We’re planning on a fantastic hybrid meeting this year! The in-person sessions will happen in Memphis (third time’s a charm?) October 21-25 in collaboration with our CASW partners and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
There will be plenty of fabulous virtual NASW sessions for those who are not able to attend. Virtual sessions will be developed especially for a virtual audience, and most will happen outside of the October 21-25 range so that attendees can attend virtual and in-person events if they choose.
Program information will be available at ScienceWriters2022.org in early August, and registration will open in mid-August. We’ll once again be using the Whova app to connect virtual and in-person attendees with events, speakers, and each other. Within a day of registering for the conference, you’ll have access to the app, which features the ability for any attendee to create video meetups with up to 30 people. App access continues for six months post-conference.
We need your help creating great NASW craft-focused sessions, CASW “Science + Science Writing” sessions, and plenaries.
Read on for details and submit your proposals by March 17 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.
Submit an NASW session proposal
Each year, the NASW Programs Committee works hard to develop a slate of professional development sessions that reflects the broad and varied interests of our membership. The chosen sessions directly reflect the depth, breadth, and quality of proposals received.
Topics and audience
We rely on your efforts to ensure a diversity of topics so that all members—educators, journalists, public information officers, staffers, freelancers, students, writers, editors, broadcasters, podcasters, early career, late career, new members, and veterans—can find something to fit their needs. Sessions can be targeted at a specific experience level (e.g., a master class or a workshop for beginners); a specific job role (e.g., investigative journalists, multimedia producers, institutional writers, or freelance editors); a specific type of writing or practice area (e.g., narratives, infographics, news writing, or profiles); or they can be creatively designed in such a way as to be more broadly applicable to the larger mission and shared interests of all NASW members.
Format
We encourage applicants to consider different session formats. Please also consider whether your proposal would work best as an in person or virtual session. (For an idea of previous session offerings, visit the archived program at ScienceWriters2020.org and ScienceWriters2021.org.)
Speakers
In addition to encouraging diversity in topics, the Programs Committee seeks a wide range of voices on the program at ScienceWriters2022. While we realize that applicants may not be able to confirm panelists before a proposal has been accepted, proposals should demonstrate that thought has been given toward identifying potential speakers, with the following guidelines in mind to support a diverse and inclusive conference:
- As a general rule, speakers should appear in only one session.
- We strongly encourage proposals that include speakers who have not participated in recent sessions.
- We aim to create a program whose participants are diverse in multiple facets. Sessions need not be panels. Any proposed panels should include speakers from - underrepresented groups and showcase diversity in job roles (both within and outside the field of science writing) and geographic location (both within and outside the U.S.). Any proposed session with a panel that lacks in diversity will not be scored highly.
- Limited funding is available for speaker travel to attract those who would not normally attend or in cases where there is financial need.
The experience
Organizing a workshop can be a fun and valuable experience that connects you with science writers and experts in other fields. You don't need to be an expert yourself. Consider volunteering your time today to make an idea reality. Successful proposals will be notified by the end of April. Details of the session and confirmed speaker list will be due in June. Organizers and speakers receive complimentary registration to the meeting.
Deadline
Submit by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on March 17.
Curious about what makes a great proposal? Check out this resource from the Program Committee.
Propose a "Science and Science Writing" session
Science writers are invited to propose a special session to discuss challenges or issues in covering science as part of CASW’s New Horizons in Science program. Drawing on current topics in the news, "S+SW" sessions are intended as case studies of issues at the intersection of science, communication, and journalism. They also are intended to provide opportunities for open conversation between scientists and writers on topics that are controversial, ethically fraught, or otherwise difficult. Up to three selected sessions will be interwoven with the New Horizons science presentations.
Guidelines
- CASW plans for Science + Science Writing sessions to be given in person. If budget permits, a session may be webcast with questions taken online or recorded for later viewing.
- Proposed presenters should include both scientists and science writers/communicators and can include discussants from outside those communities. Diverse—even divergent—voices, identities, opinions, and perspectives will make for a more engaging and fruitful discussion. Include affiliations, links to personal websites, and notes about the distinct perspective each speaker will bring to the topic. Indicate whether speakers have been contacted and have agreed to participate.
- Submissions should explain why the topic proposed is both interesting and timely in its own right and why it will serve as a case study that has broader relevance for science writers covering other fields.
- S+SW session organizers will be expected to moderate their session or to propose a moderator, who will be responsible for holding speakers to their allotted times. The CASW New Horizons Program Director will work with session moderators and speakers to refine the session plan, make necessary arrangements, and help manage the session. CASW will reimburse session participants for selected travel costs if they do not have other support for their travel to ScienceWriters2021. Organizers and moderators receive complimentary registration.
Additional guidelines, advice, and examples and recordings of past S+SW sessions are available on the submission page: https://casw.submittable.com/submit/217292/sciencescience-writing-session-proposals-for-sciencewriters2022.
Deadline
Submit at https://casw.submittable.com/submit/217292/sciencescience-writing-session-proposals-for-sciencewriters2022 by 11:59 p.m. Eastern on March 17.
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