18 May 2023
Dr Sook-kyoung Cho was elected unopposed as PCST President at the first meeting of the new PCST Scientific Committee in May 2023.
Mohamed Elsonbaty Ramadan was elected vice-president, Fabien Medvecky as secretary and Alexandra (Sacha) Borissova as treasurer.
Sook-kyoung said she was looking forward to leading the network and serving the Scientific Committee and the wider PCST Network membership as President.
“I am so excited as the first PCST President from Asia, but at the same time I feel a great responsibility. It is a big job, however I strongly believe that all PCST Network members will help me for the future of PCST Network.
“There are three things that I will focus on. Firstly, establishing the PCST Network as a genuinely global community by bridging Europe and the Americas with Asia. While 60 percent of the world’s population live in Asia, fewer than 10 percent of science communication researchers and practitioners from Asia are part of the PCST Network.
“Secondly, I will expand the interactive communication arena between the science and technology community and publics by focussing on issues including energy, disease management, water shortage, food crises and climate change, and encourage our Scientific Committee members who have excellence in their fields to lead the way.
“Thirdly, I will focus on finding ways for the PCST Network, as a leading organisation in the field of Science and Society, to contribute positively and constructively to addressing the increasing uncertainties, risks and fake news associated with artificial intelligence and digital technologies.”
Sook-kyoung has been a member of the PCST Network since 2002. She attended her first PCST conference in Cape Town in 2002, and hosted the 9th PCST Network conference in Seoul in 2006. She has spoken and chaired sessions at every PCST conference since.
She is keen to build on the recent achievements of the PCST Network, including the very successful webinar series, the regional symposiums and the well-attended PCST conference in Rotterdam in 2023.
“Two years as the PCST President may seem like a short time—who knows if it will be a small step or a giant leap.”
