ESCI - European Science Communication Institute

An avalanche of slush, or slush flow, is a mass of water-saturated snow that moves over long distances at high speed. These events occur regularly in Norway, especially in its far northern county of Finnmark. Experts have already documented around 55 incidents—some with fatal outcomes. After slush flows, the closing of roads is very common, and it has major consequences for commuting, access to hospitals, and the fishing industry. While several tools exist for avalanche forecasting and assessment, few focus on slush flows because little is known about the process behind them. However, researchers are now developing a digital tool to map their forecast, which could minimise the disruptions that they cause. Read about it in this article for Real Clear Science from our writer Fintan Burke: https://lnkd.in/dEKWuzK6

🐾 Did you know that some pets have domesticated themselves? Meet our feline friends! 🐱 Domestic cats today have DNA remarkably similar to prehistoric wildcats. 🧬 Unlike other domestic animals, cats made their way from wild hunters to our beloved companions almost entirely on their own. Here are some fascinating facts about their journey, brought to you by our SciCommer Veronika Collovati for our #FridaysFunFacts. 🐭 Mutual Benefit: Cats began hanging around humans 9,000 years ago, drawn by the rodents near grain storage. 😼 Self-Domestication: Unlike dogs, cats adapted to human environments on their own. 🚢 Trade & Travel: Cats traveled with humans on ships and caravans, helping control pests and spreading across the globe.

We’ve been here for a while, but it’s time for a proper introduction! 🤓 We are a non-profit organisation of science communicators, science journalists, graphic designers, video producers and video editors dedicated to making complex scientific topics engaging, accessible, and impactful. Through this channel, we’ll be sharing insights and behind-the-scenes stories from our work in science communication along with tips. Whether it’s about crafting comprehensive narratives, designing visuals or producing videos that bring research to life, we to inspire and exchange ideas with other science communicators. If you're passionate about science communication, follow along and let's connect! #ScienceCommunication #SciComm #WissenschaftsKommunikation #WissKomm

Where are gaps in SciComm?❓ Laura Durnford: ‘SciComm’ has grown hugely, but I see gaps between researchers, practitioners and other comms professionals, and between goals and actions. A focus on methods and results of science journalism, education and outreach is important for science literacy, public understanding and engagement. But, given that e.g. companies’ purchasing and production choices impact health and environment, we could benefit a lot from integrating practitioners who target business or policy audiences, especially if their route has been through professional communications. Why is a human face important in science communication❓ Facial expression, body language and tone of voice nuances all aid understanding and interest. AI is horribly good at faking or copying, but still noticeably different. In discussion moderation, interviewing or explaining complexities, it’s thoughtful preparation and human interaction that give a smooth and enjoyable result. Who better to share stories of science work or real-world benefits than a person with lived experience?   What are common mistakes in devising communication strategies for research projects❓ Starting with ‘what’ and ‘now’ instead of ‘why’ and ‘future’. Does the funder expect longer-term legacy and wider impacts on society, policy, industry? How does the project fit the collaborative or competitive landscape? How can you best navigate opportunities and challenges and work with business development partners as well as technical experts to support all objectives? It’s best to look into the project’s end ambitions and work backwards to define a pragmatic, strategic approach that guides the further decisions and priorities in your plan. What’s an important first step in event organisation❓ Define event objectives. Is it to share scientific results, influence a policy debate, engage or train a target group, or attract client companies for your technologies? Agreeing event objectives at the start provides a framework for decisions like venue, audience, promotion, speakers, session formats and content – and is especially important for avoiding scope creep and decision u-turns when collaborating with others. Laura Durnford has degrees in Biology and Science Communication. She’s been a radio journalist, research and education infrastructure communicator, Project Manager, Science Communicator and Voice-Over Artist. She loves words and the logic problems of editing, organising events and processes, and devising strategic plans. #ScienceCommunication

Drained peatlands, which are significant carbon sources, are estimated to release the equivalent of 5% of the global man-made greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. When rewetted, these peatlands can shift from carbon sources to carbon sinks, uptaking rather than releasing carbon. However, the transition from a source to sink is not so straightforward, as Aram Kalhori from the WET HORIZONS research project explains in an interview. Find out more about the challenges of rewetting wetlands in illuminem by Dianna Bautista https://lnkd.in/ebNYGNhU #ScienceJournalism

A few days ago, we had our company Christmas dinner in Oldenburg 🎄We kicked off the evening with some glühwein🍷 and later enjoyed a delicious meal together. Wishing you all Happy Holidays! ❄️

