Science communication – The heartbeat of collaboration in science & technology development

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Science communication – The heartbeat of collaboration in science & technology development

Author: Maarten van der Sanden – Delft University of Technology, Netherlands

Co-authors:
Sarah Davies – University of Copenhagen
Edward Duca – University of Malta
Eva Kalmar – Delft University of Technology
Frank Nuijens – Delft University of Technology

The successful development of science and technology heavily depends on the ability and opportunities of scientists, engineers, R&D developers, policy makers and citizens to collaborate with their colleagues, peers, alliances, in business-to-business relations and business-to-consumer relations.

We can see science communication as enabler of that collaboration in the context of innovation. But if we focus on this role of science communication, what kind of new science communication challenges do we face? What are differences in perspectives of all kinds of actors involved, like scientists, media, industry, citizens and policymakers? How could we take these into account?

And on a more abstract level: what is the connection between all these various forms of collaboration at various levels? What are the advantages and drawbacks of this collaboration point of view, practically and theoretically? How does collaboration develop the identity of science and technology and its actors and what could we learn from each other?

To structure the round table session, all 5 participants will shortly introduce a concrete example of collaboration in science and technology, highlighting a different perspective: the public, media, scientists, policy or business. These examples will be central in discussing the above questions. All attendants to the session are invited to take part in the discussion to explore the role of science communication as the heartbeat of collaboration in science and technology development.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Roundtable discussion
Theme: Science
Area of interest: Applying science communication research to practice

Who are the science communicators? – Profiling backgrounds, practices and aspirations of a professional community

Author: Manuel Valença – ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal

Co-authors:
Martin Bauer – London School of Economics
Marta Entradas – London School of Economics

Science communication has expanded significantly in the last decades in response to society demands. We can see this expansion in increasing communication structures, practices and individual practitioners. While the communication practice has received some attention, less is known about the community of individuals that take onboard science communication. What roles do they have? What is their motivation and ethos?

We ran a survey with the PCST registered members to learn about this community. The chosen methodology introduced a sampling bias, which was accepted in view of the difficulty of individually listing such a diverse and dispersed community. The online survey was distributed between 14 of April and 12 of August of 2016, having collected 335 responses.

The survey was structured around four main areas: a) Individual background (main professional activity, country, etc); b) Communication practices (types of activities, audiences, etc); c) Professional ethos (what is a ‘good’ science communicator’s skill set, etc.); d) Future expectations (career aspirations, work satisfaction, etc).

Multivariate statistical analysis shows, for example: I) A high diversity in professional activities (science journalists, scientists, PR/Communication professionals, museum technicians, etc); II) Differences in the perceived science communicator’s main role according to the respondent’s professional activity; III) Differences in the level of work satisfaction by world region (the respondents’ countries were organized into five world regions). In this presentation, we will discuss main findings, and ways of researching this rather dispersed community with a view of understanding their role in science communication.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Individual paper
Theme: Science
Area of interest: Investigating science communication practices

Communicating science in stealth

Author: Chammika Udalagama – Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Co-author:
Meng Ho Tan – Department of Physics, NUS

“Science is not boring after all. I feel smarter now. everything makes so much sense. …” So claimed a student in the end-of-course feedback for ‘How the Ocean Works’.

‘How the Ocean Works’ is a general education module (GEM) offered by the Department of Physics at NUS. GEMs are meant for students from all faculties of the University and require no pre-requisites. A typical cohort consists of about 150 students, half of whom are from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Most of these students have had no formal training in science.

‘How the Ocean Works’ introduces many concepts from physics, chemistry, and mathematics. However, we try to do this in stealth, in the guise of wanting to understand the ocean. This and the other strategies employed seems to work. ‘How the Ocean Works’ has been offered for five years and has enjoyed remarkably positive feedback in that time. While this feedback is encouraging, has the experience made a lasting impact on the student? For instance, has it changed the perception of the science, in non-science majors? Are they less intimidated by science? Or more ready to take other science courses. Would they recommend the study of science to their peers, family or friends? These we feel are more significant measures of a course. This talk will first address our claim of teaching science in stealth. We will then attempt to assess if we have made a long-term difference in our students’ perception of science.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Show, tell and talk
Theme: Science
Area of interest: Investigating science communication practices

Taking the science stories to the people – Reaching diverse audiences through venue changes

Author: Jessica B. Turner-Skoff – The Morton Arboretum, United States

Co-authors:
Krisztina Eleki – Chicago Council on Science and Technology
Alexandra Prokuda – Chicago Council on Science and Technology

The Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST) is a not-for-profit organization that strives to increase the scientific literacy of Chicago’s citizens through live storytelling and interactions with the public. Unlike most informal science education (ISE) organizations, such as museums, zoos and arboreta, C2ST relies on local partners for venue locations. According to The National Academy of Sciences, connecting with and engaging a diverse audience is one of the five goals of science communication. However, a historic challenge for ISE outreach is engaging diverse populations. C2ST works towards inclusivity with their programming and storytelling for the approximate 10 million residents of the Chicagoland area.

Previous to July 2015, C2ST hosted a majority of its programming at a university in downtown Chicago. In late 2015, C2ST started varying the locations of their programming throughout the Chicago Metropolitan area. This shift in location presented a unique opportunity to study the effects of venue variation on audience composition. Using data from post-surveys from C2ST’s attendees, we evaluated measures of diversity, defined as age, ethnicity, and education level, prior to July 2015 (pre-shift) and post July 2015 (post-shift). Venue location was classified as the zip code of the venue.

