Among other things, CSWA conference delegates will have the chance to tour the science behind the NEW Museum of Nature's collections and St Lawrence Islands National Park
A few days ago, I sent a message out to some of the CSWA’s membership, including a little “Top 5″ list of things you will kick yourself for missing at this year’s Annual Conference.
Having had their rubber arms twisted, several people have since given up any thoughts of not attending and registered for our Ottawa event.
For those who haven’t seen the list yet, and for what it’s worth, here it is…NEW, improved, and fully-illustrated:
1. The chance to put sitting MPs on the hot-seat about the current administration’s “science policy” 
(including Tory MP James Rajotte and several other folks from Parliament Hill.) This brainchild of longtime CSWAer Peter Calamai is a can’t-miss for anyone who yearns to get answers (or at least what will be presented as answers) about a science agenda many kindly describe as shrouded-in-mystery.
2. Professional development workshops and panels on science communication in the digital age: Our aim with these looks at everything from government use of social media to how journalists can leverage the latest digital tools, is really to move past trends and ‘gee-wiz’ to help science writers get measurable results with what I’ve nicknamed the “NEW” New Media.
3. The chance to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the newly-relaunched Museum of Nature, including an exclusive tour behind-closed-doors of the Museum’s collections and an after-hours look at its new exhibits, including a full-size blue whale skeleton…Hopefully, we had you at “full-size blue whale.”
4. The chance to network and rub-elbows with Canada’s top science communicators, including this year’s CSWA award-winners and CBC Radio/The National science host Bob McDonald. Bob will be around for much of the conference, provide a keynote, and join delegates for a guided astronomy session at a large observatory after our awards gala.
Bob’s talk will also be open to the public (and he routinely draws hundreds of people) so get your seat early.
5. Story ideas-a-plenty, via the chance to collaborate with other science writers (journalists, authors, editors, communications reps and others who create, mold, or buy stories) and WAY more networking time (an add-on in response to last year’s 2009 conference delegate survey) PLUS speaking of cool ideas, our annual 
Awards Gala (famous for taking delegates to weird and amazing places – a floating gala in Newfoundland, one next to a steamboat and a frozen river in the Yukon, deep inside a cave) will take place this year between two sets of massive steam locomotives in one of the Canada Science and Technology Museum’s neatest rooms.
Other attendees/presenters of note (besides you ; ) include: Ivan Semeniuk, currently of Nature Magazine, formerly of New Scientist and Discovery Channel, Dan Rubenstein, editor, Canadian Geographic, award-winning authors Colin Ellard and Ed Struzik, Jim Hoggan, chair of the David Suzuki Foundation, and Stephen Price, senior director, Conservation and Science & Practice, WWF .
If that’s not enough (and for details on the above) check out the full programme on the CSWA 2010 conference website.
- Peter McMahon, CSWA vice-president, 2010 conference co-chair
Looking for anyone to share cab from Hampton to SciTech Museum Saturday morning.