Contact:
Anne Salomon, 778.782.8739, anne_salomon@sfu.ca
Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 778.782.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca

Flickr photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sfupamr/6871519047/

Anne Salomon, a Simon Fraser University assistant professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management, belongs to a new breed of scientists in media relations.

In describing this new breed, Salomon — a discussant at a workshop on media relations for scientists at the world’s largest science fair at the Vancouver Convention Centre (VCC) — quotes Stanford University’s climate scientist Steve Schneider. He said: “…staying out of the fray is not taking the high ground — it is just passing the buck,” referring to how scientists often deal with media.

On Sun., Feb. 19 at the 2012 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference, Salomon will share some of her thoughts with hundreds of media on why she believes Schneider’s comment is bang on.

“Many scientists shy away from the political process, which obligates them to talk to a wide range of audiences because their work is publicly funded, in fear of comprising their scientific credibility,” says Salomon.  “Yet the role of science in informing decisions is one of the most critical and often unmet needs of society.”

In Sunday’s workshop, Good Communication: Talking to the Media and the Public, Salomon will discuss scientists’ responsibility to make their research findings publicly digestible in this electronic age of 24-hour viral news.

The workshop is from 10:30 a.m. to noon, Room 111-112, VCC West Building.

“Gone are the days of simply publishing our research in esoteric peer-reviewed journals that are typically inaccessible to those outside of academia,” says Salomon.

A co-author of Imam Cimiucia: Our Changing Sea, a book published by University of Alaska Press last year, Salomon expects she’ll be asked to demonstrate how the book exemplifies good research communication in today’s world.

The book’s three authors and a photographer weave together quantitative ecology, traditional knowledge, archaeology, art and photography to explain the ecological and socio-economic causes of shellfish declines in south central Alaska.

“We intentionally wrote the book for a general audience,” says Salomon.

“The story is a familiar one: fish and shellfish resources, which were once plentiful, have declined. Replace the major characters, and the story told here could apply to countless coastal communities throughout the world that have witnessed drastic changes in their ocean home. They’ve become pray to the pressures humans now impose on marine ecosystems worldwide.”

Salomon is one of seven SFU scientists involved in presentations at the AAAS.

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