scholarly journals STEM escape rooms for public engagement

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Mathieson ◽  
Edward Duca
Keyword(s):  
Science Communication ◽  
Informal Science ◽  
Educational Context ◽  
Scientific Content ◽  
The Public ◽  
Cultural Phenomenon ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Puzzle Solving ◽  
Science Centre ◽  
Science Engagement

Escape rooms are a relatively new cultural phenomenon, attracting a wide range of audiences to test their puzzle-solving skills. While this format has been trialled in an educational context, there has been little exploration of it as a tool for engagement. We ran a STEM-based escape room, open to the public, over five days at a science centre in Malta. This was an exploratory exercise to determine whether escape rooms could be successful in an informal science engagement context. Over seventy players attempted the game and completed our evaluation. Our results suggest that escape rooms can be used in engagement contexts as they provide a positive experience that encourages future interactions with science. They may also draw audiences not normally interested in science and help them engage with scientific content in a more accessible manner. Interestingly, players were able to persist in engaging with content they found difficult while still finding it enjoyable, which has implications for the science communication of complex topics. Finally, players perceived that they were able to learn science through the escape room, which may increase their self-efficacy.

scholarly journals Public science communication in Africa: views and practices of academics at the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (06) ◽  
pp. A05 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Ndlovu ◽  
Marina Joubert ◽  
Nelius Boshoff
Keyword(s):  
Science Communication ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Popular Media ◽  
Peer Communication ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Public Science ◽  
The Public ◽  
Science Engagement ◽  
National University ◽  
Funding Environment

This study of the science communication views and practices of African researchers ― academics at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Zimbabwe ― reveals a bleak picture of the low status of public science engagement in the developing world. Researchers prioritise peer communication and pay little attention to the public, policy makers and popular media. Most scientists believe the public is largely not scientifically literate or interested in research. An unstable funding environment, a lack of communication incentives and censoring of politically sensitive findings further constrain researchers' interest in public engagement. Most NUST academics, however, are interested in science communication training. We suggest interventions that could revive and support public science engagement at African universities.

scholarly journals What does the UK public want from academic science communication?

F1000Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 1261 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Redfern ◽  
Sam Illingworth ◽  
Joanna Verran
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Academic Science ◽  
Open Door ◽  
Intended Audience ◽  
The Public ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Hands On ◽  
The Uk

The overall aim of public academic science communication is to engage a non-scientist with a particular field of science and/or research topic, often driven by the expertise of the academic. An e-survey was designed to provide insight into respondent’s current and future engagement with science communication activities. Respondents provided a wide range of ideas and concerns as to the ‘common practice’ of academic science communication, and whilst they support some of these popular approaches (such as open-door events and science festivals), there are alternatives that may enable wider engagement. Suggestions of internet-based approaches and digital media were strongly encouraged, and although respondents found merits in methods such as science festivals, limitations such as geography, time and topic of interest were a barrier to engagement for some. Academics and scientists need to think carefully about how they plan their science communication activities and carry out evaluations, including considering the point of view of the public, as although defaulting to hands-on open door events at their university may seem like the expected standard, it may not be the best way to reach the intended audience.

scholarly journals Affect in science communication: A data-driven analysis of TED talks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Fischer ◽  
Loris Jeitziner ◽  
Dirk U. Wulff
Keyword(s):  
Science Communication ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Scientific Content ◽  
Audience Engagement ◽  
The Public ◽  
Political Conflicts ◽  
Positive Valence ◽  
Modern Form ◽  
Ted Talks

Science communication is changing. It is increasingly directed not only at peers but at the public in general. Accordingly, understanding the circumstances under which audience members engage with scientific content is crucial to improving science communication. In this article, we investigate the role of affect on audience engagement with a modern form of science communication: TED talks. We examined how affect valence---a net positive or negative affect---and density---the proportion of affective words---are associated with a talk's popularity---reflecting views and likes---and polarity---reflecting dislikes and comments. We found that the valence of TED talks was associated with both popularity and polarity, with positive valence being linked to higher talk popularity and lower talk polarity. Density, on the other hand, was only associated with popularity, with higher affective density being linked to higher popularity---even more so than valence---but not polarity. Moreover, we observed that the association between affect and engagement was partially moderated by talk topic. Specifically, whereas higher density was related to higher popularity across most topics, valence seemed to particularly impact the popularity and polarity of TED talks on social topics, which regularly discuss polarizing issues such as race or political conflicts. We discuss implications of our findings for increasing the effectiveness of science communication.

