Public Awareness of Science at the ANU, will be one of the plenary speakers at the sixth annual conference of the Association for Interdisciplinary Meta-research & Open Science (AIMOS2024).

Early bird rates until Thursday, 31 October 2024. Read more and register for the conference here:

AIMOS 2024 Conference | Humanitix Get tickets on Humanitix - AIMOS 2024 Conference hosted by ANU College of Law. Asia Pacific College of Diplomacy lecture theatre, Ground Floor, Hedley Bull Building, 130 Garran Rd, Acton ACT 2601, Australia. Tuesday 19th November 2024. Find event information.

ANU STEM students 🗯️ are you considering an honours or masters program?

Contribute to valuable insights to academic research by participating in a short survey: https://bit.ly/honoursmasters

‼️The first 50 people to submit complete survey responses will receive a $20 Coles gift card

🎇 CPAS's own Karina Judd will be presenting her thesis on inclusive Science Communication at the ANU Three Minute Thesis Grand Final 2024!

Cheer her on, by registering at the link to watch in person or online, next week, Thursday 25 July, at 6pm 📅

ANU Three Minute Thesis Grand Final 2024 | Humanitix ANU 3MT Grand FInal 2024

Humour and horror, comics and culture, blockbusters and books, popular film and performance art – finalist Dr Anna-Sophie Jürgens and the POPSICULE explore the myriad ways pop culture and science are sounding the alarm on the environment and our responsibility to it 🎨☃️🐻‍❄️📸

Is the cold bothering you anyway? How Pop Culture and Science communicate climate change Anna-Sophie Jurgens and POPSICULE take it upon themselves to ford all the ways -- from humour and horror, comics and culture, blockbusters and books, popular film and performance art -- pop culture can sound the alarm on the environment and our responsibility to it

Congratulations to PhD Researcher Rita Agha from the UNESCO Chair in Science Communication for the Public Good!

Rita has been selected from 1800 applicants to participate in the 62nd UN Graduate Study Programme at the United Nations Office, Geneva 🔥🙌

"It is a privilege to represent Nigeria and The Australian National University alongside selected 53 outstanding colleagues from 42 countries. Together, we will explore critical areas, including international peace and security, youth engagement, digitalisation and data governance, and transforming global governance."

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7217433236673634304

🚨 Call for proposals for the AusSTS 2024 Conference!

Applications close Sunday, 4 August. We encourage participants to submit proposals that engage with the conference theme: (De-)Territorialising STS: Discipline, Place, Power.

‼️ For those submitting an abstract for a workshopping session with keynote speaker Helen Verran, please get in touch with [email protected] by Monday, 15 July 2024

AusSTS 2024 Call for Proposals AusSTS 2024 Conference Call for Proposals “(De-)Territorialising STS: Discipline, Place, Power” Date: Monday 18th to Wednesday 20th November, 2024 ECR Day: 18th November Main conference: 19-20th No…

"It was so much fun and engaging that everything I learnt from there will stay with me like forever. The exercises and activities that we had were so informal and simple yet so powerful that it taught me so much more than what any book or talks ever could. It was indeed one of those 'lifetime' experiences that FRT offered!" 🙌💙

CPAS staff Fabian Medvecky and Graham Walker had the joy of running a science communication workshop for Future Research Talent students visiting ANU from across Asia.

Using ‘improv’ based activities, the students got practical experience condensing their research for different audiences, clearly communicating complex subject matter, and a range of other public speaking and communications skills.

We are all thankful for the lovely feedback from the students, and wish them all the best for their current placements!

Congratulations to all of the graduates of Winter 2024, and here's to all the exciting things that come next 🥂🎓🎉

💡 Calling all future scientists and science communicators! Registrations for the National Youth Science Forum close this Sunday, 14 July, 2024!

Upskill, connect and level up your personal and professional capabilities, this Saturday 17 – Monday 19 August 2024 ⬇️ sign up below!

Congratulations! 🎊🎊

Last week, Science at The Australian National University held its Three Minute Thesis competition playoffs.

