Welcome to ComSciCon 2018!
We are excited to annouce the 6th annual ComSciCon National Workshop, happening June 14th-16th, 2018 in Boston, MA!
To apply, see the application page here.
Follow us on Twitter (@comscicon), and tweet with the hashtag #comscicon18 !
For more information, please contact comscicon18@comscicon.org or sign-up for our informational email list.
About ComSciCon 2018
Acceptance to the workshop is competitive; attendance is free, and travel support and lodging will be provided to accepted applicants.
At ComSciCon’s National Workshop, participants build communication skills that scientists and other technical professionals need to express ideas to their peers, experts in other fields, and the general public.
This year, there will be panel discussions on the following topics:
- Creative / Digital Storytelling
- Diversity / Inclusivity in Science and Science Communication
- Science Journalism
- Case Study: Science Communication in Medicine
In addition to these discussions, ample time is allocated for networking with science communication experts and developing science outreach collaborations with fellow graduate students. Workshop participants will produce an original piece of science writing and receive feedback from workshop attendees and professional science communicators, including journalists, authors, public policy advocates, educators, and more.
Founded in 2013 by graduate students at Harvard University and MIT, over 500 graduate students nationwide have already participated in ComSciCon programs, including our annual National Workshops and Local Workshops which have been started by ComSciCon alumni across the country. Attendees have founded new science communication organizations in collaboration with other students at the event, published over 80 articles written at the conference in popular publications with national impact, and formed lasting networks with our student alumni and invited experts.
ComSciCon is dedicated to a harassment-free conference experience for everyone. Our anti-harassment policy can be found here.
ComSciCon 2018 is sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Colorado Boulder, HHMI / Tangled Bank Studios, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Chemical Society, the American Astronomical Society, Emerson College, IOP Publishing, the Harvard Medical School and Harvard Science in the News, and the American Institute of Physics through a grant of their Venture Partnership Fund.
Apply to ComSciCon 2018
This year’s workshop is being hosted at Emerson College in Boston, and will run from Thursday June 14 – Saturday June 16.
The application window for the 2018 ComSciCon National Workshop closed on March 1st, and results were released on April 2nd.
If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact us at comscicon18@comscicon.org . For instant updates on future ComSciCon programming and events, subscribe to our mailing list on Google Groups.
Thank you for your interest in ComSciCon!
Pre-Workshop Requirements
ComSciCon’s National Workshop is a highly interactive and cooperative event. For instance, several of the sessions include group workshopping of already-developed science communication pieces.
All accepted attendees to ComSciCon 2018 are expected to complete the following in advance of attending the workshop.
Write-A-Thon
Through the “Write-A-Thon”, ComSciCon attendees develop written science communication pieces (articles, blogposts, etc) and workshop them extensively with fellow attendees and science communication experts. Many of these pieces are later published in major science communication outlets.
Details: Write-A-Thon is an opportunity for you to hone your science communication skills by writing a piece on any science topic of your choice. It can be about your research, or not! Your peers and an expert reviewer edits your piece and readies it for publication. At ComSciCon, you will then have the opportunity to expand your piece into another form either podcast, comic, video/360 video, social media, or educational curriculum. So…get writing!
Some things to consider when writing your piece:
- What publication outlet are you hoping to submit to? (This determines word count)
- What genre is your piece? (Creative non-fiction, academic, opinion, personal essay, narrative, etc)
- Who is your audience?
- Is your audience familiar with the jargo you are using?
Please note your topic and intended audience at the top of your papers.
Submission:
Be on the lookout in your inbox for a Google Drive Folder to be shared with you. This will be where you and your peers will upload your rough drafts. Here’s the file naming convention (please make it a Google Doc file):
First Draft: LastName_FirstName_D1
Revied Draft: LastName_FirstName_D2
Example: Curie_Marie_D1
Timeline:
- Monday, May 21st: First draft due: 2-3 pages (<1000 words) written
- A Google Drive folder will be shared with you to submit your piece.
