Enacting Innovation: Classics meets Science Communication

Over the months of September and October, the ANU Centre for Classical Studies (CCS) joined with the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS) and rolled out an exciting suite of events where ancient Greece and Rome met Science Communication! Led by Dr Tatiana Bur (CCS) and Dr Anna-Sophie Jürgens (CPAS) with CPAS Masters Student Sarah Barnes, this inter-college collaboration consisted of three core components across research, engagement, and teaching.

The first event was an academic symposium entitled Enacting Innovation (October 6th, 2023)– a one-day conference which saw scholars come together to think about how objects were technologically animated in theatrical contexts from Classical antiquity to the present day. The event explored questions including: do technological objects exert a specific type of ‘agency’ when used in performance? What potential does performance hold as a medium for the pop cultural dissemination of scientific ideas? How has this changed from the venerated plays of Greek tragedy to sci-film and contemporary dramaturgy? Speakers travelled to the ANU from national and international institutions, and spoke from a wide range of disciplines including Classics, English, Theatre Studies, and Science Communication. An unexpected and original outcome of the symposium was the productive intellectual stimulation offered by AI generated artwork created uniquely for Enacting Innovation by Canberra-based artist, TA. Read more about the event on the Popsicule website. 

The Centre for Classical Studies then sponsored a free public film screening for students and community members of the acclaimed 2009 film Agora which explores ancient astronomy and mathematics on screen (October 13th, 2023). The film viewing was followed by a Q&A with an expert panel consisting of Dr Anna-Sophie Jürgens (ANU CPAS), Dr Meaghan McEvoy (ANU History) and Dr Maria Gerolemou (JHU Classics) moderated by Dr Tatiana Bur (ANU Classics).

The events greatly benefited from the invaluable contributions of CPAS Masters Student Sarah Barnes as part of their Science Communication Internship (SCOM6004). We would like to acknowledge that these events were instigated by, and made possible thanks to, the RSHA external visitor scheme which saw Dr Maria Gerolemou (Johns Hopkins University) join the Centre for Classical Studies for 4 weeks, as well as additional support from the CCS, CPAS, and the Popsicule (The Science in Popular Culture and Entertainment Hub of the Australian National University).

Article by: Dr Tatiana Bur