Some people still don’t understand the urgency of climate change action, despite significant efforts to communicate the impacts it will have on our ecosystems, communities and businesses. So let’s take it closer to home and see how climate change could impact some of the things you (and Scientell) hold dear – coffee, wine and chocolate! Climate change impacts on coffee The 2 main commercial coffee varieties are Arabica and Robusta. Both are sensitive to climate conditions. Arabica coffee is the most popular coffee bean, making up most of the global production, but it is less heat tolerant than ..read more

Maths has a reputation for being abstract and challenging to understand. However, effective science communication can foster an appreciation for the practical applications of mathematics in scientific – and all – endeavours. Mathematics is the foundation of science. For example, physics is applied maths, chemistry is applied physics, and so on. As written in the Handbook of Mathematical Science Communication, ‘Mathematics is everywhere and thus, it has become more crucial than ever to understand its implications as well as the basic principles behind it.’ While many people think maths is too h ..read more

New climate communications With the start of a new year comes renewed hope and promises. But for those of us invested in solving climate change and developing a sustainable future, that renewed promise often comes from the annual UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP) rather than 1 January. We hoped that COP28, held at the end of last year, would generate real action on emissions. This COP was the first at which it was officially acknowledged that fossil fuels were the cause of our warming climate. New targets were set to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems ‘in a jus ..read more

As noted in July, the Scientell team strongly supported the Yes vote for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Along with so many others, we were upset and disappointed in (although, based on the media reporting, not surprised by) the negative result. However, Australia’s rejection of the referendum doesn’t mean we will stop considering how to better engage with First Nations people about issues that are important to them in our work. As a science communication company operating in Australia, Scientell recognises the need to take meaningful steps towards advancing reconciliation. We plan to ..read more

Fifteen years ago I saw the Al Gore film, An Inconvenient Truth. Driving home from the cinema that night, I passed a car with its headlights off – and flashed my headlights at them, using the local language for ‘you’ve forgotten to turn on your lights’. What happened next is a metaphor for climate change denialism. The driver didn’t turn on their headlights, didn’t pull over to investigate what may have been wrong, nor thanked me for alerting them to their oversight. They honked their horn at me. And kept on driving in the dark. Now, I don’t know about you, but if I’m provided with inform ..read more

At Scientell, we support the Yes vote for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. We believe that a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice is a crucial step towards reconciliation, recognising the unique status and rights of First Nation’s people in Australia, and creating a more inclusive and equitable society. As a science communication company, we recognise the importance of diverse perspectives and inclusive decision-making in shaping effective and equitable policies. An Indigenous Voice to Parliament will ensure that policy discussions encompass a range of experiences, views and ..read more

Companies, businesses and governments across the world have joined the decarbonisation journey. In 2022, the Australian Government committed to net zero emissions for Australia by 2050. Energy is critical for Australia to achieve net zero emissions, with electricity contributing the largest proportion (32%) of our greenhouse gas emissions (DCCEEW, National Greenhouse Gas Inventory, Sept 2022). Within the energy sector, as with other sectors such as cosmetics and premium food, ‘clean and green’ and ‘sustainable’ branding offers a competitive advantage. This has led to a growing number of compan ..read more

Breaking the language barrier: making science accessible and fun for everyone Have you ever felt like scientists were speaking a whole other language? Or perhaps felt spoken down to when someone was explaining a complex scientific concept? One of the foundations of science communication is to avoid this ‘deficit’ model of communication. The deficit model assumes that the general public lacks the knowledge to understand scientific concepts and that it’s the job of scientists to ‘dumb down’ their research to make it accessible to the masses. This approach implies that the public needs ..read more

If you get performance anxiety when talking on the phone, you’re not alone. It’s common for many of us to experience stress when making or receiving a phone call. But this stress is especially true for millennials when compared with older generations. With the invention of the BlackBerry phone in the 90s, we became text-obsessed mobile users and gone were the days when we would practise our signature answering lines. So why do we seem to love texting so much? Texting allows us time to consider what we want to say, whereas on the phone we may feel put on the spot. Over the phone we also can’t r ..read more

We all know the situation; you just finished your PowerPoint and there are a few slides with large blocks of text no one will read. You’re in need of infographics. Infographics are visual representations of information or data in the form of pictorials, charts, diagrams or maps. Infographics can help people quickly take in large amounts of information and are more compelling than any block of text. Like all communication, when creating your infographic, the most important element is your target audience. An infographic for a scientific audience presenting the latest research on aplacophor ..read more