scholarly journals Brian Cox and the new enlightenment

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 149-178
Author(s):  
Tina Skouen
Keyword(s):  
Rhetorical Analysis ◽  
Popular Science ◽  
Francis Bacon ◽  
Public Rhetoric ◽  
Lecture Video ◽  
National Science ◽  
Public Engagement In Science ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Science Academy ◽  
Major Figure

This paper studies the Royal Society's public rhetoric of science by analysing Brian Cox, whose rise to science prominence corresponded with his period as a Royal Society University Research Fellow from 2005 to 2013. The first study, to my knowledge, to address this major figure in popular science, the paper analyses his goals and methods in light of the ‘new Enlightenment’ that was advocated by the Society's then President, Paul Nurse, in 2012. Like the founders of this national science academy in the 1660s, Nurse hailed Francis Bacon as a lodestar when it comes to inspiring awe and respect of rationality and of what science can do both in Britain and globally. Appointed as the Society's first Professor for Public Engagement in Science in 2015, Cox has worked to achieve the Society's goals of creating enthusiasm and ‘demonstrating the value of science to everyone’. He has also been instrumental in recruiting more young people to pursue a career in science. Through rhetorical analysis of a lecture video and other online material, the paper identifies some key features in his style of performance, especially regarding his methods of producing awe and wonder.

Introduction

Willy Ley ◽  
2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jared S. Buss
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Media Studies ◽  
Popular Science ◽  
Complex Argument ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Romantic Science

The introduction provides an overview of Ley’s life and importance. It also presents a complex argument about the key features of romantic, popular science during the twentieth century. The section makes interdisciplinary connections between German and American romantic science, popular science, and media studies, while providing a brief introduction to Ley, his legacy, and the themes of the book.

Steven Pinker: The Polymath Sublime

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan G. Gross
Keyword(s):  
Academic Career ◽  
Popular Science ◽  
Francis Bacon ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Cognitive Scientist ◽  
Institute Of Technology ◽  
Blank Slate ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Blue Eyes ◽  
School Of Athens

Already famous at 40, Josef Haydn was searching for new means of expression. The result was his six Opus 20 string quartets, a dazzling set whose new directions put their stamp on every composer who has since attempted the form. For those accustomed to previous quartets, including Haydn’s own, every minor turn was a major surprise, each new direction conveying a sense of the composer’s joy as he reveled in his mastery of his medium. At 40, already a well-respected cognitive scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Steven Pinker came suddenly to the world’s attention with his first book of popular science, the bestselling Language Instinct, an embodiment of the linguistic sublime. Emboldened by instant fame, he followed this achievement by following Francis Bacon, making all knowledge his province, telling us how the mind works, why it isn’t a blank slate, and why violence has declined. Not many professors are interviewed by Stephen Colbert; not many can be described as a brilliant lecturer who looks like a rock star: “His curly shoulder-length mane and Cuban heels give him the air of a prog rocker on his third comeback tour. He has a superbly defined jaw, glittering blue eyes and a kilowatt smile which he beams at his class as he switches on the microphone.” Not many professors find themselves on a poster that updates Raphael’s famous painting The School of Athens, a gathering of ancient worthies. Figure 10.1 is a depiction easily identified by the caricature’s flowing locks. Raised by middle-class Jewish parents in Montreal, Pinker first distinguished himself as the graduate student of the prominent Harvard psychologist Steven Kosslyn, who said of him: “He was officially my student, but almost from the start we were colleagues.” After studying with Kosslyn, Pinker went on to carve out a successful academic career as an experimental psychologist, first at MIT, then at Harvard, specializing in language acquisition in children. But he was not satisfied as a mere academic star, much sought-after, much honored, destined to shine brightly but not to dazzle.

scholarly journals Ukrainian Popular Science in Habsburg Galicia, 1900-14

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-171
Author(s):  
Martin Rohde
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Scientific Work ◽  
Popular Science ◽  
Academic Discourse ◽  
Scientific Society ◽  
Popularization Of Science ◽  
Early Twentieth Century ◽  
National Science

