ScienceOnline09

Blog and Media Coverage

2009-01-06T23:02:26Z

Blog and Media Coverage

Gender in science

2009-01-06T21:41:19Z

Gender in science — online and offline

This session is moderated by Suzanne Franks, Abel Pharmboy and Alice Pawley:

How to get and make allies? What allies can and should be doing? How the Web provides new methods and means for action and effecting positive change.

Discuss:

Alice says:

So some of us have been having a conversation by email about the title of this session. On one hand, the parallel session (I understand) last year was supposed to be on gender AND race (as of course the two go together, along with other identities too) but people tended to focus on the “gender” portion; hence they were broken into 2 sessions this year. On the other hand, if the session is to be about allies, it seems to me we really HAVE to bring in other identity characteristics, particularly including race. Co-organizers, would you like to weigh in publicly? Others, do you have thoughts? Also of interest to me is how we can support an important discussion on intersectionality as a concept, as well as not “taking over” the content of the session being run by Danielle…

Abel sez:

We’ve been having a lively discussion on the blogs as to what constitutes an ally and how to enlist allies without worrying if they feel uncomfortable at first. Most readers at Terra Sig tell me that men need to hear, understand, and appreciate the anger and exasperation of women in the academy while a small minority have expressed concern that they might feel alienated as an ally – are the latter even worthy then of being cultivated as an ally?

Regarding Alice’s query, I agree that other identity characteristics will unavoidably enter into the discussion, not only race/geographical origin but also LGBT issues. I don’t view this section as taking over Danielle’s session but, as I noted there, this is a GoodThing to have this broader discussion over two sessions rather than be crammed into one as it was last year. but then again, feel free to tell me I’m full of crap.

12/15/08 Alice says:

Abel, you’re not full of crap. :-) So in terms of how this unconference idea works, is it a good idea to have a series of guiding questions in the back pocket to help with this discussion? I’m going to also post the question on our blog — should have done this a while ago, I guess.

One item it might be interesting to also click in to is how non-pseudonymous bloggers can help pseudonymous bloggers and vice versa. Not trying to muscle in on SW and KH’s session, but some past posts have suggested pseudonymous/non-pseudonymous bloggers have different things they can say. I don’t know, what do y’all think?

One last thing: do you think it’s worth changing the title of this session? Like “Allies in science: gender, race, sexuality and more in blogging”?

I’ve opened up these and other queries to our readers here.

DNLee says

I was posting about increasing diversity in the sciences at my sight and had a commentor say some interesting things about gender equity, too. check it out here.

1/3/09 Alice says:

Thanks DNLee, good post! We definitely should spend some time somewhere talking about resources, or supportive organizations… did your article come out in the American?

Okay, we’re getting down to the wire here for planning. Some brainstorming thoughts:

On our blog, the question of “who is an ally” came up, in terms of the definition of what an ally is. We could start with a discussion about people’s definitions.

What about going around the room and asking a) for introductions, then b) for an example of when they could have used an ally but no one stepped forward? Then perhaps a second circle asking people when they’ve acted as an ally for someone else – a friend, family member, or stranger?

How can we keep the conversation going afterwards? Can we set up a blog circle or something, with people contributing posts when they head back home?

Can we use the session to write a manifesto about supporting underrepresented bloggers online? Or is that a bad idea?

1/4/09 acmegirl says:

I don’t know about a manifesto, Alice, but I’d love to have some discussion of the different concerns that underrepresented bloggers may have. For instance, we may have different reasons for wanting to write under a pseudonym, and yet it might be harder for us to maintain the separation between our pseudonym and our “true identity”. Maybe going into how a blogger can create a safe space for commentary/discussion that doesn’t shut down contibutions from anyone?

Relevant blog posts (add yours here!):

Abel at Terrasigillata
Alice at Sciencewomen, 12/15/08
Alice at Sciencewomen, 1/4/09

Saturday Dinner

2009-01-06T21:29:25Z

Dinner at the Radisson

The dinner on Saturday, after the entire day of sessions, will be at the Radisson Hotel across the street from Sigma Xi, where many of the guests are staying.

We have negotiated with the hotel for a nice buffet menu for $34, taxes and gratuity included.

Bar will have to be a cash bar but we’ll get good, inexpensive wine from our local experts the Wine Authorities.

