Science popularization in nineteenth century France: Nérée Boubée (1806–1862) and the journal L'Écho du Monde Savant

Simon-Suzanne-Nérée Boubée was born in Toulouse (France) in May 1806 and died in August 1862 in Luchon (France). This paper discusses Boubée's activities as a science popularizer exemplified through the journal L'Écho du Monde Savant , published in Paris from 1834 to 1846. L'Écho intended to ‘present a summary of the most important news taking place within the savant world’ to the public. In this journal Boubée published a broad range of topics, for example, advocating the crucial role and extent of geology, and the utmost value of industry and agriculture. The working hypothesis is that Boubée's convictions and profile, intertwined with some relevant trends within the French intellectual context—as manifested in science and technology matters—constituted the propelling force for his project to popularize science. Boubée's commitments to popular education, together with other aspects such as valuing the knowledge of workers, and praise for women's education and their scientific activity, were aligned with contemporary political and social movements. Like many practitioners of science hitherto unknown to historians, his work deserves deeper appreciation.

Science popularization and its ethical standpoint

Science popularization has both academic and policy implications. With the rapid development and large-scale application of science and technology, the demand for science popularization has generally increased, and its status in social development has been significantly improved. New features and challenges have emerged, such as changes in popularization content, the modernization of communication methods and the diversification of participants. In addition, science popularization is also faced with many new ethical issues. These new conditions require deeper consideration about which ethical standpoints should be established in science popularization. Beginning with an analysis of the academic and policy implications of science popularization, this study combines the new characteristics of contemporary science popularization to analyse the ethical issues it faces. Finally, it proposes an ethical standpoint that should be maintained in science popularization from the perspectives of utilitarianism, deontology, contract theory and virtue theory, and provides suggestions for converting responsible science popularization initiatives into concrete actions.

On the concept and connotation of science popularization ethics

Some ethical norms should be followed in science popularization. Such norms are related to, but also different from, the ethics of science and technology, communication and education. This paper explores the definition of science popularization ethics in Chinese and foreign literature and reflects on the concept and connotation of the ethical norms that should be followed in science popularization in China. It suggests that the ethical norms that people should follow in science popularization should be defined as ‘science popularization ethics’ in China.

Health Communication and Popularization in the Context of Epidemic Era: Preferences of the Chinese General Population

Background In the current era of big data, it is critical to address people's demand for health science knowledge. At present, the traditional mode of communicating scientific health knowledge and information technology are interchangeable, resulting in the emergence of a new mode of communicating health science knowledge. To publicize health education and popular science knowledge in a targeted way, to meet the public's needs, and to understand how the public's demand for subjects, contents, and forms of health science service has changed in the epidemic era, the investigation of public's demand for health information and popular science knowledge was conducted. Objective This study aims to understand the differences in demand for health science popularization service providers, contents, channels, forms, and facilities among Chinese citizens with different genders, ages, education levels, economic conditions, and living environments, and to provide reasonable recommendations for developing health science popularization. Methods Questionnaire Star was used to conduct a large sample of random online surveys. In Wuhan, Hubei Province, 2184 questionnaires were issued, 8 invalid questionnaires were eliminated, and 2176 were recovered, with an effective rate of 99.6%. IBM SPSS Statistics 20 was utilized to analyze the survey data. Results (1) In health science popularization service providers selected by the public, the proportion of government departments or government collaboration with other institutions exceeded 73%, indicating that health science popularization services are public goods; (2) access to health science popularization services was lower in township areas than in urban areas (P < 0.001); (3) internet media and communicating with acquaintances, which have the highest popularity rate, were also the two channels that were least trusted by the public; and (4) the differences in contents and service channels of health science popularization among residents with different genders, ages, education levels, economic status, and living environments were statistically significant. Conclusions (1) It is recommended to establish an integrated health science popularization service model with multi-center supply. Government departments, medical institutions, and media should cooperate effectively to provide health science popularization services. (2) The government should pay attention to the fairness of health education and strengthen the supply of health science popularization services in township areas. (3) It is critical to strengthen the public's ability to discriminate network information and pay attention to scientific thinking cultivation. (4) Health science popularization service providers must focus on the differences between public demands and improve the connotation of health science services.

