Science Communication

Science Communication

About

The Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science at ANU was the first science communication centre in Australia and is now the most diverse of its kind in the world.

The Centre’s mission is to encourage a confident democratic ownership of modern science nationally and internationally by increasing science awareness in the community, fostering public dialogue about science, and improving the communication skills of scientists.

Through research led education our students become skilled communicators who can engage people with the science, technology, or medical information that is most relevant to them.

Our research investigates the ways science is being communicated in the public arena, new ways to excite the public imagination about science and methods to encourage informed decisions about scientific issues that concern us in the 21st century.

We are global leaders in our field, developing methods to encourage informed decisions about the big scientific issues.

We are an accredited Centre for the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, and boast partnerships with the Alan Alda Centre for Science Communication at Stony Brook University in New York and Shell Australia amongst many others.

Facilities

Kioloa Campus

The 348-hectare ANU Kioloa Coastal Campus is one of Australia’s premier field stations, offering a diverse ecology which encourages research across all scientific disciplines.

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A group of people attentively watching a demonstration of 3D printers in a workshop setting.

The ANU MakerSpace is an initiative by the Research School of Physics and Engineering, where we know people learn by doing.  

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A laptop, microphone, headphones, and audio mixer on a textured gray surface, suggesting a podcast or recording setup.

The CPAS Podcast Studio is open to staff and students throughout ANU (not just scientists!) to record and grow podcast series. Your success is our success: we want to help you make the biggest and best podcast series in the world.  

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Science precinct

Our new $240-million science precinct on the ANU campus has state-of-the-art biological and chemical research laboratories, as well as a teaching hub.

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News

Aerial view of Canberra showing buildings and shine dome.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how much modern societies are governed by statistics. Despite their objective appearance, these numbers gain their strength from very human relationships.

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Protest sign at demonstration

It’s now more critical than ever that the people who are actually knowledgeable about the world’s crises speak out and represent that knowledge in public.

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Building on campus with trees.

The COVID-19 pandemic offers the opportunity for a fundamental rethink of what we consider normal. One of these areas is academia.

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Prof Nerilie Abram holds up a coral core in the lab.

Scientists across Australia will get the chance to show the nation how their work is for the public good, under a new partnership between ANU and the ABC.

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University campus showing building, trees and sculpture of giant silver ball.

The climate crisis has been ticking along in the background. Here's what you've missed.

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