Science Media Centre

“Be clear and direct” was the core advice from Hon Steven Joyce, Minister of Science and Innovation, to the delegates at the joint PCST / Science Communicators Association of New Zealand conference in Christchurch. Mr Joyce gave the minister’s address at the conference yesterday, reflecting on the importance of science communication. You can listen to [...]

The New Zealand Research Honours Dinner, an annual awards evening celebrating top New Zealand researchers, was held in Auckland this week. Professor Margaret Brimble from the University of Auckland School of Chemistry was honoured by receiving not one but three medals at the annual Research Honours Dinner , which was held in the Auckland Museum [...]

At the recent Transit of Venus forum held in Gisborne the engaging and energetic discussions were overshadowed by one thing only – the absence of Professor Sir Paul Callaghan, who conceived the forum. Sir Paul passed away in March, leaving a huge gap in New Zealand science as someone who could comment with authority on [...]

The Nelson Mail‘s Sarah Young reports on Professor Glenn McGregor’s presentation at the 34th Annual Meteorological Conference, in which he called on scientists to step up on issues like climate change. An excerpt (read in full here): Scientists urged to be outspoken Society needs to take more responsibility for its effect on the climate – [...]

An article published in the New Zealand Herald highlights the battle between scientists and sceptics, with NASA scientist James Hansen noting that increasing scientific evidence is competing with industry spin. Jim Hansen toured New Zealand earlier this year, singling out lignite mining as an industry New Zealand must abandon if it aims to reach it [...]

This weekend, Radio New Zealand’s Kim Hill caught up with Vincent Heeringa – Director of Tangible Media Ltd, co-founder of Idealog, director of AUT Media, and a member of the advisory board of the Science Media Centre. Kim spoke with Vincent on a section of her show called Playing Favourites, in which she quizzes public [...]

Following the Canterbury earthquakes, scientists have been working hard to provide clear and accurate information for the people of Christchurch. Reporting for The Press, Vivki Anderson captured the thoughts of Dr Kelvin Berryman (GNS Science) on science communication. An excerpt (read in full here): Don’t blame the scientists – it’s not their fault. When Dr [...]

In a session at this week’s Climate futures: Pathways for society forum in Wellington, a panel of science writers and journalists wrestled with what the best advice might be to give climate scientists seeking to reach out to the public. Science historian Erik Conway — co-author of the recent book ‘Merchants of Doubt’ — opened with [...]

At this morning’s SCANZ conference in Auckland, the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, gave a speech about the ever-increasing importance (and difficulty) of the interaction between scientists, media, policy makers, politicians and the public. The full transcript is available below. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you. I want to [...]

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