The 3rd Japan SciCom Forum annual conference was held online on Oct. 26th and 27th, bringing together participants varying in backgrounds and geographic locations. The two days were rich in discussions of the numerous forms of science communication in action across Japan. 

 

 

Geographical locations of the 2021 JSF Annual Conference participants  Credits: Padlet 

 

 

 I recently had the opportunity to help as a volunteer/intern at the Japan SciCom Forum (JSF) annual conference that was held online on the 26th and 27th of October. It was the third time hosted at the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) in Tokyo, Japan. The two-day event brought together a diverse background of participants such as scientists, writers, communication officers, students, and research administrators to discuss all aspects of science communication. 

 

   JSF is both a conference and community to practice science communication and outreach in Japan. Through JSF, one can build networks, share knowledge and tools, and further expand the English-language-based science communication of Japanese higher education and research institutions. JSF meets quarterly with presentations of science communication in a variety of contexts. I had the opportunity back in September to talk about my experience with the graduate minor program on science communication at The University of Tokyo. 

 

   Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 JSF annual conference was cancelled and postponed to this year. With the continuous governmental restrictions, the JSF organizers decided to move the conference online by using a combination of Zoom and SpatialChat to achieve the maximum interaction we all miss so much due to the pandemic. During the conference, the organizers socially distanced themselves from one another across the tables that were filled with participants during the 2019 conference. The attendees were further social-distanced ranging from a variety of time zones, as seen in the Padlet Map that was filled out by the attendees. 

 

   As someone that has recently started learning about the science communication field, this was my first time in an all-English environment with science communicators – my current learning community of science communication is limited to Japanese, which, as an academic-English native was a bit difficult to adapt to initially, as well as understand the Japanese cultural implications behind science communication. Soon after learning about the field of science communication, I also realized the contextualized nature of the field as well. This was a topic throughout the flash talks and workshops, where participants shared their experiences with the hurdles that they have faced. 

 

   During keynote speaker Brooke Smith’s talk, the concept of the deficit model was discussed. The deficit model suggests the lack of understanding or acceptance towards science and technology by the public is due to the deficit of literacy or knowledge. To be completely honest, one of my first motivations to study science communication was due to the gap between the scientists and the public during the spring of 2020 when the world was shaken with the news of an unknown highly contagious virus. I was frustrated with the gap and believed that what I thought was science communication (the deficit model) would promote research funding and “correct” decision-making in Japan. However, the nuanced reality hit me as I learned the historical background of science communication, and the issues it might overcome to achieve a platform of effective communication. Japan still does, however, need work on diversity, whether that be in the context of the language that JSF aims to address, or gender equality. I look forward to all the future work the field of science communication will showcase to the Japanese community to address these issues. 

 

   Before ending, I want to show my great appreciation to the JSF organizers for allowing me to be part of their team and getting a glimpse of the welcoming environment of science communication.

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Rei Takahashi 

The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Science, Department of Chemistry 

 

Rei is currently a 1st year Ph.D. candidate at the Suga Laboratory in the Department of Chemistry at The University of Tokyo researching peptide-based antibiotics. Outside of research, she is part of the Science Interpreter Training Program learning about science communication.