This is the archived SXSW 2012 schedule. Please see the current schedule here.

Rethinking How to Communicate Science

#sxsw #RethinkSci

It's been 30 years since Edward Tufte convinced designers that the visual display of quantitative information mattered. We illustrate evidence to promote understanding, but our choices to express science have changed. The pervasiveness of technology in our lives generates volumes of data. Increasingly, scientists and researchers make extensible versions of their datasets available. Crowdsourcing projects generate additional data sources. The result is a new diction to distinguish fact from fiction.We used to rely on science writers and designers to translate impenetrable academic and scientific studies. Today, citizens and academics alike have accessible ways to visualize information. Is that enough? Communicating about science requires balancing competing interests with conflicting evidence. The craft of science communication will evolve with new technology and the ways we decipher the political, social and economic context of available evidence will be increasingly critical.

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Presenters

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Laura Hermann Pres Chicago Justice Project

Laura serves as a senior vice president for Potomac Communications Group, focusing on strategic communications. The Chicago Justice Project represents her long evolving commitment to science, technology and social justice issues. Laura has developed education programs on issues ranging from neighborhood safety, emergency preparedness and energy efficiency. She holds a master's of science from Northwestern University and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa as an undergraduate at Loyola University Chicago. Laura belongs to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the DC Science Writers Association and frequently contributes to the Heartland Media project. She aspires to maintain her status as a muse, a compass and a willing accomplice.

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