Anton Zuiker
Bora Zivkovic
David Kroll
Janet Stemwedel
Erin Davis
Cathy Davies
Björn Brembs
Diana Pauly
Evelyn Lynge
James Hrynyshyn
Jennifer Williams
gg
Suzanne Franks
Katherine Haxton
Eva Amsen
Samia Ansari
Alex Lee
Bob O’Hara
Grrlscientist (??)
Elissa Hoffman
Sciencewoman
acmegirl
Anne-Marie
Corie Lok
Bill Hooker
John Dupuis
Sam Dupuis
Sol Lederman
Tom Levenson
Jason Robertshaw
Kevin Zelnio
Victor Henning
Megan Scudellari
Melissa Anley-Mills
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Lab Tours

2009-01-06T21:27:08Z

Lab Tours

Science lab and museum tours
We asked scientists from around the Triangle to host host small groups of science bloggers for tours of their research labs on Friday, Jan 16, 2pm – 4pm. Bring your curiosity, questions, notebooks and cameras – then use your blogs to spread the science.

For these tours, small groups will carpool to a location and spend 1-2 hours learning from research scientists. CHOOSE ONLY ONE tour, please. All tours are scheduled to occur at the same time: 2pm – 4pm

We’ve arranged for groups of 5-20 conference attendees to visit these local science labs to get an introduction to the research and resources at that particular lab:

1. Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise (BRITE) at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) – This new, 52,000 sq ft research center was established by the state’s GoldenLEAF Foundation and dedicated in 2008 to further encourage economic development and provide incumbent worker retraining for North Carolina’s for 450 biotechnology companies and other research organizations. Offering B.S. and M.S. programs in Pharmaceutical Sciences, students at NCCU BRITE learn from professors who have worked previously in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and now maintain NIH-funded research programs. Situated on one of the most historic HBCU campuses in the South, the programs are also committed to increasing the representation of minorities in the biomedical sciences. Bloggers and other attendees will have the opportunity to interact with scientists in the high-throughput drug screening facility and learn about the technical obstacles in transitioning biologic pharmaceuticals to less-expensive generic versions. The tour will be led by David J Kroll, NCCU Chair of Pharmaceutical Sciences and contributor to the blog, Science-Based Medicine. This tour is scheduled from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Please contact David directly at dkroll@nccu.edu.

DIRECTIONS: David will pick up folks at the Radisson if needed. Otherwise, use 302 E Lawson St, Durham, NC 27707 for Google Maps: from the Radisson, click here. As you travel east on Lawson Street, the BRITE building will be on the left hand side. Park in any non-reserved spot in the upper or lower parking lots on the left. Come up the large stairwell adjacent and check in with the Institute receptionist who will also have parking tags for you. If lost, call David at (919) 210-7138.

1. Evelyn Lynge
2. Janet Stemwedel
3. Jonathan E. Tarr
4. Victor Henning
5. Eva Amsen

2. North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, a tour and a behind-the-scenes look led by Roy Campbell, the Director of Exhibits.

1. Bora Zivkovic
2. Stacy Baker
3. student from Miss Baker’s class
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6. student from Miss Baker’s class
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8. student from Miss Baker’s class
9. student from Miss Baker’s class
10. student from Miss Baker’s class
11. parent/chaperone for Miss Baker’s class
12. parent/chaperone for Miss Baker’s class
13. Elissa Hoffman (assuming flight gets in on time – scheduled to arrive RDU at noon)
14. Robyn Walker
15. Carlos Hotta
16. Paula Signorini
17. Molly Keener
18.Patty Gainer
19.Kim Gainer
20.Sol Lederman

*Is a “waiting list” possible for the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences?
If so i’d love to be 21 (again – ha) Melissa Anley-Mills

3. Duke University Smart Home
Check out the $2 million Smart Home, a living lab and dormitory for ten Duke students to live relatively sustainable and super high tech lifestyles, flushing toilets with rainwater and wearing RFID tags so each room knows who they are and what they’d like to listen to. (PS – the house has 4 Gig fiber optic cable in every room, making it the fastest dorm on the planet!)

DIRECTIONS: Ask for the student giving the tour at 2 p.m. Smart Home is pretty obvious on one-block long Faber Street, off of Swift Avenue on Duke’s Central Campus. (Swift is an exit off of 147 in Durham – Coming from RTP, turn Left at the top of the ramp on Swift. Two blocks to Faber on left. Parking is available on the street in front of the home, or in the parking lot just across the street. Refer to Duke University’s Campus Map for more detailed directions. Enter “Smart Home” in the search field at the top of the page.

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4. Duke Lemur Center
Meet your prosimian relatives.

