Communicating Science

In a bid to create an infrastructure for research and innovation (R&I) in the Maltese Islands, the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST), issued a report in which it outlined its vision
for R&I between 2007 and 2010. MCST stated that ‘it is strongly argued… that a comprehensive and multi-pronged science popularisation strategy is of fundamental importance’ (MCST, 2006: 67).

The multi-pronged strategy sought, amongst other things, to ‘launch on-going science journalism and science TV and radio programmes’ (MCST, 2006: 67). Science On The Air was a science communication initiative designed to explore the potential for a science-based radio programme in Malta. The project involved developing a pilot 15-minute science radio programme in the Maltese language. A lack of similar programmes and research into their audience appeal in Malta
meant that evaluation was an essential component of the study.

This research work was partly funded by Malta Government Scholarship Scheme grant number MGSS/2006/014.

Millions of children visit zoos every year with their parents or schools in order to learn about wildlife firsthand. Moreover, public conservation education is a basic requirement for membership in professional zoo associations. However, in recent years there has been increasing criticism of zoos from animal rights groups for failing to demonstrate their averred value for public understanding of conservation and related biological concepts such as animal adaptation to habitats. Indeed, no study to date has fully assessed scientific learning for the key zoo audience of children. The present study represents the largest (n=3018) and most methodologically robust investigation of the educational value of zoos for children aged 7-15 ever conducted worldwide. This research evaluates the relative educational impact of educator-guided and unguided zoo visits at ZSL London Zoo, both in terms of the development of new knowledge about conservation biology and changing attitudes towards wildlife conservation. Results show a strong statistically significant increase in learning about animals and habitats from pre- to post-zoo visit. Moreover, zoo visits supplemented by an educational presentation almost doubled the aggregate increase in scientific learning found for unguided zoo visits. Conversely, negative changes in children’s understanding of animals and their habitats were much more prevalent in unguided zoo visits. Overall, this study offers the strongest evidence to date of the potential educational value of visiting zoos for children and young people. However, it also identifies problematic patterns that can emerge if zoos’ educational provision is insufficient. Given that hundreds of millions of people visit zoos every year, rigorous assessment of their value as sites for public conservation education holds important implications for public knowledge and attitudes towards key concepts relating to conservation biology.

Wahlkämpfe sind zentrale Ereignisse politischer Kommunikation und befinden sich seit jeher im Fokus kommunikationswissenschaftlicher
Forschung. In der journalistischen Berichterstattung treten jedoch vor allem Politikwissenschaftler und andere Beobachter auf, die als
Experten Einschätzungen – etwa zu Wahlduellen oder zu politischer Wahlwerbung – äußern. Forscherinnen und Forscher aus der Kommunikationswissenschaft sind im Diskurs nur vereinzelt sichtbar. Dies gilt genauso für andere hochaktuelle, brisante Themen wie die Debatte um den Rundfunkbeitrag, Desinformation im Netz oder das Leistungsschutzrecht. Erste Ergebnisse unserer empirischen
Studie zur Präsenz deutschsprachiger Kommunikationswissenschaftlerinnen und -wissenschaftler auf den Seiten des Informationsdienst Wissenschaft (idw), die in dieser
Aviso-Ausgabe veröffentlicht sind, stützen diese Beobachtung.
Sollten aber nicht gerade Kommunikationswissenschaftlerinnen
und -wissenschaftler theoretisches und empirisches Wissen über öffentliche Kommunikation praktisch auch präsentieren (können)?

Radio is one of the most vibrant communication tools. The historic judgement of Supreme Court in 1995 stated, ‘airwaves constitute public property and must be utilized for advancing public good’. As such, radio can be used for disseminating edutainment programmes. In the same line, community radio stations are the most effective means to reach out to the local community, especially in India with about 1.2 billion population and multitude of languages. A community radio station as the name suggests is designed for a particular community. It revolves around the concept of access and participation of the local community people. Its main objective is to provide a platform to the unheard and voice to the voiceless. In India, already 4000 licenses were offered for establishment of community radio stations by the Central Government. At present, there are about 120 community radio stations operating in our country.  Since 2005, community radio in India has been making waves, playing a huge role in taking social messages to masses who have limited access to other forms of media, and sometimes, empowering local communities to produce their own content.

