Ms Carol Oliver
MSciComm
Assistant Director (Management & Outreach)
Contact Details: Phone: +61 2 9850 8351 Fax: + 61 2 9850 8248 Email: coliver@els.mq.edu.au Download resume |
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Science tends to be set apart from daily life, yet it is inextricably linked with it. C.P. Snow said those that don't know science don't talk about it, and those that do know can't communicate science. Yet science is a cultural experience, the achievements of great scientists like Darwin or Einstein as impactful on society as the works of Van Gogh or Dickens. A real turning point for me was an hour-long interview with the cosmologist and author Dr Carl Sagan in the late 1980s - demonstrating that scientists, contrary to Snow's view, could communicate and even drive the course of the interview too. The experience shaped a life-changing decision to seek answers as to why this is limited to a few scientist-communicators. I eventually left daily science journalism to spend some time in the university environment, initially as a temporary step in understanding the communication issues. That was more than a decade ago - making a long-term difference, particularly at the interface between the Digital Age and science communication, has become infinitely more interesting to me than daily informing, though I still love to write.
I have a research Masters in Science Communication with Central Queensland University. My thesis was entitled: SETI and the Media: Improving Science Communication. I am currently completing a science communication PhD in Earth and Planetary Sciences, “Communicating Astrobiology in Public”. The thesis concerns science literacy among adult audiences, but focuses on science students at age 16 in Australia and the UK and, as a check on adult audiences, first year university students. My supervisory team includes Macquarie University Professors Malcolm Walter and John Hedberg, Paul Davies (Arizona State University) and Richard Dawkins (Oxford).
I also have a full time job as the ACA’s Assistant Director (Management and Outreach). I've just completed the NASA Macquarie University Pilbara Education Project, which was distributed by Australia's premier science magazine, Cosmos, in April, 2007, in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and USA. The heart of the project is a Virtual Field Trip of the Pilbara, developed in collaboration with NASA under a NASA Space Act Agreement, and being made available to teachers via a DVD (see the Pilbara Project). The project, aimed at 16-year-olds everywhere but suitable for other age groups and the public, utilises a suite of hi-tech NASA Learning Technologies tools to enable users to experience a virtual field trip to the Pilbara of Western Australia, which has the oldest best evidence for life on Earth.
The Pilbara is a unique area to engage students in the search for life on other planets. It contains 3.5 billion year old structures thought to be built by microbial mats. These stromatolites are thought to have supplied oxygen to the early atmosphere of the planet. Their biogenic nature is controversial. They are so extremely ancient, evidence of biomarkers, such as organic material and microfossils, is not conclusive. This means other lines of evidence have to be used, such as shape, context and carbon isotope ratios. Resolving this is important to looking for past life on Mars or elsewhere, which would also be more than three billion years old. Such scientific debates clearly demonstrate science is not a fixed set of facts, but an ongoing search for new knowledge about the natural world and our place in space.
Developing the Pilbara Project has been a collaboration in integrating technical expertise with the experience and knowledge of educators, teachers, and scientists - and across three continents. New knowledge and understanding as well as the project itself emerged from the three-year effort, suggesting collaborative pathways to integrating advancing communication technologies with education and science.
The project has led to others, including the Virtual Global Space Exploration Education Portal being developed under the auspices of the International Academy of Astronautics. I am a full member of the IAA and a member of its Commission VI, which concerns itself with the cultural, societal, communication and educational aspects of space exploration. At the Valencia International Astronautical Congress in 2006 I participated in an invitation-only UNESCO sponsored workshop on space science education and its dissemination. I also had the honour, at the IAC, of representing Australia in a meeting of the international space agencies engaged in creating a Global Exploration Strategy.
Here's a summary of some key aspects of my current and past life:
* Media: Each year the Australian Centre for Astrobiology attracts hundreds of media interactions in print, TV and radio. A key role I play is in connecting, encouraging and planning to ensure these interactions address ACA objectives and target audiences and to undertake media planning for specific situations.
* International science education project 1996-2000: Organised an international collaboration on a US-Australian high school project between SETI Australia at UWS and the SETI Institute. It involved two years of field tests in 12 New South Wales high schools with 1,600 students. It resulted in the writing of two modules based on SETI Institute Life in the Universe materials and entered the NSW science curriculum in February, 2000.
