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Date of publication Mar 28, 2017 Category: Commentary

Science communication and the public intellectual: a view from philosophy

by Patrick Stokes

While science communication has become increasingly professionalised, philosophers have been far less active in, and reflective about, how we talk to the public. In thinking about the relationship between the ‘public intellectual’ and science communication, however, philosophy has some important contributions to make, despite the differences of content and disciplinary approach. What, then, can both these professions learn from each other about how to engage with the public - and the risks that this might involve?

Volume 16Issue 012017
Date of publication Mar 28, 2017 Category: Commentary

Evolution of a public intellectual: coral reef biologist Jeremy Jackson

by Randy Olson

This commentary is both a case study of the evolution of one public intellectual, and an analysis of how he has broadened his voice beyond the standard academic bubble. His story gives a perspective on the question of, “How do public intellectuals get their start?” They almost certainly begin as “mere” intellectuals — the public part comes later. But how? How does a studious academic go from following the media to being part of the media?

Volume 16Issue 012017
Date of publication Mar 13, 2017 Category: Book Review

Spotlighting shared goals for science education and communication

by Laura Fogg-Rogers

van den Sanden and Vries curate reflections and insights about the shared goals, practices and processes which bring together academics and practitioners in science education and communication. The book spotlights areas of productive overlap but is just the beginning for meaningful collaboration.

Volume 16Issue 012017
Date of publication Mar 09, 2017 Category: Conference Review

New possibilities for science museums: Museological Reflections Group, 1st edition

by Blanca Cárdenas

This paper briefly describes a new academic discussion project first presented on November 29th, 2016, at the "Universum Sciences Museum" in Mexico City. Interdisciplinary professionals comprise the Museological Reflections Group (MRG), whose aim is to think and explore new possibilities for science museums. The group's first edition, offered the theme "The Sciences behind Showcases: Anthropological and Archaeological Processes".

Volume 16Issue 012017
Date of publication Feb 22, 2017 Category: Book Review

Synthetic biology: below the radar

by Emma Weitkamp

Englehard et al. provide a wide-ranging look at synthetic biology, from discussion of how one might classify different synthetic approaches to consideration of risk and ethical issues. The chapter on public engagement considers why synthetic biology seems to sit below the public radar.

Volume 16Issue 012017
Date of publication Feb 02, 2017 Category: Letter

Should the science communication community play a role in political activism?

by Joseph Roche , Nicola Davis

This letter reflects on how the role of science in society evolved in 2016. While there were plenty of groundbreaking scientific discoveries, the shifting political landscape cultivated a tempestuous relationship between science and society. We discuss these developments and the potential role of the science communication community in political activism.

Volume 16Issue 012017
Date of publication Jan 23, 2017 Category: Article

Analysing Dutch Science Cafés to better understand the science-society relationship

by Anne Dijkstra

Science cafés offer a place for information and discussion for all who are interested in science and its broader implications for society. In this paper, science cafés are explored as a means of informal science dialogue in order to gain more understanding of the science-society relationship. Perspectives of visitors, organisers and moderators of science cafés were analysed. Findings show that science cafés stimulate discussion and engagement via informal learning processes. Visitors come to broaden their knowledge in an informal ambiance. Organisers and moderators hope to enhance understanding of science and confidence of people to participate in debates.

Volume 16Issue 012017
Date of publication Jan 11, 2017 Category: Article

Deliberating science in Italian high school. The case of the Scienza Attiva project

by Federica Cornali , Gianfranco Pomatto , Selena Agnella

This paper provides an analysis of the implementation and the outcomes of Scienza Attiva, an Italian national project for secondary school students, that makes use of deliberative democracy tools to address socio-scientific issues of great impact. The analysis has required a mixed method including surveys of students' pre- and post-project opinions, focus groups and interviews with students and teachers. The results from this evaluation study provide evidence that the project improves students' understanding of socio-scientific issues, strengthens their awareness of the importance of discussion and positively influences interactions in the classroom.

Volume 16Issue 012017
Date of publication Jan 11, 2017 Category: Article

Volunteer recruitment and retention in online citizen science projects using marketing strategies: lessons from Season Spotter

by Alycia Crall , Margaret Kosmala , Rebecca Cheng , Jonathan Brier , Darlene Cavalier , Sandra Henderson , Andrew Richardson

Citizen science continues to grow, potentially increasing competition among projects to recruit and retain volunteers interested in participating. Using web analytics, we examined the ability of a marketing campaign to broaden project awareness, while driving engagement and retention in an online, crowdsourced project. The campaign challenged audiences to support the classification of >9,000 pairs of images. The campaign was successful due to increased engagement, but it did not increase the time participants spent classifying images. Engagement over multiple days was significantly shorter during the campaign. We provide lessons learned to improve targeted recruitment and retention of participants in online projects.

Volume 16Issue 012017
Date of publication Dec 16, 2016 Category: Commentary

Science, brands and the museum

by Robert Bud

This paper argues that for citizens to be engaged with science they need to be able to share analytical techniques as well as the results of analyses. The category of "brand" which condenses the instrumental with the symbolic is both powerful in its uses and familiar to laypeople. The paper shows briefly how the categories of penicillin, biotechnology and applied science can be analysed in this way. It suggests that historians apply such an approach to the historiography of such new categories as synthetic biology and that this might be useful to curators of such topics in museums.

Volume 15Issue 062016

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