Higher education and science popularization: Can they achieve coordinated growth?

This study aims to explore whether higher education and science popularization can achieve coordinated growth with temporal and spatial characteristics. Selecting the provincial regions of the Yangtze River Economic Belt in China as cases with data from the national statistics administrations (such as China Statistical Yearbook), this study uses entropy weight analysis, TOPSIS, GM(1,1) gray prediction methods and coupling coordination degree model to evaluate the coordinated growth status. The key findings are: (1) the annual budget per student, and the number of science and technology museums affect both systems more obviously; (2) the overall performances of science popularization fluctuate more obviously than those of higher education; (3) the coordinated growth performances of the two systems in most regions remain mild fluctuations and keep relatively stable coordinated status, however, temporal and spatial variation tendencies do exist among regions. Therefore, corresponding countermeasures should be implemented: generally, national authority needs to involve in coordination activities among regions; the regions with satisfactory coordinated growth performances need more creative approaches to maintain the coordinated growth interactions; the regions at the transitioning status need to prevent the grade decline and upgrade the performances; the regions with lagging performances need to stop the decline and reduce the gaps with others. The novelties include analyzing the coordinated growth interaction mechanism between the two, selecting indices to assess the abstract interaction mechanism precisely, proposing suggestions based on temporal and spatial comparisons of the coordinated growth performances, etc.

Connecting environmental education, science–technology–society and ecological theory: possible pathways to reduce socioenvironmental problems

Social practices influence the production, application, and values of modern Science and Technology (S&T). The epistemological integration of science, ideology, and politics produces a complexity that is able to restore the capacity of science to deal with complex problems from several levels. Therefore, it is arguable that scientific education should be effectively committed to instrumentalization for citizenship, as well as to avoid misinterpretations, distortions, and social exclusion. This theoretical study aims to provide a useful guideline for teachers, scientists, and decision-makers focusing on the importance of education and general scientific training on conservation efforts, as to encourage the teaching classes to expand the conceptual framework by encompassing the sociopolitical outspread of S&T. The theoretical foundation was conducted based on two dimensions of Science, Technology, and Society (STS) within scientific education. We created some examples based on phytoplankton biogeochemical dynamics and coral reef conservation to fetch the integration of STS with ecological theory, which can be easily transposed into other subjects or disciplines. The discussion follows the logic that science popularization is a valuable tool for environmental education and a strategy for social inclusion in Brazil. However, the curriculum is an important mechanism driving scholar practices that demands further improvements, besides the academic training of the teachers and the support of the didactic textbooks. Finally, we encourage a policy of science popularization, designed to enlarge individual comprehension of our modern world, to stimulate public participation in decision-making, likewise, to reduce social exclusion and combat structural racism.

Lingvistica în Republica Moldova. Indice bibliografic (2012–2016)

The current Bibliographic Index represents the continuation of the volume The Linguistics in the Republic of Moldova. Bibliographic index (1991-2011). The paper aims to register, systematize and capitalize the publications in the field, published in 2012-2016. The bibliographic material is largely based on the funds of the Central Scientific Library „Andre Lupan”, consulting the file and catalogs. To fill the gaps, synthesis works, collections, tributes, specialty magazines, newspapers, etc., as well as the Internet were used. The index is not exhaustive, but selective. Taking into account the volume of materials collected, the work was divided, this time, by years. For example, the year 2012 is classified into: 1) books (monographs, collections), dictionaries, textbooks; 2) articles from collections; 3) articles from specialized magazines; 4) articles from science popularization magazines; 5) newspaper articles. Benefiting from a practical structure, the Bibliographic Index is an accessible and useful working tool that can meet the information requirements of this field, presenting approximately all the linguistic material from the given period.

Rethinking on Research on Science Popularization Theory in China

Science popularization research serves as a fundamental role in the work of science popularization, which requires the guidance of the theory. The research on science popularization is a process to explore and understand laws of science popularization work, and also the rational thinking and summary of science communication experience. Based on the description of China’s studies on science popularization theories, three fundamental problems in China’s modern science popularization theory are given priority to discussion and some relevant reflections about further development are proposed.