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This practice insight highlights a science communication initiative involving young researchers from the Einstein Telescope Infrastructure Consortium (ETIC), part of the effort to build the Einstein Telescope (ET), a next-generation gravitational-wave observatory expected to become operational by the late 2030s. ETIC supports a feasibility study for Sos Enattos in Sardinia, Italy, as a potential host site, while also strengthening the network of laboratories contributing to ET's scientific and technological development. To address the growing interest in Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST), we developed the “ETIC STEM Engagement Platform”: an innovative tool designed strictly for internal use by the communication office, not intended for public access or as a direct outreach channel. The platform enables early-career scientists to independently and proactively share multimedia content with the communications office, emphasizing key aspects of their research activities. Most early-career researchers in the ETIC have enthusiastically contributed original and personal materials, including photos, videos, and detailed descriptions of their research, discoveries, and connections to the local environment. These largely unpublished and original resources have been compiled into a dedicated database and are leveraged by the communication office to develop innovative public engagement campaigns.

This editorial introduces the JCOM special issue on “Transitions in Science Communication: Continuity and Change”. The issue positions continuity and change within four historical processes that have shaped the development of the field: institutionalisation, professionalisation, internationalisation, and diversification. Within these broad field-shaping processes, the issue seeks to capture moments of transition in science communication by featuring selected contributions to the 2025 conference of the Global Network for the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST). The special issue combines three genres of contributions: research articles, practice insights, and an invited essay. Across these different contributions, the issue captures three types of transitions, focussed on agendas, approaches, and voices. It illustrates ongoing transitions within the institutions of science communication and transitions in professional roles and institutional responsibilities. It features contributions that show how the processes of internationalisation and diversification lead to new agendas, new approaches, and, crucially, new voices that can take science communication in new directions.

This study examines how information sources are indirectly related to support for quantum science. Results from a national survey of quantum science aware publics in the United States (n = 919) showed that TV news use was negatively associated with interest and knowledge and positively associated with benefit and risk perceptions. By contrast, print/online media use and social media use were positively associated with interest and knowledge. Social media use was also positively associated with risk perception. Notably, benefit perception had the strongest association with support for quantum science. These findings suggest complex relationships between media use and attitudes toward quantum science.

Recent technological advancements have expanded our capacity to observe, decode, and modulate human brain activity. As these brain information (BI) technologies evolve, it becomes increasingly important to address relevant ethical, legal, and social issues and to communicate them effectively to the public. However, meaningful dialogue has been hindered by a limited understanding of how attitudes toward BI technologies differ between experts and the public. To address this gap, we examined the perspectives of both groups through surveys involving neuroscientists (N = 108) and non-expert citizens (N = 2000). Our findings indicate that, while both parties are concerned about data governance, non-expert citizens also expressed interest in threats to psychological continuity, whereas neuroscientists prioritize scientific content and the risks of stigmatization. These differences underscore the importance of framing discourse on BI applications to encompass both concerns raised by two prominent stakeholders, fostering constructive exchanges grounded in mutual understanding.

We present Science & Cinema, a science communication format combining a cinematic atmosphere with scientific expertise. Through examining sequences from various movies, the format encourages audiences to critically reflect on representations of scientific topics in popular culture. The findings from pre- and post-event questionnaires and a recorded focus group session reveal that the format appeals to a range of audience demographics, entertains, creates interest, and fosters understanding and reflection. The format makes the power of images in shaping perceptions explicit and potentially contributes to a better understanding of how meaning-making occurs when scientific topics are strongly present in societal discourses.

This article reflects on #OneDOST4U, a unifying communication handle adopted by the Republic of the Philippines’ Department of Science and Technology (DOST) across multiple media vehicles. The campaign sought to strengthen a single institutional identity while inviting participation and feedback from diverse audiences, such as researchers, educators, local governments, industry partners, and communities. Through focus group discussions with stakeholders from 11 agency projects, we explored how publics interpreted and engaged with the campaign. Using qualitative thematic analysis, we identified recurring themes of value-in-use, dialogic engagement, and communal identity. Findings illustrate how institutional branding tools operate as boundary objects: recognisable symbols that different groups interpret in context while contributing to a shared sense of meaning. For science communication practice, #OneDOST4Udemonstrates that unifying institutional campaigns are most effective when treated as participatory boundary objects—tools that allow diverse stakeholders to negotiate meaning, build trust, and co-create the public value of science.

Public attitudes toward genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Kenya remain mixed due to limited knowledge, policy gaps, and cultural factors. Despite the 2020 commercialisation of Bt cotton, perceptions of GM technologies are largely unfavourable. This study surveyed 416 respondents across 14 counties to assess awareness and knowledge levels of GMOs. Results showed 49% support GMOs, 27% are uncertain, and 24% oppose them. Misconceptions persist, with 49.3% citing size and 22.4% recognising labelling as a means of identifying GMOs. Awareness of GMO commercialisation was low (24%), though nearly half correctly identified Bt cotton as an approved GMO, and 32.7% unaware of any institution carrying out GM research. Education significantly influenced acceptance ($\chi^2$ = 68.322, p 0.001). Radio was the most trusted information source (29.3%), and scientists were the most credible (46.4%). The findings underscore the need for targeted public communication strategies to address misinformation and enhance understanding of biosafety and biotechnology in Kenya.

This study investigates the emotional and cognitive responses of Arabic-speaking audiences to informal science communication on YouTube. Focusing on three prominent Arabic YouTube channels that provide science content, @Da7ee7, @NidhalG, and @Espitalia, the study analyzes their communication styles to explore how stylistic differences shape audience engagement and perception. The study classifies the channels into three distinct communicative styles; humorous, academic, and conversational to examine variation in audience responses. Employing computational content analysis, the study applies LDA topic modeling and sentiment analysis to examine emotional and cognitive engagement in user comments. Results show that humorous content is associated with stronger positive emotions and cognitive activation, whereas academic and conversational styles evoke more mixed reactions. Topics like space science and artificial intelligence elicit complex emotions such as confusion and admiration. Addressing a key gap in Arabic-language science communication, the study reveals how style and topic shape public engagement in culturally specific digital spaces.

This practice report aims to outline the idea of science communication as a multidimensional practice that extends beyond the transmission of scientific facts to include the tacit, cultural, and experiential dimensions of science—with a focus on ‘the university’ as an embodiment of the culture of science. Drawing on the idea of ‘kitchen table science communication’, we present a board game designed to foster critical engagement with the implicit norms and structures of academic life among students, their families, and broader publics. Emphasizing science as a complex, adaptive, and culturally situated endeavor, the game serves both as an educational tool and as a medium for participatory meaning-making. Through iterative development and ethnographic testing across diverse academic and informal settings, we explore how playful, narrative-driven formats can open epistemic spaces and promote a more intuitive, affective, and accessible understanding of science. Our findings suggest that games—by embracing abstraction, indeterminacy, and co-creation—offer unique affordances for cultivating science literacy as lived experience rather than codified knowledge.