ComSciCon-Atlanta 2024

7th Annual ComSciCon Atlanta Meeting

February 22-24, 2024

Location: Emory Hotel and Conference Center

ComSciCon is a series of workshops designed to empower graduate students to better communicate science across multiple disciplines, and to the general public. The workshops emphasize training in different science communication medium, including writing, presentation and multimedia, through a combination of interactive discussions with professional communicators and hands-on practice sessions. Conference attendees also have the opportunity to network with current and future leaders in science communication. The conference is organized by graduate students for graduate students in the southeast area

ComSciCon-ATL 2024 will explore integrating art with science, diverse voices in science communication and reporting science in real time, among other topics. Application will open on Monday, October 16th, 2023. All graduate students attending schools in US southeast area will be eligible to apply.

There will be no cost to attendees to participate in ComSciCon-ATL 2024. All participants must apply!

FOLLOW US

Twitter: @ComSciConATL

Instagram: @comsciconatl

To request more information, please reach out to us at: atl@comscicon.org

Application

Application Form to ComSciCon Atlanta 2024

Application will open on October 16th, 2023 and close on November 13th, 2023

All graduate students from southeastern universities are welcome to apply!

Application Process

The application process will be a straightforward survey form. We will not be requiring fees upon registration in order to maintain our dedication and commitment to an accessible conference. Apart from the necessary information, we will be presenting applicants with 4 prompts:

1. Describe your previous experience in science communication.

2. How would you describe your research to the general public?

3. What are you hoping to gain from attending the ComSciCon Atlanta 2024?

4. Which session or workshop are you most excited about and why?

The organizing committee will select applicants based on their responses. ComSciCon is dedicated to an equal opportunity policy. We will not discriminate against the basis of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, genetic information, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran’s status, or any factor that is a prohibited consideration under applicable law.

Once all applicants have confirmed, we will be sending them pre-workshop information with a finalized schedule and instructions on how to participate in the Create-a-Thon. We will also be asking participants to fill out a pre-workshop survey that will be compared to their post-workshop survey after they have attended the conference.

Invited Speakers

Organizers

ComSciCon-ATL 2024 is organized by graduate students from Georgia Tech, University of Tennessee – Knoxville, Emory University, University of Georgia and Clemson University.

	Kyra Owensby Co-chair Kyra Owensby is a 3rd year Ph.D, student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in the Bredesen Center for Research and Graduate Education studying Energy Science and Engineering. She is currently working under Dr. X. Chelsea Chen in the Chemical Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Her research interests currently include investigating the interfaces of lithium metal-polymer electrolyte batteries. After attending ComSciCon-ATL in 2022, she loved the program so much that she came back to help plan the next two conferences. She believes that it is imperative that scientists are able to communicate their work, because what’s the point of learning all this new information if you can’t tell others about it? Additionally, she is helping to plan the Future Climate Leaders Summit, a portion of the Aspen Ideas: Climate Festival. Outside of research and scicom, Kyra loves hiking and reading and recently started learning Aerial Silks.
	John Pederson (he/him) Co-chair John is a PhD student in Chemistry at Georgia Tech, where he develops methods to simulate chemical reactions at solid-liquid interfaces, and he hopes that his work will be used to screen and discover safer and more sustainable chemical processes. Due to his strong conviction that SciCom helps to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, John has performed numerous outreach events, including giving a research seminar at a local high school, creating a demonstration for the Atlanta Science Festival, and providing feedback on K12 mock pitches for the Georgia Tech InVenture Prize. John attended ComSciCon-ATL 2023 and enjoyed the hands-on workshops and feedback on SciCom pieces. Now, as co-chair for ComSciCon-ATL 2024, he is excited for the focus on interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration. Outside of his research and SciCom efforts, John enjoys graphic design, hiking, and finding new coffee places.
	Linh Mai (she/her) Social Media and Website Manager Linh is a PhD candidate in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at Georgia Tech. Her research primarily focuses on protein engineering and biological drug delivery to develop COVID-19 and cancer treatments. Linh is passionate about making science more accessible, bridging the gap between the scientific and non-scientific communities on both professional and personal levels. She championed these causes through organizing volunteering events for graduate students, in collaboration with Atlanta Science Festival, Piedmont Park and Atlanta Food Bank while serving as the 2022 Outreach Chair for AChEGS (Association of Chemical Engineering Graduate Student). Outside of work, Linh enjoys cooking, volunteering, gardening, and spending time in nature and with her cat – Bunny.
	Klao Runcharoon Application Review Manager Klao is a poultry veterinarian and a PhD student in comparative biomedical science, University of Georgia. Klao’s research involved developing a new diagnostic tool identifying avian pathogenic E. coli that causes disease in chickens and affects both poultry health and food safety. Also, Klao has a strong passion for adopting one health approach in her research as well. Klao considers having science communication skills are needed to convey her research to others and make it more impactful to society. She also currently serves as the president of the Comparative Biomedical Student-Graduate Student Association (CBS-GSA). In her free time, she is a trail runner, hiker, and camper. Fun fact: I am a coffee and a dog person
	Ahmed Elshaarrawi Treasurer Ahmed Elshaarrawi is presently immersed in his doctoral studies within the Genome Science and Technology program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he previously earned the distinction of being a Fulbright alumnus. Beyond academia, Ahmed finds joy in delving into Car and DIY projects, and he’s equally passionate about embracing the great outdoors. His current research is centered around unraveling the intricacies of Wnt signaling in the realms of inflammation and cancer. Looking ahead, Ahmed aspires to carve out a professional niche in research and academia. Recognizing the pivotal role of community engagement in scientific communication, he envisions leveraging outreach initiatives to elucidate how his research resonates with individuals and communities. Ahmed views participation in ComSci as an invaluable opportunity to gain practical experience and foster meaningful connections within the scientific community.
	Ananya Dash Communications and Key Note Speaker Manager Ananya is a graduate student in the Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis Program at Emory University. Her research focuses on how Streptococcus pyogenes, a pathogen well known to cause throat infections, progresses into severe diseases of skin, heart and kidney. Ananya is strongly passionate to drive systemic changes to make STEM accessible to everyone and fix the leaky pipeline of higher education. Hence, she serves as an Executive Director for Project SHORT, a non-profit organization offering free of cost mentorship to pre-med and graduate school applicants. On a day-to-day basis, she loves to share her love for science and dabbles in scicom through volunteering at the Atlanta Science festival, judging science fairs at local schools and writing letters to young scientists via Letters to Pre-Scientist program and this year, as an organizing committee member for ComSciCon-ATL. Outside of work, you will find her buried inside the pages of a book or wandering to the next bookstore.
	Ayodeji Peter Idowu Create-a-thon Manager Ayodeji Peter Idowu is an exceptional, creative, and ingenious Ph.D. student in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at Clemson University. He is a technology-driven-result-oriented individual and a scholar par excellence. He is a passionate, hardworking soil science enthusiast whose passion and interest is improving soil health and ecosystem conservation through rigorous enhancement of soil organic matter and strategy for nutrient management for crop productivity and agricultural sustainability of vast untapped, specialty crops of high economic value. Ayodeji will be serving as the “Create-a-thon” manager for the 2024 ComSci Conference in Atlanta. He hopes to unlock the creative potential of science communications among graduate students through diverse and series of engaging activities and approaches/methods.