Regulations of the ICN Science Communication Unit

• Mission of the UCC-ICN
• Objectives
• Actions within the UCC-ICN
• Operational standards for actions and services in science communication at ICN

Mission

The mission of the Science Communication Unit at the Institute of Nuclear Sciences at UNAM (UCC-ICN) is to establish channels of dialogue and open communication between the scientific research and technological development community at the institute, and a diversity of social groups, through specific actions of intercultural communication; as well as to conduct research and training of human resources on the field of Science Communication. Such mission is implemented in accordance with cultural dissemination commitments made by UNAM and, in general, with the duty of public institutions to inform the population about their work, as well as to influence in the public and cultural life for the benefit of Mexico.

The actions of the UCC-ICN are focused on consolidating the ICN as a publicly known space of reference, development, and implementation in the technoscientific topics of its competence. These topics range from basic fundamental research to developments to solve specif problems in Mexico and the region. Through its mission, UCC seeks to co-create its own culture of experiences regarding technoscience developed in Mexico, which promotes a more realistic and meaningful relationship between the ICN and the various groups and institutes of Mexican society.

Objectives

The main objective of the UCC is to create intra-institutional and inter-institutional actions of communication and intercultural mediation regarding science and technology, related to the ICN, that take care at all times of scientific accuracy and relevance of the message being transmitted to a specific target audience. This is based on criteria made to promote dialogue, negotiation and shared responsibilities in regard to technoscientific development.

To accomplish this, the UCC, with collaboration of the Science Communication Committee (CCC) and the Academic Secretariat, will have the power to evaluate the contents and science communication materials —that may be presented in different media and events— related to the academic and daily life at ICN. Such materials must comply with the guidelines established in these regulations, as well as those indicated by the General Directorate of Social Communication and by the General Directorate of University Patrimony of UNAM.

Taking into account the mission of the Science Communication Unit at ICN, the particular objectives are the following:

• Inform the population about the researchers being carried out at the ICN, and its public relevance.
• Promote the positioning of the ICN on massive media outlets to make it a referent and a social resource on topics of its competence.
• Involve students of various degrees in the science communication actions organized by the institute.
• Help to promote the cooperation between the ICN and other educational, cultural and technoscientific entities.
• Promote a culture of co-responsibility, relevance, valuation, and inclusion in science and technology, among the various social groups involved
• Motivate students at different levels of schooling to pursue a career on science, technology, mathematics and engineering, or a career related to social, cultural, political, legal, economic or communicative management of science and technology.

Actions within the UCC-ICN competence

The actions carried out by the UCC-ICN are the following:

• Creating original content regarding science communication, in close collaboration with the researchers of the Institute. This is made with the objective of informing various audiences about researches, scientific and technological developments, as well as their relevance, related to the contexts involved. These contents are created from research in academic and popular-science articles, as well as interviews with the researches and with the different social groups of relevance.
• Carrying out scientific journalism tasks such as the creation of bulletins and press conferences, and to serve as liaison with the mass media to arrange interviews and meetings with ICN academics. These actions will be carried out following the guidelines of the General Directorate of Social Communication (DGCS) of UNAM. Decisions regarding press conferences, media coverage and the use of media spaces at UNAM are subject to the provisions of said General Directorate, and are therefore beyond the control of the UCC-ICN.
• Organizing and conducting events of science communication towards a diverse range of target audiences. Among them: Open Doors Day, and Dissemination Colloquiums, both at the ICN.
• Arranging and promoting events and projects in regard to science communication, both intra-institutional and inter-institutional, as well as interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary.
• Liaison with various educational institutions, organizations, private groups, etc., with the goal of implementing joint actions of public communication and intercultural management regarding science and technology.
• Support to teaching through activities such as guided tours, talks, and counseling to students at different levels of schooling, collaborating with the Teaching Unit (UD) at ICN. Particularly, ICN lines of research will be promoted as possible thesis topics for different levels and social service (work placement).
• Creating and updating contents on the Institute webpage, social media and the microsite of science communication.
• Evaluating and editing science communication contents that may appear in printed materials or mass media, collaborating with the Science Communication Committee, the Academic Secretariat and the Directorate. Content regulations will be made in accordance with the guidelines of the DGCS-UNAM.
• Monitoring appearances of members of the ICN in mass media.
• Dissemination of news, findings, and appearances of members of the ICN in mass media in ICN-UNAM institutional social media.
• Monitoring scientific events of great relevance in the field and research lines developed in the ICN (Nobel Prize awarding, discoveries, etc.) with the goal of generating a dissemination space in which the researchers of the ICN can contribute with opinion content, colloquiums, and/or dissemination articles in a timely manner.
• Guiding and implementing visual actions in regard to science communication required by the ICN.
• Guiding in the creation and functioning of science communication offices in other entities and institutions.
• Training of human resources in the field of science communication and related disciplines.
• Supporting ICN authorities to generate the dissemination materials they may require, including the annual report of the Director.
• Guiding and supporting ICN members to participate in science communication activities and to generate products for this same purpose. In the case of text revision and other informative materials, if the changes are substantial, the end product will be presented as a co-authorship between the interested party and the UCC-ICN.

