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• Date of publication Mar 17, 2016 Category: Essay

  Towards a taxonomy for public communication of science activities

  by María del Carmen Sánchez-Mora

  As a result of the large number of media used and a variety of objectives pursued by the various Public Communication of Science (PCS) activities, their evaluation turns into a daunting task. Therefore, a general taxonomy for all the approaches used by PCS could be helpful in order to differentiate their effects and to measure their results. A general format is proposed for a fast and easy evaluation of PCS efforts and to share a common language with all science communicators, who need to easily compare the results of this growing activity.

  Volume 15 • Issue 02 • 2016

• Date of publication Mar 17, 2016 Category: Commentary

  Science and South Park, Reddit and Facebook, Leonardo da Vinci and the Vitruvian Man, and modern fairy tales about emerging technologies: science communication and popular culture

  by Joachim Allgaier

  The prevalent lack of research on the interrelations between science, research and popular culture led to the organization of the first International Conference on Science and Research in Popular Culture #POPSCI2015, which took place at Alpen-Adria-Universität in Klagenfurt, Austria, from 17--18 September 2015. The aim of the conference was to bring together not only science communication researchers with an interest in popular culture, but also other scholars, scientists and researchers, artists, media professionals and members from the general public. In this issue of JCOM we present four invited commentaries which are all based on presentations at the conference.

  The dangers of ‘Miss Information’: science and comedy in South Park

  by Edward Bankes

  "People seem to really enjoy the mix of humour and intelligence": science humour in online settings

  by Oliver Marsh

  Visual communication, popular science journals and the rhetoric of evidence

  by Dirk Hommrich and Guido Isekenmeier

  Hollywood heroes in high tech risk societies: modern fairy tales and emerging technologies

  by Anna Lydia Svalastog and Joachim Allgaier

  Volume 15 • Issue 02 • 2016

• Date of publication Mar 17, 2016 Category: Commentary

  Hollywood heroes in high tech risk societies: modern fairy tales and emerging technologies

  by Anna Lydia Svalastog , Joachim Allgaier

  Science, research and emerging technologies often play a key role in many modern action movies. In this contribution we suggest to use genre analysis of folk narratives as an innovative and useful tool for understanding science and technology in action movies. In this contribution we outline our approach using illustrative examples and detail how understanding action movies as modern fairy tales can benefit the study of science, research and technology in popular culture.

  Volume 15 • Issue 02 • 2016

• Date of publication Mar 04, 2016 Category: Article

  Media portrayal of non-invasive prenatal testing: a missing ethical dimension

  by Kalina Kamenova , Vardit Ravitsky , Spencer McMullin , Timothy Caulfield

  Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is an emerging technology for detecting chromosomal disorders in the fetus and mass media may have an impact on shaping the public understanding of its promise and challenges. We conducted a content analysis of 173 news reports to examine how NIPT was portrayed in English-language media sources between January 1 and December 31, 2013. Our analysis has shown that media emphasized the benefits and readiness of the technology, while overlooking uncertainty associated with its clinical use. Ethical concerns were rarely addressed in the news stories, which points to an important dimension missing in the media discourse.

  Volume 15 • Issue 02 • 2016

• Date of publication Feb 24, 2016 Category: Article

  Understanding drivers, barriers and information sources for public participation in marine citizen science

  by Vicki Martin , Les Christidis , David Lloyd , Gretta Pecl

  Interviews were conducted with 110 marine users to elicit their salient beliefs about recording marine species in a citizen science project. The results showed that many interviewees believe participation would increase knowledge (either scientific, the community's, or their own). While almost half of the interviewees saw no negative outcomes, a small number expressed concerns about targeting of marine species by others, or restrictions on public access to marine sites. Most of the people surveyed (n = 106) emphasised the importance of well-designed technological interfaces to assist their data collection, without which they would be unlikely to engage in the project.