scholarly journals Birth of a science centre. Italian phenomenology

2006 ◽  
Vol 05 (02) ◽  
pp. F
Author(s):  
Paola Rodari
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Science Museum ◽  
Cultural Economic ◽  
The Public ◽  
European Science ◽  
Science Centre ◽  
Total Investment ◽  
Science Centres ◽  
The Cost

In May 2004 the Balì Museum, Planetarium and interactive science museum, was opened to the public in Italy: 35 hands-on exhibits designed according to the interactive tradition of the Exploratorium in San Francisco, an astronomic observatory for educational activities, a Planetarium with 70 places. With a total investment of about three million euros, about two thirds of which were spent on restructuring the splendid eighteenth-century villa in which it is housed, the undertaking may be considered a small one in comparison with other European science centres. Three million euros: perhaps enough to cover the cost of only the splendid circular access ramp to the brand-new Cosmocaixa in Barcelona, an investment of one hundred million euros. But the interesting aspect of the story of the Balì Museum (but also of other Italian stories, as we shall see) lies in the fact that this lively and advanced science centre stands in the bucolic region of the Marches, next to a small town of only 800 inhabitants (Saltara, in the Province of Pesaro and Urbino), in a municipal territory that has a total of 5000. Whereas in Italy the projects for science centres comparable with the Catalan one, for example projects for Rome and Turin, never get off the ground, smaller ones are opening in small and medium-sized towns: why is this? And what does the unusual location of the centres entail for science communication in Italy? This Focus does not claim to tell the whole truth about Italian interactive museums, but it does offer some phenomenological cues to open a debate on the cultural, economic and political premises that favour their lives.

When Science Communication Becomes Difficult: Advice From The Battlefields

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Williams
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Scientific Content ◽  
Weather Forecasts ◽  
The Public ◽  
Mainstream Media ◽  
Research Priority ◽  
Technical Content ◽  
National Newspaper ◽  
The Times

<p>Based on my 15 years of experience as a professional atmospheric scientist and amateur science communicator, I can confidently state that science communication usually goes really well. However, I will focus this presentation on the minority of times when it goes badly wrong.</p><p>I will give an example of a time when I was misquoted by a national newspaper: my suitably nuanced statement in the interview that "Reducing uncertainties in weather forecasts is a key research priority for the next ten years" ended up being printed as "Within ten years, I think we'll see a model that predicts the weather and climate change exactly". I will also give an example of a time when, at an organized event in Barcelona, I participated in a debate with a former MIT professor who is arguably the world's most famous disputer of climate change science. I will discuss how I handled both these difficult events, and I will give some advice on how to cope when science communication doesn't go according to plan.</p><p>I will finish with a plea not to over-simplify the scientific content when communicating with the public. There is evidence that doing so inclines people to under-value experts, which I believe may be a factor in public cynicism regarding climate change. The fact that I was recently quoted in The Times discussing the geekiest of topics in atmospheric science — the Coriolis force — demonstrates that there is a genuine public appetite for appropriate technical content in the mainstream media. I believe we must make the most of that appetite, in order to enthuse and inspire the next generation of geoscientists.</p>

scholarly journals Knowledge◦Room exploring social justice by going beyond ‘traditional’ spaces and activities of science centres

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (01) ◽  
pp. C03
Author(s):  
Hessam Habibi Doroh ◽  
Barbara Streicher
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Disadvantaged Groups ◽  
Science Centre ◽  
Science Engagement ◽  
Science Centres ◽  
Diverse Groups

This article describes an example of science engagement striving for social justice by invigorating neglected spaces. The pop-up science centre “Knowledge◦Room“ in Vienna encourages learning, participation and engagement and provides accessibility to different groups regardless of their background. Based on a case-study of a bottom-up event at the Knowledge◦Room, we show how science communication can create a trust-based connection with disadvantaged groups in society and inspire their curiosity in science. We argue that science communication can be used as a tool for advancing social justice in the wider sense and facilitate encounters between diverse groups within society.

