Editorial
This edition showcases the diversity of science communication around the world, from conferences and workshops in the United States, Japan and Italy to public engagement initiatives in Shanghai and discussions on ethics, artificial intelligence and sustainability. Together, these stories highlight how science communicators are building connections between research and society, while responding to new challenges and opportunities.
We hope these updates inspire new ideas, collaborations and conversations across the PCST Network. If you have news of upcoming events, recent achievements, publications or initiatives that may be of interest to the community, please send your contributions to 2271883684@qq.com or gywang@suda.edu.cn.
Global insights
No Coast SciComm 2026
Hosted by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, No Coast SciComm 2026 will bring together science communicators, researchers, educators, students and public engagement professionals for a mostly virtual conference centred on the theme Science from the Heart. Taking place from 16 to 18 September 2026, the conference will explore the role of care, compassion and connection in science communication.
Participants can take part in keynote talks, workshops, panel discussions, concurrent sessions and a Science Slam. The organisers are also inviting abstracts for 15-minute oral presentations, with submissions open until 28 August 2026.
Save the date: JSF 2026 at Nagoya University
The Japan SciCom Forum’s annual conference, JSF 2026, will be held at Nagoya University for the first time on 20 to 21 October 2026. The conference will bring together science communicators, researchers, journalists and policymakers working in English-language science communication across Japan and the wider Asian region.
Registration and the call for contributed talks will open in June 2026. Registration will take place through the JSF website, so prospective attendees are encouraged to create a free account in advance. An outline programme will be released when registration opens, with further details announced as they are confirmed.
The event is supported by EurekAlert!, the science news service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and will be followed by a EurekAlert! user group meeting at Nagoya University.
Shanghai Science Festival opens with museum comeback and citywide celebrations
The 2026 Shanghai Science Festival took place from 23 to 31 May, featuring nearly 2,000 science activities across the city, including exhibitions, public events, pop-up cafés, venue discounts and limited-time access to research facilities.
The festival opened with the reopening of the upgraded Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, featuring 10 permanent exhibition areas covering artificial intelligence, quantum technology, energy materials, aerospace, ecology and health.
More than 250 science venues took part in the festival. Activities included nature exploration programmes, Pudong’s science carnival, Huangpu’s East Nanjing Road science market and six science-themed pop-up cafés, turning Shanghai into a citywide celebration of science.
ComSciCon Flagship Workshop 2026
The 14th annual ComSciCon Flagship Workshop Special International Edition will take place at the University of Bordeaux, France, from 7 to 10 July 2026. The workshop offers graduate students an opportunity to connect with early-career leaders in science communication, learn from invited experts and develop original work that communicates complex concepts in science and engineering to broader audiences.
INSTIL 2026 workshop
INSTIL 2026, cItizeN Science engagemenT based on Ict soLutions, is the third edition of an international workshop focused on ICT-based tools and digital solutions for citizen science. Held alongside IEEE eScience 2026 in Naples, Italy, on 28 to 29 September 2026, the workshop will bring together researchers and practitioners to share research, practical experiences and lessons learned.
Topics include platforms, mobile applications, sensor systems, serious games, participatory sensing, data infrastructures and eScience applications. The workshop places a strong emphasis on public engagement, co-design with citizens and stakeholders, and applications related to environmental monitoring, climate and sustainability, while welcoming contributions from across the citizen science community.
Biology student receives 2026 GEOSET award
UMass Amherst biology student Arnon Kuzmin has received the 2026 Sir Harold W Kroto and Steve FA Acquah GEOSET Award, which recognises excellence in science communication through digital media. Kuzmin was honoured for his YouTube channel, Voltastik, where he creates short, accessible videos that explain emerging science stories to broad audiences.
Presented on 30 April 2026, the award celebrates students who carry forward Sir Harold Kroto’s legacy of impactful science communication and highlights the role of digital media in making research engaging, understandable and accessible to audiences around the world.
Reading scientist wins prestigious award for space animations
University of Reading planetary scientist James O’Donoghue has received the 2026 Carl Sagan Medal from the American Astronomical Society in recognition of his outstanding public science communication. Through more than 100 educational space animations, viewed over 400 million times worldwide, O’Donoghue has made planetary science accessible to audiences across classrooms, news media and social platforms.
The award recognises his ability to combine scientific research with creative, large-scale public engagement, continuing Carl Sagan’s legacy of bringing astronomy to broad audiences.
Science communication as feedback loop explored at annual ethics symposium
Rice University’s annual Ethics and Compliance Symposium explored the ethics of academic public engagement and the role of science communication as a two-way exchange between researchers and society. The event featured vaccinologist Peter Hotez alongside Rice panellists Kirstin Matthews, Kirsten Ostherr and Scott Solomon, with discussions focusing on evidence-based communication, public trust in science and medicine, and the responsibilities of researchers engaging with policy, media, schools and communities.
Speakers emphasised that effective science communication involves not only explaining research clearly, but also listening to public concerns, increasing the visibility of scientists and building institutional support for sustained community engagement.
AI empowering science communication at CSSTJ salon
The themed salon How AI Empowers Science Communication, which also marked the 30th Science and Technology New Media Salon of the China Science and Technology Journalism Association (CSSTJ), was held on 15 May 2026. The event explored how artificial intelligence is reshaping the production of scientific content, expanding communication reach and improving precision in public engagement, while also supporting the digital preservation of local culture in Xinjiang.
The salon brought together science communicators, media practitioners, AIGC creators and cultural innovators to discuss the future of AI-enabled science communication and its potential to strengthen scientific literacy and public science culture.
Advancing sustainability through data science
More than 100 early-career data scientists, students and professionals gathered at Stanford University’s CoDa Building on 17 April 2026 for the Sustainability Data Science Conference. The event explored how artificial intelligence, data science and domain expertise can help address urgent sustainability challenges.
Across 19 presentations, speakers shared work on topics including climate attribution in local news, hydrological modelling, corporate carbon accountability, adaptive energy planning and interpretable AI for air quality forecasting. The conference highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, rigorous methods and practical impact in advancing sustainability research and practice.
