“Transitions, traditions and tensions” at PCST 2025: a conversation with Anne Dijkstra

Anne Dijkstra is an associate professor of Science Communication at the University of Twente (the Netherlands), where she studies the changing relationship between science and society. She also leads the Research Centre for Science Communication & Public Engagement. As a volunteer, she organises meetings for the Science Café Deventer and the successful science-art festivals KOP-festival and Science Café Noir.

Can you tell us about the beginning of your long journey in science communication?

Even before my PhD (on public engagement with biotechnology and genomics), I started out as a science information officer in my first job. Then, I worked at an organisation that organised events like the National Science Week in the Netherlands. I worked there for a few years and then returned to the university for my PhD project.

Since then, I have always worked in science communication, including teaching, research, and doing a bit of coordination. After completing my PhD, I volunteered at the Science Café in Deventer, the city where I live. I’ve been doing that for more than 15 years now. It’s one of the best-run science cafes in the Netherlands: every month, we host a meeting with scientists, with a band playing music, and people can ask questions with a moderator. We usually have over 100 or 120 people attending. The same venue also hosts concerts, so we are there when the venue is generally unused. We get to use it for free, and people can attend for free, have a beer, and enjoy the atmosphere. So, it’s become almost an institution.

For some years now, we have also organised a science-art festival every two years. The first few times, it was related to science and art, which focused on the brain. Now we do Science Café Noir, an evening event with short lectures and some cultural elements. It’s a lovely evening with music, art, and science. You have to buy tickets, but it always sells out, with about 250 people attending. It’s really fun, and we organise it with volunteers on a very low budget, with a lot of kind help from people. Amazingly, this is possible.

We are in Aberdeen (Scotland) for the PCST conference: as a member of the scientific committee, can you summarise the history of this network?

Bernard Schiele started the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) network. The first conference was held in 1989 in France, and this is now the 18th conference. It’s held every two years: it began very small and grew bigger. There have been a few conferences with over 500 attendees, like the one in Florence in 2012 and the one I organised in Rotterdam in 2023, with over 700 people.

Aberdeen is special because the conference was supposed to be held here in 2020, but the pandemic hit. The following year, it was held online due to ongoing restrictions, even though the venue was still rented. Because of that, we are here now to have the conference in person. Normally, the conference alternates between Europe and outside Europe, mixing things up a bit.

Initially, a group of friends—mostly senior people involved in the conference—organised it. More than ten years ago, they established the PCST scientific committee to elect people. This created continuity in the organisation, meaning it’s not just run by the original group of friends who are getting older but also by new people who can get involved.

What’s interesting about PCST is that the scientific committee consists of 29 members who are elected representatives from all over the world (Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas). The committee also includes four members under 35 and one student member. Everyone is a volunteer because PCST is a network, a platform. We are all volunteers, and our main activity is organising the conference, along with some activities in between.

So, tell us a little more about this conference here in Aberdeen: what is the central theme, and why was it chosen?

The program committee proposes a theme to the scientific committee, then discusses and votes on it. The chosen theme is “Using Science Communication to Effect Positive Change: Exploring Transitions, Traditions, and Tensions”, and I think it really fits what is happening right now.

There are traditions in science communication that, although not always well known, are very important to be aware of and build upon. Then there are transformations—many changes are happening, not only because of emerging technologies like AI but also due to global situations and crises, such as the pandemic. And finally, tensions that may increase or become more visible between science and society in various ways.

The theme must always be broad enough to cover many people’s interests—especially with hundreds of attendees who bring diverse perspectives—but also focused enough to provide a clear direction. Just to give an example: for the workshops on the first day, there were only 18 places available, but there were over 60 proposals...

Why do you think it’s essential for a science communicator to attend a conference like this or to be part of an association like PCST?

I think the PCST network is special because, unlike many other conferences that are often only research-oriented, this one combines practice and research. That creates an excellent opportunity for attendees and community members to meet practitioners, researchers, journalists, and people from diverse backgrounds—and to meet them in person.

The sessions reflect this diversity as well. Besides traditional presentations, there are visual talks and performance sessions at the end of each day. I appreciate how this event tries to do things differently from a typical conference.

I also like the conference a lot because I’ve made many friends by organising PCST 2023 in Rotterdam. Now, I meet many people I know and enjoy seeing. Another significant aspect is the representation system—we have people from all over the world. It’s truly international, and it’s fascinating to learn what’s happening in science communication in different regions—the United States, Australia, New Zealand, African countries, Southern Europe, and beyond. This gives you a much broader overview of the field globally.