Reserve your spot in the next Science Visualization course!

Registration for IAN's Science Visualization course (beginning September 7, 2016) is now open. This semester long course virtual will be taught over GoToMeeting. Get more information and register today by visiting IAN's Science Communication Course page.

Orinoco River Basin Report Card released in Bogota, Colombia

Orinoco River Basin Report Card was released in Bogota, Colombia.On July 6th, the Orinoco River Basin Report Card was released in Bogota, Colombia. Simon Costanzo and Alexandra Fries, along with partners from WWF US and WWF Colombia launched the report card at the Maloka Museum to over 100 attendees. The release included the report card results, several videos highlighting the Orinoco River, an interactive game on how well participants knew the river, and specialty foods from the Orinoco. Overall the report card was a huge success, and stakeholders in the region plan to continue using the report card and improving it over time by adding new indicators and data. To learn more, visit the report card website at orinocoriver.ecoreportcard.org.

Developing narrative skills with Randy Olson

The IAN team at USDA at Story Circle session with Randy OlsonThe IAN team joined scientists from US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and NASA for a July workshop facilitated by Randy Olson. The Story Circles Demo Day was facilitated by Randy, Jayde Lovell (TYT Network), and Mike Strauss (USDA). The ABT (…and…but…therefore…) format was introduced, along with the narrative spectrum and basic story circle tools. Randy has been collaborating with the IAN team to develop a Narrative Index, a quantitative metric for evaluating the narrative structure of science communication products. The workshop was fun, informative, and useful. The IAN team will be implementing a variety of narrative devices in future science communication products.

Future Earth Coasts meeting Taipei, Taiwan

Participants in the Future Earths Coasts meeting room in Taipei TaiwanHeath Kelsey attended the Future Earth Coasts Scientific Steering Committee, from July 21-26, in Taipei, Taiwan. Future Earth Coasts is a group of scientists working to achieve coastal sustainability worldwide. About 20 participants worked to advance the science implementation plan through drafting several papers that detail the crisis in coastal sustainability and outline science-based solutions. A key strategy is to foster fundamental change in the way science is conducted to be actively engaged in decision-making at all levels. The meeting was organized and expertly hosted by National Taiwan University, and resulted in a great sense of collaboration and impactful outputs.

Dave Yayac transitions to Web Designer at Chesapeake Bay Program

David Yayac becomes Web Designer at Chesapeake Bay ProgramDave has been a Web Development Intern with the Chesapeake Bay Program (CBP) since August 2015. He is a graduate of the Academy of Art University and completed his BFA in Web Design and New Media in December 2015. During his time in Annapolis, he has come to understand what the Chesapeake Bay means to those lucky enough to live in its watershed. He is excited to continue working with the CBP, UMCES, and IAN in his new role of Web Designer. He hopes to contribute engaging, easy to understand and visually appealing graphics and web designs to the work of these organizations. Dave calls Annapolis home and feels very lucky to have found such a great position, amazing team members, and beautiful location. If you would like to see more of his design work, check out his online portfolio at daveyayac.com.