Operational standards for actions and services in science communication at ICN

If any member of the Institute requests support of the UCC-ICN to carry out any science communication action, they must comply with the criteria listed in the UCC-ICN service request site: IGOR. There you will learn about the minimum time in advance required and requirements for any specific service.

We mention here the most important aspects to consider if you would like to carry out science communication actions from the ICN and to request UCC-ICN services:

• Communication in media and physical spaces at the ICN
  To request coverage or presentation in nay communication event in or from the ICN it is necessary:

  1. That at least for the topic or subject to be covered, one of the following accredited academic endorsements is available: publication in a peer reviewed journal; acceptance of publication in a peer reviewed journal; that the research already has a history of publication in peer reviewed journals (i.e., it is the continuity of an already published research); that the development has a patent; that the development is in the process of obtaining a patent registration; that there is a federal governmental endorsement certifying the project (Conahcyt, Cofepris, etc.); that is in the process of being certified by such governmental endorsements.
  2. That the topic to be covered is directly related with the academic work carried out in the Institute of Nuclear Sciences, UNAM. If the topic is other, this must be evaluated by the ICN Communication Committee, and its decision is final.
  3. For all media coverage within the ICN facilities, it is imperative to inform the UCC-ICN, since access to the institute will not be granted to any media without the express request of the UCC to the Administrative Secretariat, this is made for security and community health reasons. All visiting media must be accompanied at all times by an accredited member of the academic community of the ICN, until their departure from the facilities of the ICN. It is the responsibility of each academic who receives media to comply with these rules, without exception. Therefore, it is requested to inform the UCC-ICN about the presence of the media at the ICN by sending an email to: no_spam@nucliades.unam.xmion.
  4. University guidelines indicate that no recording may be made within the university facilities unless an active member of the university community is involved and assigned to the institution in question, this member should be performing an active work at the time of the recording, and it must be directly linked to the reason for which said member is assigned to the university. If not, it is imperative to communicate the recording request to the UCC-ICN, which must be submitted to collegial evaluation to the Communication Committee, and whose decision is final.
  5. In accordance with the Federal Copyright Law and other analogous international laws, it is prohibited to use any graphic, visual, auditory, or audiovisual resource without explicit permission for free use, or without free use specifications, but which must attribute authorship. It is the responsibility of the entire academic and administrative staff of the ICN to ensure that their graphic and audiovisual resources (images, music, videos, animations, audiovisuals) comply with the standards established in the Federal Copyright Law and that such authorship is properly attributed to the original author(s) in the materials presented as part of their academic work. Failure to comply with this requirement for any type of media or academic act may result in severe penalties for the ICN and/or the cancellation of its digital media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram. The following media acts are undoubtedly subject to this requirement, as well as all those not foreseen in this regulation.
• Press conferences
  Press conferences may be carried out to announce findings and projects that may be of the interest of the public and of national relevance. The interested party must provide the UCC with information relevant to the topic to be covered in the possible press conference. The CCC will discuss the relevance in holding a press conference regarding the proposed topic, and if considered relevant, in order to hold the press conference, the Institute’s Director approval will be requested. Subsequently, the UCC will make a proposal for the press conference to de DGCS. This process will take approximately two weeks up to a month. The press conference approval is subject to the guidelines of the DGCS and the decision on holding this event falls entirely under DGCS competence. The final decision is outside UCC-ICN faculties.
• Press bulletins: coverage from the DGCS-UNAM
  Anyone who is interested must provide the UCC with relevant information (articles, photographs, videos, interviews) to the topic of the possible press bulletin. In case of press embargo, this must be clearly communicated from the very beginning. The CCC will discuss the relevance concerning the publications of such topic. Subsequently, the UCC will send a bulletin proposal to the DGCS, who will evaluate its relevance and will determine if the bulletin will be publicly published from UNAM space or ICN information space (main webpage and social media). This process lasts approximately two weeks. In the event that the issue is taken up by the DGCS, it is this instance that will determine the times for media coverage (conducting interviews, taking photographs, etc.) and publication in university spaces. In this case, the final release of the material is beyond the control of the UCC-ICN.
• Press bulletins: coverage from the UCC-ICN
  Anyone who is interested must provide the UCC with relevant information (articles, photographs, videos, interviews) to the topic of the possible press bulletin. In case of press embargo, this must be clearly communicated from the very beginning. The CCC will collegially discuss the relevance concerning the publication of such topic. Subsequently, the UCC will prepare a bulletin or article, in collaboration with the interested researcher or group research. These materials will be published on the ICN webpage and its social media.
• Request for presentation in a divulgation colloquium
  Those interested in presenting a colloquium should send via e-mail the following data to the UCC:

