Upcoming events
"Reimagining Safety" Documentary Screening and Panel
A screening of "Reimagining Safety" followed by a panel with the filmmaker and experts on equitable alternatives to policing & incarceration.
Worldwide protests following the 2020 murder of George Floyd included calls to defund or abolish the police until a sharp rise in crime gave politicians and police supporters the fuel they needed to suppress the movement. However, a detailed conversation about transforming public safety was never had. In this film, 10 experts discuss how policing and incarceration create more harm than good, why the system persists, and what changes can be made to make everyone safe.
Panel Discussion Featuring:
LA District Attorney George Gascon
Dr Jody Armour (USC Law Professor)
Nikki Blak (Sociologist)
Hadiya Kennedy (former LAPD)
Jose Gutierrez (Licensed MFT and Social Worker)
Sennett Devermont (Police Auditor)
Gina Viola (former LA Mayoral Candidate)
Matthew Solomon (director of the film)
https://www.reimaginingsafetymovie.com/
UCLA Science Outreach Symposium
UCLA’s first Science Outreach Symposium is jointly sponsored by Graduate Programs in Bioscience and the Brain Research Institute. It will take place at Carnesale Commons on Thursday November 10th from 1-4pm followed by a happy hour from 4:30-5:30pm. Come join us in celebrating the amazing groups at UCLA that work to make science accessible to the public and make STEM fields diverse and equitable. This year’s symposium will give special attention to the future of science outreach, communication, and education at UCLA.
The symposium will include select talks, panels (our Co-President Bineh will be a panelist on Striking the Balance: Academia and Outreach!), and an activity fair followed by a happy hour.
Beverages and food will be provided throughout the event.
Exploring Your Universe: Science Fair
Come join us at our booth at UCLA's largest science outreach event!
Our booth will get kids thinking about why science matters to them, and learn more about how science is intertwined with society! Check out the 60+ other interactive science booths, talks, and a planetarium at UCLA you won't want to miss. All activities are free of charge and materials are provided - just bring your open mind!
The Story of Plastic: Film Screening & Expert Panel
Please join ASUCLA, UCLA SPG, and California State Senator Ben Allen for a special screening of the award-winning documentary The Story of Plastic followed by an expert panel discussion on the future of plastic pollution in California and beyond!
Panelists will include:
Senator Ben Allen, author of SB 54, the strongest anti-plastic pollution policy ever passed in the United States
Clara Castronovo, Board Chair for CALPIRG Students
Daniel Coffee, Project Manager at the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation
Bineh Ndefru (moderator), Co-President for UCLA's Science Policy Group
Sam Pearse, Campaign Manager for The Story of Stuff Project
General Member Happy Hour
Come join us and meet fellow group members, informally learn about our ongoing projects, and how to be invovled!
All graduate and undergraduate students are welcome.
MAKING TIME FOR SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
Virtual event: SPG VP Regina Zweng worked with the National Science Policy Network to bring this event to facilitate an informal chat with two science communicators about their career paths and work. Bring your questions!
SCIENCE IN ENTERTAINMENT & SOCIAL MEDIA
Sophia Gad-Nasr is a PhD candidate in cosmology and astroparticle physics at the University of California - Irvine. Sophia is also an avid science communicator who loves to share mind-blowing facts about the mysteries of the Universe with the world. She has done science advising for the TV show 12 Monkeys as well as an art collaboration with artist Cathrin Machin.
Los Angeles Mayoral Election: Q&A with the Candidates
Please join us on Wednesday, May 18th at 4pm at Geffen Hall 130 as we host five of LA’s candidates for mayor!
We'll hear about the candidates' plans for evidence-based decision making, and attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions about the candidates' stance on science, education, health policy, and the environment.
Scientists on the Ballot
This event is in collaboration with BlackInChem
Scientists on the Ballot will demystify the process of running for office for scientists and other Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics leaders, with a focus on people of color.
WORKSHOP: GRAPHIC DESIGN & SCIENCE ILLUSTRATION
Join us for a science communication workshop lead by Amisha Gadani!
Dissertation Defense: Ashna Aggarwal
Congratulations to our VP of Government Affairs, Ashna, for graduating with her PhD from the Department of Earth, Planetary and Space Science!
University of California: STEM Policy Pitch Competition
Do you have a vision for how to apply research in your field to shape California policy?
Enter in UC’s STEM Policy Pitch Competition!
GRAPHIC DESIGN IN SCIENCE COMMUNICATION WITH MATTEO FARIENELLA
Join us as we host Dr. Farinella, an an expert in science communication and visual storytelling. He works with scientific publications and institutions all over the world to make science more accessible.
Science Communication Series: Graphic Design & Social MediA
We are excited to announce that our focus for Spring Quarter 2022 will be on media!
This covers science illustration, graphic design, entertainment consulting, social media, and more!
UCLA Watch Party: SCIENCE ETHICS AND POLICY SYMPOSIUM
SPG will be hosting a watch party here in LA to participate in this symposium virtually, but together!