This research paper deals with community radio and its impact to aware the common masses on tuberculosis with a hands-on experience.  To access the effectiveness of community media, 16 episodes of radio feature on tuberculosis have been produced and broadcast through 8 community radio stations in India. A questionnaire has been distributed to a sample of regular listeners of one of the community radios before broadcasting the programmes on the basic knowledge on tuberculosis and analysed. After completion of the broadcasting of the radio feature on every Sunday since September 2011, the same questionnaire will be distributed to the same sample and it will be analysed to know the effectiveness of community media in health communication.

More than half of the Indian
population stays in rural areas and therefore
connecting the unconnected becomes one of
the primary challenges. Science and
technology development and the general
people’s awareness are necessary for overall
society development. No one can doubt the
immense impact of science and technology
on society today. We face the challenges of
not only understanding the current multiple
revolutions in science and technology, but
also how they affect the future of humanity
and of the Earth. So scientific information,
scientific thoughts and spirit of scientific
temper need to be spread across the society.
Science communication can be referred to
the flow of scientific information and
message from its source to target audience,
through some medium or mediator. Except a
few very honourable exceptions, generally,
scientists and technologists find it difficult to
communicate with common man in common
man’s language. At the same time, the
common man too is unable to understand the
language of scientists - technical texts with
technical jargon, specific to the subject area.
Now, the problem is obvious, as the two are
unable to communicate with each other
which leaves a wide gap between the two
and which is growing day by day due to
rapid advancements in our scientific
knowledge. The task is really very
challenging and it needs proper training and
education in the field of science
communication.
This paper attempts the contemporary
status of science communication education
in NE as well as it emphasizes the analysis
of relevancy of the course curriculum in
modern context. The research work
highlights the various constrains and
challenges ahead in this regard.

This seminar will explore the relationship between power, politics, and science and technology. We will investigate stakeholders such as scientists, entrepreneurs, technologists, activists, policy-makers and their institutional contexts; and compare global flows of science and technology (S&T) through governmental, non-governmental, and transnational organizations. We will also examine representations of science and technology in media systems and international development programs. At the heart of this course is the relationship between science and technology, on the one hand; and science and communication on the other.
As an applied component of this course, students will develop case studies addressing the particular nexus between communication, science and technology, and policy matters in relation to several historical and current issues, such as climate change, space exploration, nuclear power, the genome project, big data, indigenous science, etc. Students will benefit from frequent active learning techniques, several guest lectures, and field visits. Each case study will delve deeper into the core inquiry of this seminar such as: how science and technology are communicated in a particular context, and why?

Information and communication technology (ICT) is currently the key enabler of most fields and sectors. It contributed to improving the field of commerce by advent, the concept of electronic commerce. The advent of e-commerce contributed to improving the commerce field by enabling customers to conduct their entire business transaction via the internet. Accordingly, e-commerce has become an indicator of the economic growth sought by countries in this digital age. One of the common forms of B2C e-commerce is online shopping in which the customer deals with a website and gets a full shopping experience online. The online shopping environment in Saudi Arabia is expected to grow as a result of the development of ICT, the spread of the Internet, the large proportion of the youth population and the rapid trend of online markets around the world, and in Saudi Arabia in particular. However, it is still immature, and the adoption of online shopping with Saudi e-shops in specific is less than expected. Therefore, this study seeks to explore the factors influencing the adoption of online shopping by females with Saudi e-shops. This study adopted a qualitative methodology, as data were collected by conducting thirty semi-structured interviews with Saudi females and analyzed through applying Thematic Analysis (TA) method using a software tool (NVivo). As a result, the study reported thirteen factors influencing Saudi females to adopt online shopping with Saudi e-shops. Those factors were classified under six main themes: products-related factors, logistics-related factors, customer service-related factors, payment-related factors, technology-related factors, and culture-related factors. Based on the study's findings, the researcher reported the study contributions and future research recommendations in conclusion.