- Thurdsay May 24th: Peer editing groups assigned
- Thursday May 31st: Peer edits due
- Thursday June 4th: Revised draft due
- Thursday June 14th: Expert review at ComSciCon
Write-A-Thon Expansion
Attendees should come to ComSciCon with at least some idea of an alternate medium they’d like to rework their written piece into, choosing from:
- Video / VR
- Podcast
- Comics
- K12 Education
- Social Media
A completed draft of this alternative medium piece will not be required before the workshop, but attendees should spend time considering which media they are interested in.
E-Poster
Details:
On June 16th, ComSciCon will feature a poster session highlighting the science outreach, communication, and social media activities of our attendees and several local SciComm organizations. This poster session will utilize ePosterboards, so you won’t need to print or transport a physical poster.
We are unfortunately not able to offer posters to all attendees, so we ask attendees to submit abstracts. You can see examples of successful abstracts from last year’s program. Selected attendees will be invited to prepare an electronic poster before the workshop. We’ll let you know the status of your submission within a few days, so you have plenty of time to work on the poster!
Submission:
For attendees with accepted posters, the guidelines for creating and submitting the ePosters can be found here. There is also a Youtube Channel with a number of short videos on creating and uploading your ePoster.
Please note that you should not plan on presenting from your own device. Your poster needs to be submitted through the EPosterboards Website, and more details will be available closer to the workshop start date.
Timeline:
- Friday May 11th: Short abstract due
- Friday June 8th: Submit final electronic poster (selected attendees)
- Saturday June 16th: E-Posterboard Session
Evaluation Surveys
ComSciCon is interested in learning more about how best to improve science communication training. We evaluate our performance through surveys before, immediately following, and 6-months after the workshop.
Details: The pre-workshop survey will be available upon acceptance to ComSciCon 2018.
Timeline:
- Friday June 1st: Complete pre-workshop survey
- Late June: Complete post-workshop survey
- Early 2018: Complete follow-up survey
Deposit and Paperwork
Attendees are required to submit a deposit ($50 check), which will be refunded (not deposited) following the workshop. We also require some basic paperwork (W9s, or equivalent for international attendees) to be submitted prior to the workshop to allow for reimbursement of travel expenses.
Details: Checks should be made out to “The Story Collider”, and mailed to:
ATTN: Ben Cook / ComSciCon
Center for Astrophysics
60 Garden St., MS 10
Cambridge, MA 02138
More information on the reimbursement paperwork can be found here.
Timeline:
May 1st: Deadline for receipt of W9 / International forms
April 20th: Deadline for receipt of deposit
Program
We’re excited to announce the schedule for this year’s ComSciCon 2018 National Workshop!
PDF Program
Schedule
Unless noted, all events take place in Bordy Auditorium, the main event hall.
———————————————
Wednesday, June 13
Attendees arrive to Boston, MA, and check into dorms
Thursday, June 14
8:30 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – Welcome to ComSciCon!