Trend of Parental Refusal or Delay of Childhood Vaccinations

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meagan Marie Daoust
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Educational Context ◽  
Health Consequences ◽  
Missed Opportunities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Parental Refusal

The healthcare trend of parental refusal or delay of childhood vaccinations will be investigated through a complex Cynefin Framework component in an economic and educational context, allowing patterns to emerge that suggest recommendations of change for the RN role and healthcare system. As a major contributing factor adding complexity to this trend, social media is heavily used for health related knowledge, making it is difficult to determine which information is most trustworthy. Missed opportunities for immunization can result, leading to economic and health consequences for the healthcare system and population. Through analysis of the powerful impact social media has on this evolving trend and public health, an upstream recommendation for RNs to respond with is to utilize reliable social media to the parents’ advantage within practice. The healthcare system should focus on incorporating vaccine-related education into existing programs and classes offered to parents, and implementing new vaccine classes for the public.

Unified approach to spatial description of objects terrain departmental registries / cadastres as a perspective basis of the state system territory mapping

2019 ◽  
Vol 942 (12) ◽  
pp. 41-49
Author(s):  
A.M. Portnov
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Data ◽  
Spatial Description ◽  
Unified Approach ◽  
Technological Basis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Map Data ◽  
Consistency Verification ◽  
Thematic Data

Using unified principles of formation and maintenance of register/cadaster with information about spatial data of landscape objects as the informational and technological basis for updating the public topographic maps and modernization of state cartographic system is proposed. The problems of informational relevancy of unified electronical cartographic basis and capacity of its renovation in case of public cadaster map data. The need to modernize the system of classification and coding of cartographic information, the use of unified standards for the coordinate description of register objects for their topological consistency, verification and updating is emphasized. Implementing such solutions is determined by economical expediency as well as necessity of providing a variety of real thematic data for wide range of consumers in the field of urban planning, territories development and completing the tasks of Governmental program “Digital economy of the Russian Federation”.

scholarly journals Citizen views on genome editing: effects of species and purpose

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gesa Busch ◽  
Erin Ryan ◽  
Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk ◽  
Daniel M. Weary
Keyword(s):  
Disease Resistance ◽  
Product Quality ◽  
Genome Editing ◽  
Total Sample ◽  
Moral Foundations ◽  
Perceived Risks ◽  
Public Response ◽  
The Public ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Us

AbstractPublic opinion can affect the adoption of genome editing technologies. In food production, genome editing can be applied to a wide range of applications, in different species and with different purposes. This study analyzed how the public responds to five different applications of genome editing, varying the species involved and the proposed purpose of the modification. Three of the applications described the introduction of disease resistance within different species (human, plant, animal), and two targeted product quality and quantity in cattle. Online surveys in Canada, the US, Austria, Germany and Italy were carried out with a total sample size of 3698 participants. Using a between-subject design, participants were confronted with one of the five applications and asked to decide whether they considered it right or wrong. Perceived risks, benefits, and the perception of the technology as tampering with nature were surveyed and were complemented with socio-demographics and a measure of the participants’ moral foundations. In all countries, participants evaluated the application of disease resistance in humans as most right to do, followed by disease resistance in plants, and then in animals, and considered changes in product quality and quantity in cattle as least right to do. However, US and Italian participants were generally more positive toward all scenarios, and German and Austrian participants more negative. Cluster analyses identified four groups of participants: ‘strong supporters’ who saw only benefits and little risks, ‘slight supporters’ who perceived risks and valued benefits, ‘neutrals’ who showed no pronounced opinion, and ‘opponents’ who perceived higher risks and lower benefits. This research contributes to understanding public response to applications of genome editing, revealing differences that can help guide decisions related to adoption of these technologies.

scholarly journals Veterinary Education during Covid-19 and Beyond—Challenges and Mitigating Approaches

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1818
Author(s):  
Jennifer Routh ◽  
Sharmini Julita Paramasivam ◽  
Peter Cockcroft ◽  
Vishna Devi Nadarajah ◽  
Kamalan Jeevaratnam
Keyword(s):  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Learning Gain ◽  
The Public ◽  
Core Competences ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Veterinary Student ◽  
Knowledge Content ◽  
Video Group

The public health implications of the Covid-19 pandemic have caused unprecedented and unexpected challenges for veterinary schools worldwide. They are grappling with a wide range of issues to ensure that students can be trained and assessed appropriately, despite the international, national, and local restrictions placed on them. Moving the delivery of knowledge content largely online will have had a positive and/or negative impact on veterinary student learning gain which is yet to be clarified. Workplace learning is particularly problematic in the current climate, which is concerning for graduates who need to develop, and then demonstrate, practical core competences. Means to optimise the learning outcomes in a hybrid model of curriculum delivery are suggested. Specific approaches could include the use of video, group discussion, simulation and role play, peer to peer and interprofessional education.

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