Public images of scientific researchers –as reflected in the popular visual culture as well as in the conceptions of the public- combine traditional stereotypic characteristics and ambivalent attitudes towards science and its people. This paper explores central aspects of the public image of the researcher in Greek students’ drawings. The students participated in a drawing competition held in the context of the ‘Researcher’s Night 2007’ realized by three research institutions at different regions of Greece. The students’ drawings reveal that young people hold stereotypic and fairly traditional and outdated views of scientists and scientific activity. Research institutions are faced with the challenge of establishing a sincere and fertile dialogue with society to refute obsolete and deceiving notions and to promote the role of researchers in society.

"This report describes key findings from a series of concurrent focus groups comprising the Durrell Wildlife Park - Public Participation Meeting (PPM). This PPM is part of the larger European Commission-funded project EU-Zoos-XXI, which will see other PPMs taking place at zoos across Europe in Portugal, Sweden and Italy. The aim of these PPMs is to engage with members of the zoo visiting public and understand the kinds of educational and engagement needs they would like to see addressed by zoos. This unique approach involves engaging publics upstream in the decision-making process, and empowering them to guide the development of the zoo’s educational provision.

Although the PPM participants focused primarily on defining the development of the Durrell ‘Demonstration Project’, the PPM focus groups also offer important insights into visitor interests, priorities and engagement preferences. This report presents both specific educational interventions identified as desirable by participants and general principles of visitors’ engagement interests and needs revealed through in-depth, systematic analysis. The results show that in terms of message content, participants advocated a focus on the inter-connectivity of life on Earth, alongside the provision of details about the scope and details of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust’s efforts to redress negative impacts on endangered wildlife. An unexpected rationale for the latter focus was to make Durrell Wildlife Park a ‘see-through zoo’ that is transparent in its goals, actions and impacts. This transparency was viewed as important for justifying admission costs, as well as demonstrating the legitimacy of the organization its requests for donation and further support from visitors in seeking to promote wildlife conservation. "

Das mittelalterliche Armenien war nicht nur eines der frühesten christlichen Staatsgebilde der Welt, sondern zeichnete sich auch durch eine reiche Literatur und Kultur aus. Gleichzeitig verlief seine historische Entwicklung außerordentlich turbulent. Diese Geschichte soll – besonders auch im Kontext der Geographie – in Texten und Bildern veranschaulicht werden.

***This paper is currently being drafted.

This article resulted from an interdisciplinary research partnership forged in 2017. Anthropologist Todd Nicewonger enrolled in GRAD 5144 as a participant/observation researcher. Working with course developer and theatre professor Patricia Raun and course instructor Carolyn Kroehler, Nicewonger critically explored the learning dynamics of a multimodal curriculum that uses theater and improvisation exercises to teach graduate students how to connect and communicate. Drawing on his ethnography and continued collaboration among the three authors, we reflect on a series of multi-modal exercises through which a transformation of trust was experienced by both students and faculty involved in this study. We see the subject of trust as a critical starting point for delving into the socio-cultural dynamics of learning how to connect and communicate across differences and engage in collective forms of knowledge production.

Authors: Todd E. Nicewonger, Patty Raun, and Carrie Koehler

"This study investigated the development of new ideas about animals, habitats and the zoo amongst a sample of pupils attending ZSL London Zoo. Results indicate the potential of educational presentations based around zoo visits, for enabling conceptual transformations relating to environmental science. At the same time, the research highlights the vital role of existing cultural representations of different animals and habitats which are confronted by the new ideas introduced during educational visits to the zoo.

Wagoner, B. & Jensen, E. (2010). ‘Science learning at the zoo: Evaluating children’s developing understanding of animals and their habitats’. Psychology & Society, 3(1): p. 65-76."

For years Anglo-American news media participated in hyping claims of imminent cures from therapeutic cloning. This hype was scrutinised following the scientific fraud of South Korean therapeutic cloning researcher Hwang Woo-Suk. The scandal left questions about contemporary science journalists’ commitment to ideals of the press as Fourth Estate or watchdog. The present study adduces data from Anglo-American press coverage of therapeutic cloning (n = 5,185) and qualitative interviews with journalists (n = 18). The journalists expressed commitment to the Fourth Estate ideal, although their coverage fell short. Four explanations are postulated for this disjuncture between ideals and practice. Finally, two deviant cases of critical, Fourth Estate coverage point to institutional norms as the most important factor in (dis)allowing journalistic scepticism.

