Not my usual office – but a great place to be!

This is my day…

7.30 am Read Terry Pratchett’s Science of Discworld over breakfast. Great book. Links science theory with a Discworld story - my sort of writing…

9.00 am Arrived at office – Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology University of Tasmania. I’m the “Science Marketing and Communication Officer,” full-time, as of this year.
Checked and replied to email – heaps as usual.
Paid Australian Science Communicators registration. Have to set a good example, particularly as I’ve just taken over the role of Tasmanian branch co-ordinator.
Booked accommodation for Future Moves, a traveling course and career program that visits schools and colleges on the north-west coast of Tasmania. Heading off mid- May for 4 days.
Edited article for University’s newsletter on the winning science teacher for the 2005 Prize for Science/Maths Teaching in Secondary Schools presented at the Research & Teaching Awards Evening at Parliament House.

11.30 am Faculty meeting – planning and review.

12.30 pm Time for lunch break today – yay! This doesn’t happen very often.

1.30 pm Worked on schools activities program for National Science Week - not until August but the teachers kit is being developed through the Australian Science Teachers’ Association and sent out in May, hence the early deadline. Quite a few organisations are running school activities, so have to make sure I get all the details right.
Edited the National Science Week minutes from last meeting and distributed to co-ordinating committee members (Tasmania). Elected as the chair of this committee – fourth year in a row – it’ll have to be someone else’s turn next year!
Organised campus visit for regional high school and planned what research facilities the students would be visiting, e.g. the radio telescopes out near the airport (need to factor in extra time for travel), the environmentally-controlled glasshouses up at Plant Science, the engineering workshops, the central science lab over at Chemistry. Still have to check availability of staff but the visit is during semester break, so hopefully no problems.
Worked on grant proposal for developing science teaching units linking to some of the University’s research areas. – very exciting project, but heaps of work and the deadline is looming.

6.00 pm Checked email – before heading off home.

7.30 pm Over tea, brainstormed next Curie-ous Kids session . Curie-ous Kids is the CSIRO Double Helix Science Club program held at the CSIRO Education Centre after school on Tuesdays. About 20 members from Years 5 – 8 usually turn up. I co-ordinate the program and trying to come up with something new each week isn’t always easy! Maybe something on food … building the Huygen-Cassini probe out of lollies was a real winner.

9.00 pm Time to finish up for the day. Nothing worth watching on TV so might just go back to reading Terry Pratchett.

Testing the protein and glucose content of foods.

This is my job…

POSITION SUMMARY:
The Science Marketing and Communication Officer is responsible for the promotion of courses offered by the Faculty of Science, Engineering & Technology to domestic markets, through the development, implementation and evaluation of a range of programs and resources targeted at students, teachers, careers advisors, and the general public.

The Officer is responsible for co-ordinating the integrated approach to marketing and communication activities across the Faculty, and in collaboration with the University Student Recruitment and Marketing Unit.

The Officer will be involved in regular public speaking and professional presentations to a variety of audiences and play a key role in community liaison activities. Additionally, the Officer will liaise with representatives from state and commonwealth departments for science, education and training, and external science-related organisations, to develop mutually beneficial science awareness programs. Out-of-hours activities are involved and the Officer is required to participate in marketing and promotional events throughout Tasmania and interstate.

PRIMARY TASKS:
1.1. To co-ordinate Faculty programs (involving planning, advertising, reporting and evaluation), including:
• Siemens Science Experience
• Science Roadshows
• Science Teacher Professional Development program
• Open Day/Science Expo
• Young Tassie Scientists
• National Science Week programs
1.2. To co-ordinate the production and distribution of marketing materials (eg. brochures, posters, careers information, newsletters, on-line resources).
1.3. To prepare grant applications to enable the implementation of promotional activities and to administer grants awarded to the Faculty for the promotion of science, engineering and technology.
1.4. To investigate opportunities to promote science, engineering and technology courses through national student-based activities (eg. National Youth Science Forum, Student Research Scheme, Science Olympiads, Science and Engineering Challenge).

And this is my story…

I never really saw myself becoming a scientist – or a science communicator. At school, I didn’t have any particular interest in science – but did love reading and writing poetry. Kept my options open and studied Maths, Physics, Chemistry, English and French at Year 12. At University, I followed the science path, majoring in microbiology and biochemistry - would have liked to studied some arts subjects, but too many timetable restrictions and no such thing as a combined Science-Arts degree in those days. Went on to work in marine biology at CSIRO Marine Research in Hobart, and spent the next 15 years studying microscopic phytoplankton.

Checking out some microalgal cultures at CSIRO.

Why study science? In my talks to students I say that it provides an opportunity “to contribute to the understanding of our world, and to share this knowledge with others,” but I think Claire Hooker in her recent book Irresistible Forces – Australian Women in Science puts it better when she writes that it’s all about “the pleasure and the fun – the desire to find stuff out and to tell people about it.” That about sums it up nicely.

And I think it’s really important that scientists can communicate their scientific research so that it’s understandable and interesting - which is how I got into the science theatre side of things, and more recently science art. Using these media to tell science stories is a creative delight, and a challenge - and truly rewarding for participants, audiences, and co-ordinators like me!

Where do I see myself in the future? Good question. Still trying to work this out myself. Maybe the Director of Science Communications for the University (a position yet to be created), possibly working for the National Institute of Communicating Science through Theatre and Art (an institute yet to be established), even getting involved in the rapidly expanding eco-tourism industry (an option yet to be explored) - or perhaps just taking life easy, under a gum tree…