Filter by keyword: Public engagement with science and technology

Publications including this keyword are listed below.

286 publications found

Jan 13, 2025 Practice Insight

Climate change is (NOT) funny: insights from a climate change comedy event

In recent years there has been an increasing call for new modes of climate change communication. These calls have gone beyond classic consensus-building and fact-sharing to addressing affective dimensions and meaning-making in relation to the climate crisis. In this article we reflect on a proof-of-concept climate change comedy project — “Climate Change is NOT Funny!”. Building on audience and performer insights, we reflect on the effectiveness and affective dimensions of comedy as a climate change communication method, as well as institutional and funding constraints on delivery. Finally, we introduce how we designed our project to go on making an impact beyond the grant's lifespan. By empowering professional comedians to embed new research-informed climate change material into their regular sets, we argue that our approach can amplify the reach of climate communication activities, and in turn provide new forums for individuals to engage with the most pressing aspects of the climate crisis.

Volume 24 • Issue 01 • 2025

Dec 16, 2024 Editorial

Public (dis)trust in science in digital media environments

by Anne Reif, Lars Guenther and Hiromi M. Yokoyama

This special issue examines public (dis)trust in science amidst evolving digital media environments, marked by the increasing prevalence of online information sources about scientific topics such as climate change and COVID-19. This editorial summarizes the nine publications that are part of the special issue and shows how they address different aspects of public (dis)trust in science in the context of digital media environments. Furthermore, we reflect on the selection and production process and give an outlook as to where future research could be heading. The papers highlight various perspectives on (dis)trust in science in digital media environments to foster a deeper understanding of the role of digital communication.

Volume 23 • Issue 09 • 2024 • Special Issue: Public (dis)trust in science in digital media environments

Dec 02, 2024 Practice Insight

Potentialities of science comics for science communication: lessons from the classroom

by Cláudia Faria, Bianor Valente and Joana Torres

The aim of this pilot study was to understand how the use of science comics, centred on complex scientific knowledge, can promote students' engagement with science, in order to discuss its potentialities as a tool to communicate science for the general public. The qualitative study involved 175 students and 7 teachers. The results revealed that the use of comics significantly increases students' motivation and commitment to the learning tasks. All participants highlighted that the narrative nature of comics, with a mixture of text and images, offering a story to follow, contributed to their engagement with the scientific topic, regardless of their complexity.

Volume 23 • Issue 08 • 2024

Nov 25, 2024 Article

Anthropomorphism and motivating participation in citizen science projects

by Zoey Rosen, Marilee Long, Bonne Ford, Eric A. Wendt, Michael Cheeseman, Casey Quinn, Christian L'Orange, John Volckens and Jeffrey R. Pierce

Maintaining long-term participation in citizen science projects is challenging; thus, it is important for project developers to use effective techniques to motivate participants. One approach is to incorporate anthropomorphism (ascribing humanlike qualities to a non-human agent) when designing and deploying technology. In a quasi-experimental study conducted as part of the Citizen-Enabled Aerosol Measurements for Satellites (CEAMS) citizen science project, we investigated the relationship between anthropomorphism and motivation to participate in citizen science. Findings showed partial support for the relationship between anthropomorphism and motivation.

Volume 23 • Issue 08 • 2024

Nov 06, 2024 Practice Insight

Talking genetic technologies and conservation: purposeful games as a tool to level the epistemic playing field

by Vicki Macknight, Marie McEntee and Fabien Medvecky

In New Zealand, the use of genetic technologies for environmental and conservation purposes is a highly contested issue yet genetic technologies, including RNAi and gene drives may offer technological advances for protecting New Zealand's vulnerable biodiversity. This context makes discussions on the use of gene technology for environmental purposes both challenging and necessary. Such discussions can be difficult, not simply because they are often contested, but also because people find the topic complicated, the language alien and overly scientific. This research, which sits at the intersection of science and publics, is part of a large national dialogue which aimed to better understand the public's thoughts and feelings around the use of genetic technologies for environmental or conservation purposes. To assist people to feel comfortable at the beginning of the dialogue sessions, we designed purposeful games before engaging in a facilitated conversation. These games are based on heritage games that most people are familiar with but altered to address several issues relevant to genetic technologies in an environmental context. This article provides an insight into how to design and use purposeful games to foster epistemic confidence in non-scientists. It acts as a helpful guide for others working in contested spaces where there is a need to effectively facilitate engagement of non-scientists in important science-society discussions.

