Thursday, Nov. 16 | Zoom
10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CST
The Communicating Complexity symposium, hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will take place via Zoom on November 16, 10:00 am - 4:30 pm CST. This event will make a deeper dive into the themes and issues raised during the SciComm 2022 panel of the same name, bringing together scientists, artists, and humanists to consider how and why we should develop science communication strategies that acknowledge, clarify, and contextualize complexity rather than trying to "overcome" it. Symposium speakers will address such questions as:
- Does communicating complexity necessarily mean including more technical detail?
- Are there alternative views of complexity we can utilize to communicate more effectively about problems like climate change?
- How can we help non-scientists understand the role uncertainty plays in the scientific process, and the difference between evolving knowledge and "settled science"?
- How can we challenge and/or reconcile long-cherished scientific ideals of "objectivity" and "parsimony" with greater appreciation for complexity in science?
Save the Dates: The next SciComm Conference will be Oct. 29-31, 2024!
Speakers
Bradley Allf
Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University
Wendy Bohon
Earthquake geologist and founder, Dr. Wendy Rocks
Disan Davis
Research associate for STEM PUSH Network, Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh
Mariah Gladstone
Founder, Indigikitchen
Ramesh Laungani
Chair of science, Poly Prep County Day School
Scott Prinster
Historian of science and public education consultant
Schedule
ALL TIMES CENTRAL
10:00 – 10:20 a.m. | Welcome
10:20 – 11:00 a.m. | Featured Talk – Wendy Bohon, "The role of uncertainty in hazards communication"
10:50 – 11:30 a.m. | Featured Talk – Disan Davis, "Embracing complexity through wonder and awe"
11:20 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Featured Talk – Scott Prinster, "Enriching classification: The erasure and return of the idiosyncratic"
12:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | Discussion
BREAK
1:30 – 2:20 p.m. | Robin Wall Kimmerer: The Fortress, the River, and the Garden
2:20 – 3:00 p.m. | Featured Talk – Mariah Gladstone
2:50 – 3:30 p.m. | Featured Talk – Ramesh Laungani
3:20 – 4:00 p.m. | Featured Talk – Bradley Allf, Aileen Cassinetto and Jeanine Pfeiffer, "Dear human at the edge of time: Poetry as a vessel for enriching the climate change dialogue"
4:00 – 4:30 p.m. | Discussion