Jensen, E. (2010). ‘Between Credulity and Scepticism: Sightings of the Fourth Estate in 21st Century Science Journalism’. Media, Culture & Society, 32: 615-630.

La logica scientifica e l’accesso all’informazione sono due dei principali
fondamenti delle democrazie illuminate. Le distorsioni in qualsiasi parte
di questo delicato rapporto porteranno inevitabilmente alla caduta
dell’intero sistema. E allora, cosa fare?

There is a general lack of
understanding of how advances in science and
technology affect our lives. Against this
background, controversial or sensational
reporting on food safety, bird flu, global
warming etc. can leave citizens confused and
frightened and science misunderstood. This is
why scientists are increasingly asked to
communicate their work to a wider audience and
science communicators and the media to act as
the responsible bridge between the scientists and
society.
To disseminate scientific information
and to inculcate scientific temperament among
the general mass we have been using print, audio
and audiovisual media. If we concentrate on
audio visual media, Doordarshan is playing a
very significant role in the process of inspiring
rural masses towards accepting social changes,
establishing a constructive means for the
upliftment of the common people and building a
scientific temperament among the mass from its
beginning. Though the history of Doordarshan in
Sikkim is not very much old, but is giving a
deliberate, planned and sustained effort to
inculcate scientific temperament in the rural
mass.
This paper is an attempt to analysis the
programme content of Doordarshan Kendra,
Sikkim as well as to find out various constrains
in the process of science communication. The
present work also emphasizes the assessment of
the impact of the science programmes on target
audience.

Because science innovation and human development are mutually reinforcing, it is imperative to educate various sectors of society about the value of science and technology, as well as to correct misinformation, dispel myths, and debunk scams that are presented as pseudoscientific claims. Communication efforts must made to help the public understand the science so that they can make informed decisions. In particular, there is an urgency for public awareness to be created about the science of climate resilience and disaster risk reduction and management. An interdisciplinary program on the twin themes of Resilience and Biodiversity is currently being implemented at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Titled BIODIVERSITY AND RESILIENCE (BAR) R&D, COMMUNICATION AND CAPABILITY-BUILDING PROGRAM FOR THE PHILIPPINES, it converges the Science and the Humanities disciplines to address urgent needs for developing and disseminating targeted science-based information intended to catalyze the mind-change necessary to prioritize and help incorporate biodiversity and resilience in key national and local decisions.

Effective communication between scientists and non-scientists calls for special evaluation and training procedures, not simply “more and better science” (Nature 468, 1032–1033; 2010). The impact of science communications on target audiences needs evaluation. And effective evaluation requires upstream planning and clear objectives if it is to inform practice (E. Jensen & B. Wagoner Cult. Psychol. 15, 217–228; 2009). Unfortunately, institutions that sponsor science-communication activities are not always consistent in their evaluation requirements and rarely assess long-term impact. And when such projects are subject to independent evaluation, tenders are typically assessed either by the practitioners whose work is under scrutiny, or by staff without the relevant methodological expertise. To enhance the quality of their engagement with the public and with policy-makers, scientists and other science communicators should make use of theories and results from the social sciences. Without training in media literacy, audience reception or the communication and sociology of science, communicators could find themselves rehearsing long discredited practices. I propose that such training should be incorporated into scientists’ graduate studies. This would spare governments and scientific institutions from reframing the funding and practice of science communication to protect the sciences and the public from the largely unacknowledged risks of miscommunication.

In calling for a sustained dialogue between the sciences and the public, the House of Lords (2000), Royal Society and others (e.g. Stilgoe, Irwin and Jones 2006) have clearly identified the need for the sciences to go beyond traditional, formal contexts for science communication to engage with publics through activities such as the Cambridge Science Festival. However, there has been a paucity of research on the impacts of such informal contexts for science communication (Holliman, Jensen and Taylor 2007; cf. Rowe et al. in press). What are the impacts of informal science communication? Can science festivals improve scientific literacy, scientific citizenship, the perceived accessibility of scientific knowledge and other dimensions of sciences-society relations? The present research represents the first systematic and rigorous attempt to address this question empirically. Drawing primarily upon mixed methods data from on-site questionnaires (n =957) and focus groups (n = 13) , this study explores the ways in which the 2009 Cambridge Science Festival was perceived by its attendees.