DIRECTIONS: Step into Lemur Landing, the gift shop/tour center and ask for Sarah Zehr and Anne Yoder. Take Cameron Blvd (751) west from Duke campus, under 15-501. (Coming from RTP, take 147 through Durham and follow signs for 15-501 SOUTH (chapel hill). Exit Cameron Blvd/751, go right.) At the traffic circle go 270 degrees around, which puts you on Erwin. Within 100 yards, there’s a road to the left LEMUR LANE – take it all the way to the end, through some gates, just keep going until you hit a parking lot.

1. gg – Anyone else up for lemurs?

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Early Bird Dinner

2009-01-06T21:22:04Z

Thursday night Early Bird dinner

At Town Hall Grill (map) – at 6pm. (Note that Town Hall Grill is in Chapel Hill – Bora’s hood – and it’s a good drive from the Radisson Hotel, so please plan your travel to this event accordingly.)

The owners are keen on reading the reviews of the dinner on your blogs – they will link to them from their webpage. So please consider venturing into foodblogging for a day, if you don’t do it already.

If you are interested in having dinner together with other local and early-arriving participants, please edit this wiki page and add your name (and note if you need a ride or can offer a ride – meet at 5:30pm in the Radisson lobby):

1. Bora Zivkovic – will be happy to drive 3-4 people between Radisson Hotel and Town Hall Grill that night – write your carpooling offers or needs on this page.
2. Anton Zuiker
3. Daniel Brown
4. Samia Ansari – need a ride!
5. Alex K Lee – I’ll need a ride to the dinner. Not sure when I’ll actually get to the hotel (after baggage pickup & shuttle), but I’m scheduled to arrive at RDU @ 5:40pm. (Alex, get a taxi and join us when you can. BZ)
6. Brian Switek
7. Paul Medina – can fit 3 more people in my tiny car :)
8. Tom Linden
9. Jason Robertshaw (cephalopodcast)
10.Larry Boles (can drive 2-3)
11. Jayme Corbell
12. Blake Stacey
13. Björn Brembs – at the Radisson, in need of a ride
14. Diana Pauly – at the Radisson, in need of a ride
15. Katy Haxton – weather and airlines permitting, should arrive late afternoon. Staying at the Raddison, and in need of a ride for dinner!
16. Henry Gee
17. Danica Radovanovic, at the Radisson – need a ride! thanks
19. Peter Lipson
20. Sol Lederman (my flight is expected to arrive at 4:00 so I should make it on time)
21. Cameron Neylon – flying in around 5pm so a lift (or a taxi share) from hotel to Town Hall would be great
22. Danielle N. Lee
23. gg if needed, I can fit 3 in my car
24. ScienceWoman (maybe)
25. Jonathan E.Tarr
26. Carlos Hotta. Staying at the Raddison, and in need of a ride for dinner!
27. Paula Signorini. Also staying at the Raddison, and in need of a ride for dinner!
28. Megan Scudellari
29. Melissa Anley-Mills (will likely need a ride, please)
30.
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NOTE: this dinner is limited to 30 people – if you decide at a later date to do something else, please delete your name to open up a spot for someone else.
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Thursday night after-dinner drinks at the Radisson

For those of us getting in Thursday night but not early enough to make the dinner at Town Hall Grill, let’s try to meet for a drink at the hotel bar. Maybe around 9? (Of course, folks who are going to the dinner are also cordially invited to drink with the late-early arrivals, too!) — Janet Stemwedel

I’m gonna do both. Looking forward to a drink without kids.—PalMD

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Art and science

2009-01-06T04:18:57Z

Art and science — online and offline

This session is moderated by Glendon Mellow:

Art is not just illustration. And it is not the opposite of science (“Two Cultures”). How can the two work together and help each other?

Discuss:

Glendon’s notes:
(Edit: I’ve moved my original notes to a blog post.)

Links can be found on my blog to these examples. I’ll try to reproduce the linkage here.

5 types of science-related art
Here are some rough categories of science-related art for use as starting points. (My bias is showing: many are biology related.)

1. Scientific Illustration – Examples: Carl Buell, Michael Skrepnick, Emily Damstra, , Albrecht Durer, James Gurney, many artists’ work at the Guild of Natural Scientific Illustrators.

2. Science Fine Art & Design – Examples: Felice Frankel, Wim Delvoye (Cloaca), Marc Quinn (blood portrait sculpture).

3. Art inspired by scientific subjects – Examples: Dali’s Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus), my own work, Archimboldo.