Volume 23 • Issue 08 • 2024

Oct 21, 2024 Editorial

Engaging with discovery science: expanding the conversation within the science communication community

by Rick Borchelt

Many of us who engage with or communicate about discovery science — sometimes called curiosity-driven research or basic research — have grown increasingly concerned in recent years by the disproportionate attention to applied science, medicine, and technology, seemingly at the expense of basic science. This concern led to the creation of a joint U.S. Department of Energy-Kavli Foundation initiative, the Science Public Engagement Partnership (SciPEP) to catalyze and advance scholarship and practice specifically about communicating discovery science. This special issue is one outcome of that effort. In this issue, readers will find scholarship, practice, and thought leadership that explore the many different communication modes for sharing discovery science employed by scientists, their institutions, and the communicators who work with them. The issue also suggests ways to support basic scientists in identifying and clarifying their goals and audiences depending on what and with whom they are communicating.

Volume 23 • Issue 07 • 2024 • Special Issue: Communicating Discovery Science

Oct 21, 2024 Article

Can media inspire public engagement with astronomy? Assessing information modalities and potential mechanisms for inspiration in a basic science context

by Matthew S. VanDyke and Sara K. Yeo

Although many science communicators strive to inspire audiences, scant research has sought to understand how media may evoke inspiration. The present study was a three-condition (modality: text-only, audio-only, and audiovisual) between-subjects experiment examining how media content about the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) motivated participants’ feeling moved, awe, curiosity, rumination, and their inspiration state. The findings revealed no statistical difference between using text or audio content, but that audiovisual content can hinder rumination if self-transcendent emotions are not induced. Findings revealed that content leading participants to feeling moved and experiencing awe should lead to reflective thought, and ultimately, feelings of inspiration.

Volume 23 • Issue 07 • 2024 • Special Issue: Communicating Discovery Science

Oct 21, 2024 Essay

The challenge of identifying behavioral goals for communication in the context of basic science

by John C. Besley, Sara K. Yeo, Todd P. Newman and Anthony Dudo

This essay highlights the unique challenges that basic scientists may face when trying to identify goals for their engagement efforts. We propose that the difference between basic and applied science, at least when it comes to communication, is primarily about the degree to which scientists can identify audience-specific behavioral goals for their communication efforts. To support our thesis, we provide data from recent survey projects that highlight the degree to which applied and basic scientists have different views about behavioral goals for their communications. We ultimately suggest that basic scientists may need additional help choosing goals and that applied scientists may have more opportunities for focused impact whereas the impact of engagement by basic scientists may be more broad-based.

Volume 23 • Issue 07 • 2024 • Special Issue: Communicating Discovery Science

Oct 21, 2024 Practice Insight

Strategic planning and evaluation for effective public engagement

by Xinnan Du, Karen Peterman, John Besley and Allison Black-Maier

Assessing the impact of public engagement with science (PES) programs has been a long-standing challenge due to the lack of explicit, audience-specific goals and a related lack of evaluation against goal-relevant outcomes. In this practice insight, we present the strategic planning and evaluation process for PES at KIPAC, detailing the steps of setting and assessing long-term behavioral goals, short-term objectives, and tactics. We provide examples to demonstrate the implementation of the strategic plan, and make recommendations for practitioners at the individual, program, and institutional levels to strategize, conduct, and sustain their PES efforts with intention.

Volume 23 • Issue 07 • 2024 • Special Issue: Communicating Discovery Science

Oct 21, 2024 Practice Insight

Enhancing public engagement and science communication through participatory astronomy: insights from the Surabaya Astronomy Club's star party model

by Muchammad Toyib, Gebrina Ayu Pramesti and Nuri Herachwati

This practice insight examines the Surabaya Astronomy Club (SAC) and its innovative approach to science communication and public engagement in Indonesia. Through organized star parties and community outreach, SAC leverages astronomy to foster public interest and enhance scientific literacy. The club's activities are deeply influenced by Indonesia's cultural and social context, emphasizing communal participation and integrating scientific phenomena with traditional and religious practices. Despite its successes, SAC faces challenges such as limited resources and the need for more systematic evaluation. Recommendations for improvement include expanding resource acquisition, adopting robust evaluation methodologies, enhancing inclusivity, and maintaining high-quality engagement. By partnering with governmental bodies and community organizations, SAC bridges the gap between scientific knowledge and public policy, demonstrating astronomy's relevance to societal issues and fostering a more informed and engaged public.

Volume 23 • Issue 07 • 2024 • Special Issue: Communicating Discovery Science