Social media is one of the convenient ways to connect to the world. The main aim of the panel discussion is to explore as how we can use the social platforms to reach to wider audience.
The panel discussion was a joint initiative of APECS, National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) and IPRN. The panel discussion was commenced with the introduction of APECS by Mr. Rahul Dey. The moderator, Dr. Swati first introduced the theme to the audience. Panelists introduce themselves and also mentioned their area/s of interest. The discussion started with the few questions related to the usefulness of social platforms and how panelists use these platforms to disseminate the information. Prof. Shankar has entrusted the repsonsibilty of social media to his sub-ordinate and personally don’t use much. ON the other hand, Dr. Chandrika Nath and Dr. Anoop expressed the benefits of using social media to have a wider coverage.
Dr. Nath has also shared her experience of working at the interface of science and policy at POST (Parliamentary Office of science and Technology, United Kingdom) and expressed the importance of science communication. Dr. Mahajan has highlighted that internet has ample of information which may or may not be authentic. Sharing of information help in disseminating te right information and making people/ users aware about the right information. They emphasized that using social platforms is like networking where information are being shared by friends and friends of friends. It is a place where we can connect to the wider groups.
Although some social media platforms like whatApp generally do not used to its full potential for science communication. However, now days, Facebook, twitter, instagram etc are widely using for outreach and communication.
The panelists emphasized that young early career scientists should communicate their research to the students as well as to public. It is important to communication of recent research to wider audiences.
They agreed that platforms like Research gate, linked inn, etc are widely accepted by the early career scientists and others. These platforms can be a stepping stone to locate the research groups of similar background and may collaborate. They encourage early career researchers among audience to involve in science communication and social media can be used to disseminate information and share their ideas and research.
This panel discussion was a side event of National Conference on Polar Sciences organized by NCPOR, Goa from 20th-22ndAugust, 2019 at its campus. The panel discussion was attended by about 100 early career researchers and scientists.
Date: 20.08.2019
Venue: Seminar Hall, NCPOR, Goa, India
APECS Organizers: Dr. Swati Nagar, Mr. Rahul Dey and Dr. Vikram Goel
Panelists:
- Chandrika Nath, Executive Director, SCAR
- R. Shankar, Senior Officer, International Geoscience Education Organisation
- Anoop Mahajan, Scientist E, Indian Institute of Tropical Metereology, Pune, India
Moderator: Dr. Swati Nagar, NC Coordinator, APECS
© Swati Nagar