4. Art inspired by scientific technique – Examples: op art, trompe l’oeil, Man Ray, Holbein

5. Speculative science art & science fiction – Examples: Nemo Ramjet, Speculative Dinosaur Project, some Dougal Dixon books, Wayne Barlowe.

Discussion questions:

-Is art parasitic on science? Does art ever inspire science or lead science to new areas of inquiry?

-Is art about science beneficial to the public or confusing issues in science?

-Art is often based on allegory and symbols, by their nature inaccurate; science often strives for accuracy and precision. Is it possible to make wholly accurate art?

-Should it be possible to inject more skepticism into the often ‘New Agey’ art world of artistic subjects? Technique often relies on innovative technologies, media and materials; should this be a starting point?

-How much scientific content is there in your local art gallery? Is science obviously intended as villain, savior, or inspiration?

Science Fiction on Science Blogs

2009-01-06T02:16:05Z

Science Fiction on Science Blogs?

This session is moderated by Stephanie Zvan and Peggy Kolm:

Science fiction has inspired curiosity and enthusiasm in generations of children. How can science bloggers draw on SF’s power to entertain and educate? What science can we find in fiction beyond the old multi-page calculations of rocket trajectories? What does the practice of science look like in SF? In the past, scientists like Asimov and Clarke were the ones writing SF. Who’s producing the good stuff these days, and what makes a good bad example? Many modern SF writers blog too. What opportunities exist for cross-promotion and educating the writers? And which bloggers are already doing it all right?

Discuss:

Hey, all. Help us make sure that we’re not leaving you and your interests out. Let us know if there are questions you’re dying to know the answer to that aren’t listed above. Tell us what disciplines you’re interested in seeing represented. Biology and physics are common in science fiction, but what else? What will make this panel the most helpful to you?

And just for fun, what’s your favorite bad example in SF?

—Stephanie

Bad examples? Oooh. I bet we could make Greg Egan wince by bringing up the bad quantum physics in Quarantine. More seriously, somebody should try to tackle mathematics in fiction: the works of Abbott, Borges, etc. in written literature, and movies like Pi, A Beautiful Mind, Proof and so forth.

—Blake

Blake, you’ll be at the session, right? I can’t think of anyone who’ll be there more qualified to talk about the math aspect.

P.S. You’re a bad, bad man and what has Greg done to you?

—Stephanie

The Survey
The moderators posted sets of questions for science bloggers and science fiction writers on their blogs. The responses have been very impressive.

Responses from the SF Writer Point of View
—David Brin
—Peter Watts
—Sean Craven of Renaissance Oaf
—Simon Haynes of Spacejock News
—Arvind Mishra of Science Fiction in India
—JesterJoker of Sa Souvraya Niende Misain Ye
—Kelly McCullough of Wyrdsmiths
—Mike Brotherton
—Robert Evans of SciFiWriter
—David J. Williams of The Mirrored Heavens
—Nina Munteanu of The Alien Next Door
—Shaun Duke of The World in the Satin Bag

Responses from the Science Point of View
—Arvind Mishra of Science Fiction in India
—Mike Brotherton and a bit more
—Ken of Neth Space
—Kim of All My Faults are Stress Related
—Schadwen of Elemental Home
—Z of It’s The Thought that Counts
—kcsphil of DC Dispatches
—Miriam Goldstein of The Oyster’s Garter
—Ken of GeoSlice
—Lee Kottner of Cocktail Party Physics
—Eva Amsen of Expression Patterns
—Scicurious of Neurotopia (version 2.0)
—Dr. Isis of Becoming a Domestic and Laboratory Goddess
—Martin R. of Aardvarchaeology
—Blake Stacey of Science After Sunclipse
—Chad Orzel of Uncertain Principles
—John S. Wilkins of Evolving Thoughts
—Greg Laden
—Janet Stemwedel of Adventures in Ethics and Science
—Peter Watts of No Moods, Ads or Cutesy Fucking Icons (Reloaded)
—David Brin

There’s also discussion of the topic at io9.

We are in the process of summarizing the responses. We’ll add links as each post goes up.

Questions for Science Bloggers
—What is your relationship to science fiction? Do you read it? Watch it? What/who do you like and why?
—What do you see as science fiction’s role in promoting science, if any? Can it do more than make people excited about science? Can it harm the cause of science?
—Have you used science fiction as a starting point to talk about science? Is it easier to talk about people doing it right or getting it wrong?
—Are there any specific science or science fiction blogs you would recommend to interested readers or writers?

