Building your research profile: The rewards and risks of engaging with public audiences about your research an
AUXINS hosted by: The Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL)
Title of Presentation: Building your research profile: The rewards and risks of engaging with public audiences about your research and availing yourself to engage on other topical aspects.
Summary of Invitation: The CTL hereby invites you to a lunch-hour “padkos session” as part of the AUXIN Project. The AUXIN Project aims to create growth opportunities for SU lecturers.
Title and Name of Presenter(s): Dr Marina Joubert & Mr Martin Viljoen
Short Biography of presenter(s):
Dr Marina Joubert is a senior science communication researcher at the Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST) at SU. She presents an online science communication course with a focus on Africa, and teaches public engagement with science as part of various postgraduate programmes. Her research interests focus on researchers’ role in public communication of science, online interfaces between science and society and the changing policy environment for public communication of science in Africa. She has been awarded numerous institutional and national awards for her contributions in the field.
Mr Martin Viljoen is the Manager: Media in the Corporate Communication Division of SU. He firmly believes that having a good media profile, has a direct positive influence on researchers’ research profiles. He regularly presents informal workshops on media relations and how to connect to the media. Martin is a trained journalist but crossed over to corporate communications early in his career and has 20 years of experience in higher education in a media liaison capacity, but built up some street credentials in internal communications, corporate writing, publishing and public speaking. Every year he processes hundreds of media enquiries, requests and media releases.
Blurb (Including Conclusions and Implications for Teaching and Learning at SU)
Sharing your research with different audiences using a diverse range of communication tools and platforms to do so, is imperative if you want to build your research profile and academic stature.
Given the policy intention of the South African government (and specifically, the Department of Science and Technology) to encourage and support responsible public science engagement across all research disciplines, it is imperative to identify and understand the factors that influence researchers’ behaviour as far as public communication about their work is concerned.
This session will empower researchers to effectively engage with public audiences, through focusing on the why and how of effective public engagement about their research and other aspects. The presenters will focus on the benefits of such engagement as well as the support available at the institution.
Articles (Bibliographic information of 2 easy-read articles on the topic)
Joubert, M. 2018. Country-specific factors that compel South African scientists to engage with public audiences. JCOM. 17(04):C04.
Marcinkowski, F. & Kohring, M. 2014. The changing rationale of science communication : A challenge to scientific autonomy. Journal of Science Communication. 13(03):C04.
Key Words: Science communication; science engagement; Media relations
Date of Presentation: 26 March 2019
Time: 12:45 - 13:45
Venue: Den Bosch, 41 Victoria Street (opposite House Skuilhoek and directly behind the Conservatoire)
Please RSVP by completing the Google form:
Enquiries: Ms Nothemba Nqayi, [email protected], 021 808 3717
Cancellations: If, for some or other reason, you are no longer able to attend the AUXIN, we request that you please CANCEL your registration at least 24 hours before the time, by contacting Ms Nqayi (contact details above). There are certain financial costs incurred by the CTL for each AUXIN, and the request is to minimise financial implications.
More Information: A podcast will be available on the CTL website after the session: www.sun.ac.za/ctl