* Macquarie University international science education project 2003: Organised a collaboration between the ACA and the Macquarie University ICT Innovations Centre to enable 24 Year 10 students from 10 Sydney high schools to participate in a project with NASA's Johnson Spaceflight Centre. This was a pilot project to test the viability and effect of undertaking science education with science research as it is going on, enabling students to learn as researchers make discoveries and face the challenges of research, sometimes under difficult conditions. There were some unexpected results from the project. In Australia, students can choose to end their science education at the age of 16 (Grade 10 in the US). Two students reversed a decision to do this - as a direct result of the project. Two thirds of the group said that the project had either influenced their choice of science subject or reinforced a choice already made for the following year's study. We found that working with scientists in combination with working with authentic data had motivated the group. Another result was that in 12 weeks, with only three in-person days at the university and the remainder in contact with us via an Intranet site, the 24 students had formed a single social group in their common goal to work out a scientific experiment to test their hypothesis. This was then carried out on board the Russian research vessel The Keldysh in the making of the IMAX film 'Aliens of the Deep' made by 'Terminator' movie maker James Cameron. During the in-person days, the students were able to interact with ACA scientists and, via teleconferencing, with NASA scientists and James Cameron.
* NASA Macquarie University Pilbara Education Project 2004-2007: We wanted to see if we could expand the 2003 project to a wider audience - originally all high schools in New South Wales. This rapidly grew into a multi-national high school science education project being developed under the auspices of a NASA Space Act agreement between the ACA and the NASA Astrobiology Institute. The collaborators include the Macquarie University ICT Innovations Centre, the Centre for Astronomy and Science Education at the University of Glamorgan, the NASA Astrobiology Institute and NASA Learning Technologies. The project won a Australian government competitive grant of $119,500 from the Australian Schools Innovation in Science, Technology and Maths fund.
* Conferences: Helped organise Australia's first major astrobiology-related conference, SETI in the 21st Century, (1998) attracting around 100 delegates from nine countries and 50 media interactions including all the major Australian TV news networks. Co-Chair of the media and outreach sub-committee of the International Academy of Astronautics SETI Committee for the Rio de Janeiro (2000), Toulouse (2001) and Houston (2002) International Astronautical Congresses. Local Organising Committee Chair of the International Astronomical Union's "Bioastronomy 2002: Life Among the Stars" conference and Co-Chair of the Local Organising Committee for the Fulbright Symposium 2002 "Science Education in Partnership" held in tandem on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, July 2002, attracting a total of 80 media interviews. Co-organiser for an international Pilbara workshop and field trip June-July 2005; Organiser for an international Acraman Impact workshop and field trip, August 4-10, 2006. I am a member of the Science Organising Committee for the International Bioastronomy Conference to be held in Puerto Rico in July, 2007.
* Chair and co-chair positions: Co-chair of the International Academy of Astronautics SETI Permanent Study Group 2003-2004. SETI Session II Co-Chair for the Bremen International Astronautical Congress, 2003. SETI Symposium Co-ordinator, Japan International Astronautical Congress, 2005; Chair, Future Directions of Space Education Study Group 2006; Chair, Public Outreach Working Group of the National Committee on Space Science, Australian Academy of Science 2006; Deputy Chair International Academy of Astronautics' SETI Post Detection Working Group.
* Professional memberships: Full Member of the International Academy of Astronautics.
* Web development: Designed and created and maintained a website for SETI Australia at UWS 1996-2001, attracting several Internet awards. Designed and created the current version of the ACA website, April 2004-2007. Designed, created and maintain a wiki website in association with the Pilbara Project (mentioned above) 2002-2007; In process of designing a creating a wiki searchable website at Arizona State University for the SETI Post Detection Working Group 2007; I also designed and created the website for the Macquarie University Biotechnology Research Institute 2003-2005.
In my younger years I won an American Field Service Scholarship for one year's study in South Deerfield, Western Massachusetts.
* Postgraduate students:
Mikayla Keen (Honours 2007), Eric Dalgliesh (Honours 2007)
* Publications:
1. Oliver, C.A. and Fergusson, J. (2007) Astrobiology: Pathway to adult science literacy? Acta Astronautica, Elsevier, 27 April, 61: 716-723
2. Oliver, C.A. (2007) The Virtual Global Space Exploration Education Portal, Acta Astronautica, Elsevier, 12 April, 61: 548-552
3. DeVore, E., Oliver, C.A., Wilmoth, K.L., Vozzo, L. (2004) Science Education in Partnership: The 2002 Australian-American Fulbright Symposium, Advances in Space Research, Elsevier 34:2116-2120
* Conference papers:
1. Oliver, C.A. (2007) Australian space science education and outreach: Laying the foundations, 7 th Australian Space Science Conference, Sydney, September 24-27. Invited keynote speaker.
2. Oliver, C.A., Fergusson, J., Bruce, G., Gaskins, T., Evans, R. (2006) The NASA-Macquarie University Pilbara Education Project: Connecting the public to ‘science in the making’ via virtual reality and the Internet, invited paper, American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, San Francisco, December 11-16
3. Oliver, C.A. (2006) The Virtual Global Space Exploration Education Portal, 57th Astronautical Congress, Valencia, Spain. October 2-6.