Questions for Science Fiction Writers
—Why are you writing science fiction in particular? What does the science add?
—What is your relationship to science? Have you studied or worked in it, or do you just find it cool? Do you have a favorite field?
—How important is it to you that the science be right? What kind of resources do you use for accuracy?
—Are there any specific science or science fiction blogs you would recommend to interested readers or writers?

Blogging102

2009-01-05T12:56:13Z

Blogging102 – how to make your blog better

This session is moderated by Roger Harris:

You have been blogging for a while, but want to make it better – we’ll help you choose and install applications and widgets, help you make your blog look better, be more functional and, hopefully, more popular.

Discuss:

What does it take to make your blog better?

Tell me what you want to know. Let’s get semantics out of the way. What do you mean by “better”? Prettier? Easier to navigate? More visibility in search engines? More relevant content?

Let’s discuss all these and more. What ideas do you have for our session?

Here are some initial thoughts.

The equation of design basics = Do’s + Don’ts
Getting there: Elements of navigation
Content is spring: from obscurity to celebrity
Search engine no-nos: how to get dinged by Google
Search engine tips: 5 guaranteed techniques to boost your ranking
Measuring performance: size is important

Conference Program

2009-01-05T12:39:57Z

Here is the first, rough draft of the schedule. It is still very much in flux – contact Bora (coturnix AT gmail DOT com) to discuss possible changes, suggestions, to volunteer to lead a session, etc.:

Thursday, January 15th

Locals and any visitors already in town are invited to join us for the Early Bird Dinner.

Friday, January 16th

The Science of a Good Cup
9:30am – 11:30am

Counter Culture Coffee has invited us for a morning cupping – a tasting of some of their fresh-roasted coffee. We’ll also try to get a local researcher to lead us in a discussion about the science of taste. Sign up at the Coffee Cupping page.

To sign up for Lab Tours, go here

Women in Science & Engineering networking dinner

6:00pm Friday Fermentable wine-tasting (limited to first 20 registrants; sign-up at this post)
6:45pm registration
7:15-8pm Networking/appetizers/local groups fair
8-9 The Big Speech: Rebecca Skloot: “Women, science, and storytelling: The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks (a.k.a. HeLa), and one woman’s journey from scientist to writer”

More about the Friday events here.

Saturday, January 17th

We will have four tracks:

science blogging
science communication and education
doing and publishing science
show-and-tell quick sessions.

Each track will have sessions targeting different audiences (e.g., beginner bloggers, experienced bloggers, scientists, students, teachers, etc.).