NSPN Spirit Week
Looking for a fun way to share your #SciPolSpirit? Join the National Science Policy Network (NSPN) in celebrating science policy and membership in its first NSPN Spirit Week, happening April 4-10, 2022.
Visit https://scipolnetwork.org/page/nspn-spirit-week for a complete lineup of events!
NSPN Spirit Week will promote science policy camaraderie and NSPN membership for new and existing members. This week-long event is a chance for prospective members to learn more about NSPN and an opportunity for existing members to re-engage with the NSPN community. Spirit Week will feature daily virtual events, exciting trivia, and skill-building workshops. These events will highlight unique opportunities for new and current members who are looking for new challenges in science policy. NSPN committees, chapters, and hubs have a chance to showcase their opportunities and interact with potential members in a way that is engaging and exciting.
The 2022 NSPN Spirit Week aims to:
Promote science policy to new audiences
Feature NSPN committees, chapters, and hubs as opportunities for meaningful science policy and advocacy engagement
Recruit NSPN members through relevant science policy and advocacy programming
Negotiation 101 for STEM trainees: Session 2
Negotiation skill-building is a key component of any science diplomacy career. To help this community strengthen and recognize its negotiations skills, we partnered with the National Science Policy Network to host Dr. Janet Martinez for an interactive virtual workshop on negotiation! Dr. Martinez, a career expert in negotiation theory, is a Senior Lecturer at Stanford Law School and serves as Director of the Gould Negotiation and Mediation Program. This workshop is intended for STEM trainees, early-career researchers, and science diplomacy enthusiasts.
The application period has closed.
Negotiation 101 for STEM Trainees: Session 1
Negotiation skill-building is a key component of any science diplomacy career. To help this community strengthen and recognize its negotiations skills, we partnered with the National Science Policy Network to host Dr. Janet Martinez for an interactive virtual workshop on negotiation! Dr. Martinez, a career expert in negotiation theory, is a Senior Lecturer at Stanford Law School and serves as Director of the Gould Negotiation and Mediation Program. This workshop is intended for STEM trainees, early-career researchers, and science diplomacy enthusiasts.
The application period has closed.
Science Outreach & Education with Knowing Neurons
Location: Gonda Research Building 3303
Knowing Neurons is a student-run neuroscience education platform that makes science accessible through articles, podcasts, infographics, and more.
Arielle Hogan, Editor in Chief of Knowing Neurons, will be telling us more about the platform’s mission and how you can get involved.
Policy Writing Workshop
Learn how to choose, research, and shape recommendations for your policy issue of interest. We will also be workshopping skills that are applicable beyond policy writing (ex. power-mapping, reviewing legislation)
Science outreach Series: Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
The director of O.L.L.I at UCLA, Dr. Anousheh Shayestehpour, will be joining us at 11 AM in Gonda 3303. Coffee and snacks will be served to go!
Science Outreach: Virtual Fieldtrips with Katherine Espinoza
Our wonderful VP of community relations Katherine Espinoza will be presenting on the UCLA Science Project for those interested in getting involved with science outreach at local K-12 schools.
Science Outreach: Skype a Scientist
https://www.scipolucla.com/projects/watch-how-to-bring-empathy-into-your-science-communication
Biodiversity & The LA Zoo
Join us on Saturday, January 22 at 10AM for a tour and conversation with the Director of Conservation and other wildlife experts at the LA Zoo.
Science Outreach: PORTOLA MAGNET MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR
This annual outreach opportunity is a rewarding way to encourage the next generation of scientists
Documentary Night: VIRUNGA
To kick off our Biodiversity Series, we will be hosting an off-campus screening of Virunga with pizza!
General Meeting
Come join us at the La Kretz Garden Pavillion (in the UCLA Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden) to have dinner, meet group members, and learn about our ongoing projects & how to be involved!
Dinner: 5-5:30 PM
Meeting: 5:30-6:30 PM
Graduate & Undergraduate students welcome!
The Devil We Know
Join us for pizza, a documentary, and a chance to meet some SPG members!
When a handful of West Virginia residents discover DuPont has been pumping its poisonous Teflon chemical into the air and public water supply of more than 70,000 people, they file one of the largest class action lawsuits in the history of environmental law.
As the citizens of Parkersburg rise up against the forces that polluted their town, the story builds out to dozens of other American cities. In fact, as many as 110 million Americans may be drinking water tainted with PFAS chemicals. Exposure to this class of chemicals has even become a global phenomenon, spreading to places like Italy, the Netherlands, and China.
Parkersburg is ground zero for this story, but this clearly is not about one place or one chemical: because of the power of the chemical lobby, PFOA is one of more than 80,000+ untested chemicals that have been approved for use, their dangers unknown.
National Science Policy Network: Western Hub Summer Retreat
Hosted by SPG President Zoe Guttman, here in Los Angeles!