sci14006 — Announcement

Public information officer profile: Georgia Bladon

16 May 2014

In March this year I had the pleasure of becoming the public information officer for ESA/Hubble, following on from my predecessor Nicky Guttridge. The role involves producing and managing the content of spacetelescope.org including pictures of the week, science and photo press releases, newsletters, and award-winning Hubblecasts, as well as liasing with journalists, the public, universities and research institutions, press offices, and you — the researchers.

My academic background includes a BSc in Physics with Philosophy and an MSc in Science Communication. I have previously worked in public engagement with science at the global research charity the Wellcome Trust, and at the European Southern Observatory. My current roles include ESA/Hubble Public Information Officer, Editor of the journal Communicating Astronomy with the Public, and Project Manager for the London-based art-science organisation Invisible Dust.

I have an immense respect for science in all its forms but, as is clear from my subjects of study, physics and astronomy have always captured me the most. My desire to explore and learn about the many facets of science led me to become a science communicator as opposed to a researcher. The opportunity to absorb the groundbreaking research that comes from telescopes like Hubble and take it to the public and the press so that it can further inspire others is, by all accounts, my perfect job.

In my capacity as ESA/Hubble Public Information Officer I work with the fantastic outreach team at the European Southern Observatory in Garching, Germany. Between them they provide the very highest quality in writing, graphic design, visuals, and videography; a quality which you only have to visit the spacetelescope.org or eso.org websites to recognise. I work remotely from London, visiting Garching monthly

Our European press office works closely with the Office of Public Outreach at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, US. Together we communicate scientific research led by astronomers all over the globe via spacetelescope.org and hubblesite.org, issuing high quality press releases, images, video podcasts, and also collaborating on outreach projects like Hubble’s Hidden Treasures, where we invited members of the public and amateur image processors to scour Hubble’s data archive to dig out beautiful and previously unreleased gems. The results from projects like this continue to inspire both us and the public to promote Hubble’s work.

To do this though, we need your support in coming to us when you have a paper submitted for publication so that we can discuss the many possible ways in which we can reach the public. I hope you will agree that engaging a wider audience with the science you do is crucial to increase understanding, support your ongoing work, and inspire a new generation!

To get in touch with the ESA/Hubble outreach team, please contact hubble@eso.org, or email me directly at gbladon@partner.eso.org. To contact ESA/Hubble Science News with questions, feedback, or for any other reason, you can reach us at hubblenewseurope@stsci.edu.

Contacts

Georgia Bladon
Public Information Officer, ESA/Hubble
Email: gbladon@partner.eso.org