Conceptual Diagram workshop held at the Technical Communication Summit
The Society of Technical Communication (STC) invited IAN to conduct a workshop at their 55th Annual Technical Communication Summit in Philadelphia, PA from June 1-4. Thirty-five conference attendees joined IAN science communicators Joanna Woerner and Caroline Wicks for a workshop called "Conceptual Diagrams: Tools for effective science communication." Professionals from the environmental science, medical, pharmaceutical, computer, financial, and engineering fields learned how to synthesize and integrate data through conceptual diagrams. This workshop, based on concepts presented in the "Effective Science Communication Course," consisted of a brief lecture, group discussion, and conceptionary—an interactive drawing exercise where participants practice using symbols to convey complex information.
Environmental report cards: A tool for better management, monitoring, and research
Environmental report cards are an important tool for integrating assessments of ecosystem health and for communicating scientific understanding to decision-makers and the general public. This poster won a prize in the public poster category at the recent Land Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone (LOICZ) conference in Cape Town, South Africa. It describes the impact that effective environmental report cards can have on management, monitoring, and research, as well as detailing the five step process used to develop a report card.
IAN Image Library now with over 2,000 images
The IAN Image and Video Library is a searchable database of over 2,000 high-resolution images and other media files. Images are browsable by categories, but are also indexed by title, description, and keywords to make searching easy. Advanced search options include searching by media type (photos, satellite images, vector graphics, maps, animations, videos), orientation (portrait, landscape, panorama), image dimensions/resolution, and age. The library focuses primarily on Chesapeake Bay and surroundings, but we also have images from Alaska to Florida, and as far afield as Australia and Palau. All images are available cost- and royalty-free. You are also encouraged to submit your images for inclusion in the library to help expand this resource.
Science Communication Course for Chesapeake Bay Program staffers
The Integration and Application Network taught their Communicating Science Effectively course to the Chesapeake Bay Program staffers on Tuesday April 29. Jane Thomas and Jane Hawkey, along with Bill Dennison, instructed the course to the 11 staffers in the Annapolis Synthesis Center. The staffers are participating in the three-year Chesapeake Research Consortium's Fellowship Program. The courses provided an engaging opportunity for the staffers to learn science communication skills and techniques. For future courses, please check the course website or email us to enquire about costs of a custom course.