  Volume 15 • Issue 02 • 2016

• Date of publication Feb 16, 2016 Category: Article

  The extent of engagement, the means of invention: measuring debate about mirror neurons in the humanities and social sciences

  by David Gruber

  Mirror neurons (MN) — or neurons said to be able to "mirror" the sensed environment — have been widely popularized and referenced across many academic fields. Yet, MNs have also been the subject of considerable debate in the neurosciences. Using a criterion based sampling method and a citation analysis, this paper examines the extent of engagement with the neuroscience literature about MNs, looking specifically at the frequency of "MN debate sources" within articles published in the JSTOR and Communication and Mass Media (CMMC) databases. After reporting the results, the paper reviews characteristic examples in context and, ultimately, shows that MN debates remain largely absent from peer-reviewed articles published in JSTOR and CMMC. However, the paper suggests that this happens for good reason and that MNs retain the potential for inventive animations even though debates have gone largely unrecognized.

  Volume 15 • Issue 02 • 2016

• Date of publication Jan 21, 2016 Category: Article

  Motivation and learning impact of Dutch flu-trackers

  by Anne M. Land-Zandstra , Mara van Beusekom , Carl Koppeschaar , Jos van den Broek

  Many citizen science projects deal with high attrition rates. The Dutch Great Influenza Survey is an exception to this rule. In the current study, we conducted an online questionnaire (N=1610) to investigate the motivation and learning impact of this loyal, active participant base. Results show that the desire to contribute to a larger (scientific) goal is the most important motivator for all types of participants and that availability of scientific information and data are important for learning. We suggest similar projects seek (social) media attention regularly, linking project findings to current events and including the importance of participants' contribution.

  Volume 15 • Issue 01 • 2016 • Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part I, 2016 (PCST Stories / 1)

• Date of publication Jan 21, 2016 Category: Article

  "We're not going to be guinea pigs;" Citizen Science and Environmental Health in a Native American Community

  by Elizabeth Hoover

  Determined to learn the extent to which a local contaminated site was impacting community health, the Native American community of Akwesasne reached out to a research university, eventually partnering on the first large-scale environmental health community based participatory research project (CBPR). Based on interviews with scientists, community fieldworkers, and study participants, this article examines the ways in which collaborating on these studies was beneficial for all parties — especially in the context of citizen science goals of education and capacity building — as well as the challenges they faced, including communicating the limits of what scientific studies could accomplish for the community.

  Volume 15 • Issue 01 • 2016 • Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part I, 2016 (PCST Stories / 1)

• Date of publication Jan 21, 2016 Category: Article

  The "Problem of Extension" revisited: new modes of digital participation in science

  by Sascha Dickel , Martina Franzen

  Citizen Science is part of a broader reconfiguration of the relationship between science and the public in the digital age: Knowledge production and the reception of scientific knowledge are becoming increasingly socially inclusive. We argue that the digital revolution brings the "problem of extension" — identified by Collins and Evans in the context of science and technology governance — now closer to the core of scientific practice. In order to grasp the implications of the inclusion of non-experts in science, the aim of this contribution is to define a role-set of non-certified knowledge production and reception, serving as a heuristic instrument for empirical clarifications.

  Volume 15 • Issue 01 • 2016 • Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part I, 2016 (PCST Stories / 1)

• Date of publication Jan 21, 2016 Category: Article

  School of Ants goes to college: integrating citizen science into the general education classroom increases engagement with science

  by Tyler Vitone , Kathryn Stofer , M. Sedonia Steininger , Jiri Hulcr , Robert Dunn , Andrea Lucky

  Citizen science has proven useful in advancing scientific research, but participant learning outcomes are not often assessed. This case study describes the implementation and tailoring of an in-depth assessment of the educational impact of two citizen science projects in an undergraduate, general education course. Mixed-methods assessment of citizen science within a college classroom demonstrates that public participation in scientific research can positively alter attitudes towards science. The timing and type of assessments yielded significantly different results and qualitative assessment provided depth and context. However, disentangling the impact of the course from participation in the projects is the biggest challenge.

  Volume 15 • Issue 01 • 2016 • Special Issue: Citizen Science, Part I, 2016 (PCST Stories / 1)