Read all about the speakers of 2024!
Keynote Talk
Jo Røislien – THNK: A science based checklist for Science Communication
Jo Røislien is a Norwegian Professor of Medical Statistics, and award-winning science communicator. Røislien has created and hosted multiple science TV series, contributes regularly on radio, television and in newspapers, and has given hundreds of talks on dissemination of knowledge to non-experts, both nationally and internationally. Recently, Røislien was project manager for a large and ambitious project researching effective communication during a pandemic. Through anecdotes, short films and interactive examples, Røislien will present results from this project, along with a checklist for effective science communication.
Workshops
Lizah van der Aart – Graphic design
Lizah is an animator for YouTube channels “MinuteEarth” and “xkcd’s What If”. Their videos answer wacky questions with scientific accuracy – fueled by cute drawings and painful puns. Lizah has a background in science with a PhD in microbiology from Leiden University. After a few years as a PostDoc, they quit their job in science to follow their dream of becoming an artist. The workshop will focus on visual storytelling for a large audience and the attendees will create a science comic.
Bram Hoonhout – Design your Science Communication future
Bram Hoonhout studied history at Leiden University, did his PhD at the European University Institute in Florence and currently works at the Honours Academy of Leiden University as lecturer and learning experience designer. There, he developed ‘Designing Your Life’ courses to help students face their future with more confidence. The workshop will be a mini-Designing Your Life experience, in which you will learn a tool to visualise three different life paths for yourself. Furthermore, you will discover how to conduct networking conversations in an engaging (rather than sleazy) way. You can immediately put these skills to use during the conference!
Claire van Haren – From idea to exhibition
Claire van Haren is an exhibition developer at NEMO Science Museum where she worked on several exhibitions including Living looonger, Technium, and Humania. With an educational background in biology and ecology, Claire is interested in creating engaging museum experiences that demystify complex scientific concepts for a broad audience. In the workshop on exhibition development, Claire will guide participants through the process of conceptualizing an exhibition. The workshop will cover the development of an interesting narrative, brainstorming ideas for interactive exhibits, and turning it all into a cohesive exhibition concept.
David Redeker – Scientific storytelling
For months you have been working in the lab, analyzing your data and writing your thesis. Then one day you are in a local bar and a person asks you what you do. What if you pointed to your glass and said: “Let me tell you a story. Look at this glass. It’s like a neural network…” Are you curious about how to make your science story more exciting? Join David Redeker for a workshop on scientific storytelling. He is a communications consultant to universities, has worked for Quest magazine and loves improvisational theatre.
Talks
Dorine Schenk – Freelancing in the Science Communication field
Dorine Schenk is a freelance journalist who mainly writes for Dutch media, like the newspaper NRC and the Dutch edition of the popular-science magazine New Scientist. Her focus is physics, from stars to navigation systems and nuclear power plants. She wrote two short books for a Pocket Science series, about neutrino’s and dark matter, and occasionally partakes in the NRC science podcast Onbehaarde Apen. Dorine will talk about: how she started as a freelance science journalist after studying physics, what a typical workweek looks like, how to find topics and contact scientists and what happens before an article gets published.
Erik van Zwol – Working in policy
Erik van Zwol is a passionate science communicator with a background in psychology and biology. With a host of field experience in science communication, he entered the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) as an external expert in 2022. As policy advisor in societal impact and open science, he spent a year at the ministry and learned the policy trade and traded his field experience with the ministry. Erik van Zwol will discuss his experiences in politics and policymaking at the national level and how this relates to his daily practice as a science communicator. He presently also serves as a board member for SciComNL, the Dutch association for science communicators.
Kaelin DeLong – How to market yourself as a Science Communication professional
Kaelin DeLong is a multi-passionate science communicator with a background in biology and anthropology. She graduated from Leiden University’s (awesome!) MSc program “biology & science communication and society” in 2022, and now works as a researcher & lecturer of science communication at the Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam. Kaelin’s naturally curious and energetic personality made it difficult to choose a career. Fortunately, science communication is a field where having a wide variety of interests is a strength rather than a weakness. Kaelin’s talk will be about how to market the unique combination of traits and skills you bring to the table as a science communicator.
Science Communication Conference 