Less than ONE WEEK left to apply for ComSciCon-AAS at #AAS234!

Are you interested in science communication? Are you a senior undergraduate, graduate student, or early postdoctoral researcher planning to attend #AAS234 in St. Louis, or do you know someone who is?

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The ComSciCon (Communicating Science Conference) workshop series is partnering with AAS to bring a science communication training workshop to the 234th AAS meeting in St. Louis! We invite applications to ComSciCon-AAS, a free 1.5-day workshop intended to amplify the reach of the highly successful ComSciCon flagship workshop that has been held annually since 2013. Our goal is to empower future leaders in technical communication to share the results from research in their field to broad and diverse audiences. We especially encourage interested graduate students with little science communication or outreach experience to apply. Senior undergraduate students, post-baccalaureate researchers, and postdoctoral researchers are also welcome to apply, though preference will be given to graduate students.

ComSciCon is a unique professional development program focused on science communication skills, organized both by and for STEM graduate students. The program will consist of several panel sessions with invited professionals from AAS and the local St. Louis area, writing sessions where workshop participants hone their skills, structured in-person peer- and expert-review of writing, and a non-panel workshop to target a useful skill in science communication (topic still to be determined, but could be data visualization, science storytelling, or improvisation, for example).

During the workshop, you will:

  • Learn techniques to improve written and oral science communication.
  • Learn from professionals in topics relevant to science communication, including journalists or educators.
  • Connect with diverse leaders in both astronomy and science communication and grow your professional networks.
  • Produce an original piece of peer- and expert-reviewed science writing that can be published in one of ComSciCon’s partner outlets.
  • Become part of the extensive ComSciCon alumni base and make new connections in astronomy and science communication.
  • Receive free food!

Apply Now!

There are no additional registration fees to attend ComSciCon-AAS (only a refundable deposit) but a limited number of spots are available. Participants will be selected via an application process. Applications are open NOW and will close at 11:59pm on April 2nd, 2019. The application consists of just a few multiple choice questions and two short answer questions:

  1. A friend who is a professional in a very different field than yours is interested in your studies. They have asked what the most exciting research area, event, or other development is in your field today. Please write a response in which you describe this and why it is important.
  2. Why do you want to attend ComSciCon-AAS? How would attending help or influence your studies and your future career?

Please share this posting with early career researchers you think would be interested!

Don’t hesitate to email the organizing committee at [email protected] with any questions. We look forward to your applications!

About Astrobites

This post was written collectively by multiple members of the Astrobites team. Meet the authors of Astrobites.

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