Science communication retreat - Annual Report 2025

31 May, 2026

We held a Science Communication Retreat in October at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha University of Canterbury's (UC) Cass Field Station, about 30km from Arthur's Pass. 33 of our students, postdocs and Investigators attended from around the country.

Attendees were given presentations on "Getting it done! Writing tips from start to finish" by Associate Investigator Dr Kai Sellschopp, "Scientific Graphics" by Associate Investigator Dr Baptiste Auguié and "Writing a Journal Abstract" by Principal Investigator Dr Daniel Sando. These were punctuated by writing sessions that followed the Pomodoro technique.

Feedback has been extremely positive. Overall satisfaction was rated as 4.8/5.0, and testimonial highlights included: "(doing) 2hr of pomodoro produced the same output as some days I sit at my desk all day," "Everything was really well organised, from transport to accommodation and meals. The schedule was flexible enough to balance focused work and relaxation. Even when the weather changed plans, things were handled smoothly."

Importantly, the confidence level of the students regarding their scientific writing before and after on a scale of 1 ('not confident') to 5 ('very confident') on average went from 3.6/5.0 before the retreat, to 4.5/5.0 after the retreat.

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