Events are run or supported by the Public Awareness and Community Engagement section. Below are documents related to these events, including videos, background notes, and PowerPoint presentations. All events are developed in alignment with the section’s code of best practice principles determined at the 2008 Social Inclusion and Community Engagement Workshop.
Recent events
Science and Technology Engagement Pathways - STEP
Science & Technology Engagement Pathways - STEP is a community engagement framework developed within the department. STEP has been designed through a multistakeholder process to provide best practice guidelines for the conduct of community engagement to inform decision making about science and technology.
Multi-stakeholder engagement workshops
Throughout 2010 and 2011, NETS-PACE has been conducting a multi-stakeholder engagement process. The aim is to develop a framework for broad community engagement in decision making about science and technology, particularly enabling technologies such as nanotechnologies and biotechnologies.
The main goal of the process is to develop a public/community engagement framework – the Community Engagement in Science and Technology (CEST) framework. This will advise and engage communities, capture public perspectives, concerns and visions, and inform and influence decision making relevant to science and technology, particularly enabling technologies. The framework will provide clarity and guidance about principles, procedures, methods and organisational arrangements.
A detailed overview of the process is available. [
PDF 28KB] [
RTF 147KB]
Communicating science and risk through social media
On 27 April 2011, NETS-PACE partnered with social media conferencing group Media140 to produce an event aimed at scientists, science communicators, academics and NGOs. The one-day conference, held at the Brisbane Powerhouse, featured 27 speakers, 16 sessions and a wide range of views and approaches. Volunteers from the University of Queensland live-tweeted proceedings in English, Mandarin, Spanish and Danish, and the major sessions were filmed. The videos are available on Media140's Vimeo channel.
Cafe Scientific - Twitter, Blogs and Talkback
As an adjunct to the social media conference, NETS-PACE also joined with the ABC for a Cafe Scientific event on the psychology of blogging, tweeting and commenting on the issues of the day. The venue was the Waterloo Hotel in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley. Moderator Bernie Hobbs from ABC TV was joined by ANU academic Rod Lamberts, ABC's Radio's Natasha Mitchell and Ande Gregson from Media140. The event was broadcast by ABC Big Ideas TV.
Synthetic Biology
A panel of experts on Synthetic Biology presented information and opened up discussion about synthetic biology, including legal and ethical aspects. The two events were filmed in Sydney and Adelaide and are available on the RIAus Vimeo channel.
Presentations from the experts are available, as are Part One and Part Two of Cafe Cosmos:
- Desmund Lun, Rutgers University, US
- Claudia Vickers, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland
- Rachel Ankeny, History and Politics, University of Adelaide (Adelaide event)
- Alison McLennan, ANU College of Law (Adelaide event)
- Synthetic Biology in the Pub (Cafe Cosmos), Sydney - Part One
- Synthetic Biology deliberative event, RIAus, Adelaide - Part Two