Registration for our virtual ScienceWriters2020 is now open.
The ScienceWriters2020 program is a joint project of the National Association of Science Writers and the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing. The program and registration are now available at www.sciencewriters2020.org. Thanks to all of our volunteer session organizers, speakers, and beta testers who have helped craft an exciting/relevant/thoughtful program in this new virtual space.
We know that the most important thing to attendees year after year is networking. Our priority in planning this virtual meeting was finding a format and platform that would support this need. We also hoped to build a virtual ScienceWriters2020 that would be accessible to even more people than would typically be able to travel to an in-person conference.
In the end, our emphasis on creating formal networking experiences and enabling informal networking led us to choose Whova as our meeting platform. This platform most closely allows us to recreate the experience of bumping into a fellow attendee in the hallways of a conference center or arrange a meet-up with friends in the lobby.
Once registered (and even before the conference!), you will be invited to use the Whova app or website to see who’s coming, view the program, connect with speakers and attendees, set personal meetings, start your own discussion groups, and more. Once the conference starts, you will “enter” every session by connecting via Whova. For most sessions, Whova will seamlessly connect you to a Zoom session with the click of a button, a method that makes it easy on you and difficult for Zoom raiders. For other sessions, especially those focused on mentoring or interest group-based networking, you’ll find a link that takes you to Remo, a virtual networking environment. After the conference, attendees can use Whova to access recorded sessions for up to six months.
We will do our best to make your experience with ScienceWriters2020 one in which the technology unobtrusively enhances your experience so that you can focus on your colleagues, career, and community. Bring your willingness to engage and experiment, and we’ll see you online in October!
Grants available
Each year NASW offers a number of travel grants to help colleagues in need attend our ScienceWriters conference and other professional development opportunities. Even without the costs of travel, we realize that the difficulties of this year present unique challenges and hardships.
Are you in need of financial support to participate in ScienceWriters2020? Apply for a grant of up to $500 to cover registration fees, increase bandwidth, purchase a headset or other equipment, and/or assist with caregiving costs. Apply here no later than September 10. If sufficient funds remain, we will continue to accept applications on a rolling basis after September 10. You do not need to be a member to apply. Awardees who are eligible for student or regular membership will receive a complimentary membership.
Would you like to help support the science writing community? The Community Fund creates an additional way for NASW members to give to our community goals. By growing our funding base, we can further sustain the grant programs necessary to meet ongoing and new areas of encouragement. Please consider the fund by contributing the amount of a registration below or by contributing any amount via nasw.org/travel-fund-donation.
COVID-19 Science & Coverage: A free series for media and the public
In the leadup to ScienceWriters2020, we will be offering a free, three-part weekly series for members of the media and the public. Topics will include an analysis of COVID-19 coverage thus far, the challenges scientists and science writers face as the pandemic and politics converge, and how COVID affects children, families, and college students. The sessions, which will be held on Wednesdays, kick off on September 30. Stay tuned to nasw.org for details in the coming weeks.
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