Science Communication: Sharing knowledge and creating connections. III Edition
Learn the necessary concepts and tools to approach the dissemination of your current and future research activities and technical knowledge to the public
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- Type
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- Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP)
- Course dates
- 3 March - 2 July 2025
- Apply by
- 31 October 2024 Apply now
The society of knowledge requires fluid communication between knowledge-producing institutions and its publics. Knowledge of the main development paths of scientific-technical research, and of its main risks and benefits, is a fundamental element of contemporary culture, and the existence of specialized communicators is essential.
For this reason, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, University of Bucharest, Université libre de Bruxelles, Aix-Marseille Université and National and Kapodistrian University of Athens are organizing the third edition of its previously funded BIPS on Public Communication of Science and Scientific Dissemination.
The program is designed to provide young researchers with the necessary concepts and tools to approach the dissemination of their current and future research activities and technical knowledge to the public, an activity that is increasingly in demand by society, research centres, universities and public administrations.
In addition, the aim of this program is to acquire and improve the skills necessary for professional development inthe field of social dissemination of scientific knowledge, R&D management, i.e. institutional scientific disseminationof public or private research centers, promotion of scientific activity, knowledge transfer or science journalism.
The program will offer a combination of theoretical and practical courses that will equip young researchers with complete experience on the means to exchange scientific knowledge with society. Debate and discussion will be highly encouraged to develop critical thinking. Interdisciplinary is embedded in the program due to the extensive application of communication in all domains of science.
The program will be available to all CIVIS universities PhD candidates to foster virtual and physical mobility, but also to expose them to other academic cultures. During the mobility week, participants will be able to follow up the most practical courses of the program. Individual work and group work will be required. Each university will arrange the mobility funding of the participants.
Main topics addressed
- History of science and science in popular culture
- Citizen science
- Writing about science
- Virtual museums of science and technology
- Tools for science communication, podcast, video, images composition
- Use of social networks and collaborations
Learning outcomes
At the end of this programme, the participants would have gained abilities such as:
- autonomous learning;
- problem recognition and analysis;
- communicate knowledge area specific and general information clearly and effectively;
- capacity of analysis and synthesis;
- creativity;
- documenting reports with reliable information from historical sources;
- placing scientific results in a larger narrative structure.
Dates: 3 March - 2 July 2025 | Total workload: 180 hours |
Format: Blended | ECTS: 6* |
Location: Brussels, Belgium | Language: English (C1) |
Contact: leticia.martinez.garcia@ulb.be |
*Recognition of ECTS depends on your home university.
Physical mobility
The physical mobility part will be running from 26 to 30 May 2025 in Brussels, Belgium. It will allow the participants to learn to record scientific videos and podcasts in a more immersive setting than online sessions, with more efficient help from trainers for such specific tasks.
These practical sessions will be the extension of previous online sessions and will support the application of the skills and knowledge that they will have acquired. The face-to-face setting will also foster the team-building process necessary for successful collaborations in the final projects.
A visit to the Joint Research Center from the European Commission is envisaged. Furthermore, we will establish contact with the Inforscience and Science Communication department of ULB to study possible synergies with their activities. Their expertise can be useful to provide further insights to the participants.
Virtual part
The virtual component of the course will be running between 3 March - 2 July 2025.
Participants will be registered in the CIVIS Moodle Platform, where they will have access to the course calendar, the link to the meeting, as well as the before and after literature. The work requested by the lecturers will also be described there.
All lectures will take place on Wednesdays from 15:00 to 17:00 CET. It can be consulted in the attached document.
Requirements
This course is open to PhD's students at CIVIS member universities, with a C1 level in English.
Also, the participants should have skills such as:
- autonomous learning;
- problem recognition and analysis;
- communication knowledge area specific and general information clearly and effectively;
- capacity of analysis and synthesis;
- creativity;
- the ability to document reports with reliable information from historical sources;
- placing scientific results in a larger narrative structure.
NB: Visiting Students - Erasmus Funding Eligibility
To be eligible for your selected CIVIS programme, you must be a fully enrolled student at your CIVIS home university at the time you will be undertaking the programme. Click here to learn more about the eligibility criteria.
Students from CIVIS’ strategic partner universities in Africa cannot apply for participation in this course.
Application process
Send your application by filling in the online application form by 31 October 2024, including:
- Motivation letter
- Research projects outlines
The program is accepting up to 40 participants. In that context, if the number of applications exceeds the number of available places, the five collaborating universities will move forward with a selection process based on motivation, always compromising to achieve a balance of gender, research discipline and home university.
Assessment
Participants must attend at least 70% of seminars and workshops of the program and hand the practical work required from the lecturers to obtain the certificate of attendance and the credits.
On top of this, participants will be organized in pairs for a final project. This final project entitles different practical products, that is a podcast, video or interview, and a theoretical approach/reflection to it, a communication plan.
The evaluation will go as follows:
- 50% for attendance and delivery of practical work (minimum 70% attendance);
- 50% for the final project (only to be evaluated if the participants reach the minimum of attendance).
Blended Intensive Programme
This CIVIS course is a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP): a new format of Erasmus+ mobility which combines online teaching with a short trip to another campus to learn alongside students and professors across Europe. Click here to learn more about CIVIS BIPs.
