Sci Comm and Civic Tech: Recent Episodes
Gordon Ruby
Welcome to the Sci Comm and Civic Tech podcast where our guests help explain scientific concepts to the masses AND how technology is solving complex problems in communities and government alike.
Bonnie Schmidt from Let's Talk Science explains:
- How she started Let's Talk Science during her PhD 27 years ago
- How funding for science research has expanded compared to the 1990s
- How the rules around science communication have shifted compared to 15 year prior
- Why the focus has shifted during COVID-19 toward STEM at home
- How Let's Talk Science continues its digital transformation to offer more resources online
The next Let's Talk Science event with Bonnie Schmidt and Scholar's Choice will be online:
WHEN:
Thursday, May 21, 2020
5:00 PM PDT
8:00 PM EST
Let's Talk Science: Bringing STEM Learning Home
SIGN UP:
https://event.webinarjam.com/register/69/3vmx3fn1
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Mathew Brown a Scientific Data Visualization Specialist and founder of the Hakia Institute in British Columbia explains:
- What is data visualization and why this is a remarkable moment its history
- What is Github and how are organizations sharing data about COVID-19
- Why we need to be careful when creating visualizations and who's getting it right
- Data skepticism, what we know, what we can't know
- The policy tradeoffs of opening our economies up again too soon
- Why the race to develop a vaccine is exceptional
- Why we're in it for the long haul in the New Normal
- How to begin a career in data visualization
- Leaders in data visualization today
- His work with the Center for Global Health Research
- The value of organizations having in-house data visualization experts
Mathew Brown
- https://www.mathewbrown.ca/
- https://www.hakai.org/
- Matt's Twitter Recos: @AlbertoCairo, @DataVizSociety, @moritz_stefaner, @infowetrust
BACKGROUND READING
The story behind ‘flatten the curve,’ the defining chart of the coronavirus
- By Mark Wilson at Fast Company | March 13, 2020
The Financial Times:Coronavirus tracked: the latest figures as countries fight to contain the pandemic
- John Murdoch
- On Twitter
Washington Post:Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to “flatten the curve”
- By Harry Stevens at Washington Post | March 14, 2020
New York Times:New York Times on Coronavirus
- How Long Will a Vaccine Really Take?
- By Stuart A. Thompson | April 30, 2020
- On Twitter
Johns Hopkins University: Johns Hopkins Institute Coronavirus Resource Center
- Interactive Global Dashboard
Github Home
Government of Canda Open Government Portal for COVID-19 Data
Data Visualization Society
Mike Bostock
- D3.js - Data Driven Documents Home
- Observable HQ
Center for Global Health Research
Caroline Colijn from SFU’s MAGPIE Research Group in British Columbia speaks about her team’s work on COVID-19 Mathematical Modelling in collaboration with the BC Centre for Disease Control and:
- Contact tracing options: their pros, cons and technological barriers
- The proven benefits of physical / social distancing and hand hygiene
- Evaluating exposure risks of various social settings (beaches, trails, clubs)
- The ideal COVID-19 data set needed in a perfect world
- The key role that mathematical modelling has played during the pandemic
- Reasons why BC might have performed better in responding to the crisis
- Defining R0 (R naught) and prevalence as valuable metrics in understanding the virus
- Her work on the panel with Canada’s chief science advisor Dr. Mona Nemer
- How COVID-19 preparedness is different from flu preparedness
- How Canada learned from the SARS epidemic
- The limitations of reported cases vs actual cases in the population
- Why the “multiple waves” analogy is a misconception
- Why mathematical models have a threshold related to exponential growth
RESOURCES
Caroline Colijn
- on Twitter: https://twitte.com/CarolineColijn
- at SFU: https://www.sfu.ca/math/department/faculty/colijn--caroline.html
The MAGPIE Research Group
- at SFU: https://www.sfu.ca/magpie/home.html
- COVID-19 Research page: https://www.sfu.ca/magpie/covid-19.html
- on Twitter: https://twitter.com/magpieresearch
Dr. Mona Nemer (Canada's Chief Science Advisor)
- On Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChiefSciCan
- Government of Canada: https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_97646.html
BACKGROUND READING
- Real-time modelling of the COVID-19 epidemic: perspectives from British Columbia:
- Caroline Colijn and Daniel Coombs | Posted May 14, 2020
- Estimating the impact of COVID-19 control measures using a Bayesian model of physical distancing
- Caroline Colijn et al | Posted April 22, 2020.