  • Name and affiliation of the speaker.
  • Title of the colloquium.
  • Brief summary of the suggested content.
  • Summary of the speaker's curriculum vitae.

  The UCC will determine the relevance of the topic for a Dissemination Colloquium, and it must be aimed towards bachelor students of any field, not necessarily scientific.
  Once this information is available, the event will be promoted in different institutions and in the institute's social networks. The UCC will agree on the date of the event with the applicant and will take care of the logistical details.
  If the UCC considers that the proposal is not suitable for a dissemination talk, it will propose that the event be held as a research colloquium, for a more specialized audience. In this case, UCC support will be limited to the promotion of the event at the relevant institutions.
• Science communication consultancy for ICN academics
  The UCC will provide guidance to researchers, so they can create science communication products. If the changes are substantial, a co-authorship in the publication of the product will be considered. In any case, it is important to name the UCC members in the acknowledgements.
• Liaison
  The UCC will be in charge of managing the collaborations between the ICN and other academic, educational and cultural institutions, in order to carry out joint actions of science communication, creating inter-institutional collaborations. The UCC may support academics that wish to carry out actions of this type, with the authorization of the Directorate. The actions derived from such agreements will be in accordance with the guidelines of the DGCS and those of UNAM.
• Guided tours
  The UCC, with collaboration of the Teaching Unit (UD), is in charge of conducting guided tours for educational institutions or private groups that may request them. The guidelines for requesting a guided tour can be found here
• Other services (design, printing, inserts in Agenda UNAM, etc.)
  Please go to IGOR to learn about the requirements and minimum time in advance needed for the UCC to process your request. Your username and password are the same as those used for booking rooms. In any case, these services can only be provided to support the communication of topics and issues directly related to the academic activity for which you are assigned at the ICN. In regard to other topics, your request shall be submitted to the Communication Committee for consideration. Their decision is final.