URMA CONFERENCE 2020

Hosted Virtually by Princeton University

URMA Conference 2020

Princeton University broke the mold when they hosted the URMA conference virtually in 2020 for the first time. From COVID-19 coverage to #BlackInTheIvory Panel URMA helped connect colleagues from universities and institutions across the country and abroad. Our conference features practitioners in realms such as journalism, design, photography, multimedia and other areas relevant to telling the stories of research. If you communicate about your institution’s research, URMA’s annual conference is for you.

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2020 URMA Host Institution

URMA 2020 was hosted by Princeton University from Xxxxx through Xxxxxx. From virtual sessions covering COVID-19 Pandemic to #BlackInTheIvory Panel Princeton University was the quintessential host .

2020 URMA Host Institution

URMA 2020 was hosted by Princeton University from Xxxxx through Xxxxxx. From virtual sessions covering COVID-19 Pandemic to #BlackInTheIvory Panel Princeton University was the quintessential host .

Conference Resources

CONFERENCE SPEAKERS

Wasim Ahmad

Wasim Ahmad is an assistant teaching professor of journalism at Quinnipiac University. He worked at newspapers in Minnesota, Florida and upstate New York and taught at Stony Brook University and Syracuse University. Ahmad has experience as a technical specialist for EOS/Cinema EOS cameras at Canon USA, and he is also a senior staff writer at Fstoppers.com. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Mass Communications at Syracuse University and holds a B.A.

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from Binghamton University and a M.S. in photography from Syracuse University and holds a B.A. from Binghamton University and a M.S. in photography from Syracuse University.

John Besley

Dr. John Besley studies public opinion about science and scientists’ opinions about the public in the context of trying to help science communicators be more strategic. He wants to understand how views about decision-makers and decision processes affect perceptions of science and technology (S&T) with potential health or environmental impacts. This focus includes consideration of both media content about S&T (e.g., newspaper, TV, and web content), as well as S&T-focused face-to-face public engagement activities (e.g., public meetings)

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More generally, Dr. Besley explores the relationships between media use, public engagement activities, and health and environmental risk perceptions. His research has touched on public perceptions of agricultural biotechnology (i.e., genetic engineering), energy technologies (i.e., nuclear energy), and nanotechnology. He has also conducted research into journalistic norms related to coverage of public engagement and research to better understand the impact of science communication training.

Dr. Besley has published more than 85 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. This work has appeared in high-ranking journals including Risk Analysis, Science Communication, Public Understanding of Science, and the Journal of Risk Research as well as a range of edited volumes. He has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the United States Department of Agriculture, and a range of foundations. He is the associate editor for risk communication for the journal Risk Analysis.

In addition to his regular research, Dr. Besley was the lead author for the 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2020 U.S. National Science Board chapters on public attitudes and knowledge about science and technology. This biennial report-Science and Engineering Indicators-is submitted to the executive branch and Congress and represents the definitive statement on Americans’ views about S&T.

Dr. Besley earned his Ph.D. in Communication from Cornell University in 2006 and both master’s (Public Administration, 2000), and bachelor’s (Journalism, 1998) degrees from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Prior to his Ph.D., Dr. Besley served as a policy analyst with Environment Canada’s Policy and Communication’s division working on international environmental issues. He was made a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2018, and received the “Under 40″ Award” from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in 2013.

Katie Mack

Dr Katherine (Katie) Mack is a theoretical astrophysicist who studies a range of questions in cosmology, the study of the universe from beginning to end. She currently holds the position of Assistant Professor of Physics at North Carolina State University, where she is also a member of the Leadership in Public Science Cluster. Throughout her career she has studied

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dark matter, the early universe, galaxy formation, black holes, cosmic strings, and the ultimate fate of the cosmos. Alongside her academic research, she is an active science communicator and has been published in a number of popular publications such as Scientific American, Slate, Sky & Telescope, Time.com, and Cosmos Magazine, where she is a columnist. You can find her on Twitter as @AstroKatie.

#BLACKINTHEIVORY PANEL

Brian Burt

Brian A. Burt, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the Educational Policy and Leadership Analysis department in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also serves as Research Scientist in the Wisconsin’s Equity & Inclusion Laboratory (Wei LAB). Dr. Burt’s program of research uses qualitative methodological approaches to study the experiences of graduate students, and the institutional policies and practices that

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influence students’ educational and workforce pathways. The implications of this work improve student-to-faculty (as well as student-to-student) interactions, and inform recommendations for the (re)design of supportive learning environments. Dr. Burt’s work has received funding from the National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship, and the National Science Foundation’s Early CAREER Award.

Keshawn Ivory

KeShawn Ivory is an astrophysics Master’s student in the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-PhD Bridge Program. He studies dark matter halos and galaxy clusters that live inside of them. For the past two years he has served on the American Astronomical Society Site Visit Oversight Committee creating a protocol for site visits intended to evaluate climate and inclusivity at astronomy departments around the country.

Juita Martinez

Juita Martinez 3rd year BOR-SREB doctoral fellow at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in Dr. Paul Leberg’s lab. My background is in population ecology, conservation biology and wildlife management. I have a BSc. in zoology with a minor in wildlife management from Humboldt State University. Throughout my undergraduate career and beyond I’ve worked to understand the implications of anthropogenic and environmental influences on various organisms.

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In recent years, my study system revolves around organisms inhabiting areas which have been restored to an “earlier state”. My dissertation research focuses on understanding the effects of barrier/bay island restoration on Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) demography and reproductive ecology in coastal Louisiana. I focus on non-invasive techniques to gain a better understanding of how organisms utilize their natural habitats. My work aims to aid in the conservation of my study organisms and communicate ways to inspire generations after me to do the same.

Makeda Stephenson

Makeda Stephenson is an engineer by training, specializing in advanced manufacturing-enabled regenerative medicine. She primarily works with scaffold development. She is a graduate student in biomedical engineering and has training in manufacturing engineering and operations. Stephenson is an instigator of positive change with

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regards to involving underrepresented demographics in the tech economy. She is an avid proponent of democratized access to modern and relevant technology and ubiquitous STEM engagement. She has co-founded and/or served on the board of multiple NPOs.

COVID-19 COMMUNICATIONS PANEL

Sharon Begley

Sharon Begley is the senior science writer at STAT, the life sciences publication of the Boston Globe. Previously she was the senior health & science correspondent at Reuters, the science editor and science columnist at Newsweek, and the science columnist at The Wall Street Journal.

Natalie Dean

Dr. Natalie Dean is an assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics at the University of Florida specializing in infectious disease epidemiology and study design. Her research focuses on innovative trial designs for evaluating vaccines targeting emerging pathogens, like Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19. She previously worked as a consultant with the World Health Organization on HIV drug resistance surveillance. Dr. Dean received her PhD in Biostatistics from Harvard University in 2014 and performed her postdoctoral work at the University of Florida. She has been active in science communications.

Ivan Oransky

Ivan Oransky, MD, is vice president of editorial at Medscape, co-founder of Retraction Watch, and distinguished writer in residence at New York University’s Arthur Carter Journalism Institute. He also serves as president of the Association of Health Care Journalists. Ivan previously was global editorial director of MedPage Today, executive editor of Reuters Health, and held editorial positions at Scientific American and The Scientist. A 2012 TEDMED speaker, he is the recipient of the 2015 McGovern Medal in biomedical communication from the American Medical Writers Association.

Past Conferences

To find out what types of things we cover at our conferences, check out our previous conference information by clicking on a conference graphic. Session videos and slides are available on our Member Resources page.