Kansas State University

The Kansas Science Communication Initiative, known as KSCI, along with Sunset Zoo and other university and community partners, will celebrate science communication with events and activities Oct. 12-19. All events are free unless otherwise noted. 

Science Communication Week 2019 starts off on Saturday, Oct. 12, in Wichita with Science Fest at the Wichita Public Library's Advanced Learning Library. From 1-5 p.m., students and families can engage in hands-on science activities and learn more about biology, horticulture, engineering, animal science, food science, technology, health and other STEM-related fields. Activities are aimed toward students from fourth to eighth grade, but families of all ages are welcome. This event is sponsored by K-State Research and Extension-Sedgwick County, Kansas State University, the K-State Office for the Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering and KSCI. 

In Manhattan, the GROW Saturday Workshop will take place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 12 on the K-State Manhattan campus. Middle school students will spend a Saturday full of hands-on STEM activities and explore the infinite possibilities a career in science, technology, engineering and math can hold. This year's theme, "It's Elemental, Dr. Watson!" celebrates the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the periodic system. K-State faculty and students will facilitate middle school students' exploration of the many ways in which the chemical elements and periodic system influence STEM today. Advance registration is required as space is limited, and costs $30 per student. The event is coordinated by the K-State Office for the Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering.

On Monday, Oct. 14, the latest Henry C. Gardiner Global Food Systems Lecture will take place at 7 p.m. in McCain Auditorium. Presenter Dennis Dimick, a National Geographic photographer, is interested in making visual the effects on earth of humanity's expanding presence in the emerging Anthropocene epoch. Earlier in the day, Global Food Systems will sponsor a graduate students and postdocs meeting and one-on-one with Dimick to discuss the many ways of communicating science through the lens of a camera during a workshop at 10 a.m. in Room 209 at the Union. This is a limited-space event; please register online.

Learn about how big data can impact your area of study. On Tuesday, Oct. 15, Global Food Systems will sponsor a full-day workshop on big data. This event, which will take place in K-State Student Union Cottonwood Room, will provide a more global understanding of big data, how it is/can/should be used in analyzing complex challenges in basic and applied research. Faculty, graduate students and postdocs are encouraged to attend; undergraduates and nonuniversity professionals are also welcome. We encourage you to come and go as your time permits and hope to have a full house of interdisciplinary attendees there for the afternoon workshop. Lunch will be provided. Please register online for this event by Oct. 8.  

Tuesday evening, join us to paint the Konza on the Konza! Science Communication Week's Nerdy Wine and Paint Night will be from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Konza Prairie Biological Station Meeting Hall. Straight Upp Creative Studio will instruct attendees on painting a landscape of the Konza prairie. Registration is $18 and will include the canvas and painting supplies, as well tickets for wine or beer. 

On Wednesday, Oct. 16, the World Food Day Poetry Contest will conclude at 12:15 p.m. in the K-State Student Union courtyard. The English department will accept entries for poems focused on food and the global food system. Participants and winners will read their entries over the noon hour. Students, faculty and staff are invited to participate. 

Science Communication Week activities continue downtown at 7 p.m. Wednesday with Science on Tap at Tallgrass Taphouse. The featured researcher for October, Emily Pascoe, is a graduate student in the College of Health and Human Sciences. Pascoe's presentation, "[IMAGE]ing Impact," will be an exploration of the ecological impact of the fashion industry, connecting to her research interest and focus of material culture and engagement, sustainability, consumption, disposal and identity. 

A graphic design brownbag will take place at noon Thursday, Oct. 17, in the Wayne Franklin Student Leadership Conference Room in the Leadership Studies Building. Ben Cleveland, creative director, and Tommy Theis, lead photographer, at the K-State Division of Communications and Marketing, will share why good design and photography are important in communicating science and will discuss best practices. Undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff are encouraged to bring a lunch to this event. 

From 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, attend Adobe Digital Literacy Day. Engage in presentations and hands-on workshops about using Adobe creative software in classroom environments with a focus on visual communication. Presentations will be offered by faculty, staff and students from many disciplines. Attendees from all Kansas Board of Regents institutions are welcome. Bring your laptop, tablet, or smartphone to use during hands-on workshops. The event is free, but attendees are asked to preregister online. For more information, contact Tom Hallaq at thallaq@k-state.edu.

KSCI brings together Kansas State University and the community to engage people in talking about science and research. 

Learn more about the initiative and the 2019 K-State Science Communication Week events on the KSCI webpage.