This paper historicizes the idea of “popular science” in the Ukrainian academic discourse in relation to contemporary approaches to “national science” (as “science proper”) and places special emphasis on the introduction of regular scientific lectures to public audiences in early twentieth century Habsburg Galicia. The Shevchenko Scientific Society was the central Ukrainian association of scholars and scientists at the time. Male-dominated, and increasingly dedicated to “Ukrainoznavstvo” (“Ukrainian studies”), the Shevchenko Scientific Society paid little attention to the popularization of scientific research. The Petro Mohyla Society for Ukrainian Scientific Lectures emerged in reaction to the Shevchenko Society. Its goal was to expand public awareness of the scientific work, and its members proceeded to organize regular public lectures all over Galicia between 1909 and 1914. This paper analyzes such popularization of science, propagated by the Petro Mohyla Society, and examines the lecture audiences with regard to their location, gender, and respective interests.

scholarly journals GENRE INDUCTION FROM A LINGUISTIC APPROACH

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 319
Author(s):  
Angvarrah Lieungnapar ◽  
Richard Watson Todd ◽  
Wannapa Trakulkasemsuk
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Computer Programs ◽  
Popular Science ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Test Set ◽  
Science Texts ◽  
Functional Relations ◽  
Text Types ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Linguistic Approach

In most current work on genre, a set of genre categories needs to be predetermined. However, there are some cases where such predetermined genres cannot be clearly identified. Popular science, for instance, is a broad register carrying several specific purposes within it, suggesting that there are several genres of popular science, but it is unclear what these genres are. This paper introduces a linguistic approach to reveal hidden genres. For 600 written popular science texts from a variety of sources and disciplines, linguistic features were analysed using a range of computer programs and a cluster analysis conducted. The analysis produced four clusters with shared linguistic features, representing text types. The association of these text types with key features, functional relations, dominant sources, and prototypical members of each cluster helps us to induce genres on the basis of communicative purposes, a traditional criterion in identifying genres. Whether the produced text types are equivalent to genres was evaluated with a test set of data. The proposed approach achieves more than 70 % accuracy. The approach appears applicable for identifying genres of popular science and has pedagogical implications.

scholarly journals The National Science Film Festival of India-A tool for learning science film making

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin C. Narwadiya
Keyword(s):  
Popular Science ◽  
Film Festival ◽  
Film Festivals ◽  
Visual Medium ◽  
Science And Art ◽  
Online Lectures ◽  
National Science ◽  
Film Making ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Day By Day

Films have been an effective medium of communication of the messages of science since many years. The impact of films can be marked well on the minds and thoughts of viewers. Now a days intervention of technology is increasing day by day and it has enhanced techniques of video conferencing and films on science. Moreover, online lectures have proved to be more useful to reach the students. Science based films are better collaboration of both science and art for learning. It requires only creative minds as well as scientific attitude since the language of films is different than that of books. Films are always capable to communicate its messages even in small dialogues along with attractive(catchy) titles. This audio-visual médium connects the viewers more than the text books. In “Vigyan Prasar” popular science film production was initiated(started) about two decades ago. To encourage making of science films in India, it came up with a “Science Film Festival” originally entitled “Rashtriya Vigyan Chalchitra Mela(RVCM)”. At present, it is celebrated every year in the name of National Science Film Festival(NSFF). A large number of films submitted by the National and International producers are classified in various categories and are shown to the viewers and members of jury on the screen during this festival and then decisión is taken by the members of jury regarding final list of films. The screening of films along with work shops provides an opportunity for learning and also provide a platform to delibrate on arising obstacles or difficulties on the way of making science-based films. This film festival event is always educational, entertaining and above all it encourages the scientific thinking among all the participants. In this study, an analysis has been presented rgarding those films which were included during film festival of 2015. At the same time, a comparative study has also been done between NSFF and other Indian Science Film Festivals as well as competitions.

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