This large science festival included multiple locations spread around the general vicinity of the university. The audience research for this evaluation included data collected using mixed methods questionnaires distributed during and after the festival, as well as post-festival focus groups.

The results show some clear patterns in the perceived impacts of the Cambridge Science Festival, as well as some divergent findings worthy of further exploration. Key research questions addressed through this summative evaluation include:

Key research questions addressed through this summative evaluation include:

What have audiences gained from the science festival experience?

Why do audiences attend the Cambridge Science Festival?

What are their expectations of the events (and why)?

Jensen, E. (2010). Cambridge Science Festival: External evaluation report. Cambridge: University of Cambridge.

"This report discusses the views of zoo visitors on the crucial question of how zoos can best engage publics with wildlife conservation, establishing an on-going dialogue with the aim of enhancing the value and impact of the educational and engagement activities at Durrell Wildlife Park. The conclusions reached through these focus group discussions feed directly into the Demonstration Project Phase 2.

This follow-up public participation meeting signals Durrell Wildlife Park’s commitment to on-going public engagement with its visitors. To ensure that this relationship between Durrell and its public is maintained, on-going feedback, dialogue and transparency are required. "

This set of comments reports experiences from a recent “science-meets-arts”-project in Germany, in which students from the University of fine Arts in Hamburg (HFBK) shared day-to-day life in climate research groups for several months. The project was envisioned as a process of mutual irritation and inspiration with the aim of producing a joint exhibition and symposium at the end. This paper introduces the project as well as the subsequent commentaries and also presents my own observations and conclusions.

In a most recent article, a team of climatologists and historians around Ulf Büntgen has proposed the identification of a " Late Antique Little Ice Age " in the period from 536 to 660 AD which was characterised by significant socio-political upheavals and catastrophes such as volcanic eruptions and plague epidemics. Among the extreme events not included into their scenario by Büntgen et alii is the severe flood which in 628 AD affected what is now modern-day Southern Iraq, then the core province of the mighty Sasanian Empire, which was not to survive the following decades.

In this poster presentation, I reflect on my experiences participating in a Communicating Science course as part of a six-month study that explored how tools from the arts can be used to teach graduate students how to communicate their research findings in a lively and engaging manner. My motivation for immersing myself in the course's learning activities was both personal and professional. On the one hand, I was excited to be able to further develop skill-sets for explaining my own research interests to non-experts. On the other hand, this study has enabled me and my collaborators, Patty Raun and Carrie Kroehler, an opportunity to critically investigate how theater exercises can be used to teach students about communicating across differences. As an anthropologist that has carried out multiple studies among various expert communities, I have often found myself becoming anxious when I have had to describe my work to my non-academic collaborators. This is in part why I am deeply interested in studying educational contexts where scientists and related specialists learn about techniques for breaking down disciplinary expertise. Moreover, given the increasing pressure on scholars to involve local and global community members in their research practices, it is paramount that colleges and universities identify best practices for teaching their students and staff how to actively involve stakeholders in their research activities. My poster explores the role that arts practices can play in strengthening scholars' abilities to enthusiastically connect and effectively communicate their research interests to wider public audiences.

http://diepresse.com/home/zeitgeschichte/3878258/Historiker-arbeiten-am-Facebook-des-Mittelalters?from=gl.home_zeitreise
Die Presse-Online, September 30th 2014

Die Presse am Samstag, October 4th 2013:
http://diepresse.com/home/science/3880382/Historiker-arbeiten-an-Facebook-des-Mittelalters

Article from the Austrian Newspaper "Die Presse" (October 4th 2014) on the new project "Mapping Medieval Conflicts. A digital approach towards political dynamics in the pre-modern period", see also online:
http://diepresse.com/home/science/3878258/Historiker-arbeiten-am-Facebook-des-Mittelalters.
For the project see: https://oeaw.academia.edu/MappingMedievalConflict