Social Events
Below are details of the 2009 social events programme.
Media Reception
Monday 29th June 19.00-21.00
@ Science Museum, Making the Modern World Gallery
Kindly Sponsored by: The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
This pre-conference reception will be held exclusively for journalist delegates of the conference, and for those involved in skills building workshops on Monday 29th June and the morning of Tuesday 30th June. The workshops that will be held during the day will culminate in this evening reception in an inspiring location. Guests can browse the Making the Modern World gallery exhibits, enjoy a taste of the Arctic, Norwegian-style, as well as hear about some fascinating projects taking place at the North and South Poles as part of International Polar Year presented by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. Norway will be hosting the closing conference for the International Polar Year in June 2010. Website: http://www.ipy-osc.no/
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters awards the Abel Prize in mathematics and the Kavli Prize in astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience. Fred Kavli, who initiated the Kavli Prize, and Reidun Sirevåg, Secretary General of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters will talk about the Kavli Prize, selection of the prize winners and announce the call for nominations. The Kavli Prize is a partnership between the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, the Kavli Foundation and the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research.
Welcome Tea party
Tuesday 30th June 14.30-15.45
@ Central Hall Westminster, exhibition hall
Hosted by: Lord Drayson the UK's Science Minister
Kindly sponsored by: Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS)
Enjoy a traditional English Tea whilst meeting journalists from around the world. The UK’s Science Minister Lord Drayson will host this opening event and Pallab Ghosh, President of the WFSJ, will officially open the Conference with some inspirational thoughts for the week ahead.
Welcome Reception
Tuesday 30th June 18.30-20.00
@ Central Hall Westminster, exhibition hall
Hosted by: Quentin Cooper, Presenter of the BBC's Material World (UK)
Kindly sponsored by: Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres and lightsources.org
Relax at our first evening party, discuss the themes of the opening day of the Conference with new friends and colleagues and make plans for the week to come. Guest speaker(s) to be announced.
Enjoy a traditional English Tea whilst meeting journalists from around the world. The UK’s Science Minister Lord Drayson will host this opening event and Pallab Ghosh, President of the WFSJ, will officially open the Conference with some inspirational thoughts for the week ahead.
Guest speaker, Simon Singh, author, journalist, and TV producer is currently being sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association. Simon will speak about the campaign 'Keep Libel Laws out of Science' and take a sideways look at science journalism and free speech in the UK.
You can find out about the campaign in advance at www.senseaboutscience.org/freedebate
Gala Reception
Wednesday 1st July 19.00-21.30
@ Natural History Museum, Central Hall
Kindly sponsored by: Reception hosts, Natural History Museum, AEA Technology and Johnson & Johnson
The Natural History Museum is pleased to host the WCSJ gala evening, offering science journalists an opportunity to see the Museum after hours. Delegates will have the chance to unwind in the Museum’s iconic central hall, visit After Darwin: Contemporary expressions, as well as get a sneak preview of our new Darwin Centre, ahead of it opening in September. The Darwin Centre will be an awe-inspiring new building for both scientists and the public, inviting everyone to explore the natural world in an exciting and innovative way. It will be a state-of-the-art scientific research and collections facility, used by over 250 scientists at a time. At the heart of the Darwin Centre is the architecturally stunning 65-metre-long, eightstorey-high cocoon that will safeguard 17 million insect and three million plant specimens. When the Darwin Centre opens in September, up to 2,500 people a day will go into the cocoon, deep into the heart of the collections and get a glimpse of the working life of world-class researchers. In the Darwin Centre’s Attenborough Studio, visitors will be inspired to be naturalists, observing the natural world and debating our relationships with it, with a celebration of excellence in science communication, through natural history film footage, new media and faceto-face encounters with Museum scientists.
Timed tours through the Darwin Centre atrium will run throughout the evening with the opportunity to sign up on arrival on a first come, first serve basis. Guests will be addressed by the hosts, the Natural History Museum as well as the reception sponsors, including AEA TEchnology. We are very pleased to announce that the evening will also include the presentation of the ABSW Science Writer Awards 2009, kindly sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development, a division of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV.
Farewell Party
Thursday 2nd July 17.30-19.00
@ Central Hall Westminster, exhibition hall
Hosted by: Chris Smith, The Naked Scientists (UK) and Christina Scott, African News Editor SciDevNet (South Africa)
Kindly sponsored by: Research4Life and Go Science
Celebrate on the last night of the Conference with a ‘Wimbledon Tennis’ theme. Your hosts ‘The Two Chris’s’ will review the week’s events both official and unofficial, humorous and serious, so any snippets of gossip you know who to inform! A chance to say farewell to new colleagues and friends.
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