Month: August 2013

  • F I R E H O S E D ? Stop it, say ASTRONOMISTS

    Pamela Gay’s presentation contains a provoking picture. It shows a little girl in front of a firehose being hit so hard by the water that she almost falls over. “Teachers firehose students”, comments Pamela. “This is our cardinal mistake in education”, adds the astronomer. Teachers have unfortunately the habit to talk at students, in other…

  • Totalitarianism’s New Clothes

    Totalitarianism’s New Clothes

      Almost 25 years ago the iron curtain came down. The East Bloc has vanished–so do science journalists enjoy more freedom?  Not really. A prominent panel at the World Conference of Science Journalists WCSJ 2013 Helsinki assessed the situation and found:  “Now it’s more subtle, but no less devious”, stated Istavan Palugyai, Hungary. And James…

  • STAR-STRUCK IN THE HOME OF THE CENTAURS reported by Barbie Drillsma

     Who could resist it?  An invitation to represent EUSJA at an international “Discover the Cosmos” Conference in the home of the Centaurs in Volos, Greece. Hmmmm, slightly had second thoughts as I joined fellow EUSJA members, Wolfgang Goede and Menelaos Sotiriou on board a shakey wooden train, running on a single track with sheer drops…

  • EUSJA BOARD MID-TERM REPORT: by President Barbie Drillsma // 08-2013

    EUSJA BOARD MID-TERM REPORT: by President Barbie Drillsma // 08-2013

    Dear delegates, I gave an undertaking when I took office that I would regularly update you on what the board has been doing on your behalf.  As it is seven months until our next GA I believe it useful to give you a brief mid-term report. Our immediate goals were to raise EUSJA’s profile and…

  • Roll-out Science Debate

    Roll-out Science Debate

    At ESOF 2010 Turin EUSJA introduced the Science Debate as a new method to make science more robust, promote citizens’ participation and create new jobs for science journalists. During this year’s world conference of science journalists in Helsinki EUSJA president em. Hajo Neubert and EUSJA treasurer Priit Ennet delivered a progress report and demonstrated what…