Current issues in science education; three ALLEA webinars

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ALLEA and its Science Education Working Group invite to three upcoming webinars related to current issues in science education:

  • Public Webinar on Climate Change Education, co-organised by ALLEA and Royal Irish Academy  on 24 November 2020;
  • An expert roundtable discussion on International Large-Scale Studies of Achievement (by invitation only) on 21 January 2021;
  • Public  webinar entitled  “From STEM to STEAM Education ” in Spring 2021.

These events forerun a physical conference which was initially planned for January 2021 but was postponed due to the COVID 19 pandemic. The conference is envisaged to be held later in 2021 if conditions allow, and will be hosted by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine UNESCO Center for Science Education and the National Academy of Educational Sciences, supported by the Polish Academy of Sciences via its Representative Office in Kyiv.

Job offer: Communications officer (part-time)

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ALLEA, the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, is currently seeking a

 

Communications Officer

 

to join its team in Berlin as soon as possible for the duration of two years (target starting date: 1 December 2020). This is a part-time position at 50% FTE with possible increase of hours over the course of employment. 

 

Role and responsibilities

Together with other members of the communications team

  • Develop, implement and monitor ALLEA communications strategies and plans;
  • Produce, manage and disseminate effective communications tools and activities (publications, websites, social media, newsletters, and other materials),
  • Create and edit content for websites, brochures, news articles, press releases, opinion pieces and other publications, and prepare layout, format and graphic design of these products;
  • Contribute to preparing and managing events, including conferences, stakeholder workshops, webinars and online meetings.

Skills and experience

  • Academic degree to undergraduate level in a relevant subject (ideally in e.g. communications studies, journalism, graphic design, marketing) or at least 2-3 years equivalent professional experience;
  • Fluency in English (ideally English native-speaker), with excellent writing skills; German or other foreign language skills are an asset;
  • Experience in managing social media profiles;
  • Good knowledge of Adobe Indesign, Photoshop and Illustrator;
  • Knowledge and experience in using CMS and databases (especially WordPress);
  • Experience in organising events (physical, hybrid, digital) is welcome;
  • Experience in science publishing is an asset;
  • Ability to work independently and in a team;
  • A quick learner and team player with keen eye for detail and who appreciates working in an international team and environment;
  • Interest in the areas of expertise of ALLEA (international relations, scientific collaboration, science communications, research policy, scientific advice to policymaking, etc.).

Why join us

ALLEA is the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities, representing more than 50 academies from over 40 EU and non-EU countries. ALLEA operates at the interface of science, policy and society and speaks out on behalf of its members to promote science as a global public good.

You will be part of a multi-cultural, young, and dynamic team working in the centre of Berlin and help ALLEA reach international stakeholders on societally relevant scientific topics. As a not-for-profit organisation, our working environment is informal and collegial, and our team shares a dedication to work for a common greater good.

This position offers the flexibility of combining working in the office and remotely. Remuneration will depend on the level of previous experience and qualifications and correspond to TV-L 10 or 11 of the German civil service pay scale.

ALLEA is an equal opportunity employer. For more information about us, please visit www.allea.org and/or follow us on Twitter @ALLEA_academies.

How to apply

If you are interested, please submit your digital application with a cover letter, CV, an example of a short written text (in English) and a sample of a graphic design work, relevant corresponding certificates as one single PDF document (3 MB max) to recruitment@allea.org by 8 November 2020.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews in the following weeks.

Download the job post here.

Who to trust on Covid-19?

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ALLEA is pleased to announce the PERITIA webinar ‘Who to trust on Covid-19: When science advice gets “dirty” in the political mud’. The event will take place on 2 November (14:00-15:00 CET) and is part of the Berlin Science Week. Registration is already open.

The one-hour Q&A webinar will delve into the impact of this pandemic on trust in expertise with a particular focus on three questions:

  • What lessons can we draw from the handling of the pandemic for understanding trust in policy-driven expertise?
  • How have different countries dealt with the delicate enterprise of communicating and relying on uncertain and evolving evidence and advice in extremely difficult times?
  • Is a loss of public trust in expertise the “collateral damage” of this crisis or are people trusting experts more than before?

