UPDATE 04/19/23 If you have trouble with the zoom registration, make sure you're entering your email that is associated with your zoom account!
UPDATE 04/17/23 We have sent emails out to participants registered thus far. However, our emails are going to spam. Please add climate [at] astrobites [dot] org to your address book and check your spam for Zoom registration information (also found below!)
How do I as a [student / educator / science enthusiast] talk to people about climate change?
We are so excited for our second annual Earth Week x Astrobites event. Everything you need to know about our 2023 Earth Week events, posts, and recordings can be found here. Use the hashtag #EarthWeekxAstrobites2023!
As a science communication platform coming from non-climate-science backgrounds, our theme is this year is centered on communicating climate change and climate literacy from the perspective of science-engaged folks in general.
We have an exciting week planned where we will be chatting with both astronomers as well as researchers focused on climate communication and literacy in interview/webinar/panel form. We will explore the different ways to effectively engage in climate change conversations, whether that be within classrooms, departments, the larger astronomy community, or to the general public. We aim to center on doing this work in a hopeful and productive way, that is inspiring rather than anxiety inducing. Thank you for joining us!
If you would like to receive information about the events and zoom links, please RSVP here.
Event Program
Climate Communication in Education Spaces
with Prof. James Lowenthal, Smith College Astronomy Professor
& Ryan Wyatt, Senior Director of Morrison Planetarium
Wednesday, April 19 // 3:00 – 4:00 pm EDT (19:00 UTC)
How can we best communicate climate change to our students? When our audience has come to learn and engage with science, how do we engage them with climate change? For this session, we have demonstrations from two scientists and climate communicators: Smith College astronomy professor Dr. James Lowenthal, who will lead an interactive teaching demo he uses to teach climate change in his intro astronomy classes; and Senior Director of the Morrison Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences Ryan Wyatt, who leverages the planetarium to address environmental issues, and in his demonstration will emphasize the role of visualization in communicating these topics.
Translating the Six Americas Study Into Communication Strategy
with Dr. Martin Storksdieck
Thursday, April 20 // 4:00 – 5:00 pm EDT (20:00 UTC)
Dr. Martin Storksdieck will lead an interactive webinar on how to translate the Six Americas framework into an effective communication strategy and deal with issues like the expert blind spot or talking past your audience. Dr. Storksdieck ran the National Academies’ Climate Change Education Roundtable.
Panel Discussion:
How do I as a [student/scientist/educator/science enthusiast] talk to people about climate change effectively?
with several expert panelists (listed below)
Friday, April 21 // 12:30 – 1:30 pm EDT (16:30 UTC)
Engaging different audiences in meaningful discussions about climate change requires conscientious and inclusive communication strategies. Come hear from our panelists, spanning a wide range of fields and expertise, to learn about best practices for science-engaged folks to tailor our climate change conversations, with a focus on optimism, action, hope, inclusivity, and engagement.
Featuring panelists:
Dr. Anna Cabre, Dr. Bernadette Rodgers, Dr. James Lowenthal, Dr. Gina Maffey, Dr. Natalya Gomez, Dr. Shannon Schmoll, Dr. Paul Fisher
Posts
Here we will compile and update all the articles + event summaries from this year’s Earth Week event as the posts are published.
- Earth Week x Astrobites 2023: Introducing our speakers!
Our first post for our second Earth Week highlights our panelists who briefly tell us about their background and work, specifically tying into our theme for 2023: “How do I as a [student / educator / science enthusiast] talk to people about climate change?” - Earth Week x Astrobites 2023: Dr. Travis Rector on leading the AAS Green Task Force
In our second post, we talk to astronomer and climate communicator Dr. Travis Rector about how he works to implement large-scale, structural changes within the astronomy community. - Earth Week x Astrobites 2023: “Climate Communication in Education Spaces” Recap
For our third Earth Week post, we give a recap on this year’s first event: Prof. James Lowenthal and Ryan Wyatt talked about “Climate Communication in Education Spaces”, sharing their experiences and views on bringing climate to the public, along with useful tips, tricks and a wide range of resources. - Earth Week x Astrobites 2023: Translating the Six Americas Study Into Communication Strategy with Dr. Martin Storksdieck
Our fourth post recaps the second event: a discussion led by Dr. Storksdieck on the Six Americas study and how to interpret it in terms of communication strategy. - Earth Week x Astrobites 2023: How do I talk to people about climate change effectively?
Our fifth and final post summarizes our final event of the week, a panel discussion on best practices for climate communication, from the perspective of a lineup of experts in the field.
Recordings
Session 1: Climate Communication in Education Spaces
Video and closed captions
Session 2: coming soon!
Video and closed captions
Session 3: coming soon!
Video and closed captions
Learn more about our Climate Change Series. We’d love to hear what you would like to see from this initiative – if you have ideas, please let us know in this google form. Find last year’s Earth Week page here.