The Australian Academy of Science is Australia’s most eminent scientific body. The Academy was established by Royal Charter in 1954 and has a Fellowship of close to 600 leading Australian scientists, each elected for their outstanding contributions to the scientific disciplines. The Academy champions, celebrates and supports excellence in Australian science, promotes international scientific engagement, builds public awareness and understanding of science and provides independent, authoritative and influential scientific advice.

The Academy is headquartered in Canberra at the iconic Shine Dome and Ian Potter House and is supported by a team of approximately 70 professional staff who assist Fellows in their efforts to shape the future of Australian science.

An opportunity exists for a high-achieving undergraduate student from ANU with an interest in science communication to undertake an internship at the Academy under the guidance of the experienced National Committees for Science team.

Project: Newsletter Engagement Analysis

Summary:

The Australian Academy of Science’s National Committees for Science team manages three newsletters aimed at very different audiences: Science Policy and Diplomacy Newsletter; Newsletter of the National Committee for History and Philosophy of Science; and Space and Radio Science News and Opportunities.

We require an intern with an interest in science communication to evaluate and provide recommendations to enhance the content, layout and subscriber engagement for our newsletters. The intern will thoroughly review these newsletters and create a report that identifies strengths, weaknesses and improvement opportunities for each. These reports will include practical recommendations to improve content quality, optimise design and expand subscriber engagement.

This internship offers valuable hands-on experience in evaluating and enhancing science communication platforms. It provides insights into effective strategies for engaging audiences and improving newsletter effectiveness in different scientific communities. It is an opportunity to work with professional staff at the Academy across multiple teams and gain a deeper understanding of the importance of discipline community engagement, and the intersection of science policy and science diplomacy.

Key responsibilities of the intern would be as follows:

• Overall newsletter assessment
• Content analysis
• Layout and design appraisal
• Subscriber engagement analysis
• Report and recommendation development