COMPASSS will take place between August 26 and August 30 in Groningen on the campus. More about the location here

COMPASSS will help you develop communication skills through workshops, lectures, feedback and by helping you develop your own outreach project throughout the week (in small groups). 

You will learn how to increase the impact of outreach activities; how to interact with policymakers; what it takes to create a podcast, produce a television series or write a book; how to use social media productively and more!

List of speakers:

Marieke Baan

Marieke Baan is head of communications at NOVA, the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy and the Dutch media contact of ESO, the European Southern Observatory. She coordinated many projects in the field of science communication and is a guest lecturer in this field at the University of Groningen. Asteroid 12631 is named after her! During het session she will help us prepare for (radio and television) interviews and explain the dynamics.

Jim Jansen

Jim is a Dutch journalist and publicist and editor-in-chief of the Dutch edition of the popular science magazine New Scientist. He also acts as host of the day at conferences and meetings on the interface between science, education, education, art and culture. Jim will discuss his work and the new stages he created for connecting to large and diverse audiences .

Moniek Tromp

Moniek is professor of Material Chemistry at Groningen University,  academic director of the Zernike Institute and Captain of Science from the Dutch Topsector Chemie. She is also committed to achieving greater gender equality in the hard sciences During her contribution Moniek will discuss the status of the  (inter)national developments around 'Recognition and rewards' in academia.

Julia Cramer 

Julia is an assistant professor at Leiden University with a joint appointment in the Leiden Institute of Physics and that of Science Communication and Society. Her research focuses on the impact of quantum technologie on society from a science communication perspective. Julia will discuss her transition from PhD in quantum-research to science communication (research) and elaborate how the two fields connect in the research of her group on quantum and society.

Petra Rudolf 

Petra Rudolf is professor in Experimental Solid State Physics and Dean of Graduate studies at Groningen University. She had held many influential positions in bodies related to scientific research and science policy, for example president of the European Physical Society.  She will give a workshop on lobbying and communicating with political parties. Get ready to improve your advocacy skills! 

Diederik Jekel 

Diederik is a presenter, writer and science journalist. He presented the NTR show ‘De Kennis van Nu’ and is regularly on television for RTL Boulevard. Diederik studied physics at the University of Twente and was chair of the NNV, the Netherlands' Physical Society. We will learn from him how we can connect to a variety of audiences and the specific dynamics of television. 

Ionica Smeets 

Ionica Smeets is the chair of Leiden University's research group Science Communication and Society. In this role she also enthusiastically teaches in the master specialization Science Communication and Society. Her main research interest in science communication is the gap between experts and the general public. What problems occur when those groups communicate? And what can scientists do about those problems? 

Casper Albers 

Casper Albers is a Dutch statistician. Albers is professor of applied statistics and data visualisation at Groningen University. He also writes columns and is a member of the 'graph police', a group of scientists that spot 'wrong' graphs in the media and helps correct it. Casper will show us how important statistics is and how often this is  (mis)used in the media.

Clara Nellist

Clara is a particle physicist and Assistant Professor at the University of Amsterdam and Nikhef. Her research is connected to the ATLAS experiment at CERN. On top of this she is also an enthusiastic science communicator, with over a decade of experience talking with audiences about the research she does at CERN.  In her workshop Clara will explore (strategic) use of social media.

Eppo Bruins (BiBB)

Eppo Bruins, PhD is a physicist, former MP, one of the BiBB founders and current Dutch minister of Education, Culture and Science and in a videao message he will share with us what inspires him to engage in public service.

Dorine Schenk

Dorine is a freelance science journalist with a background in physics (at the University of Amsterdam). She also writes about other scientific subjects, ranging from chemistry to shaving, to keeping your basil plant alive. Dorine will describe her role as a journalist and the workings of a larger national newspaper.

Bert Hubert (BiBB)

Bert Hubert is a former IT-entrepreneur and regulator of the Dutch intelligence and security services. Currently, he works, speaks and publishes on various science and technology related topics, and he is an advisor to the Dutch Electoral Council. He will share and analyze with us the effectiveness of various (science and technology) communication strategies and interaction styles within the context of government institutions.

Anna Wieczorek

Anna Wieczorek is professor at the school of  Innovation Sciences of the Eindhoven University of Technology, and has over 20 years of experience in governance, sustainable development and innovation sciences. She is internationally known for award winnning projects such as the community-based Virtual Power Plant (cVPP) that considers the most effective ways to scale-up community energy initiatives. “I want to make transitions happen by making science work for people”, she said in an interview. At COMPASSS she will share with us her insights in how to do that.

Laura van Hazendonk (BiBB)

PhD candidate in Physical Chemistry at Eindhoven University of Technology and Member of provincial-parliament of Noord-Brabant as a member of the GroenLinks political party - Climate, Energy, Mobility and Health. Laura will share her experiences of pursuing a PhD and becoming involved in politics, and how she combines both roles and challenges. There will be ample time for questions from the audience.

 Jim Ottelé

Jim Ottelé has a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Groningen. During his postdoc he served in the steering committee of the Origins Center (knowledge center about the origins and evolution of life). He is currently an inspector for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). We will hear about the transition from academia to the OPCW, and what it is to be an inspector for a cause with such high stakes. A rare peek into this field!


 

Also involved:

BiBB

The initiative ‘Bèta in Bestuur & Beleid’ (BiBB) tries to bring the world of policy and that of science closer together. They aim to increase the number of STEM-trained politicians and civil servants, and to convince politicians and public administrators that strengthening the  ties with young STEM scientists has many benefits. Read more about it here. You can find more detailed information about the BiBB lectures on the schedule page of this website.

The full program can soon be found here.