Filter by keyword: Popularization of science and technology

Publications including this keyword are listed below.

71 publications found

Dec 09, 2024 Article

How should scientists act? Assessing public perceptions of scientists and scientific practices and their implications for science communication

by Thomas G. Safford and Emily H. Whitmore

Is how science is conducted legitimate? Are scientists trustworthy? Whether the public answers “yes” to these questions is critical for science communicators. We explore how social factors affect public perceptions of the practice of science, and then test how those beliefs relate to views about how scientists engage with the public and policy making. Our results show that political ideology and religiosity affect these views. However, more importantly, respondents' concerns about the integrity of the scientific process are the strongest predictor of views about scientists' behavior, providing a focus area for future communication efforts in support of science-based decision making.

Volume 23 • Issue 08 • 2024

Nov 13, 2024 Conference Review

Communicating science across different cultures — a reflection on the PCST Suzhou Symposium 2024

by Michel Claessens

The symposium occurred from 17–19 October 2024 in Suzhou, China, a city famous for its long history and rich culture and often called “the heaven on Earth”. The 230 delegates from 26 countries spent two insightful days immersed in the world of science communication. The event highlighted that Chinese policymakers and research leaders are taking science communication and science literacy seriously. In his opening speech, Professor Yanhao Xu, Vice Chairman of the National Education, Science, Health and Sports Committee, recalled that China has a special law on science popularisation that recognises science communication as of equal importance to technological innovation. This also means that suitable communication activities must accompany every major Chinese scientific initiative.

Volume 23 • Issue 08 • 2024

Oct 21, 2024 Article

The coverage of basic and applied research in press releases on EurekAlert!

by Jingwen Zhang, Marina Joubert, Jonathan Dudek and Rodrigo Costas

Research organisations routinely reach out to the media via press releases to announce research news and promote advances in science. This paper explores the presence of basic and applied research in press releases issued through EurekAlert!. Using a scientometric approach to classify research papers featured in press releases into basic and applied research, we found that more than half of the press releases in our dataset were related to basic research. This trend was particularly notable in life and earth sciences, physical sciences, and engineering fields. In contrast, press releases in the biomedical and health sciences, as well as in social sciences and humanities, were more frequently associated with applied research. Additionally, we present findings on the similarity and readability of press releases compared to their corresponding research papers, which confirm the role of institutional press officers in making research papers more accessible to the public and media. This adaptation appears to be more pronounced for basic research.

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

Oct 21, 2024 Practice Insight

Communicating the gravitational-wave discoveries of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration

by Hannah Middleton, Christopher P. L. Berry, Nicolas Arnaud, David Blair, Jacqueline Bondell, Alice Bonino, Nicolas Bonne, Debarati Chatterjee, Sylvain Chaty, Storm Colloms, Lynn Cominsky, Livia Conti, Isabel Cordero-Carrión, Robert Coyne, Zoheyr Doctor, Andreas Freise, Aaron Geller, Anna C. Green, Jen Gupta, Daniel E. Holz, William Katzman, Jyoti Kaur, David Keitel, Joey Shapiro Key, Nutsinee Kijbunchoo, Carl Knox, Coleman Krawczyk, Ryan N. Lang, Shane L. Larson, Susanne Milde, Vincenzo Napolano, Chris North, Sascha Rieger, Giada Rossi, Hisaaki Shinkai, Aurore Simonnet and Andrew Spencer

The LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration has made breakthrough discoveries in gravitational-wave astronomy, a new field that provides a different means of observing our Universe. Gravitational-wave discoveries are possible thanks to the work of thousands of people from across the globe working together. In this article, we discuss the range of engagement activities used to communicate LVK gravitational-wave discoveries and the stories of the people behind the science, using the activities surrounding the release of the third Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog as a case study.

