The 40 participants had the opportunity to listen to two expert presentations and ask questions in the online format. The topics of the kick-off event were the opportunities and challenges of science communication on social media and strategies for reaching different target groups.
In the first lecture, historian Martin Tschiggerl gave insights into the mechanisms of misinformation and denial of science on social media. He himself researches anti-vaccination from a historical perspective and has already been the target of hostility on social media. From this perspective, he was therefore also able to give tips on how to proceed in the event of a shitstorm.
Communication consultant Johanna Barnbeck then presented how a communication strategy can be created and how researchers and research institutions can identify the right formats and platforms for themselves. Using practical examples, she showed how differently scientific results and processes are communicated and encouraged the participants to implement creative ideas themselves.
The two speakers shared further resources for those interested and affected:
- Science Care platform of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
- Scicomm support from Science in Dialogue
The training series of the OeAD Center for Citizen Science will continue on June 12, 2024 on the topic "A (moving) picture says more than a thousand words?". Researchers Mikhail Lemeshko (Institute of Science and Technology Austria) and Simon Meier-Vieracker (Technical University of Dresden) will report on science communication on YouTube and TikTok. Further information
In the third session on November 27, 2024, Christiane Attig (University of Lübeck) and Melanie Bartos (University of Innsbruck) will talk about "Podcasts and radio formats for science communication". Further information
The training series is aimed at Young Science and Citizen Science contact persons at Austrian institutions. Does your research institution not yet have a Young Science and/or Citizen Science contact person? If you would like to appoint one, simply write to us at citizenscience@oead.at