Opening Plenary Session

Organizer(s)

• 

  Jennifer Henke, BCE (she/her/hers)

  Laboratory Manager
  Surveillance and Quality Control Department
  Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District
  Indio, California

Presenting Author(s)

• 

  Shawn Otto

  Science Writer, Novelist, Screenwriter, Minnesota

Join Jennifer Henke, BCE as she reflects on her year as President and shares many of our society highlights throughout 2024. Celebrate and honor this year’s Fellows and Honorary Members of ESA before settling in hear from Science Writer, Novelist, and Screenwriter Shawn Otto about the scientific foundations of democracy, and strategies for communicating science effectively and countering mis- and dis-information.

Shawn Otto is an internationally recognized author, speaker and science advocate. He was the organizer of the US presidential science debate initiatives in three presidential cycles along with the AAAS and the National Academies, and was recognized with the IEEE-USA National Distinguished Public Service Award for his work elevating science in American public dialogue.