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

Oct 21, 2024 Article

Promoting the Higgs boson as `discovery science' news: exploring the boundary spanner functions of CERN communication professionals'

by Jamie Dorey, Richard Holliman, Eileen Scanlon, James Gillies and Ana Godinho

The announcement of the discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN marked a groundbreaking achievement in Mode 1 'discovery science'. We combined analyses of CERN strategic documents and organisational structures with ethnographic observations of, and interviews with, communication professionals. Our findings show that promotion of this 'Mode 1' discovery, in combination with the potential for longer-term 'Mode 2' innovation, was a strategic priority for CERN, but highlighted operational challenges for coordination between scientists and journalists. We conclude that CERN communication professionals played an essential boundary spanning role, brokering solutions and maintaining relations across borders and between relevant constituencies.

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

Oct 14, 2024 Article

Surfing the COVID-19 news waves: a Belgian case study of science communication and public relations with university press releases

by Miguel Vissers, Steve Paulussen and Gert-Jan de Bruijn

Press releases remain an important link between academia and the media. While science communication is a goal of universities, public relations is also becoming increasingly salient. The press release, as a significant tool for both science communication and institutional public relations, means that the fields are entwined, prompting us to propose viewing science communication and public relations on a continuum. Based on a quantitative content analysis of all press releases sent out by a Belgian university during the COVID-19 pandemic we show what this university communicates about and identify how science communication can be used for public relation purposes and vice versa.

Volume 23 • Issue 06 • 2024

Jul 29, 2024 Article

The power of dinosaurs: lessons learned from the sharing of #SciArt on Twitter

by Laerie McNeil, Chantal Barriault, Birha Farooqi, Ian Black, Ann Pegoraro and Thomas J. S. Merritt

We used netnographic analysis to outline a structure of the #SciArt community on Twitter/X finding a surprising interest in dinosaurs, even in the midst of a pandemic. Recently, SciArt, broadly, science-themed art, has gained attention among science communicators for its ability to engage a wide range of audiences in scientific findings. We gained insights into how paleoart passes between and among audiences and explored the phenomena of perennially popular dinosaur-themed works of SciArt in popular science communication. We discussed these effects and how they could be used to engage people with SciArt in science communication efforts.

Volume 23 • Issue 05 • 2024

Jul 01, 2024 Article

Brazilian National Science and Technology Week: a case study on engagement behaviors and impacts on the public

by Wilmo Ernesto Francisco Junior

This practice insight describes a case study in which structured observation and questionnaires (for visitors and presenters) were combined to investigate a public science event during Brazilian National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) in 2019. A very large proportion of participants (68.6% of visitors and 25 of the 31 presenters) had been unaware of the NSTW. Among those visitors who showed initial engagement, more than half progressed towards more effective engagement behaviors. The relaxed atmosphere favored the public's participation. Activities in generic locations in less favored areas are relevant to reach out to a diverse audience. Further research is recommended for critical assessment of similar events.

Volume 23 • Issue 05 • 2024

Jun 24, 2024 Practice Insight

Increasing culturally relevant science media coverage: exploring the outcomes of a collaboration in Puerto Rico

by Mónica I. Feliú Mójer, Andrea Isabel López, Wilson González-Espada, Ernesto Cabezas Bou, Claudia Colón-Echevarría, Ailed Cruz Collazo, Jetsimary García-Justiniano, José Liquet y González, Charlene Rivera-Bonet, Angelie Rivera-Rodríguez, Attabey Rodríguez Benítez, Luis Alexis Rodríguez-Cruz, Priscila Rodríguez García and Giovanna Guerrero-Medina

CienciaPR, a nonprofit that brings together the largest network of Puerto Rican scientists and one of the largest networks of Hispanic/Latine scientists in the world, has collaborated with El Nuevo Día (END), Puerto Rico's newspaper of record, to increase culturally relevant stories in their science section. This Practice Insight quantifies and compares the presence of culturally relevant elements (e.g., referring to Puerto Rico, local landmarks, historic figures, slang) and other content information (e.g., topics, location, focus, protagonist) in articles authored by CienciaPR members versus articles by END, news agencies, and other organizations. Results demonstrate that CienciaPR-authored articles published in END featured culturally relevant elements more often (e.g., mentioned Puerto Rico, used Puerto Rican slang, stories located in Puerto Rico) than those by other sources.

Volume 23 • Issue 05 • 2024