8am-9	Registration, brief introduction
9:00-10:05	A. Open Access publishing: present and future — moderated by Bill Hooker and Bjoern Brembs: The world of scientific publishing is undergoing rapid change. Where is it now? Where is it going? What will happen to Impact Factors? Will there still be journals 20 years from now? How will a scientific paper look like? Who will be the ‘peers’ in peer review? Go here to discuss.
	B. You are a science blogger but you want to publish a pop-sci book? – moderated by Tom Levenson and Dave Munger: A number of bloggers have signed book deals recently. But how does one get such a deal? How should one adjust one’s blogging in order to become attractive to agents? Who to contact? How to write a proposal? How to write the book? And once it’s published, how to promote it online? We’ll ask some writers who are also bloggers, and some bloggers who snagged book deals, to share the secrets of getting a book published. Share your experiences as well. Go here to discuss.
	C. Science Fiction on Science Blogs? — moderated by Stephanie Zvan and Peggy Kolm: Science fiction has inspired curiosity and enthusiasm in generations of children. How can science bloggers draw on SF’s power to entertain and educate? What science can we find in fiction beyond the old multi-page calculations of rocket trajectories? What does the practice of science look like in SF? In the past, scientists like Asimov and Clarke were the ones writing SF. Who’s producing the good stuff these days, and what makes a good bad example? Many modern SF writers blog too. What opportunities exist for cross-promotion and educating the writers? And which bloggers are already doing it all right? Go here to discuss.
	D. Science blogging without the blog? — moderated by Matt Ford and Jonathan Gitlin: How to run a blog for your science organization. Or write blog-like pieces in a different platform. This would be about the possibilities involved in blog-like writing for commercial ventures – what do you give up compared to a blog, what do you gain? Go here to discuss.
10:15 – 11:20	A. Not just text – image, sound and video in peer-reviewed literature — moderated by Moshe Pritsker and Apryl Bailey: Moving publishing from paper to the Web will change the format of the scientific paper. Things that are impossible to do in print are easy online. What are some of the first strides and what is the future of multimedia as an integral part of a scientific report? Go here to discuss.
	B. Science online – middle/high school perspective (or: “how the Facebook generation does it”?) — moderated by Stacey Baker and her students: How does middle/high school science education differ from that in college? There are also institutional problems: a) Most US pub. school networks firewall out major sources of info, such as all of scienceblogs.com, all of blogspot.com, all of youtube, etc. A teacher who finds something on a blog can’t use it directly in classroom. b) Conceptually linked posts and comment threads, ads, external links, etc. are often inappropriate for PS K-12 settings (which is perhaps why ‘a’ is true). c) yet, some bloggers want to have some of their work used in this setting. Are the younger kids different from college students in their use of online tools? Many school are experimenting with new technologies but do not have a clear idea how to do it – did they ask the kids themselves for advice? If not, we’ll ask the kids in this session. Go here to discuss.
	C. Transitions – changing your online persona as your real life changes — moderated by ScienceWoman and Propterdoc: As you move from high school to college, then to grad school and postdoc, and finally get a job in academia or elsewhere, you leave your name (and thoughts and pictures) all over the Web. When you are blogging as a student or postdoc, your style and choice of topics probably reflects your position in the Academia. How do you change your blog once you get hired (without alienating your regular readers) so it works for you in your new position? How do you manage your online persona so what is out there on the Web about you reflects what you do at the moment and not the ‘shady’ past? Go here to discuss.
	D.Community intelligence applied to gene annotation — moderated by Andrew Su and John Hogenesch: Despite identification of the ~25,000 genes which comprise the “parts list” of the human genome, researchers continue to largely study previously-studied genes, leaving half of the genes in the human genome virtually unannotated. Moreover, there is growing recognition that under-resourced curators at official annotation centers will be overwhelmed with the pace of scientific discovery. This session will explore the application of community intelligence principles (“crowdsourcing”) to the goal of genome-wide gene annotation. As a starting point for the discussion, we will overview several recent efforts in this area, including the Gene Wiki, WikiProteins, WikiPathways, and WikiGenes. We will also overview BioGPS, an extensible and customizable gene portal that allows the entire scientific community to collaboratively build a gene annotation portal. Issues to be discussed include data reliability, credit and incentives, and community-building. Go here to discuss.
11:30am – 12:35pm	A.Semantic web in science: how to build it, how to use it — moderated by John Wilbanks: Connections, connections, connections (as Miss Frizzle would say). What is new and what else needs to be done to make data “talk” to each other? What will it all mean? Go here to discuss.
	B. Teaching College Science: Blogs and Beyond — moderated by Andrea Novicki and Brian Switek: What are the strategies, methods and pitfalls of using the online technologies in science education in college? The importance of Open Access to primary research. The willingness of students to post on blogs. Text-messaging as communication. The problem of the “creepy treehouse”. Go here to discuss.
