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Sep 02, 2026 Practice Insight

Giving space to space: science communication as spatial practice

by Jacob Thorek Jensen , Marianne Achiam

Science communication is not merely hosted in space — it is actively shaped by it. Drawing on observations from a science communication workshop, this practice insight shows how spatial arrangements, from room layout to sensory cues, co-construct participant engagement and meaning-making. By approaching space as relational, polyphonic, and emergent, we demonstrate how space actively guides attention, enables interaction, and shapes who participated in a science communication event, and how. We suggest that recognising science communication as a spatial practice opens new possibilities for more inclusive, effective, and experientially rich science engagement — whether in museums, classrooms, or community events.

Volume 25Issue 62026

Aug 31, 2026 Practice Insight

San ethnoastronomy and cultural memory: reclaiming indigenous cosmologies in the Square Kilometre Array construction area

by Antonie Johannes Binneman

This practice insight examines how science communication engages with San ethnoastronomical knowledge within the context of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) in South Africa. Drawing on participatory workshops with descendants of San communities in the Northern Cape, it explores how Indigenous astronomical knowledge persists through fragmentation, reinterpretation, and selective continuity rather than as a fixed historical tradition. The findings demonstrate that meaningful engagement is less about recovering “authentic” knowledge than facilitating dialogue between archival records, living community knowledge, and contemporary scientific practice. The practice insight offers a rare practitioner perspective from within a large-scale scientific infrastructure. It introduces a Dialogical Knowledge Renewal Model that positions science communication as a process of reciprocity, shared interpretation, and the return of knowledge to communities. The model provides a transferable framework for engaging Indigenous Knowledge Systems ethically while supporting cultural continuity, epistemic plurality, and public engagement with science.

Volume 25Issue 62026

Jul 27, 2026 Practice Insight

Early-career scientists and communication strategy: the ETIC project experience

by Giuseppe Greco

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.

Volume 25Issue 42026

Jul 13, 2026 Practice Insight

Including lived experience voices in science communication to combat mental illness stigma: insights from India

by Kadambari Patil , Anushka Banerjee , Imtiaz Zafar , Ipsa Jain , Meghna Prakash , Dr Pavithra Jayasankar , Ms Varsha Kini , Vasundhra Teotia , Ashitha S Niranjana Murthy , Dr Bhagyalakshmi Mallapura Shankarappa , Swarna Buddha Nayok , Jayant Mahadevan , Suhas Ganesh , Biju Viswanath , Reeteka Sud

Outreach on mental illness presents a unique challenge for science communication, in that it requires approaches to actively address associated stigma. A significant barrier to treatment and recovery, stigma shapes the lives of those diagnosed with mental illnesses alongside their clinical symptoms. Evidence suggests that active involvement of person(s) with lived experience (PwLE) may be a promising strategy to combat stigma. However, such interventions remain under-documented in low- and middle-income countries like India. To address this gap, we designed a series of innovative events, co-produced with PwLE. We engaged approximately 260 participants and displayed 191 creative artefacts. This article presents and reflects on our science communication practices to address mental illness stigma by integrating arts-based participation with principles from contact theory.

Volume 25Issue 52026Transitions in Science Communication: Continuity and Change (PCST 2025)

Jul 13, 2026 Practice Insight

Agents of (comedic) change: co-creation through improv to develop environmental science agency

by Claire A. Murray Dr , Ms Paola Serrano Bravo , Gesche Kindermann Dr , Jessamyn A. Fairfield

The climate crisis is no longer a crisis of knowledge, but a crisis of agency. Individuals wishing to act must overcome climate anxiety, feelings of powerlessness, and doubt associated with the complexity of the scientific realities of climate change. Rural communities offer much to learn about sustainable living and environmental solutions, but are rarely the site of many science communication initiatives due to inequities in funding, transit, and access to decision-makers. This practice insight explores how the act of performing in `We Built This City on Rock and Coal', an improvised theatre show about climate change in rural and remote communities in Ireland, supported performers to develop agency and transition towards taking pro-environmental actions in their own lives. Accessing environmental science expertise alongside space for emotional responses (both heavy and light-hearted) in specific contexts anchored by local knowledge helped practitioners create a platform for change and climate action.

