Science scheme officers from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Technology (MOSTI) as well as its agencies convened recently to hone their skills in science communication.
The three-day workshop was organised by the Science Officers’ Association of MOSTI under the Human Capital Development (HCD) fund of the ministry. It was participated by science officers, lab assistants and public-relations professionals from MOSTI and other related agencies.
The objective was to equip the science schemes officers of MOSTI [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3,5″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ] with necessary skills and knowledge in science communication. This is the first ever science communication workshop held by MOSTI.
Among the speakers were Dr Mahaletchumy Arujanan, Shamira Shamsuddin, and Farah Nadzri from the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (Mabic), Dr Abhi Veerakumarasivam from the Youth Scientists Network (YSN) and Norzilawati Md Kamsor from the National Science Centre.
The participant were introduced to science communication and its components such as writing news article, the development of science infographics, and other various method of communicating science.
The training modules were developed in collaboration with the Science Officers’ Association and the speakers. They were tailored to accommodate the participants’ job scope in the science sector.
The workshop held from May 2 – 4 gave the opportunity for participants to engage in practical activities such as hands-on learning, science news reporting, interactive games and public speaking.
Participants gave positive feedback on the workshop.
“The skills gained through this workshop are vital to ensure science information is disseminated to the public effectively”, said Azlan Ariffin, who headed the workshop’s working committee.
Nor Raiha Che Hassan, MOSTI science officer said having good communication skills ensure good understanding of scientific data.
“This workshop was very useful for me. Being able to communicate science effectively is critical in my line of work,” she said.
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