Professional Ethics Policy
The Association of Science Communicators (formerly Science Talk) seeks to empower and inspire the science communication community to expand its communication potential and positively impact the world. We promote responsible practices in science communication, facilitate discussion and exchange of ideas, enable networking, and foster public engagement. ASC supports freedom and transparency in research, education, and the exchange of ideas, which should be conducted in a supportive, inclusive, and respectful environment.
Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying
ASC rejects discrimination or harassment by any means, including that based on ethnic or national origin, race, religion, citizenship, language, political or other opinion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, age or economic class. In addition, ASC opposes all forms of bullying including threatening, humiliating, coercive or intimidating conduct that causes harm to, interferes with, or sabotages scientific and/or communications activity, people and careers.
Meeting Code of Conduct
All people involved with our meetings must comply with the Code of Conduct. ASC is committed to fostering the exchange of ideas by providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all ASC-sponsored meeting participants, including attendees, staff, volunteers and vendors. We value the participation of every member of the community and want all participants to have an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. All participants at SCIENCE TALK conferences are expected to be considerate and collaborative, communicating openly with respect for others, and critiquing ideas rather than individuals. Behavior that is acceptable to one person may not be acceptable to another, so use discretion to be sure that respect is communicated.
Unacceptable Behavior
Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to:
- Physical or verbal abuse of any kind.
- Threatening or stalking any participant.
- Making inappropriate comments whether verbal or digital related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), national origin, or other legally protected group status or characteristics.
- Inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images or language in public spaces or in presentations.
- Harassment intended in a joking manner still constitutes unacceptable behavior.
- Retaliation for reporting harassment is also a violation of this Code of Conduct, as is reporting an incident in bad faith.
Reporting Unacceptable Behavior
Any participant experiencing or witnessing behavior that at any time in their judgment constitutes an immediate or serious threat to public safety is advised to contact emergency services immediately and to notify on-site venue security and ASC staff. If you are the subject of unacceptable behavior or have witnessed any such behavior, you are encouraged to notify an ASC staff member, call the appropriate emergency number provided for the meeting, and write the Executive Director Allison Coffin by emailing president@sciencetalk.org. Writing down the details of the incident is also recommended. Requests for confidentiality will be honored to the extent possible.
Consequences
ASC staff (or their designee) or security may take any action deemed necessary and appropriate for any unacceptable behavior, including but not limited to that described above. Possible actions include removal of a participant from the meeting. Denial to participate in future SCIENCE TALK events or meetings, or other action(s) may be taken in ASC’s sole discretion, depending on the severity of the unacceptable behavior.
ASC is committed to handling all situations to the best of its ability. However, this Code of Conduct is informational and is not a contract.
Approved by the Board of Directors, January 28, 2020.
