Scientific research brings many benefits yet many find it difficult to understand and of little relevance to their daily lives. Next week’s CER 2005 conference will be looking at ways to change Europeans’ perception of science and research, the driving forces behind much of the progress made by society.
The two-day Communicating European Research conference (CER 2005) starts on Monday 14 November at the Brussels Exhibition Centre and is hosted by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research. It will focus on many aspects of communicating science, and provide a forum and meeting place for scientists, communication professionals and journalists.
Around 3000 participants are expected to take part in the conference which will include panel discussions, forum sessions, practical workshops and tutorials as well as a 9000 m² exhibition. Here, 250 exhibitors, including research organisations, media associations and others concerned with improving the communication of European science and research, will showcase research initiatives and communication strategies.
ESA will be participating in CER 2005 as a member of EIROforum, a group of seven leading European intergovernmental scientific research organisations set up in 2002 to promote the quality and impact of European research. One way of doing this is to gain the support of Europe’s citizens by ensuring they are better informed about the scientific research being carried out within Europe.
“Too often the public find science and research incomprehensible because of the way it is put across,” said Claus Madsen, head of the public affairs department of the European Southern Observatory and spokesperson for EIROforum.
“This conference gives scientists and those working in the media an opportunity to discuss how best to communicate the reality that science is an exciting and fascinating subject that benefits us all.”
EIROforum will have a 130 m² stand at the exhibition. Here ESA will present an overview of its communication activities, its new education initiatives and the communication campaign around the Cassini-Huygens mission that successfully landed a probe on Titan in January this year.
ESA will also participate in a round table discussion on “Europe in Space: taking off without the public?”, organised by the German association of science writers, and contribute to an EIROforum session on “Science at school – lost cause or real winner?”.
