Stempra Scotland

Stempra Scotland

Join us at University of Edinburgh for an exciting event focused on science communication. Connect with fellow communications professionals, learn from industry experts, and enhance your skills in communicating complex scientific ideas to a wider audience. Whether you're a seasoned science communicator or just starting out, Stempra Scotland offers something for everyone. Don't miss this opportunity to network, learn, and grow in the beautiful setting of Edinburgh. See you there!

Location: Meadows Lecture Theatre - Doorway 4, Old Medical School (next to Bristo Square), Teviot Place, Edinburgh, EH1 2QZ

Agenda

10:00-10:20 Registration and coffee

10:20-10:30 Opening remarks

10:30-11:30 Communicating controversial research

Certain pieces of research can be deemed controversial or sensitive. In this session, we will hear about the importance of engaging and being proactive even on the most controversial topics, and about steps taken to avoid (or embrace!) crises when communicating controversial research, aspects to consider and how to handle a crisis if it does happen.

Chair: Fiona Lethbridge, Science Media Centre

Panel: Elizabeth McMeekin, University of Glasgow; Catriona Kelly, University of Edinburgh; Elinor Jayne, Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems

11:30-12:00 Coffee break

12:00-13:00 Journalist panel

Ask science, health and technology journalists all your burning questions about what makes a good story, how best to pitch your stories and what topics they're interested in covering.

Chair: Kate McAllister, University of Edinburgh

Panel: Joseph Anderson, The Scotsman; Pallab Ghosh, BBC; Zoe Kleinman, BBC, Laura Piper, STV; Lisa Summers; BBC Scotland

13:00-14:00 Lunch

14:00-15:30 AI tools and clinic

AI is being heralded as bringing about a revolution in how we work as communicators, but what does this mean in practical teams? Ben Verinder, Chalkstream and AI comms guru, will give some examples of tools that can help in our everyday working and can provide advice on challenges that you've encountered in your work. If there is an issue you'd like discussed in detail, please feel free to submit your question in advance when registering.

15:30-16:30 Refreshments and networking

Who can attend?

The Stempra Scotland event is free to members of Stempra. Membership to Stempra gives you free access to all our events, which are in person and online, alerts to job the latest job vacancies in science communications and opporunities to discuss with your peers those sticky questions in your field. Membership costs £17 a year. We are currently experiecing technical difficulties with our website, but if you would like to join Stempra, please email [email protected] to join.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Medical School (Old Medical School), The University of Edinburgh, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, United Kingdom