alive and well - Geological Society of Australia
alive and well - Geological Society of Australia
alive and well - Geological Society of Australia
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
<strong>Society</strong> UpdateEducation&OutreachIam writing this column on the eve <strong>of</strong> the 34th IGC to be heldin Brisbane 5–10 August 2012. There will be something in thisconference for everyone, including educators <strong>and</strong> thoseinterested in community outreach. A number <strong>of</strong> sessions inthe ‘Geoscience for <strong>Society</strong>’ theme will see presentations oneducational issues <strong>and</strong> social applications <strong>of</strong> geoscience globally<strong>and</strong> I look forward to reporting on them in the next TAG. By thetime the next issue arrives in your mailbox the IGC may seem likea distant memory. However, the potential impact the conferencest<strong>and</strong>s to make on the <strong>Australia</strong>n community should not beunderestimated, although a fickle media — distracted as it willbe by the Olympics — can also see many good messages sinkwithout trace.Keeping the media in mind, I encourage all those who attendedthe IGC or who read about it with interest in the media to take thetime to reflect on how the different forms <strong>of</strong> media portrayedgeoscience during the event <strong>and</strong> the kind <strong>of</strong> coverage the IGC as awhole received. Various highlights, such as the public presentationby Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Iain Stewart, might get better coverage although I aminterested to see what types <strong>of</strong> messages from deep within theconference get coverage <strong>and</strong> how <strong>well</strong> that coverage portrays thescience.Public support for science is crucial. Unless there is clear<strong>and</strong> vocal support from a broad cross-section <strong>of</strong> the community,incumbent <strong>and</strong> would-be politicians <strong>and</strong> the governmentsthey form may not support a real community need, such as theunequivocal funding <strong>and</strong> support <strong>of</strong> science, as much as mightotherwise be expected. In today’s world that public support iscommunicated through mainstream media mechanisms such asnewspapers, talk-back radio <strong>and</strong> Q&A-style television programs,although the impact <strong>of</strong> social media is ever-growing. It is temptingfor communities such as ours — the community <strong>of</strong> geosciencepr<strong>of</strong>essionals — which is populated to a great extent by an agingdemographic, to ignore these newer technologies, treating themas a passing fad. We do so at our peril.It is therefore incumbent on all <strong>of</strong> us, not just the media teamsemployed by pr<strong>of</strong>essional societies, universities <strong>and</strong> industry, toensure the public gets the message: geoscience counts <strong>and</strong> withoutit our modern world would be an economically, socially <strong>and</strong>physically poorer place. Saying this is easy — doing it is whatcounts, but is by no means easy. You should write to local <strong>and</strong>national newspapers, call talk-back radio <strong>and</strong> put yourself forwardto be part <strong>of</strong> a Q&A-style TV audience if the opportunity arises.Also embrace the new media — not just during <strong>and</strong> immediatelyafter the IGC.We all know modern media has ashort attention span. Even the mostfantastic <strong>of</strong> stories to come out <strong>of</strong> theIGC will have a short run <strong>and</strong> mighteasily be passed over if other events,judged to be even more interesting, take the headlines at just thewrong moment. Herein lies the power <strong>of</strong> the new social mediaphenomenon. All <strong>of</strong> us can comment on the news, not just reador listen to it. It is also now evident that as the more traditionalforms <strong>of</strong> media seek to build new audiences within youngerdemographics <strong>and</strong> also cut costs by moving to more digital forms<strong>of</strong> delivery that they are sourcing news, commentary <strong>and</strong> ideas forfurther inquiry from social media <strong>of</strong> all kinds. This means thatwe can start to co-direct the content <strong>and</strong> mood <strong>of</strong> the mediacommentary but only if we participate.Consequently, as you read this some weeks after the IGCis done <strong>and</strong> dusted, I urge you to review how your IGC, yourgeoscience <strong>and</strong> your areas <strong>of</strong> interest were reported in all forms <strong>of</strong>media <strong>and</strong> think about how you could engage with the new age<strong>of</strong> 24/7 media <strong>and</strong> commentary. What ways could you keep yourgeoscience <strong>and</strong> areas <strong>of</strong> interest in the present with positive musthavemessages that will trickle out into multiple blogs, twitterfeeds <strong>and</strong> online media reports? We all know the importance <strong>of</strong>what we do for the community at large. What we now also knowis that unless that community knows what we know, the chances<strong>of</strong> the geosciences thriving in a world competing 24/7 for funding,government support <strong>and</strong> research facilities are limited. Thanks tothe social media revolution we now all have an opportunity toinfluence the direction society moves.GREG McNAMARAGeoscience Education <strong>and</strong> Outreach ServicesExecutive Officer <strong>of</strong> TESEPSend all comments to Greg McNamara atoutreach@gsa.org.au16 |TAG September 2012