Volume 25Issue 52026Transitions in Science Communication: Continuity and Change (PCST 2025)

Jun 24, 2026 Practice Insight

International Astronomical Union General Assembly 2024: a case study on social media outreach and open access in large-scale scientific conferences

by Andrea Girolamodibari , Dr Vanessa Moss

This report presents an analysis of the communication efforts of the XXXII International Astronomical Union General Assembly, the first held on the African continent. For the first time in its history, the conference provided a fully streamed, open access experience on YouTube, complemented by a robust, multi-platform social media outreach campaign. Through metrics analysis and survey results, our study evaluates the effectiveness of diverse digital initiatives in enhancing engagement on different social media platforms to democratise scientific discourse. These findings offer critical insights for future hybrid and virtual conferences, providing social media metrics, best practices analysis and evaluation for social media scientific global communication of large-scale scientific gatherings.

Volume 25Issue 42026

Jun 22, 2026 Practice Insight

Communicating EU-funded projects: a comparison of communication activities in research projects funded under Horizon 2020 and led by Portuguese and Polish institutions

by Dr Luis Arboledas-Lérida

This paper analyses the communication activities conducted within the framework of research projects funded under Horizon 2020, with more than €1M in funding, and led by Portuguese or Polish institutions. A total of 221 initiatives (68 Poland-led and 153 Portugal-led) are examined. The primary finding is that the majority of projects do not engage in communication activities. Web presence is observed in 41.1% of Poland-led projects and 41.8% of Portugal-led projects. In turn, social media presence is more common among Portugal-led (44.4%) than among Poland-led (29%) initiatives. Outreach activities are not very prominent, with a frequency of 28.1% and 23.5%, respectively. These figures improve slightly to moderately when controlling for projects' end date. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the influence of funding on communication activities. The relationship is positive across the board and reveals a potential effect, although it is statistically significant only for Portugal-led projects. These findings invite us to reconsider `legal obligation' to communicate the project and its outcomes that has become the norm in most grant funding, and provide a more nuanced understanding of the differences between `developed' and `developing' science communication landscapes.

Volume 25Issue 42026

Jun 08, 2026 Practice Insight

Archival exhibitions as science communication: lessons from the KHARINA case (Indonesia)

by Dwi Ridho Aulianto

This article presents a practice insight into the role of archival exhibitions as instruments of science communication, focusing on the KHARINA Exhibition (Khazanah Arsip Riset dan Inovasi Nasional) organised by Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). KHARINA consolidates archival collections from legacy institutions to narrate milestones in the nation's research and innovation history. A thematic content analysis of seven curated collections revealed three dominant patterns: (1) a strong emphasis on technological and administrative documentation, (2) evidence of both international and domestic collaboration, and (3) limited representation of social and human-interest narratives. These findings illustrate KHARINA's dual contribution: safeguarding national achievements in science and technology while also exposing inclusivity gaps that limit accessibility for non-specialist audiences. The article highlights lessons for science communication practice, particularly the importance of integrating community perspectives and participatory documentation to complement technical and policy records. The KHARINA case demonstrates how archival exhibitions in developing-country contexts can contribute to science communication, cultural diplomacy, and the construction of collective memory, while pointing to pathways for more inclusive and engaging curatorial strategies.

Volume 25Issue 42026

May 27, 2026 Practice Insight

Developing digital stories in research for science communication: reflections from researchers

by Leanne Townsend , Mikelis Grivins , Christina Noble , Claire Hardy , Livia Ortolani , Gusztáv Nemes , Marta Baena-Sanz , Mags Currie , Mar Delgado

Audiovisual communication methods such as digital storytelling can reach wide audiences to realise greater societal research impact. Increasingly, researchers embrace (or are expected to embrace) these approaches but often lack relevant skills. This paper draws on Horizon Europe-funded research where digital stories were developed in 20 European regions. Findings from a survey completed by the researchers highlight skills- and engagement-based challenges and explore how capacity to develop digital stories was built. The paper focuses on the role of digital storytelling in science communication, and the challenges researchers face in developing these outputs, including in ensuring meaningful participant involvement and the authentic representation of participants' voices within the final narratives. We discuss how to better support researchers to embrace digital storytelling as a science communication method, with recommendations for effective research impact.

Volume 25Issue 32026

May 11, 2026 Practice Insight

The communication format, Science & Cinema: reflecting on representations of science in movies for joint meaning-making

by Hildrun Walter , Fritz M. Treiber , Hilmar Brohmer , Thomas Brudermann , Ulrich Foelsche , Heide Beranek-Knauer , Lucas Eder , Christina Maier , Helmut Jungwirth

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.

Volume 25Issue 32026

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