4. Oliver, C.A., Fergusson, J., Bruce, G., Gaskins, T., Evans, R. (2006) Hi-tech tools capture astrobiology in the making at Mars analog site in Western Australia, UK Astrobiology Conference, University of Kent, UK, April 18-21.
5. Oliver, C.A., Fergusson, J., Bruce, G., Gaskins, T., Evans, R. (2006) NASA Macquarie University Pilbara Education Project: A hi-tech approach to astrobiology education, AbSciCon 2006, Washington DC, March 27-30.
6. Oliver, C.A., Fergusson, J., Bruce, G., Gaskins, T., Evans, R. (2006) Getting connected to the future: It's virtually here, CONTACT Cultures of the Imagination 2006, NASA Ames Research Center, Mountain View, California, March 17-19.
7. Oliver, C.A., Fergusson, J. (2005) Astrobiology: A pathway to science literacy?, 56th International Astronautical Congress, Fukuoka, Japan, October 16-21.
8. Oliver, C.A., Fergusson, J. (2005) Does adult science illiteracy begin at high school?, 5th Australian Space Science Conference, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, September 14-16
9. Oliver, C.A., Fergusson, J., Scalice, D., Evans, R.H., Gaskins, T., Walter, M.R.W., Hogan, P. (2005) Evolving a new approach for science education using astrobiology, NASA Astrobiology Institute General Meeting, Boulder, Colorado. April 10-14.
10. Oliver, C.A., Morrow, C. (2005) NAI Science Communication Group: The First Year, NASA Astrobiology Institute General Meeting, Boulder, Colorado. April 10-14.
11. Oliver, C.A., Fergusson, J., Ryde, S., Anitori, R., Walter, M., DeVore, E. (2004) Education project provides interesting results, International Bioastronomy Conference, Reyjavik, Iceland, July 12-16.
12. Oliver, C.A., Morrow, C.A., (2003) Communicating Astrobiology: A New Approach, SETI Session II IAA 9.2.04, 54th International Astronautical Congress, Bremen, Germany, Sept 28-Oct 3.
13. DeVore, E., Oliver, C.A., Wilmoth, K.L., Vozzo, L. (2002) Science Education in Partnership: The 2002 Australian-American Fulbright Symposium, 34th Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) at the World Space Congress, Houston Oct 9-19.
14. Oliver, C.A., (2001) Astrobiologists and Journalists: Closing the Communication Gap, Astrobiology Workshop, Macquarie University, July 12-13.
15. Stootman, F., Wellington, K.J., De Horta, A.Y., Oliver, C.A., (2000) Galactic Plane SETI Candidates - Results from the Southern SERENDIP Spectrometer, IAA SETI I:Technical Session of the 51st International Astronautical Congress, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Oct 2-6.
16. Oliver, C.A., DeVore, E., Vozzo, L., (2000) SETI in High Schools Down Under, 51st IAF Congress, IAA.9.2. SETI Session II, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Oct 2-6.
17. Dierdrich, J., Wright, S., Oliver, C.A., (2000) The Convergence of Intelligences: Learning, Symbols and Efficience Communication, 51st IAC Congress, IAA.9.2. SETI Session II, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Oct 2-6.
18. Oliver, C.A., DeVore, E., Vozzo, L., (1999) SETI in Australian High Schools, CONTACT Cultures of the Imagination 1999, Santa Clara, USA.
19. Stootman F.H., Wellington, K.J., De Horta, A.Y., Oliver, C.A., (1999) The Southern SERENDIP Project, International Bioastronomy Conference, Kohala Coast, Hawaii, USA.
20. Shostak, G.S., Oliver, C.A., (1999) Immediate Reaction Plan: A Strategy for Dealing with a SETI Detection, International Bioastronomy Conference, Kohala Coast, Hawaii, USA.
21. Vozzo, L., Oliver, C.A., Silburn, K., Tweed, D., (1999) Science Education using SETI as a Context for the NSW Stage 4 and Stage 5 Science Syllabus, International Bioastronomy Conference, Kohala Coast, Hawaii, USA.
22. Oliver, CA., Shostak, G.S., Sim, H., (1999) The Case of EQ Peg: Challenge and Response, 50th International Astronautical Congress, IAA 9.2 SETI Session II, Amsterdam, Holland.
23. Oliver, C.A., (1999) Is anyone out there?, Skeptics Annual Conference, Adelaide, Australia, November.
24. Oliver, C.A., (1998) SETI and the Media Response, SETI into the 21st Centry Conference, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
25. Oliver, C.A., (1998) SETI and the Media in the 21st Century, 49th International Astronautical Congress, IAA 9.2 SETI II Interdisciplinary Session, Melbourne, Australia.
26. Oliver, C.A., (1997) SETI and the Media, 48th International Astronautical Congress, IAA 9.2 SETI Session II, Turin, Italy.
Last Updated: August, 2007