Wild & Scenic Film Festival poster.

Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival

Bill Dennison ·
5 December 2013
Science Communication |     1 comments

I attended a fundraiser event, sponsored by the Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy at the Avalon Theatre in Easton Maryland on 22 November. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival was started in 2003 by a watershed advocacy group based in California, the South Yuba River Citizens League. This group holds an annual three day event in Nevada City, CA, but then sponsors a one night festival which has spread to over 100 communities nationally.

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Constellations visible in the Northern Hemisphere. Credit: NASA

Ten classic conceptual diagrams: Powerful examples of communicating knowledge

Bill Dennison ·
3 December 2013
Science Communication |     1 comments

Classic conceptual diagrams are those 'thought drawings' that have been judged over time to be effective ways to communicate knowledge. Classic diagrams are emulated repeatedly and appear in text books and in popular media. In order to select a diverse top ten list from many worthy candidates, I selected a representative diagram from different fields of study. The list is presented in chronological order, with the first conceptual diagrams at the beginning of the list. 1. Astronomy:

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Randy Olson (left) and Bill Dennison (right)

Presentation dialog

Bill Dennison ·
27 November 2013
Science Communication |     1 comments

Bill has important scientific data AND it is highly relevant BUT he is boring the audience THEREFORE Randy interrupts to improve Bill's presentation... Following the science communication session at the CERF 2013 conference, I was inspired to write this script of an imaginary conversation between me and Randy Olson.

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David Balcom, Tom Miller, Bill Dennison and Dave Nemazie (left to right) addressing the attendees at the UMCES party.

UMCES Soiree at CERF 2013

Bill Dennison ·
25 November 2013
Science Communication | 

For the past 7 CERF conferences, UMCES has held a mixer for current and past UMCES faculty, students and staff. It has proven to be a very nice event to reconnect with a variety of people who have the common UMCES lineage that have gathered together at these biennial conferences held in different locations around the country. David Balcom, Tom Miller, Bill Dennison and Dave Nemazie (left to right) addressing the attendees at the UMCES party.

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The Fish Shack in Annapolis, MD.

Chesapeake Address

Bill Dennison ·
21 November 2013
Science Communication | 

On the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln and the thirtieth anniversary of the establishment of the Chesapeake Bay Program, I thought it would be appropriate to make a short speech to our Science and Technical Analysis and Reporting gathering today.

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CERF 2013 program cover.

Discussing science communication at CERF2013

Bill Dennison ·
19 November 2013
Science Communication | 

We had a large contingent of IAN folks attend the 22nd Biennial Conference of the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation conference in San Diego, California. The conference was titled "Toward resilient coasts and estuaries, science for sustainable solutions". Bill Nuttle, Health Kelsey, Caroline Wicks and I co-chaired a session "Science communication strategies for ecosystem-based management". CERF 2013 program cover.

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Akyaka, Turkey, a seaside town on the Aegean Sea.

Aegean Sea field trip: Egyptian sand, seagrass, marine sanctuaries, cruising

Bill Dennison ·
14 November 2013
Science Communication | 

We drove from our Marmarsis hotel on the south side of the Marmasis peninsula fronting the Mediterranean Sea to Akyaka, over to the north side of the Marmasis peninsula to fronting the Aegean Sea. Akyaka was a cute little seaside village. The most striking thing that I noticed on the drive was the abundance of solar hot water heaters on the roofs of the houses. It seemed that almost every house had solar hot water panels, and there were also some photovoltaic units as well.

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Conference banquet dinner.

MEDCOAST 2013 and EMECS 10 conference: Turkish baths, Red Sox baseball, new colleagues

Bill Dennison ·
12 November 2013
Science Communication | 

The Environmental Management of Enclosed Coastal Seas (EMECS) was established to share knowledge between the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, Chesapeake Bay, U.S.A., the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. MEDCOAST is the Mediterranean Coastal Foundation, which has been working toward the sound coastal management practices in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea countries. These organizations came together to produce a combined conference program. Drs.

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Bill Dennison, Alex Fries, Caroline Wicks and Bill Nuttle at the top of the Philosopher's Walk on the University of Toronto campus.

Science communication and integration with Environment Canada

Bill Dennison ·
5 November 2013
Science Communication | 

Along with Caroline Wicks and Alex Fries, I traveled to Toronto, Canada for a three day workshop with Environment Canada. We also met up with Bill Nuttle, who took a train down from Ottawa. We conducted a science communication and integration workshop with various Environment Canada staff based in the Toronto area. Bill Dennison, Alex Fries, Caroline Wicks and Bill Nuttle at the top of the Philosopher's Walk on the University of Toronto campus.

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