	C. Gender in science — online and offline — moderated by Suzanne Franks, Abel and Alice Pawley: How to get and make allies? What allies can and should be doing? How the Web provides new methods and means for action and effecting positive change. Go here to discuss.
	D. Rhetoric of science: print vs. web — moderated by Christian Casper: There is no doubt that online communication environment is changing the way we use language. LOL. Scientific papers are an example of some of the most unreadable literature in existence, yet now that it is all online, will this change? Is the public access to papers going to induce scientists to keep lay audience in mind, as well as their scientific peers, when writing their manuscripts? Should readers’ comment and notes on papers be more formal than the comments on blogs? Why? Go here to discuss.
12:40 – 2	Lunch
2 – 3:05	A. Web and the History of Science – moderated by GG, Brian Switek, Scicurious and John McKay: Why is History of Science important for scientists? How to blog about it. How does Open Access and the Web in general (Google Books in particular, for example) help/hinder the work of professional historians of science? Go here to discuss.
	B. Science blogging networks – what works, what does not? – moderated by Cameron Neylon and Deepak Singh, with assistance from Anna Kushnir and Erin Johnson: Several science blogging networks exist or are in the process of getting started. The best known are Scienceblogs.com, Nature Network, Discovery Network blogs and Scientificblogging.com. What are they doing right, what are they doing wrong? What are the pros and cons of being a part of such a network. What constitutes ‘success’? Go here to discuss.
	C. Race in science – online and offline — moderated by Danielle Lee and Samia Ansari: The issues of gender and race are related and have overlaps, yet there are differences as well that need to be explored. If there is no profile picture, most readers will automatically assume that the author is white. What can be done to promote minorities blogging? How can blogs by minorities be used to attract kids into science careers? How to get and make allies? What allies can and should be doing? How the Web provides new methods and means for action and effecting positive change. Go here to discuss.
	D. Alternative careers: how to become a journal editor – moderated by Henry Gee (senior editor at Nature) and Peter Binfield (managing editor of PLoS ONE): The leaky pipeline is a problem: many more people earn PhDs in science than there are tenure-track faculty positions. Alternative careers include government or corporate research, teaching, writing/journalism, etc. One attractive job for a young scientist is that of an editor of a scientific journal. But how do you become one? We’ll ask some editors for useful tips. Go here to discuss.
3:15 – 4:20pm	A.Open Notebook Science – how to do it right (if you should do it at all) — moderated by Jean-Claude Bradley and Cameron Neylon: Some scientists are now putting their entire, detailed lab notebooks online and updating them in real time. How is this done? Why is this done? What are the pros and cons? Is this something you should consider doing? Go here to discuss.
	B. Blog carnivals: why you should participate — moderated by Mike Bergin: What is a blog carnival? A hub, an aggregator, or a magazine? How does it work? Is there any kind of “peer-review” involved? Why should you participate? What do you need to know if you want to start a new carnival? Go here to discuss.
	C.Art and science — online and offline — moderated by Glendon Mellow: Art is not just illustration. And it is not the opposite of science (“Two Cultures”). How can the two work together and help each other? Go here to discuss.
	D. Anonymity, Pseudonymity – building reputation online — moderated by PalMD and Abel : There are good reasons for people in science and medicine, and especially women, to remain pseudonymous online. How does one build a reputation online, does one have additional ethical responsibilities, how does the process differ from the formal process of the academic world, and how the two worlds interact? Go here to discuss.
4:30 – 5:35pm	A.Open Access in the networked world: experience of developing and transition countries — moderated by Danica Radovanovic and Tatjana Jovanovic-Grove : What is innovative and what is challenging regarding the usage of OA e-resources, social Web 2.0 software and media? Does science blogging in Europe (in developed and countries in transition) exist? And what are the forms? Main discussion is through interaction and different practices of participants, to find solution for burning issue: how to overcome the problem of net/notworking in scientific and edu.(online)community? Go here to discuss.
	B. Social networking for scientists – moderated by Cameron Neylon and Deepak Singh: It seems that everyone is developing ‘facebooks’ for scientists these days. But they are not catching on. Why? What will make one of them a success one day? Go here to discuss.
	C. Online science for the kids (and parents) — moderated by Janet Stemwedel: Even little kids are online these days. They are curious about the world. What kind of scientific information is there on the Web that is suitable for the littlest ones? How does one find the good stuff? What works and what doesn’t for that age group? What can one do to add quality science material for kids and parents? How to write blog posts with little kids in mind? Go here to discuss.
	D. How to become a (paid) science journalist: advice for bloggers — moderated by Rebecca Skloot and Tom Levenson: Bloggers are bloggers because they like to write. But writing a blog is not the same as writing for a newspaper or magazine (or radio or TV). Most science bloggers have a background in science, not journalism. So, how does one become a science journalist? We’ll ask some journalists for advice. Go here to discuss.
6pm	Dinner at Sigma Xi or Radisson restaurant, then drinks at Radisson

