Calling champions of science engagement!  If you’re working independently in the science sector and are passionate about sharing your knowledge and discoveries with the public, if you’re inspiring future generations, or if you are a postgrad student of science, then it might be your lucky day.

You could be in with a chance of winning a free place to the upcoming EUSEA (European Science Engagement Association) Conference 2020, which takes place at Cork Institute of Technology’s (CIT) renowned Cork School of Music from April 16-17, in association with Blackrock Castle Observatory.

In partnership with Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), organisers have just announced 30 bursary awards for the Conference, open to freelancers, self-employed individuals, institutes and postgrads in a STEM discipline.

The event, which brings the European science communications community together, gives advice and tools to help those working in the sector become better communicators so they can share the wonders of science, or their research, with the public in a comprehensible way.

More than 150 professionals from 15 countries will attend the conference, which will cover everything from Encouraging the Uptake of Careers in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths), to Educational Robotics, and Celebrity Science.

Keynotes will be given by Dr. Niall Smith, Head of Research at CIT and Head of CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory, on Art and Astronomy; Margie McCarthy, Head of Education and Engagement at SFI, on Why Expertise and Impact is Important for Science Communications; and Prof. Dietram Scheufele, Wisconsin-Madison, USA on how Dissonance can be good - Why our new inability to disagree makes engagement so difficult.

In total, the interactive, dialogue-oriented event will present 41 sessions with 48 speakers.

Commenting, Dr. Niall Smith  said, “As scientists, we owe it to the world to do a better job communicating science, its unique capacity to provide solutions to problems that previously seemed insurmountable, and the excitement of incredible discoveries being made right now that fundamentally change our view of our cosmos and ourselves. The EUSEA Conference is a fantastic platform that will help us all to become better communicators and to inspire future generations to appreciate the potential for good that comes with understanding how the Universe we live in works.  We are very proud to host this prestigious event in Cork this year.”

“We are also delighted to offer 30 bursaries to champions of science. We can all look forward to following the future impacts of their efforts.”

The European Science Engagement Conference annually offers all practitioners in the fields of Science Communication and Public Engagement a Pan-European platform to expand their networks and enhance their skills via inspiring keynotes, interactive sessions and co-creative workshops. The conference shares and discusses relevant topics, funding programs and innovative formats to engage science with society.

The event will be attended by educational authorities, industry, science researchers, policy makers, teachers, third level and post grad students, early career research students and science communicators.

For more details, the full programme and to put yourself forward for the bursary see https://eusea.info/ #EUSEA2020 and #euseaevents