9:20 AM – Creative Storytelling Panel
- Erica Simek Sloniker
- Matteo Farinella
- Jennifer Cutraro
- Adnaan Wasey
10:50 AM – Coffee Break
11:00 AM – Science Journalism Panel
- Christine Casatelli
- Shraddha Chakradhar
- Nadja Oertelt
- Wade Roush
12:30 PM – Lunch
1:20 PM – Diversity / Inclusivity Panel
- Aradhna Tripati
- Ralph Bouquet
- Brindha Muniappan
- John Johnson
2:50 PM – Coffee Break
3:00 PM – Concurrent Non-Panel Workshops, in breakout rooms
Mock Interviews with Doug Dollemore
Data Visualization with Steven Braun
4:00 PM – Expert Review / Write-A-Thon + Pitch-Slam
6:00 PM – Careers Dinner
7:15 PM – Tangled Bank Screening of The Serengeti Rules
8:45 PM – Return to Dorms
Friday, June 15
8:30 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – Science Ethics Panel
- Joel Reynolds
- Maiamuna Majumder
- Kelly Hills
- James Hamblin
10:30 AM – Coffee Break
10:45 AM – Advocacy Workshop with the Union of Concerned Sciences
- Shreya Durvasula
- Danielle Fox
12:15 PM – Lunch and AR/VR Demonstration on the Boston Common
1:15 PM – Keynote Presentation: Liz Neeley, Executive Director, Story Collider
2:30 PM – Storytelling Workshop: Neil Bardhan, Bardhan Consulting
6:00 PM – Group Photo
6:30 PM – Banquet Dinner at Maggiano’s Little Italy
Saturday, June 16
8:30 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – ComSciCon Informational Session
10:30 AM – EPoster Session: Center Stage
12:30 PM – Lunch
1:00 PM – Write-A-Thon Expansion
4:00 PM – Closing Remarks
Venue and Travel
Venue
The June 2018 ComSciCon National Workshop will be hosted at Emerson College in Boston, MA, June 14-16th, 2018.
The primary event venue will be the Bill Bordy Theater, located at 216 Tremont Street. Additional break-out spaces will be in the Ansin Building (180 Tremont St), and the EPosterboard Session will be held in the Center Stage, at 122 Boylston St.
When you arrive, we will have a ComSciCon check-in booth inside the main entrance, where you can pick up a name badge and ComSciCon swag!
To access the internet while on-site, use the following network and login:
Network: ECwireless
Username: comsci_con
Password: 2Speak-clearly
Attendee Lodging
Attendees traveling from outside the Boston area will be provided double-occupancy lodging in the Emerson College Dorms: Paramount Residence Hall, 555 Washington St.
Upon your arrival to Boston, please check in at the dormitory (after Noon on Wednesday, June 13th). The Paramount Desk will be open 24 hours on check-in day. Simply enter the building, let security know you’re a conference guest checking in, and you can find the Emerson staff at the desk at the end of the hallway. Emerson staff will have keys and a Summer Conference ID which will get you in and out of the residence and venue halls. You’ll also be given a packet of policies and information, and be asked to sign a waiver.
If you arrive after 11 pm, the building will be locked. Simply call the Emerson Staff at 857-895-9619, and they will get you checked in.
Speaker Lodging
Invited Panelists and Speakers are provided a room in the DoubleTree by Hilton Boston, at 821 Washington St. Unless otherwise specified, your room will be billed to the ComSciCon group account. Please email us with any concerns (comscicon18@comscicon.org).
Parking
Limited parking near the workshop venue will be available at the City Park Garage, at 8 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116. Guests who have requested parking (please email comscicon18@comscicon.org) will enter the parking lot and take a ticket. Once you arrive to the workshop, we will have a payment voucher for you to scan when you leave the lot.
Harassment Policy
ComSciCon is dedicated to providing a safe, hospitable, and productive environment for everyone present, regardless of ethnicity, religion, ability, physical appearance, or gender. It’s important to remember that a conference where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive one. Accordingly, ComSciCon prohibits intimidating, threatening, or harassing conduct during our conference. This policy applies to speakers, organizers, expert reviewers, and attendees.
Harassment of participants will not be tolerated in any form. Harassment includes:
- Offensive verbal or written comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, etc.
- Sexual images in public spaces
- Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following
- Harassing photography or recording
- Sustained disruption of talks or other events
- Inappropriate physical contact
- Unwelcome sexual attention
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior
Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing behavior, ComSciCon organizers will take any action they deem appropriate, ranging from a verbal warning to expulsion from the conference.
ComSciCon organizers may take action to address any actions or behavior disrupting the conference or making the environment hostile for any participants. We expect participants to follow these rules at all conference events and ComSciCon-related social activities.
If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the conference staff immediately (in person, recognizable by our ComSciCon t-shirts, or by email).
We value your attendance, and want to make the conference experience as educational, productive, and fun as possible.
ComSciCon 