PhD students Karina Judd and Crys Clitheroe both participated, repping CPAS, and with Karina and her presentation on her thesis on inclusive Science Communication coming in as the College's runner up.

Congratulations again to Karina and Crys for showing some of the best CPAS PhD students have to offer, and we look forward to cheering Karina on in the grand final! 👏🔥

"Transdisciplinary (and sustainability) research can often be confusing, frustrating, and isolating ... this workshop has taught me that it’s okay to stay with the trouble, embrace the mess, and make peace with uncertainty."

Christer De Silva, CPAS and UNESCO Chair in Science Communication for the Public Good PhD Researcher, recently travelled to Enschede for a course entitled 'Transformative Research for Sustainability Challenges'. ⬇️

Unravelling uncertainty in transdisciplinary research at the University of Twente Christer De Silva learned uncertainty might be needed, during his workshop on transforming the narrative at the University of Twente

You try to tell students all the important reasons they shouldn't be using a phone in the lab 🗣️‼️ but they don't hear you, because they're too busy using their phones in the lab 😴🤳

Tammy Armour from the ANU School of Biology decided to get the point across once and for all, using audio-visuals, humour ... and maybe a few friends willing to get their phones smacked out of their hands 💥

Check out her project from the Winter intensive course "Science and Humour" here⬇️⬇️⬇️

Communicating the dangerous issue of phones in the lab Explore science and humour at The Australian National University with a graduate course offered by the Centre for the Public Awareness of Science.https://pro...

ACT National Science Week 2024 💡

Grants are now open for creative and engaging National Science Week 2024 events in the ACT! Consider livestreams, alternate reality games, science demonstrations, and everything in between—the sky’s the limit! Several special grants are also available for events that specifically target underrepresented audiences. See the link below for more details.

CPAS, in collaboration with the ANU Agrifood Innovation Institute, is happy to be hosting Inspiring Australia, and we gratefully acknowledge support from the Federal and ACT governments.

Grants close on Sunday 30 June, 11.59pm AEST.

2024 National Science Week ACT Grant Application Take this survey powered by surveymonkey.com. Create your own surveys for free.

Congratulations Dr Anna-Sophie Jürgens, on this major achievement! 💜🩵💜🩵

Anna-Sophie and The Popsicule (https://popsicule.weblogs.anu.edu.au/) have been selected as one of just 30 finalists from all over the world in the Science Engagement ( ) category of the ! 👏👏👏

Haven't checked out the POPSICULE yet? It's an open, community-based interdisciplinary platform, with a community that explores the cultural meanings of science, with the aim to better understand how pop cultural narratives about science have affected the public discourse and societal understanding of science: https://popsicule.weblogs.anu.edu.au/

💜🧡 A look back at SCIENCE AND PUBLIC GOOD, AN INTERDISCIPLINARY CONVERSATION!

The UNESCO Chair in Science Communication for the Public Good held this symposium a fortnight ago, marking the thirty years since the publication of ‘Is Science a Public Good?’, a paper in Science, Technology and Human Values by Michel Callon.

A whole day full of lively discussion and the sharing of perspectives were captured in this beautiful poster, drawn in real time, by PhD researcher Indigo Strudwicke. Even just a quick look reflects the many themes of the symposium.

Thank you again to everyone who attended in-person and online! 💜🧡

Last week, we celebrated the "Science. Art. Film." series reaching 20 FILMS (and counting!) 👏🥳

A huge thanks to all our attendees through the seasons, our panellists from different disciplines, and especially to the NFSA - National Film and Sound Archive of Australia for being the home of the "Science. Art. Film." series!

What could be next? Superheros? Romance? Horror? Space? Find out in August, when we announce the next line up of films. 🎥

This week we ran our twentieth - 20th! - "Science. Art. Film." screening & discussion in the beautiful Arc Cinema of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA Canberra), and I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks and gratitude to everyone involved in this series. This includes not only our wonderful speakers from across the ANU (and beyond!) and our fantastic and super engaged audiences (you are awesome!), but also, and most importantly, the stellar staff of the NFSA/cinema - from the planning, promotion and design to the actual running of the events with me - the NFSA team is simply exceptional! 💥

"Science. Art. Film." is now taking a break. We will be back with SEASON 5 (!) in August - so stay tuned!

