28 February 2019
We invited people who have attended PCST conferences to tell us about the connections and collaborations that have grown from attending these conferences. These are some of the responses we have received.
Jennifer Manyweathers, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, Charles Sturt University, Australia
I was teaching Science Communication at Tsukuba University, Japan, and attended the 2006 conference in Seoul. I feIt like I had come home. I met my PhD supervisor and have many constructive networks through PCST. Impossible to fully quantify the benefits! I am branching out into socio-psychological veterinary epidemiology and PCST is still my tribe.
Richard Holliman, Professor, The Open University, United Kingdom
My first PCST Conference was in Cape Town, South Africa. Much of the focus at the conference was on the sub-Saharan HIV/AIDS pandemic. As someone with an academic background in research and teaching, the conference changed my outlook on science communication. Practical applications, sensitive to the different contexts in which they were being deployed, were foregrounded. The need for that combination – research, teaching and practical application – has been a feature of my work ever since.
Marina Joubert, Researcher, Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Since my first PCST conference in 1996 (Melbourne, Australia), the biennial conference has been a source of inspiration and invaluable contacts with science communication leaders, resulting in collaborations with experts from around the world. Hosting the conference in Cape Town in 2002 was an unforgettable highlight that sparked new interested in this field in this world region. My advice to young science communication practitioners and researchers: (1) Join the PCST network; (2) Attend 2–3 consecutive PCST conferences; (3) Form a core group in your country and submit a bid to host a future PCST conference.
Jennifer Manyweathers, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, Charles Sturt University, Australia
