WCSJ Opening keynote, LATAM airline offer, travel grants and scientific tours

Brigitte Baptiste is a Colombian biologist who graduated from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, and with a Master’s degree in Tropical Conservation and Development from the University of Florida. She holds an Honorary Doctorate in Environmental Management from Unipaz and was recently awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Law from the University of Regina.

She was director for almost nine years of the Alexander Von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute and currently serves as rector of Ean University, a higher education institution focused on sustainable entrepreneurship. She is considered an expert in environmental and biodiversity issues and is an important leader in gender diversity, being recognized for her participation in international congresses related to these issues. She has also been a reference in achieving important bridges between politics, academia and science and was elected as one of the 25 global experts of the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) from 2016 to 2019.

At WCSJ 2023, Baptiste will share her thoughts and experiences on science and freedom of the press. We look forward to welcoming her, and you, to Medellín in March.

LATAM airline offer

 
We have partnered with LATAM airlines to offer special WCSJ discounts on business and economy class flights from Latin America. There are specific rates for different departure points and the offer is available on flights from Chile, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and Colombia.

Discounted flights will be on sale from now until 27 March 2023 for travel between 20 March and 03 April 2023. To benefit from this offer, bookings must be made through Gema Tours, as this agency is authorised to manage the discounts. Discounted tickets are limited and will be sold on a first come first served basis, so don’t delay!

Nature travel grants

We announced last week that four mid-career science journalists can win a grant to attend WCSJ 2023 in Medellín, Colombia. The grants are sponsored by Springer Nature, the world leading research, educational and professional publisher.

Applications from the global south, from reporters who have a proven track record of producing high-quality, accurate, and engaging science journalism are invited. To apply, please send your CV and three representative samples of your work to office@wfsj.org. The subject of your email should contain the following information WCSJ2023 – Nature Travel Grant – Country. Please mention your country of residence in your application.

All information required MUST be contained in a single email for your application to be considered. The subject of your email should contain the following information WCSJ2023 – Nature Travel Grant – Country.

Before applying, you must ensure that you will be available for the dates from March 27 to March 31, 2023, that you have all the travel documents required by public health authorities and if you need a visa to enter Colombia please indicate in your application letter.

The deadline for applications is 12 February 2023 at 11:59 pm EDT

Post conference scientific tours

You can now book onto our scientific excursions, which will run on 31 March, after the end of the WCSJ Medellín conference. All information is on our website where it is also possible to book onto one of the tours.

At the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture in southwestern Colombia, renowned scientists will showcase innovations and solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity to transform food systems and landscapes to sustain the planet, drive prosperity and nourish people in a climate crisis.

Several half day tours will visit the University of Antioquia. The World Mosquito Program is a non-profit initiative that works to protect communities from mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya. The Pharmaceutical Mixing Plant is part of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Food Sciences which concentrates on solving the problems of drug availability for public health programs, in pursuit of real pharmaceutical sovereignty.

At the Faculty of Medicine, there is a focus on disruptive technologies and journalists can find out more about eHealth solutions aimed at improving the quality of life of patients through innovation. The Bioinstrumentation and Clinical Engineering Research Group develops, implements and adapts engineering methodologies and tools, and generates high-level biomedical engineering research, working closely with clinics, hospitals and companies with the fundamental purpose of contributing to the welfare of patients and the progress of health care services.

Finally, Centro de Desarrollo Agro-biotecnológico de Innovación e Integración Territorial focuses on the production and commercialization of certified, high-quality plant material, facilitates the transfer of knowledge for decision making and strengthening of the cocoa, flowers, meat and milk agro chains, and engages stakeholders to encourage social appropriation of knowledge, and the configuration of agribusinesses. And the Fábrica de Plantas y Semillas de Antioquia is a spin-off of the University and the Fundación Universidad de Antioquia that contributes to the in vitro propagation of multiple plant species, responding to the needs of the agricultural sector. It has a licence for the service of in vitro seedling production and genetic improvement of Cannabis to licensees who require it.

Reaching Across Borders: Strengthening Science Journalism in Latin America

March 27, 2023
Registration and coffee begin at 08:15 a.m. Workshop runs from 09:00-16:30

Get ready to pitch your project for a cross-border environmental project!
Our day-long workshop will focus on making successful pitches, building collaborative networks with science writers throughout Latin America and the important role that on-line science news sites play in reaching worldwide audiences.

The centrepiece of our workshop will be a pitch session for a Historias Sin Fronteras reporting grant in the amount of USD $3,000. Workshop participants will form cross-border teams and present their ideas in lightning-fast, 5-minute pitch sessions.

The winning team will be announced during the 2023 WCSJ.

This workshop will be conducted in Spanish for 50 journalists. Registration is free and on a first-come, first-served basis.

Organised by InquireFirst in collaboration with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Department of Science Education.