PERITIA experts will join the discussion with Dr Shane Bergin, who will moderate an interactive debate where participants will lead the questions of the roundtable. The speakers include:

Prof Maria Baghramian
Professor of American Philosophy at University College Dublin
PERITIA Lead Investigator

Tracey Brown
Director of Sense about Science

Prof José van Dijck
Professor of Media Studies at University of Utrecht

Prof Bobby Duffy
Director of The Policy Institute at King’s College London

Dr Carlo Martini
Assistant Professsor of Philosophy at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University

PERITIA is an EU-funded research project and ALLEA is part of the consortium. The project explores the conditions under which people trust expertise used for shaping public policy. It brings together philosophers, social and natural scientists, policy experts, ethicists, psychologists, media specialists and civil society organisations to conduct a comprehensive multi-disciplinary investigation of trust in and the trustworthiness of policy related expert opinion.

ALLEA at the Berlin Science Week

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With its first public webinar, ALLEA will contribute to the major conference, which takes place annually in Berlin and this year also digitally. A webinar “It’s complicated…” Europe facing cultural memories and nationalist sentiments will feature Joep Leerssen, 2020 Laureate of the ALLEA Madame de Staël Prize for Cultural Values. 

Read more

ALLEA supports the International Year of Basic Sciences of Sustainable Development 2022

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ALLEA is proud to support the initiative International Year of Basic Sciences of Sustainable Development 2022, which aims to highlight the links between basic sciences and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to facilitate a dialogue between the stakeholders and raise the importance of basic sciences.

In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Agenda 2030, an integrated vision to enable sustainable development across the globe. The goals of the Agenda 2030 are closely intertwined with the SDGs. Science has a lot to contribute to achieving SDGs such as affordable and clean energy, climate action, or access to clean water and sanitation.

The initiative highlights that “a basic understanding of natural phenomena, and of those generated by human imagination and organization, is essential for the implementation of Agenda 2030”.

Based on a recommendation adopted by the UNESCO General Conference, the UN General Assembly will be voting on whether to proclaim 2022 the International Year of Basic Sciences of Sustainable Development at their meeting in November.

More information on the IYBSSD here.

ALLEA contributes to European Commission’s consultation on the European Research Area

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ALLEA submitted a response to the European Commission’s public consultation on the future of the European Research Area (ERA). This initiative seeks to relaunch and revitalize the ERA and make it better able to address major challenges such as the green and digital transitions, or the COVID-19 crisis.

In its position, ALLEA supports continuous ambition “to broaden the ERA’s outreach and connectivity by promoting open science and research mobility within and beyond its borders, as well as access to research facilities and collections”.

“As innovation is not restricted to technological and economic growth but also concerns social and cultural adaption, it is critical to broaden the remit of the ERA and that Union programmes consider societal values, including fairness/equality, resilience/sustainability, diversity, openness, transparency and trustworthiness,” the contribution states.

The statement points out that “the core of the EU network remains mainly composed of EU-15 participants, with only a restricted number of institutions acting as hubs. Systematic efforts and specific mechanisms are required to encourage researchers across the career cycle and participants from EU-13 and Associated countries to actively shape the EU-wide networks across the ERA.”

The consultation was closed on 3 August and all stakeholder contributions are available here.

Read ALLEA’s contribution.

Fact or fake? New ALLEA project on tackling science disinformation

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ALLEA is pleased to announce the launch of a new project, “Fact or Fake”, aimed at tackling science disinformation. The initiative will identify and discuss the root causes leading to science-averse attitudes in European countries, particularly focusing on disinformation campaigns on Covid-19, climate change, and vaccinations.