Sunday, January 18

8:30am-9

Bagels & coffee

9-10:05am	A. Reputation, authority and incentives. Or: How to get rid of the Impact Factor — moderated by Peter Binfield and Bjoern Brembs: Everybody agrees that Impact Factor is a useless and unfair measure of scientific contribution of individuals. What can it be replaced with? How can the academic world be moved to abandon the IF and embrace alternate methods for evaluating research and researchers? Go here to discuss.
	B. Blogging101 – how to get started – moderated by PalMD: You have heard about blogs, perhaps read some blogs, have spent a whole day yesterday hearing about how great blogs are, so now you have finally decided to try to write one yourself. Bring your laptop and we’ll help you, step-by-step, start your own Wordpress.com blog during this session. Go here to discuss.
	C. Nature blogging – moderated by Grrrlscientist and Kevin Zelnio: Take your camera outdoors and bring your local natural beauty and wildlife to the homes of your readers. Add information about it. Join the nature blogging community and participate in community activities no matter where on the planet you are. Go here to discuss.
	D. Demos
10:15 – 11:20	A. Providing public health and medical information to all — moderated by Martin Fenner: Nowhere is Open Access as important as in the areas of medicine and public health. Health care professional and patients alike are not likely to have access to libraries of elite universities – they may work in hospitals, at small schools or in the field including in the developing world. What is being done and what more can be done to ensure that everyone everywhere has access to life-saving medical information. Go here to discuss.
	B. Blogging102 – how to make your blog better – moderated by Roger Harris: You have been blogging for a while, but want to make it better – we’ll help you choose and install applications and widgets, help you make your blog look better, be more functional and, hopefully, more popular. Go here to discuss.
	C. Hey, You Can’t Say That! — moderated by Greg Laden, Rick MacPherson, Karen James, Craig McClain, Mark Powell and PZ Myers: It’s tempting to think that what we contribute in our blogs is written with impunity. But what happens when readers react so negatively to your words that it can leverage pressure on you from your boss, peers, colleagues, or administration? What responsibility, if any, do bloggers owe to their “day job” in avoiding controversy (and vice versa)? Is it enough to say in your profile that “this blog is my personal space and does not reflect the views of my employer”? Is capitulating to pressure a failure or just savvy blogging? What are the rules, if any, to self-censorship? Should an employer have a policy or set of guidelines regarding staff’s personal & professional blogging (and other public and semi-public activities like Facebook)? And when does pseudonymous blogging become a necessity? Bring your own perspectives and experiences to a discussion that explores the ups and downs of science bloggers who navigate the stormy waters between free expression and reader/employer backlash. Go here to discuss.
	D. Demos
11:30am – 12:35pm	A. How to search scientific literature – moderated by Christina Pikas and John Dupuis: There are so many nifty tricks and strategies for searching the literature that an average scientist is not aware of. So: Ask the experts – the science librarians! Go here to discuss.
	B. How to paint your own blog images – a how-to session led by Tatjana Jovanovic-Grove and Glendon Mellow: Take this workshop by a professional artist and get started on illustrating your blog with your own art. Go here to discuss.
	C. Blogging adventure: how to post from strange locations – a panel discussion with Karen James, Talia Page, Anne-Marie Hodge, Meredith Barrett, John McKay, Kevin Zelnio, Vanessa Woods and Rick McPhearson: The stereotype is that bloggers write in their parents’ basements, wearing pajamas, covered with Cheetos dust. But some bloggers have done amazing feats of reporting from weird and far-away places. Do you intend to do something like that? What are the technological challenges – and solutions – and what are the pros and cons of blogging from the jungle, or Antarctica, from Mt.Everest, from a submarine, from a space-ship, from a research ship, from a sailboat, from a war zone, from a high-radiation zone, an ecological research station or a palaeontological dig? Share your experiences, ask questions, and collect tips for your next trip to a Crazy Place. Go here to discuss.
	D. Demos
12:40 – 2pm	Lunch and Goodbyes

Coffee Cupping

2009-01-05T11:51:40Z

The Science of a Good Cup

Counter Culture Coffee has invited us for a morning cupping – a tasting of some of their fresh-roasted coffee.

Meet us at Counter Culture’s Durham headquarters at 9:30am on Fri, Jan 16th. The first 25 who sign up get to join us.

ADD: We’ll check to see if the Radisson shuttle can get you to Counter Culture, which isn’t that far from the hotel.

1. Anton Zuiker (can drive 5)
2. Bora Zivkovic (willing to drive 3 people to and from the hotel)
3. Bob O’Hara
4. GrrlScientist
5. DrPal— i am a coffee maven extrordinaire—-and will suck it in to fit in a car with Janet and Miriam—-pleez?
6. Janet Stemwedel (hoping to get a ride from the Radisson)
7. Scicurious – hoping to get a ride, please? Or directions, those are good too.
8. Miriam Goldstein – also hoping for a ride!
9. Jonathan E. Tarr
10. Danica Radovanovic – need a ride from the Raddison!
11. Erin Davis – need a ride!
12. Carlos Hotta – need a ride from the Raddison!
13. Paula Signorini – need a ride from the Raddison!
14. Evelyn Lynge
15. Beck Tench
16. Paul Medina
17. Paul Jones (can prolly drive up to 3 folks)
18. Diana Pauly
19. Bjoern Brembs
20. Larry Boles (can drive 2-3)
21. Jeff Stern
22. Apryl Bailey ~ need a ride :)
23. Samia Ansari – need ride from the Radisson
24. Danielle Lee
25. Robyn Walker
26. Cameron Neylon – Ooops, that’s more than 25 – well if there is space and I can get a ride would love to come
27. Victor Henning – would love to come, too… I once owned a coffee shop! Not anymore, so there are withdrawal symptoms. Please help!
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