Science Literacy Workshop: “Let’s Get Social: Leveraging Social Media for Science”

Session Description

Social media has become an important tool in a scientist’s arsenal. It is a place to brainstorm and share ideas, make complex research accessible to the public, and carve out a niche as an expert in their respective fields. But, in a sea of misinformation and a crowded social media landscape, how can scientists leverage social media to achieve their goals?

Join virtually during Science Literacy Week on September 28 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST for: Let’s Get Social: Leveraging Social Media for Science.

TED talk-style presentations will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by internationally acclaimed American educator and molecular biologist, Dr. Raven Baxter. This event will explore concrete ideas to combat misinformation, how to use a professional platform to advocate and educate the public, and the ups and downs to using social media as an “amplifier” for science, and more.

This event is presented by the Government of Canada and CIHR and in partnership with the Royal Society of Canada and ScienceUpFirst, a Canadian Association of Science Centres initiative.

Keynote Speaker and Moderator

Dr. Raven Baxter — better known as Dr. Raven the Science Maven — is an internationally acclaimed American educator and molecular biologist known for effortlessly merging science with pop culture. Using her magnetic personality, she challenges the status quo to prove that science communicators aren’t all one and the same. She is highly sought after for speaking engagements, and brand partnerships.

Dr. Baxter currently has partnerships with OLAY, Brooks Running, Regeneron and is often collaborating with NASA. She has been awarded Fortune Magazine’s 40 Under 40, Forbes 30 under 30 and most recently recognized as a Mastermind in AfroTech’s inaugural Future 50 list.

Raised by a single mother in North Carolina and New York, Dr. Baxter’s curiosity to explore the world around her at a young age developed into a lifelong affinity for science. Today, whether producing viral hip-hop videos such as her “Antibodyody Antibody Song” or her “Wipe it Down” to teach science lessons to the masses or hosting a STEM-themed talk show she created called STEMbassy, she joyfully disrupts traditional cultural perceptions about scientists.

Speakers

Dr. Lisa Richardson, MD, MA, FRCPC, is a mixed blood Anishinaabe physician and clinician-educator in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She practices General Internal Medicine at the University Health Network and is a Centre Researcher at the Wilson Centre with a scholarly focus on the integration of Indigenous and critical perspectives from the social sciences into medical education. Dr. Richardson is the Associate Dean, Inclusion and Diversity at Temerty Medicine and is the Strategic Lead in Indigenous Health for Women’s College Hospital where she founded the Centre for Wise Practices in Indigenous Health. Dr. Richardson is a powerful advocate for Indigenous health equity at both the local and the national level and her contributions have been recognized through numerous local, national, and international awards.

Prof. Tim Caulfield is a Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, a Professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of Public Health, and Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta. His interdisciplinary research on topics like stem cells, genetics, research ethics, the public representations of science, and public health policy has allowed him to publish over 350 academic articles. He has won numerous academic, science communication, and writing awards, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. He contributes frequently to the popular press and is the author of two national bestsellers: The Cure for Everything: Untangling the Twisted Messages about Health, Fitness and Happiness (Penguin 2012) and Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?: When Celebrity Culture and Science Clash (Penguin 2015). His most recent book is Relax, Dammit!: A User’s Guide to the Age of Anxiety (Penguin Random House, 2020) (US Title: Your Day, Your Way). Caulfield is also the co-founder of the science engagement initiative #ScienceUpFirst and the host and co-producer of the award-winning documentary TV show, A User’s Guide to Cheating Death, which has been shown in over 60 countries, including streaming on Netflix in North America.

Talk: Debunking Works, More Please! The spread of misinformation seems to intensify with each passing week. Science-free bunk is everywhere. And it is doing tangible harm – to public health, public discourse, and public trust. How did we get here and what can we do about it? In this presentation, Professor Caulfield will explore what the most recent evidence tells us about the nature and source of the current infodemic. He will also provide recommendations about how we can (and must) respond.

Dr. Parshati Patel is an Astrophysicist turned Science Communicator, Author and Educator based at Western University. For 10+ years, Parshati has been sharing her passion for space with Canadians, especially youth, through local and national outreach initiatives both online and offline. From managing institutional social media to communicating astronomical phenomena and space research on social media, Parshati has extensive experience raising space awareness amongst the masses!

Talk: Carving your niche: cultivating your unique digital presence! In this short talk, Dr. Patel will walk you through her journey of sharing her passion and expertise in the field of space in multiple languages online. She will share how social media helped her propel in her space education and science communication career and she will provide some tips for you to carve your social media niche.

Ms. Alice Fleerackers is a researcher at the ScholCommLab and a doctoral candidate at Simon Fraser University’s Interdisciplinary Studies program, where she works under the supervision of Dr. Juan Pablo Alperin to explore how health science is communicated online. Her doctoral research is supported by a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship from SSHRC and a Michael Stevenson Graduate Scholarship from SFU. In addition, Alice volunteers with a number of non-profit organizations in an effort to foster greater public understanding and engagement with science. She is the New Science Communicators Program Coordinator of Science Borealis, a Director on the Board of the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada, and a member of the Scientific Committee for the Public Communication of Science and Technology Network (PCST). Alice is also a freelance health and science writer whose work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, National Post, and Nautilus, among other outlets.

Talk: Social media as an “amplifier” of science: the risks, benefits, and unknowns. In this short talk, Ms. Fleerackers will share insights from recent research exploring how social media can both elevate and challenge science communication. I share key lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, discussing how platforms such as Twitter and Facebook amplify emerging science and what this means for publics who are affected by research.