- Coronavirus: ‘Incomplete’ data for Canada hurts ability to model pandemic, scientists say
- Beatrice Britneff | Posted April 17, 2020
- The Tyee: She Plots the Possible Arcs of the Pandemic
- Steve Burgess | Posted March 26, 2020
ABOUT THE PODCAST
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- Best way to reach Gordon Ruby: LinkedIn
- Sci Comm and Civic Tech on Social:
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Tom Masterson discusses their new digital product Blue, the community assistant that
organizes ongoing community support for caregivers and their supporters, in a way that is sustainable and rewarding.
Resources:
Tom Masterson:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/mastersonthomas/
Dylan Byth
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylanbyth/
Caregiver Support Technologies
- https://caregiversupport.tech/
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/caregiver-support/
- https://medium.com/caregivers-and-technology
- https://www.instagram.com/supportbyblue/
Podcast: What Can I Do?
- https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/what-can-i-do/id1494941845
- https://open.spotify.com/show/2VH5xDA9NpGkBwqL91Yweu
Podcast: Teamistry
- https://www.atlassian.com/podcast
Contextual Awareness Companies:
Radar company
- https://radar.io/
Goose
- https://www.gooseinsurance.com
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Proof's platform helps governments with COVID-19 programming and Business Continuity Planning:
- https://proofgov.com/
Renée LeVangie:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneelevangie/
Luke DeCoste:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/ldecoste/
Summary:
Renee and Luke explain the history and the mission of a Canadian company whose government cloud software can be deployed 10 times faster at 1/10th the cost of traditional projects - with examples.
They describe how easy the onboarding process is and how they approach understanding the problems of their clients first to then quickly customize solutions to fit their needs in an agile SaaS environment, often without the procurement process.
Other Govtech and Civic Tech Resources:
Bonfire Strategic Sourcing Platform empowers procurement teams and stakeholders to come together to make better purchasing decisions.
- https://gobonfire.com/
eSCRIBE is a leading provider of revolutionary meeting management software, and the go-to-choice for public sector boards, committees, and councils looking to increase transparency, efficiency and stakeholder engagement.
- https://escribemeetings.com/
OpenGov cloud software powers accounting and citizen services for over 1,000 Governments
- https://opengov.com/
Sean Boots:
- https://twitter.com/sboots
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanboots/
- https://sboots.ca/
Natasha Clarke:
- https://twitter.com/tashclarke73
- https://beta.novascotia.ca/people/natasha-clarke
Canadian Digital Service:
- https://twitter.com/CDS_GC
Code for Canada:
- https://twitter.com/code4ca
Ottawa Civic Tech:
- https://twitter.com/yowcivictech
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The next Institute on Governance Event with Ryan Androsoff and Ottawa Civic Tech will be online:
WHEN:
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
2:30 PM to 4:30 PM PDT
5:30 PM to 7:30 PM EST
Virtual Policy Crunch: The Future of Digital Governance in a Post-Pandemic World
SIGN UP:
https://iog.ca/events/digital-governance-post-pandemic/
Resources:
The Public Service's Digital Literacy Problem | Ryan Androsoff
- https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/february-2019/the-public-services-digital-literacy-problem/
How Covid-19 Could Reshape the Federal Public Service | Kathryn May
- https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/april-2020/how-covid-19-could-reshape-the-federal-public-service/
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The next OPEN Technologies Event:
WHEN:
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
5:30 PM to 7:30 PM PDT
Civic Tech YVR #20 |
Green Buildings, Contech and Shift with OPEN Technologies
SIGN UP:
https://www.meetup.com/Civic-Tech-Vancouver/events/270204972/
In this Episode:
Jenna McNeil
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcneiljenna/
Open Technologies
- https://opentech.eco/
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/opengb/
Jenna Explains:
- The history of OPEN Technologies and where the founders came from
- The BC Energy Step Code and what it means for the building sector in BC
- Climate change and how buildings are massive emitters of CO2
- How traditional materials were used in building construction compared to now and in the future
- How there's a lack of data informing policy and effective tools for forecasting policy implications
- Why OPEN Technologies products are free to use and directly accessible from the website
- A definition of ‘virtue signaling’ within the sustainability sector
- What open source means within the context of OPEN Technologies
- What it's like for people adopting the product as a disruptive shift in their workflow
- The importance of customer research in product adoption
- Career advice for civically engaged and sustainability-minded people
- Key organizations and a who's who within construction technology and the building industry in general.
