Kōrero | Presentations
Keynote speakers
Ben Kennedy
Last year's winner of Te Puiaki Whakapā Pūtaiao Prime Minister's Science Communication Prize, Professor Ben Kennedy is a volcanologist at the University of Canterbury.
Volcano Dad - a questionable science communication experiment with artificial intelligence generated artwork.
Ben will tell his origin story with the help of artificial intelligence generated images, he will then reflect on his science communication projects and the role of art collaborations. Expect the silly and the serious. In Ben’s presentation he will recount tales of some of the most diverse science communication scenarios he has been engaged in from volcano fart jokes with kids to legal proceedings and visits from policemen. Ben hopes to prompt discussions on the role of art and humour in science communication and how science communicators are represented on the internet.
Juliet Gerrard
Dame Juliet Gerrard DNZM HonFRSC FRSNZ was New Zealand's Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor for six years, from 2018 to 2024.
Photo credit to Elise Manahan
Science communication and the government: lessons learned, challenges ahead
In her talk Juliet will reflect on what she has learned about science communication to the government over six years as the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, and pull out some lessons learned for researchers interested in influencing policy in the messy world of politics.