CFP: Symposium on Communicating Complex Informatio (SCCI) 2024

Good morning, colleagues—
We’re writing to share the CFP for the 13th Annual Symposium on Communicating Complex Information to be held March 4th and 5th at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. The PDF for SCCI 2024 is attached; the event website is accessible here: https://scci-annual.com/

For those who have not attended before, SCCI is a two–day symposium designed to maximize the exchange of information and ideas among the participants. To do so, the single room symposium consists of short (15-minute) individual presentations followed by 15-minute group discussion. The objective is to share ideas and seek opportunities to collaborate on or expand research that examines communicating complex information in different contexts. In essence, the Symposium brings together teachers, practitioners, and scholars to address the over-arching questions of: (1) How can individuals collaborate to devise new approaches to the design and evaluation of complex information systems? and (2) How can individuals work together to define what is meant by usability/user experience and what constitutes usable information in complex systems?

In addition to the presentation and discussion sessions that take place on Monday and Tuesday of the Symposium, social events on Sunday and Monday evenings allow participants to network as well as to continue discussions started during Symposium sessions.

This year we’re pleased to include two wonderful keynote speakers:

Meredith Singleton, Founder of Story Arc Learning

Dr. Singleton has a Ph.D. in Technical and Professional Communication and over fifteen years of experience as a content developer working with clients from a variety of industries. She is the Founder of Story Arc Learning, her own consulting firm, which centers around storytelling and content development in training and learning from science, tech, and healthcare. Building on her expertise with user experience design and content development, Dr. Singleton has also built a career in instructional design and provides clients with story-driven, learner-centered curriculum development, course design, and e-learning services within higher education and the private sector.

S. Scott Graham, Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Graham is an associate professor in the Department of Rhetoric & Writing at the University of Texas at Austin. He uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to study communication in bioscience and health policy, with special attention to bioethics, conflicts of interest, and health AI. Dr. Graham is the author of three books (The Doctor & The Algorithm, The Politics of Pain Medicine, and Where’s the Rhetoric?) as well as 35 articles, chapters, and essays published in Technical Communication Quarterly, Rhetoric of Health & Medicine, Plos-One, the Annals of Internal Medicine, and other journals. His scholarship has been covered in The New York Times, US News & World Report, Science, Health Day, AI in Health Care, and the Scientific Inquirer.

Of note, SCCI includes a half-day program track focusing on sharing research results, theoretical models, and best practices for conveying complex information associated with health and medical contexts. Individuals interested in submitting a proposal for this track should include the words “Health and Medical Communication Track” in their proposal.

Submissions are due November 5th, 2023. Poster presentation slots are also available and serve as a productive space for graduate students.

Let us know if you have any questions. Hope to see you in Norfolk, VA.

On behalf of the SCCI Conference Committee,

Dan Richards, Old Dominion University

Huiling Ding, North Carolina State University

Lisa DeTora, Hofstra University

Michael Albers, East Carolina University

SCCI-2024-CFP-1pg.pdf