A true double-edged sword of the digital age is the massive accessibility of scientific information to the public, also termed the infodemic. On one end, this infodemic could raise more knowledgeable and developed societies. On the other one, it could (and usually does unfortunately) lead to plenty of misinformation, or worse yet, disinformation.
Case in point: the COVID-19 pandemic.
Till this day, conspiracy theorists manipulate and fabricate scientific data to claim that vaccines are dangerous or that the pandemic is not even real.
Because the stakes in such circumstances are simply too high, certain experts must step in to neutralize these conspiracy theories and educate the public about the gigabytes of information they consume daily.
And that is exactly the super power of the professionals we know as Science Communicators!
Some of them are originally scientists themselves while others come from journalistic backgrounds. But, all science communicators share the purpose of standing up to twisted narratives and the passion for simplifying the complexities of scientific material to non-experts without ever compromising accuracy.
This might be your first time hearing about the term ‘science communicators’. However, you most probably have witnessed their crafts in action before on popular channels like Kurzgesagt and TED-Ed.
Thankfully, the Arab world also has its own strong community of influential science communicators in various fields that take initiative and release helpful content. Even better, most of them are keen on giving back and teaching their invaluable skills to science communication beginners.
They do that through platforms like the Arab Forum of Science Media and Communication.
As the name implies, the innovative forum is a virtual gathering of Arab science communicators and a remarkable opportunity for upstarts to attend eye-opening talks and workshops about the fundamentals of science communication – all delivered in Arabic.
The second annual Arab Forum of Science Media and Communication will take place this year from the 26th to the 28th of February. Once again, as a leading collective of diligent Arab scientists all over the world, SASTA will be a proud partner of the forum.
While the list of speakers for this year’s edition has yet to be revealed, last year’s speakers included Molecular Biologist and SASTA President Dr. Rana Dajani, Astrophysicist and creator of the Ta’amal Ma’i Youtube channel Dr. Nidhal Guessoum, and Virologist and creator of the Virol Vlog Youtube channel Dr. Islam Hussein, among other distinguished speakers with varying expertise in science communication.
Aside from the vital content to be delivered, a tangible benefit of attending the forum is to network with speakers and attendees. With such illustrious speakers and 500+ curious attendees at the same place, many exciting career opportunities are bound to emerge.
Tickets to the Arab Forum of Science Media and Communication come in 3 convenient tiers to match the different levels of interest of attendees. And as mentioned, the forum will be entirely virtual to make it really easy for attendees to learn from really insightful content.
If you have not yet, you can visit the forum’s website to learn more and secure your tickets. We cannot wait to meet you all at the Arab Forum of Science Media and Communication!
Comentarios