GDPR Consent
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Dr. Marc Vanholsbeek, Université libre de Bruxelles - Department of Information and Communication Science (Faculty of Letters, Translation and Communication) holds a PhD in communication studies (scholarly communication and research evaluation) and has been training researchers at Université Libre de Bruxelles in science communication and media training for several years. He has taught speech skills and public debate to the students of the Master in communication studies at ULB. Dr. Vanholsbeek has extensive experience in the scientific environment, as well as in communication training in a variety of professional settings.
Dr. Ingrid van Marion, Université libre de Bruxelles, holds a PhD in Clinical Neuroscience and has a master's degree in science communication. She is a researcher at Université Libre de Bruxelles, working to create the Belgian Pandemic Intelligence Network. Her research interests include knowledge brokering, evidence-based policymaking and Communities of Practice. She is co-promoting the creation of BE.SciComm, a Belgian science communication association, fostering interaction between education, academic research and professional practices.
Dr. David Domingo, Université libre de Bruxelles - Department of Information and Communication Sciences (Faculty of Letters, Translation and Communication), is Chair of Journalism at the Université libre de Bruxelles. His research explores the adoption of technological innovations in journalism, the role of social networks in shaping the public sphere, and the relationship between scientists, journalists and citizens. He is member of the research laboratory LaPIJ on journalistic practices and identities.
Dr. Mircea Sava, University of Bucharest - Department of Journalism (Faculty of Journalism and Communication Studies), holds a PhD in Communication Studies, with a thesis on Popular Science. His research interests focus on the relations between popular culture and the public communication of science, investigating how popular science can be integrated as an efficient tool for science communication. He is also currently Director of Communications and Public Relations at the University of Bucharest, where he develops various science communication campaigns.
Dr. Mihnea Dobre, University of Bucharest - The Humanities division of the Research Institute of the University of Bucharest (ICUB-Humanities), is Academic Coordinator of the ICUB-Humanities. He is a historian of philosophy and science, working mainly on the early modern period. His research focuses on the relations between philosophy, science, and religion in the early modern period, but branches out to new scholarly approaches (Digital Humanities) and different ways of communication and dissemination or research results (Open Science). Dobre is book review editor at the "Centaurus," the Journal of the European Society for the History of Science (ESHS).
Paloma Banderas Bielicka, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid/ Filmociencia, is graduate in Physics (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, UAM), Director of Photography (Escuela de Cinematografía y Audiovisual de la Comunidad de Madrid, ECAM) and Expert in Public Communication and Science Dissemination (UAM). She worked in the field of Nanotechnology for three years, from 2005 to 2008, before deciding to work in the audiovisual world. Since 2008, he has worked as a technician in the lighting and camera department on numerous short films, television and advertising pieces. She has also worked for three years, from 2016 to 2018, as an expert in science communication at the Scientific Culture Unit of the Autonomous University of Madrid. She currently works as a project manager at Filmociencia, bringing together her two passions: film and science.
Luis Gómez Juanes, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid/ Filmociencia, is a filmmaker and screenwriter with a degree from the Escuela de Cinematografía de la Comunidad de Madrid (ECAM), a degree in Physics from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) and an expert in Public Communication and Science Dissemination (UAM). Luis is the author of several audiovisual projects for television and cinema, with selections in international festivals such as Barcelona, Thessaloniki or Moscow. In the scientific field, he has worked in a laboratory of new materials applied to renewable energies. As a physicist, communicator and educator, he has designed educational projects for the European Space Agency (ESA), the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN) and the National Museum of Science and Technology (MUNCYT), among others.
Alejandra Goded, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, graduated in astrophysics, works at the Tenerife’s Science and Cosmos Museum leading the dissemination strategy. She participates in European educational projects with scientific activities, adapted to school curriculum encouraging vocations and the critical spirit. Alejandra also coordinates “Planeta Ciencias” a science dissemination platform that offers camps, workshops and trips for groups to learn about science in a practical and innovative way.
Dr. Anastasia Doxanaki, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, has a degree in History and Archaeology from the Department of History and Archaeology at the University of Ioannina and an MA degree in Museum Studies from the University College London, UK. She has also a PhD in Museum Studies from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. For her graduate and PhD studies she was supported by the Greek State Scholarship Foundation. Her research interests are on archaeological museums, museums of science and technology, university museums, visitor studies, and cultural policy.
Dr. Christos Papatheodorou, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, received a B.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Computer Science, both from the Department of Informatics, Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece. In 2002 he joined the Dept. of Archives and Library Sciences, Ionian University, Corfu, Greece. In 2020 he joined the Dept. of History and Philosophy of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece. His research interests include Digital Humanities, Metadata interoperability, Digital Curation and Preservation, e-Science, Evaluation of Digital Libraries and Information Services, Personalized access to Digital Libraries and Internet, User Modeling and Web Mining. He is Editor of the International Journal of Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies.
Dr. Carmen Rodriguez, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, holds a degree in Political Science and Sociology from the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) and a PhD from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). She has carried out pre-doctoral and post-doctoral research stays at Boğazici University (Istanbul) and has taught at Istanbul Technical University on the formation of the Republic of Turkey. In Spain since 2006, she has been a contract researcher at the Taller de Estudios Internacionales Mediterráneos of the UAM and lecturer in the undergraduate studies of the University of London International Programmes, under the academic direction of the London School of Economics, taught in Spain by the Madrid Management Center, in the areas of Comparative Politics and European Union Politics and Policies. At the Complutense University of Madrid she has been Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science III in the area of Political Geography. Currently, she is a lecturer in the Department of Arab and Islamic Studies and Oriental Studies at the UAM.