Canadian flag

Bill Dennison speech to Latornell conference, Ontario, Canada: Part 7 - O Canada!

Bill Dennison · Science Communication | 

PART 7; O Canada! So my conclusions are that conservation deals with complex problems. I think of it as simple problems are like following a recipe. Complicated problems are like building a rocket to the moon. It's complicated, but you can do it over and over again if you do the equations and follow them. Complex problems are like raising a child. You don't always have complete control. It's not easy, and no two are alike.

Several basic steps are involved in producing report cards.

Bill Dennison speech to Latornell conference, Ontario, Canada: Part 6 - Five step program for environmental report cards

Bill Dennison · Environmental Report Cards | 

PART 6; Five step program for environmental report cards … Several basic steps are involved in producing report cards. Let me go through five steps of generating Report Cards that we've generated. And they are relatively simple and straightforward. First is to draw it, to create the conceptual framework. Second, is to choose the indicators. Third is to define the thresholds. Fourth is to calculate a scorecard. And fifth and most importantly, communicate it.

Chester River Report Card

Bill Dennison speech to Latornell conference, Ontario, Canada: Part 5 - Report card examples

Bill Dennison · Environmental Report Cards | Science Communication | 

PART 5; Report card examples … Another aspect that I think has a lot of similarities to Ontario right now with your thirty-six conservational authorities doing these Report Cards, is that first in some areas where you don't have a lot of resources, that citizens and scientists become a really powerful tool. And we've developed a coalition around these citizen and scientist groups. An example is the Chester River, and citizen science group call themselves the Chester Testers.

Chesapeake Bay Report Card

Bill Dennison speech to Latornell conference, Ontario, Canada: Part 4 - Environmental Report Cards

Bill Dennison · Environmental Report Cards | 

PART 4; Environmental Report Cards … Let me talk about one science communication tool that we've been developing, that we think is really powerful, and this is the Environmental Report Card. They're really powerful for three big reasons. One is they are a really good peer pressure motivator, because peer pressure motivates human change. The story I'll give here is the Chesapeake Bay Report Card.

Communicating science can lead to social change.

Bill Dennison speech to Latornell conference, Ontario, Canada: Part 3 - History of Science Communication

Bill Dennison · Science Communication | 

PART 3; History of Science Communication … There is a history of effective science communication that actually changed the world. If we think about the Copernican Revolution, Copernicus was a Polish astronomer, who published a book in 1543 on the movement of the Earth around the Sun, not the Sun around the Earth, which was the established belief at the time. And we call this the "Copernican Revolution".

Bill Dennison giving a keynote seminar at the Latornell conference.

Bill Dennison speech to Latornell conference, Ontario, Canada: Part 1 - Science Communication

Bill Dennison · Science Communication | 

PART 1; Science Communication … I can't believe you are all here at 7:45 am. What's the matter with you people? This is way too early. I actually have ten years experience at the University of Queensland teaching at eight o'clock lectures, so I know how to deal with you. My jokes will fall flat, I will not get any eye contact, and what eye contact I get will be bloodshot.

Group photo of participants at the Zanzibar workshop.

Zanzibar seems like a dream

Bill Dennison · Science Communication | 

Wandering through StoneTown, Sniffing the frying octopus, Admiring the elegant burkas, Zanzibar seems like a dream. Wading out to seaweed farms, Laughing with the monkeys, Feeding the sea turtles, Zanzibar seems like a dream. Meeting with villagers, Stopping at checkpoints, Smelling different spices, Zanzibar seems like a dream. Watching the Dhows drift in, Dancing under the stars, Relaxing by the pool, Zanzibar seems like a dream.

Conceptionary in action with Maricela de la Costa gesturing.

Notes from Zanzibar; Communicating science workshop

Bill Dennison · Science Communication | 

The workshop in Zanzibar was organized by a group of Swedish and African scientists. The role of our Integration and Application Network Science Communicators Kate Bentsen and Jane Hawkey, working with Guiseppe DiCarlo from Conservation International and myself, was to develop some training exercises and to produce a couple of science communication newsletters in a collaborative manner with workshop participants.

Bill wandering through Stone Town's streets.

Notes from Zanzibar; arrival

Bill Dennison ·

Zanzibar airport was a scene, as we crowded into a small room to painstakingly fill out forms for our missing bags. The forms had to be filled out by hand with several carbon copies by a fellow at the airport as we attempted to communicate the changes in our itinerary. Missing our bags also led to a shopping adventure which we undertook once we checked into the hotel and had a shower.