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Direct access to the Shift tool from OPEN Technologies:
- http://shift.opentech.eco/
Phil Northcott and C Change Labs:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/philnorthcott/
- https://www.c-change-labs.com/en/
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/c-change-labs/
Zero Emissions Building Exchange
- https://zebx.org/
Canadian Urban Sustainability Practitioners Network
- https://cuspnetwork.ca/
City Hive
- https://cityhive.ca/
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/cityhive-vancouver/
BC Energy Step Code
- https://energystepcode.ca/
Evidence for Democracy
- https://evidencefordemocracy.ca/en
Kimberly Girling
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-girling-phd-750b4816/
Upcoming Webinar on May 5, 2020:
- https://evidencefordemocracy.ca/en/content/register-our-latest-webinar
Social Media
- https://www.facebook.com/E4Dca
- https://twitter.com/E4Dca
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzsmi2kEGI7M85qTCcWBfjQ
Kimberly Describes:
- How Evidence for Democracy promotes science policy in government
- The structural challenges for adopting science policy
- Why science is so important, especially right now
- Misconceptions from government, scientists and professors about science and science advocacy
- Useful incentives and initiatives for further science communication
- An ideal state for science policy and integrity two years from now
- The need for mechanisms to respond to misinformation and available resources
- Existing science policy and science communication groups in Canada
- How more people can get involved
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RESOURCES:
Science Policy Exchange
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/science-&-policy-exchange/
- https://twitter.com/DSP_SPE
- https://www.sp-exchange.ca/
Toronto Science Policy Network
- https://twitter.com/TOSciPolicyNet
- https://www.facebook.com/TOSciPolicyNet/
Spin (Vancouver) Science Policy Interchange Network
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/science-policy-integration-network-spin/
- https://twitter.com/SPINSciPolicy
Science Slam Canada
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/science-slam-canada/
- https://twitter.com/scislamca
Pint of Science
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/pintofscience/
- https://twitter.com/pintsworld
Science is Everywhere
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/science-everywhere/
- https://twitter.com/anthonymxse
Tanya Gadsby from Fuselight Creative, Inc. https://thefuselight.com/
Describes:
- How she got her start in stage management then health care
- How her team creates accurate, interactive visuals across a range of formats for clients including the science, health care, and engineering sectors
- The technology Fuselight is experimenting with as graphic facilitation evolves
- The types of effort that goes into her team's work
- How we're all interconnected which is why they share their work openly
- The shift she's seeing toward the virtual space, especially now
- The risks and rewards involved in visual communication
Resources:
Fuselight Creative Inc.
Kurzgesagt — Informational animations on a range of science and research topics
Toby Morris @XTOTL — Visualizes data. He’s based in New Zealand
Jerome Etienne — he shared code freely and openly on GitHub so people could start experimenting with Augmented Reality without needing to buy expensive programs.
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Louis Describes:
- Why specialization is important, but not everything
- The best way to spend 10K Hours
- How to live a life of happiness and resiliency with a growth mindset
- What's it's like to be a mathematician
- Persistence > Intelligence
- The pitfalls of Publication Bias in academia and beyond
- How to evaluate what we see in the media
- How we can learn to trust science
Visit his blog
John P.A. Ioannidis
https://profiles.stanford.edu/john-ioannidis
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Sci Comm and Civic Tech on Social:
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I introduce the initial WHY for the podcast and define key terms with a few examples of each:
- Science Communication
- Civic Technology
Best way to reach me:
Sci Comm and Civic Tech Social:
- YouTube
Companies I spoke about:
- Civic Tech Vancouver: Connecting community & technology
- Thrive Health: Personalized information about the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Medimap: Telehealth and Walk-in Clinic Wait Times
- Hub Cycling: Ungap the Map: Prioritizing Gaps in Vancouver's Bike Infrastructure
Science Communicators:
- Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Bill Nye the Science Guy
- David Suzuki
- Carl Sagan
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_communication
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_technology