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Jun 20, 2008 Letter

The other books – A journey through science books

On March 2007 JCOM issue, Bruce Lewenstein made this question: why should we care about science books? Next he analyzed some fundamental roles of science books. As a continuation for that enquiry, this text wants to be a dialogue about science, readers, and books, just a quick look at many of the other books, science books, those that do not find easily their place in bookstores and libraries; these books situated beyond labels like fiction or romance but equally memorable, necessaries and desirables.

Volume 7Issue 022008

Jun 20, 2008 Commentary

The future of the scientific paper

by Bora Zivkovic

Will the use of the Web change the way we produce scientific papers? Science go through cycles, and the development of communication of science reflects the development of science itself. So, new technologies and new social norms are altering the formality of the scientific communication, including the format of the scientific paper. In the future, as PLoS One is experimenting right now, journals will be online hosts for all styles of scientific contributions and ways to link them together, with different people contributing to a body of work and making science more interdisciplinary and interconnected.

Volume 7Issue 022008

Mar 21, 2008 Commentary

Not in front of the children! The controversies of science and science communication for children and youth

by Luisa Massarani

Dialogue in science communication is a necessity - everybody agrees on it - because science and technology issues are involved in so many aspects of the citizens life, and in so many cases can raise suspects, fears, worries or, on the contrary, expectations and hopes. But who are the possible interlocutors for scientists and policy-makers? Everybody, says Luisa Massarani, beginning with children and teenagers. Also in such controversial and sensitive issues like AIDS or GMO.

Volume 7Issue 012008

Mar 21, 2008 Letter

Scientific careers and gender differences. A qualitative study

by Daniele Gouthier , Federica Manzoli , Donato Ramani

In Europe, much effort has been devoted to explore the causes of the decline in number of university matriculations of science students and to identify gender differences in career choice. Yet, the problem extends to the fulfillment of career plans: given their professional expectations and their attitudes when choosing a career, girls are much less likely to pursue scientific careers such as engineering or physics. Evidence of this is provided by the social research carried out within the framework of the GAPP project (Gender Awareness Participation Process). The Gapp project is intended to investigate differences between girls and boys in their perception of science careers and to propose a range of innovative and concrete participatory activities involving scientists, engineers and professionals from the public and private S&T sectors. In this letter, we report a synthesis of the results of the social research conducted as first step of the project: exploring how the perceptions of science professions affect interest, motivation and subject choice at school, at the university and consequently in their career.

Volume 7Issue 012008

Mar 21, 2008 Commentary

A dialogue on hard sciences is possible. Is it useful too?

by Stefano Sandrelli

Dialogical models in science communication produce effective and satisfactory experiences, also when hard sciences (like astrophysics or cosmology) are concerned. But those efforts to reach the public can be of modest impact since the public is no longer (or not sufficiently) interested in science. The reason of this lack of interest is not that science is an alien topic, but that contemporary science and technology have ceased to offer a convincing model for the human progress.

Volume 7Issue 012008

Mar 21, 2008 Commentary

Dialogue in education

by Lynn Uyen Tran

What is the meaning of “dialogue” in education? Why is dialogue important in learning processes? Tran proposes a short review of the literature, starting with Vygotsky and ending with a new field of research in informal learning - conversations among the public visiting museums as a collaborative environment for learning.

Volume 7Issue 012008

Mar 21, 2008 Commentary

Science and society: a dialogue without communicators?

by Nico Pitrelli

To give a good public speech is art; but definitely more difficult is to organize a productive exchange of points of views between scientists, experts, non-experts and policy-makers on controversial issues such as a scenario workshop or a consensus conference. Many skills and a deep knowledge both of the topic and of the methodology are required. But this is the future of science communication, a field where the dialogical model will impose new and complex formats of communication and a new sensibility, using also the most traditional media. But are science communicators prepared for that? What is the state of the art of science communicator training?

Volume 7Issue 012008

Mar 21, 2008 Article

Science journalism in Latin America: how the scientific information from a scientific source is accommodated when it is transformed into a journalistic story

by Fernanda Veneu , Luis Henrique Amorim , Luisa Massarani

Scientific information from the moment it is produced by the scientific community until it reaches the non- expert audience through the newspapers is submitted to a complex process of adaptation. In this paper, we investigate the process of accommodating the scientific information provided by a primary scientific source (a peer-review journal) into journalistic discourse (a newspaper). As case studies we analyzed four scientific papers published by the peer-reviewed scientific journals Nature and Science, which were simultaneously used as primary scientific sources by Latin American newspapers. We observed that the process of accommodation into a new space, journalistic space, represents a significant shift in the content of the texts, including information that appears, disappears and is transformed in the process; transformations in the lexica, the style and the argumentation; a change in the hierarchy of the information; a shift in the information emphasized and in the social impact it might have.

Volume 7Issue 012008

Mar 21, 2008 Commentary

The fronties of dialogue

by Paola Rodari

“Dialogue” is the trendy word of the moment. The word “dialogue” can be found in the call to access European funding, in the works of Science Communication scholars, in presentations of science education projects, in the mission of new science centres. “Dialogue” is also a word reported by mass media regarding politicians' and scientists' speeches on general issues as well as on local or specific problems such as environment, health, energy, etc... This new magic word is frequently repeated and opens many doors (or perhaps it simply helps to make a good impression). However, there is the risk of ignoring the real meaning and functioning of the word. JCOM is therefore asking a number of experts involved in “dialogue” the following questions: what does it really mean? What are the theoretical principles, the practical opportunities, but also the risks and limits of “dialogue”?

Not in front of the children! The controversies of science and science communication for children and youth

by Luisa Massarani

Are museums places where science and society can really engage in a dialogue? A positive example related to the rubbish emergency in the Campania region

by Luigi Amodio

Dialogue in education

by Lynn Uyen Tran

Dialogue is bliss

by Giancarlo Sturloni

A dialogue on hard sciences is possible. Is it useful too?

by Stefano Sandrelli

Science and society: a dialogue without communicators?

by Nico Pitrelli

Volume 7Issue 012008

Mar 21, 2008 Commentary

Are museums places where science and society can really engage in a dialogue? A positive example related to the rubbish emergency in the Campania region

by Luigi Amodio

Science musums and science centres are wonderful places to host, support and mediate the dialogue between science and society. In fact, they are a natural crossroad where scientists, general public, media and insitutions for formal and informal learning meet. During the recent political and health crisis concerning the rubbish treatment in the Italian region of Campania, the science centre "Città della Scienza" has promoted an unusual dialogue between citizens and scientists.

Volume 7Issue 012008

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