In the meantime, take a look at the mesmerising photo. For the last event, the cinema's Technical Coordinator has changed the lighting colours to Popsicule colours! 💜💜💜 What a treat & delight! (thank you soo much, Jedd and Steven!)

Find out more about the Popsicule here: https://popsicule.weblogs.anu.edu.au/.
Discover our previous programs online: https://popsicule.weblogs.anu.edu.au/science-in-film-series/.
The Popsicule is part of the ANU Centre for the Public Awareness of Science CPAS - Science at The Australian National University.

"Science. Art. Film." is supported by CPAS and the Humanities Research Centre of the ANU. The new program will soon be posted on our websites and here!

CPAS's Dr Laura Dawes was part of the "Lethal Maternal Symposium" last week, at School of Culture, History & Language, Arts & Social Sciences at ANU!

Watch her speak about the Case: Legal and Scientific Implications panel, alongside and at

The Folbigg Case: Legal and Scientific Implications Panel: Dr Laura Dawes (discussant) Anna-Maria Arabia and Dr Jason Chin.

What are you doing in an hour?
Taking a breather from finals? 📖
Looking for some escape from the rain? ☔
Scrolling through reddit on topics like pop culture, AI, the future? 🤳

Roll all three into one by joining us for this free screening of CHAPPIE, followed by a panel discussion! There's a few seats left. Don't miss the last of the "Science. Art. Film." series this term!

What role does humour play in 'CHAPPIE' and the film's exploration of AI-driven technological progress, and is it progress after all? Register now for our next "Science. Art. Film." screening & discussion!
--> 5 June, 6pm, free: https://tickets.nfsa.gov.au/Events/SCIENCE-ART-FILM-CHAPPIE-PANEL

❗ We are seeking PhD applicants from diverse social science fields for an exciting new opportunity to conduct inter-disciplinary and mixed-method collaborative research on the complex relationship between natural and social systems in and surrounding the Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary ⬇️ click through to read more

PhD Research Opportunity Encounters at the biosocial frontier We are seeking PhD applicants from diverse social science fields for an exciting new opportunity to conduct inter-disciplinary and mixed-method collaborative research on the complex relationship between natural and social systems in and surrounding the Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary, ACT.

A peek into yesterday's SCIENCE AND PUBLIC GOOD: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY CONVERSATION -- a symposium spearheaded by the UNESCO Chair in Science Communication for the Public Good 🌏🤝

Thanks to everyone who joined us in person and online!

It's time to combine serious 🤔 with fun 🥳 -- The Future Science Talks Science Comedy Program is coming to Canberra!

Starting from 24 June, attend workshops with fellow scientists, researchers and technical experts and become a more effective storyteller and communicator. The program is open to a wide range of disciplines -- including any form of academia, such as STEM, social sciences, finance and more.

Find out more and put in an EOI at https://www.futuresciencetalks.com.au/ or Future Science Talks Sydney

🤖✨ "You can't be copied because you're not data. We don't know what consciousness is, so we cannot move it."

Neill Blomkamp's sci-fi action-adventure film CHAPPIE is the last of the SCIENCE. ART. FILM. series this term!

Join us on 5 June, Wednesday, 6:00pm, for this free screening, followed by a panel discussion on the film and humour's role in AI-driven technological progress:

SCIENCE.ART.FILM.: CHAPPIE + PANEL

More pictures from last Tuesday, when the 2024 Community Zero Emissions Grants recipients were awarded on campus! 🌊🍃☀️

Alongside the Belconnen Model Aero Club Inc (BMAC), SEE-Change and Womens Shed Canberra, CPAS with the Hands-on Energy Explorers project will be using the grant to help reduce emissions and increase our community's resilience to climate change.

https://www.climatechoices.act.gov.au/events-news/news/2024-community-zero-emissions-grants-recipients-announced