It’s been a busy semester at the UC Center for Public Engagement with Science (PEWS)! Read on to learn about what PEWS has been up to this past Fall, and what we’re looking forward to in the Spring.
Events
Our first major event of the Fall 2024 semester was a panel discussion titled “Reporting on Science in an Era of Misinformation,” organized by PEWS faculty affiliate Jenny Wohlfarth. This panel brought together scientists and journalists for a discussion on how news media cover scientific topics in an era plagued with misinformation and disinformation. Watch a video of the event here!
Two Climate Justice World Café webinars connected University of Cincinnati scholars with UC’s sister universities: the University of Johannesburg (in the October webinar) and the University of Bordeaux (in the December webinar). These international and interdisciplinary conversations were organized and facilitated by PEWS faculty affiliate Carlie Trott.
In a public lecture on “Changing How People Think and Act on Climate Change,” presenter Matthew Goldberg from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication discussed climate change communication opportunities, success stories, and tools for thinking about how we generate the understanding and motivation needed to address climate change. This event was organized by PEWS faculty affiliate Abel Gustafson.
Education and Outreach
This semester saw another successful rendition of the Sharing Science Experience workshop, a two-day workshop (offered twice each Fall) which provided UC graduate students with an introduction to public engagement with science through hands-on experience at the Cincinnati Museum Center. These workshops are the first of PEWS’ three-level interdisciplinary Engaging Science curriculum series, which culminates in the Engaging Science Fellowships.
PEWS hosted a weekly R&D (Research and Discussion) group, which enjoyed lively discussions on public engagement with science led by faculty affiliate Eduardo Martinez. Next semester’s R&D schedule will include topics such as the ethics of genomics research, philosophy and the neuroscience of music, World Wetlands Day, and global health research on transplant services. All are welcome!
Our monthly Science Harvest outreach program brought hands-on activities and demonstrations to families at the Northside Farmers Market. This semester’s activities included a “Meet your Animal Neighbors” guessing game and craft, a stratigraphy demonstration that used colored sand and mini dinosaurs to explain geological time scales, and an experiment showing why oil and water don’t mix.
PEWS also ran an Elevator Pitch workshop for Postdocs at the Faculty Enrichment Center. This workshop helped early career scholars from a variety of fields develop the difficult skill of describing their research in a way that is accessible, engaging, and quick!
Tabling and Networking
PEWS was lucky to participate in several UC tabling and networking events, including the Graduate Student Orientation Resource Fair, the Graduate College’s CoLabEx symposium, and the College of Arts and Sciences’ Discovery in Action Showcase. PEWS also hosted a coffee and donuts event for graduate students interested in getting involved with PEWS.
New Collaborators and Projects
PEWS is excited to have welcomed six new faculty affiliates, four new graduate interns, and five new community partners this semester!
In other exciting news, four of our faculty affiliates (Carlie Trott, Sangyong Cho, Amy Townsend-Small, and Melinda Butsch Kovacic) were awarded the NIH P20 Climate Change and Health Exploratory Center Grant, receiving $4 million in funding from 2024 to 2027. Amy Townsend-Small was selected as this year’s Provost Fellow for Sustainability. Carlie Trott was named PEWS’ Sustainability Director. Sangyong Cho led a series of successful site planning workshops which brought together academic partners and community organizations to shape climate resilience-focused urban development through spatial analytics and urban design.
Looking ahead to Spring 2025
Join us in the Spring semester for a week of events about the environment and sustainability, including a public lecture, film festival, and more! The week runs from January 27th – February 1st, 2025, and is organized by the UC Office of Sustainability, the School of Environment and Sustainability (SEaS), Student Government, and PEWS. Stay tuned for the full schedule!
Want to be involved with PEWS in the new year? Get in touch!
