Science meets journalism

At times, scientists and journalists don't see eye to eye, in part because of preconceptions they have of each other. But these two have to work together, as postgraduate students at UCT learnt when they attended a science communication workshop on 8 August.

The event, facilitated by renowned science journalist Adele Baleta, was organised by the Science Postgraduate Students' Association (SPGSA), in conjunction with the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement and the Public Understanding of Biotechnology, to help postgraduates effectively communicate their work to peers, colleagues, the media and the general public.

According to the SPGSA's Megan Beckett, writing in a concise and jargon-free style and using laymen's terms ? not to 'dumb down' their work but to 'dress it up' ? were some of the messages passed on.