Preconference workshop descriptions

Three preconference workshops are currently planned in connection with WCSJ2017. There will also be a student training day and a preconference symposium. Although the deadline for travel fellowships to support workshop attendance has passed, each workshop will offer seats to appropriate candidates through general conference registration.

ALL WORKSHOPS ARE FULL.

Workshop choices are:

Jack F. Ealy Science Journalism Workshop for Latin American and Caribbean Journalists

This full-day workshop on Wednesday, October 25, is open to any journalist from the region who wishes to improve science reporting knowledge and skill, connect with colleagues from the region, and participate in building a regional network for science journalism. It will be sponsored by México-based Fundación Ealy Ortiz A.C. and produced in collaboration with InquireFirst, with content and translation provided in both Spanish and English. Participants will need to arrive Tuesday, October 24.

Emerging Infectious Diseases: Post Zika in Latin America and the Caribbean

This half-day workshop on Thursday morning, October 26 will cover some of the following elements:

  • Aftermath of the recent Zika outbreak
  • Contributing factors in the emergence of emerging infectious diseases, including: changes in human demographics and behavior, ecological changes and agricultural development, genetic and biological factors, breakdown of public health measures, and microbial adaptation and change
  • Global surveillance

It will be sponsored by the Research Councils UK and produced by the World Federation of Science Journalists. It will take place ahead of the opening of the conference the afternoon of October 26. Journalists from the region may sign up for both the Ealy workshop and the RCUK workshop.

Feeding the World: Achieving Sustainable Agriculture

This full-day workshop on Wednesday, October 25 is designed for a broad contingent of journalists in low- and middle-income countries who don’t necessarily report on agriculture as a standalone; agriculture might be a beat within other lines of reporting. The main aim is to expose these reporters to issues pertinent to agriculture including innovation. Examples:

  • How irrigation, chemicals, and crop technology technology are transforming agriculture around the world
  • How farmers from developing countries are challenged by these changes, affecting livelihoods, food security, environment, and health
  • How researchers can better understand the complex dynamics affecting health in agro-ecosystems and design more equitable and sustainable solutions

This workshop will be sponsored by the Research Councils UK and produced by the World Federation of Science Journalists. Participants will need to arrive Tuesday evening, October 24.