INFANT researchers ‘Stand up for Science’

Last Friday, INFANT had the pleasure of hosting Cork’s first ever ‘Standing up for Science’ workshop.

Standing up for Science is a programme created by the team at Sense about Science, a charity empowering the public to critically analyse evidence supporting scientific claims and discoveries.

Over 45 Early Career Researchers from across UCC heard from various experts on how to effectively stand up for science and communicate their work to journalists, policy makers, and the general public.

The day began with Fiona Malone, a postdoctoral researcher from GMIT and UCC researchers Prof Alan Kelly and Dr Emmanuelle Schon-Quinlivan sharing their experiences of engaging with the media and the public.

Next up, Sean Sherlock TD, Prof Brian O Gallachoir, MaREI Centre Director and Dulce Boavida, Chief Scientific Advisor at the European Commission provided their insight and explained how exactly evidence is used in policy and how best to contact your local government representative to get your voice heard.

After lunch, The Echo reported  Darragh Bermingham and 96FM newsreader Pearse McCarthy gave an entertaining “insider perspective” on how journalists report science in an era of fake news.

The final session of the day involved an honest group discussion on how researchers can take responsibility for the public discussion of science and evidence from the beginning of their careers. The Sense about Science team encouraged the researchers to stand up for science and engage the public in real and meaningful ways.

Well done and thank you to all who participated!