The project is led by a scientific committee composed of a multidisciplinary group of experts from across Europe. Its chair is Dan Larhammar, President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

The scientific committee will:

  • Promote exchanges and linkages among research, policy, science and communications and media communities on practices and approaches to tackling science disinformation.
  • Develop strategies to address the loss of confidence and trust in scientific evidence.
  • Provide guidance to scientists, science communicators, journalists and policymakers in appropriate ways to navigate and address the issue of science disinformation.

The outcome of the project is aimed to address both the recipients and the creators of science disinformation, examining the problem through a multi-disciplinary lens. Target audiences include researchers and research institutions, science communication practitioners and journalists, as well as policymakers at the national and European levels. 

The project is supported by  Compagnia di San Paolo and builds upon ALLEA-related activities such as ALLEA Working Group Truth, Trust and Expertise  and the Horizon 2020 project PERITIA, which explores the conditions under which people trust expertise used for shaping public policy.

Call for new members for the Global Young Academy

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The Global Young Academy is looking for new members. Applications are sought from young, independent scholars who combine the highest level of research excellence with a demonstrated passion for delivering impact.

The call is open to all scholars working in any research-based discipline, including the sciences, medicine, engineering, social sciences, the arts and humanities.

Applicants should be in the early to middle years of their independent careers. The majority of the GYA members are aged 30-40 and the typical period from completion of a PhD or similar degree is 3-10 years. Applicants falling outside these ranges are still invited to send their applications with a justification for why they should be considered.

More information on how to apply can be found here.

ALLEA urges European Parliament to protect Horizon Europe from budget cuts

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ALLEA released a statement today in reaction to the European Council deal for the the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2021-2027) and on the EU plan to tackle the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the statement, this proposal represents “a severe and long-term threat to Europe’s capacities as a world leader in science, research and innovation“. ALLEA welcomes the ambition of Members of the European Parliament to seek and secure a larger budget for Horizon Europe and other key research and innovation funding measures:

“In times when fundamental and applied research, evidence-based policy making, and scientific collaboration across boundaries and disciplines are more important than ever to tackle the challenges ahead posed by the pandemic and beyond, governments need to prioritise and increase R&I funding both on national and EU level. 

ALLEA is particularly concerned about the agreement’s implications for the next EU R&I funding programme whose budget has been cut multiple times throughout the Council summit on 17-20 July. Horizon Europe’s budget is now decreased by more than 15% as compared to the latest European Commission’s proposal (May 2020), and is one third lower than the €120 billion figure proposed by the European Parliament, supported widely across the European scientific community including ALLEA and its academies.”

Read the full statement.

Trust in Expertise at times of Covid-19

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The EU-funded research project PERITIA just launched its first newsletter dedicated to Covid-19 and trust in expertise. The issue includes highlights from the first five months of the project with a selection of essays, news, interviews, blog posts, and podcasts from its team dealing with how the pandemic is affecting trust in expertise and science advice systems. A general introduction to the project’s research agenda emphasizes three key questions:

  • What is the role of expertise in democracies?
  • How should science inform political decisions?
  • How can we prevent a populist backlash against expertise?

If you are curious about how PERITIA’s team has engaged in public debates and research around these questions, we kindly invite you to take a look and let us know what you think. If you enjoy it, don’t forget to subscribe here.

The project is conducting a comprehensive multi-disciplinary investigation of trust in, and the trustworthiness of, policy-related expert opinion. Its research will develop a theoretical framework to understand the fundamentals of trust, which will be complemented empirically with surveys and in-lab experiments.

Science advice and public engagement

A central part of PERITIA’s work will consist of a comparison of existing science advice mechanisms in four European countries. PERITIA researchers will investigate how expert advice is elicited and which of the available models is more trust enhancing.

The project’s plans also reach beyond research. Investigators seeks to design effective indicators and tools to build trust in expertise informing policy. Their conclusions will be tested in a series of citizens’ forums where experts, policymakers, and citizens will engage in face-to-face discussions on climate change.

ALLEA is a partner in the PERITIA consortium, which is formed by eleven organisations from nine countries, and is leading its work on communications and public engagement. The project is a follow-up of the ALLEA working group Truth, Trust and Expertise.