ECOTIP's 2022 Summer School will take place from June 6th-17th in the Åland islands, Finland. Here is the preliminary program: 

Tuesday June 7th, Arrival day

15:30-17:30 Welcome, station introduction, course information

17:30 Icebreaker

Wednesday June 8th

8-9 Breakfast

9-10 Communications lecture: The basic tools in your science storytelling toolbox

This talk will refresh the fundamentals of science storytelling. Focusing on what makes a good story, how to find your audience, how to write a press release, and tips for preparing for an interview. We will also discuss similarities and differences between academic writing and journalistic writing, and the different styles of writing a researcher might expect to do, from op-eds to regular columns. Students will learn how to write a good lead, keep their tone conversational, identify the photos and visual aids that may add to their story, and cut out jargon to reach a less specialized audience.

This will serve as a foundation for future communications discussions, exercises, and lectures.

10-10:15 Coffee break

10:15-12 Communications: Writing a press release

This is a chance for participants to put their knowledge of writing a press release into practice. Either individually, or in groups of two, students will be given an academic paper to read, and then they will be asked to write a press release summarizing the findings and using the skills they’ve learned. We will later ask members of the science journalism discussion panel to read through the results of the assignment and provide feedback.

12 Lunch

13-15 Communications panel discussion: Working with journalists, with Kieran Cooke and Alex Orlando

Discussion between: Alex Orlando (Discovery Magazine associate editor) and Kieran Cooke (former Financial Times/Guardian journalist and co-founder of the Climate News Network).

This panel discussion will focus on the relationship between science journalists and researchers. We will begin with a broad range of questions for the two guest speakers about the science journalism field as a whole, the ways they currently collaborate with researchers, and the ways they wish that relationship could improve, and we will ask them to share some career highlights that will inspire the participants, such as great examples of times a story resulted in a positive impact. Then we will open the floor for the students to ask questions themselves, and finish off with the panelists sharing some comments and feedback on their press release assignment, which will have been shared with them in advance.

15-15:30 Coffee break

15:30 – 17:30 Communications practise session: Working with journalists, with Kieran Cooke and Alex Orlando

Discussion between: Alex Orlando (Discovery Magazine associate editor) and Kieran Cooke (former Financial Times/Guardian journalist and co-founder of the Climate News Network).

This panel discussion will focus on the relationship between science journalists and researchers. We will begin with a broad range of questions for the two guest speakers about the science journalism field as a whole, the ways they currently collaborate with researchers, and the ways they wish that relationship could improve, and we will ask them to share some career highlights that will inspire the participants, such as great examples of times a story resulted in a positive impact. Then we will open the floor for the students to ask questions themselves, and finish off with the panelists sharing some comments and feedback on their press release assignment, which will have been shared with them in advance.

17:30 Dinner

18:30 Sauna

Thursday June 9th

8-9 Breakfast

9-10 Dr. Thorsten Blenckner

10-10:15 Coffee break

10:15-12 Dr. Thorsten Blenckner

12 Lunch

13-15 Dr. Thorsten Blenckner

15-15:30 Coffee break

15:30 – 17:30 Student presentations

17:30 Dinner

18:30 Student presentations

Friday June 10th

8-9 Breakfast

9-10 Communications lecture

10-10:15 Coffee break

10:15-12 Communications lecture: Photography and videography in the field

This will be a somewhat hands-on lecture and students will be encouraged to bring their cameras and smartphones, and test out concepts and ask questions. Students will learn about photography and videography composition, what kind of content to focus on capturing, and how to plan it into your field work.

12 Lunch

13-15 Communications lecture and panel discussion:

15-15:30 Coffee break

15:30 – 17:30 Communications lecture

17:30 Dinner

Saturday June 11th

8-9 Breakfast

Field trip

17:30 Dinner

Sunday June 12th

8-9 Breakfast

9-10 Dr Marie Nordström

10-10:15 Coffee break

10:15-12 Dr Marie Nordström

12 Lunch

13-15 Communications: What makes a good policy brief?

Policy briefs are an important tool communicate research and recommendations in a concise, accessible way to decision makers. Through a series of examples, we will examine different policy briefs and critically analyse the strengths and weaknesses of each before drafting a short policy brief (in small groups). Discussions will focus on the importance of knowing your audience, creating clear messaging through the use of language, and other aspects which can make the difference between a poorly and well written policy brief. 

15-15:30 Coffee break

15:30 – 17:30 Communications lecture and panel discussion:

17:30 Dinner

18:30 Sauna

Monday June 13th

8-9 Breakfast

9-10 Communications: The science-policy interface: examples from the Arctic

Here we will gain an in-depth understanding of the context in which science informs decision making within the Arctic, and will give early-career researchers an insight into how their research can contribute. Speakers  include:

-          Tom Barry, Executive Secretary CAFF:_ the Arctic Council and CAFF Working Group

-          Martin Lindegren – DTU Aqua: ICES working groups

-          Artur Palacz  - IOPAN: the IOC and Global Ocean Observing System

The speakers will be given the opportunity to make some remarks in a more lecture style at the top, followed by a moderated discussion, and then questions and answers from the students.

10-10:15 Coffee break

10:15-12  Communications lecture and panel discussion:

12 Lunch

13-15 Dr Andre Visser

15-15:30 Coffee break

15:30 – 17:30 Dr Andre Visser

17:30 Dinner

18:30 Communications: Final reviews

In this final session we will share some final remarks about science storytelling, give participants the chance to raise any questions, and also provide feedback on any outputs participants have produced and are willing to share and learn from.

Tuesday June 14th

8-9 Breakfast

9-10 Dr Martin Lindegren

10-10:15 Coffee break

10:15-12  Dr Martin Lindegren

12 Lunch

13-15

15-15:30 Coffee break

15:30 – 17:30

17:30 Dinner

Wednesday June 15th

8-9 Breakfast

9-10 Dr Anna Törnroos

10-10:15 Coffee break

10:15-12 Dr Anna Törnroos

12 Lunch

13-15 Dr Rikke Becker Jacobsen

15-15:30 Coffee break

15:30 – 17:30 Dr Rikke Becker Jacobsen

17:30 Dinner

18:30 Sauna

Thursday June 16th

8-9 Breakfast

9-10 Dr Otso Ovaskainen, lecture HMSC

10-10:15 Coffee break

10:15-12  Dr Otso Ovaskainen, lecture HMSC

12 Lunch

17:30 Dinner

Friday June 17th

8-9 Breakfast

9-10 Packing up & cleaning

10-10:15 Coffee break

10:15-12 Packing up & cleaning

12 Lunch

Departure