Our Scicommers Mihaela Bozukova and Daniel Hölle are attending Wissenschaft im Dialog's Forum Wissenschaftskommunikation 2024—Germany's largest science communication conference—taking place this week in Berlin. ✨ Yesterday, they led their interactive workshop, 'Von Bytes zu Beiträgen: KI-Tools für den WissKomm-Alltag. Ein praktischer Workshop', which was met with fantastic engagement! 💻🤖 A big thank you to everyone who joined, asked thoughtful questions, and made the session such a success. It’s great to see their expertise contributing to important conversations about the future of science communication. 💬🙌

Complexity vs Accessibility – How to balance facts and storytelling❓ Jaaee Jadhav: To me, facts help explain the scope and impact of the issue. Whereas a story is the drive and the soul of the film. While working in a documentary format, the balance lies in explaining a story supported by facts. So that the history of an issue, process of working on a solution and the resolution unfolds in a transparent way.  A great deal of background research and fact-checking is required to ensure that all information is accurate. What was your biggest challenge while filming for Climate Research❓ I have headed the video production and directed multiple films for seven countries under the EU funded Horizon 2020 Project Climate-IMPETUS. So, I was communicating internationally with a large number of research experts, project in charges, task leaders, political figures, and local stakeholders parallelly. There were many shoots to be coordinated and executed within short timespans. Additionally, there were film editing and release deadlines to be met. This required a great amount of flexibility and foresight. And since there were many places facing different climate risks, the dynamics of storytelling had to be adjusted continuously. Why are documentaries on climate research important❓ To me, "importance" is closely related to what we value. From my professional experience, there are so many technologies related to different types of issues that are popping up around us. Discerning between different solutions becomes overwhelming. How do you understand if there is a real problem, and if so, what is a plausible, viable solution? For example, I filmed in South Tyrol in October 2024. The topic was water management. There the local wine farmers are already working with a lot of foresight. They were not affected by the massive dry spells of recent years. Their climate-resilient methods, which are now paying off, are a great example of a solution and an inspiration for other farmers in the valleys. When the right people receive this knowledge it gives them perspective, measurable insights and steps to move forward with. What advantages does a documentary on climate change offer❓ Climate change is a global issue. But the struggles and hazard risks are unique to a region. Something that is real does not have to be sensationalized. Firsthand stories of people making a difference give a realistic portrayal of challenges. They promote values of perseverance and resilience, and ultimately provide hope and a framework for someone in a similar situation. About Jaaee Jadhav Documentary filmmaker with work focussed on culture and society related themes in India and Europe. Jaaee also has an MSc in Molecular Biology and an M.A in Audiovisual Media. She has extensively produced and directed multiple science documentary formats for multinational research projects and industry clients. #VideoProduction #ScienceCommunication

Last week we welcomed the partners of the project Innovative WAter recoverY Solutions we are involved in at our office for a project meeting and seized the opportunity for some science communication activities: 🗣️ Conducting interviews 📸 Taking portrait photos 💬 Giving a workshop on science communication The workshop “Maximising Your Impact Through Efficient Dissemination” demonstrated ways for scientists and engineers to bring their research to the attention of the right target audience. It was led by our science writer, Fintan Burke. Of course, we also provided a space for the experts to share updates on the latest results and plan the next steps. The discussions and collaborative spirit continued seamlessly during the social dinner. Thanks to our project manager Corinna Barnstedt who organised it all and our team for supporting her. It was a wonderful experience to host the iWAYS team at our office. They not only shared the latest results from their work on heat recovery solutions but also brought great energy and positivity, despite the grey weather here. These meetings – whether at ESCI or somewhere else – are always a great opportunity for our team to learn more about the research projects we support with communication; insights that we can then later transform into social media posts, info-graphics or videos. #ScienceCommunication

We are thrilled to share that Elmar Bartlmae, our managing director and Co-founder, has been elected to the Board of Greenovate! Europe during its 35th general assembly in Metz! Serving alongside Greenovate!’s leaders and members, including Managing Director Vicky Mosteyrin Perdiguero and President Anna Sager, we are confident that Elmar will make a meaningful impact to Greenovate!’s mission: to support sustainable innovation in Europe. Creating a more sustainable future is a vision that Elmar and we as a company proudly share. We’d also like to extend our congratulations to all the talented individuals in the Greenovate! network, whose commitment and expertise make this collaborative mission possible. #Sustainability #Innovation