In the words of one of the 2017 PhD European Young Researcher Award winners, a scientist’s life often means “no fixed working hours, being switched on always, and yet getting paid only when you have a grant or a scholarship.” This opinion piece by Satyajit Rout from Editage, a science communication services company that supports researchers and institutions drive real-world scientific impact, delves into the challenges facing young scientists and suggests what could be done to change the status quo. Read more [...]
Pint of Science is a yearly science festival taking place in pubs and bars in May where scientist can share their work with the public. The festival was born in the UK but rapidly expanded to be in 2018 in 21 countries for its 6th edition. This success is certainly due to the fact that science is becoming more and more important for the public and society and they want to meet the people doing it and know more about it. Pint of Science is giving the chance to everyone to meet a scientist and know more about research happening in their communities. Read more [...]
The Cambridge Analytics scandal has shown that the work of scientists is not neutral. The work of psychologists who designed the questionnaire aimed at profiling Facebook users might have been stellar work in its own right, within the standards of the field. But the way the answers to the questionnaire were later used for the purpose of influencing the political choices of the Facebook users who took the questionnaire, is--to say the least--questionable. This scandal is a case in point to show that there is no better time to continue the dialogue of the role of scientists in society. After 5 years working as Editor of EuroScientist, I would like to announce that I am now moving on to pastures new. Read more [...]
EuroScientist is delighted to be able to share some of the discussions which took part during the 4th European Conference for Science Journalists in Copenhagen between 26th and 30th June 2017. They touched upon the evolving nature of science communication, how scientists are engaging with the public and issues related to evidence-based policy making. We would like to invite you to comment on individual articles using the dialogue box below each of the articles to continue the conversation. Read more [...]
Human activity is threatening our climate at an unprecedented rate, yet the media is failing to engage young people in this crucial topic. Participants of the 4th European Conference for Science Journalists (ECSJ2017) will discuss solutions to this problem during a session on 'Climate: facts, figures and future'. Read more [...]
The rise of fake news in addition to the world of politics seem to dominate the world of science also. But what’s the worry about it if there is no science in the daily news? Fake news is produced using false information, with the goal of sharing Read more [...]
Science can be as fun as a music concert or a game of football, according to Jácome Armas, the Portuguese physicist who founded the Science & Cocktails (S&C) series of public lectures in Denmark. This initiative, which combines scientific knowledge with music, art and dry ice-filled drinks, offer new ways to communicate science. It has arned Armas a Genius Prize from the Danish Science Journalists Association. Read more [...]
At the 2017 European Conference for Science Journalists (ECSJ), a panel of communicators, journalists and artists who portray climate change in their artwork discussed the role of popular culture in communicating this hot topic. Read more [...]
Five years ago, the World Economic Forum declared that the spread of misinformation through social media was one of the greatest global risks to our future and prosperity. At that time, the future scale of the threat was still unclear, even to media experts. However, for anybody with the slightest doubt about how rapidly social networks are changing news consumption and its effects, last year was eye-opening and overwhelming. Misinformation and fake news have influenced every major voting process and strengthened science-denial movements — consider how ubiquitous anti-vaccine and climate change scepticism propaganda is. But what are the consequences and the remedies to this? On the 29th of June, this and other questions are the subject of discussion in the 'Science journalism in a post-truth world’ session of the 4th European Conference for Science Journalists (ECSJ2017). Read more [...]
I believe art can offer people direct experiences of phenomena … I feel that this is an important step towards motivating people not just to know something but also to respond to it, to feel the urgency of it and to take action. Read more [...]
The world of science now lags behind the gold standard of open debate, otherwise present in politics, for instance. Particularly, when it comes to openly discussing the social issues plaguing the scientific community, such as gender inequality. In this insightful opinion piece, Ros Herman, a British science journalist and editor, shares her views about the issues still pervading the world of science, when it comes to communicating and engaging with the public, in the wake of the publication of the report of the UK House of Commons select committee on science communication earlier this year. Read more [...]
Lorenz Adlung did not go unnoticed when he took part in the March for Science in Heidelberg, on 22nd April 2017. In this interview, he shares his passion for communicating science in less conventional ways. He also explains his aspiration to associate a wider audience to his scientific journey, and argues why it matters that others follow suit. Included at the end are some samples in German and English of his poetic slams. Read more [...]
European science conversations by the community, for the community
