The huge public funds made available for scientific research after the second World War, were expected to lead to industrial development, economic growth and a general improvement of living standards. Yet, this model has been questioned for a few year. Everywhere in the world, revisiting the social contract between science and society is becoming urgent; it is time to adapt such contract to the realities of the 21st century. Read more […]
Scientists engaging with members of the public and other stakeholders have yet to gain recognition for doing so, as part of the career promotion criteria by which they will be evaluated. Yet, until such activity is better defined and further adopted by academic institutions, it is unlikely that further efforts would be devoted to raising the quality of these activities. In this opinion piece, based on the findings from research, Richard Holliman explains why. Read more […]
The Internet is still in its twenties—or its 2.0ties. We are now witnessing the emergence of a ‘social mind’ thanks to digital tools and new media. This new phenomenon facilitates the application of collective intelligence and creativity to devise innovative solutions in academia, industries and policy environments. As part of the Socientize project, we are focusing on enabling citizens to actively participate in science. Read more […]
Are citizens—students and pupils in particular—engaged in current research? Not really. There is still a huge gap between the latest research carried out by the scientific community and society—including the education community. In parallel, Europe faces a decrease in the interest of pupils in science subjects and a decline in the number of students aiming for scientific careers. Worse, many young people express negative attitudes towards science, in the way it is currently taught in schools. Read more […]
Today, public engagement is mostly regarded as a commodity. If there is good level of funding available, scientists may consider spending money in what they usually call ”public relations”. Otherwise this is the first thing scientists cut because they consider it to be the least necessary. But public engagement in science is very much needed. At the very least because the public is either an enemy or an ally of research. Read more […]
It’s an unspoken rule of most fields of science that experiments should take place in a lab, yet for the past three years Dublin’s Science Gallery has been hosting public experiments where visitors can both observe and take part. Not toy experiments either, but ‘real’ research. Read more […]
Euroscience recently entered into collaboration with the X_Science Festival. X_Science is organised by the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Genova and by the Genova Film Festival. The festival has both science and art at its centre and aimed to enhance the value of scientific culture through cinema and science fiction. Read more […]
The U.S. National Park Service made natural and cultural interpretation an important part of communication very early in the twentieth century. They lead hikes, conduct campfire programs, operate visitor centers and provide a friendly face for people less well acquainted with the resources. In more recent years the interest in interpretation has become important for the scientific community within other science-based agencies, such as the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management. Read more […]
It was a tense, nervous fortnight of probing questions and judgemental teenagers, but I’m a Scientist, get me out of here may well be the future of science communication in Europe. Read more […]
It is widely acknowledged that connecting science with the public is a must, and many organisations put significant resources into doing so, but how can we know when these efforts are successful? This article looks at the European Space Agency’s outreach activities for the Hubble Space Telescope to give some guidelines on how best to evaluate the success of science communication activities. Read more […]
During the last IMPRS interdisciplinary symposium New Frontiers in Science the topic of “Science and Society” was clearly exemplified by two prominent researchers and science communicators. While Prof. Ernst-Peter Fischer from Germany talked about “The public misunderstanding of science”; the Mexican Prof. Ana Maria Cetto addressed “The scientists’ misunderstanding of the public”. But who are these scientists and who are the public? Read more […]