The distributions of all three diversity measures were significantly different between C2ST’s pre-shift attendees and post-shift attendees (p < 0.05). A generalized linear regression demonstrated that the ethnicity of C2ST’s attendees varied significantly with the location of the venues, suggesting that venue variation increased the ethnic diversity of the audience. ISEs are important tools for increasing the scientific literacy of society and can be improved by using evidence-based methods. Together these results show that shifting the location of ISE outreach may be a valuable strategy for reaching traditionally underrepresented communities in urban centers. We outline a strategy that other ISEs can implement to increase audience reach. The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Individual paper
Theme: Science
Area of interest: Investigating science communication practices

Translating life science research to stories – Using media channels for broader impact and increased audience reach

Author: Jessica B. Turner-Skoff – The Morton Arboretum, United States

Co-authors:
Nicole Cavender – The Morton Arboretum
Patricia MacMillan – The Morton Arboretum
Kelley Regan – The Morton Arboretum

Organizations focused on life science are often challenged with sharing scientific discoveries and milestones with the broader public. The Morton Arboretum is a botanical garden with a strong interest in connecting its scientific expertise and research to its visitor base (>1 million per year) and to an external audience through diverse channels. This organization is developing a solution to overcome this challenge.

With the goal to communicate more impactful stories about its science and conservation work, an institutional strategic initiative was launched in 2017, starting with the establishment of a cross-departmental science communication team. Roles and responsibilities were clearly defined, followed by the identification and analysis of priority audiences and the appropriate media channels to reach them: 1) Scientists and Peers; 2) Curious or Affinitive; and the 3) General Public. Next, a systematic process was put in place to objectively evaluate research discoveries, such as those published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, and stories that align with both the Arboretum’s messaging priorities and the media’s interest. This process included a method to translate the raw science into language appropriate for the targeted audience.

This process, although early in its development, has already increased in reach and impact. For example, messages developed around research and conservation work with oaks and other endangered trees has reached all three targeted audiences. Metrics comparing the first nine months of 2017 to 2016 indicate a successful trend. For this time frame, there has been a 104% increase in media references to The Morton Arboretum’s expertise.

The science communication team is continuously refining how the science work can be translated for the general public. There are challenges that remain including interpretation, matching media’s interest, and the limited capacity of staff. A broader professional discussion could address these challenges as we work to bring the stories of science to society.

Presentation type: Show, tell and talk
Theme: Science
Area of interest: Applying science communication research to practice

Little lessons in science communication – A game of cards

Author: Brian Trench – Dublin City University, Ireland

Co-authors:
Birte Fähnrich – Zeppelin University, Germany
Maja Horst – University of Copenhagen

Suggestions and concerns about improving relations between research and practice in science communication are part of the normal diet at PCST conferences. These events have long been an important platform for forming and deepening such relations both at conceptual and community levels. Presentations on evaluation of science events, but also coffee-break exchanges between researchers and practitioners, are among the many ways in which research-practice relations are stimulated and developed.

Many individuals straddle these activities and this workshop is presented by three researcher-trainer-practitioners. As part of a wider, necessary exploration of the tools and methods to make research and practice accessible, relevant and open to each other, the workshop demonstrates and seeks to deepen a method for presenting theoretical insights in forms that make them memorable, and available to science communication practice.

In this workshop, we will present key principles and insights in short phrases, which can be used to stimulate discussion of guidelines to practice. We will distribute a sample of such phrases on cards to the workshop participants, interpret and order them and add to them in similar manner. Groups will be given ten prepared cards, will select five of these, and will add five of their own. In an iterative and interactive process, we will select and re-shuffle the cards to produce either a succinct summary of science communication wisdom, or a representation of many possible and contradictory approaches to science communication.

Sample cards: The public is never the problem; There is no such thing as a dumb question; Controversy can be a support to science communication; Coffee and chance are key components of scientific discovery; Science gains from knowing and acknowledging its limits; The public has a right to know how science really works; Scientific culture is more than a set of numbers.

Presentation type: Workshop
Theme: Society
Area of interest: Applying science communication research to practice

Big challenges for small countries in science communication

Author: Brian Trench – Dublin City University, Ireland

Co-authors:
Marta Entradas – SciComPT, Portugal
Per Hetland – University of Oslo, Norway
Fabien Medvecky – SCANZ
Padraig Murphy – Dublin City University
Sofia Otero – University of Chile

Science communication programmes, policies and practices have been spreading internationally for over two decades. A series of panels at PCST 2014 considered how this was happening, applying common criteria for reports from a dozen countries. Journal papers and special editions, and book chapters, have described the spread, more often stressing similarities than differences.

Less attention has been paid to the political, economic, cultural and geographical factors that affect how wide and how deep the development of science communication is in particular countries. Nation-states tend to set boundaries and structures for science communication, as they do for other institutional and cultural developments. One factor shaping science communication may be the size and status of a country, that is, whether it has a central or peripheral standing in a region or continent, or in the world.

This panel of science communicators and science communication scholars from smaller countries will discuss the disadvantages and possible advantages for these countries in adopting and promoting science communication for their needs.

Among the issues for consideration are, on the one hand: the strong influence of larger, more powerful neighbours, and the perceived need to follow their example; the requirement of smaller countries to “talk up” their scientific achievements; the pressure in smaller countries for communities to conform to the national agenda; relatively smaller funds for scientific research in general, and for science communication in particular (though with exceptions); less historical depth in scientific institutions. And, on the other hand: the relative ease of forming national networks and building inter-sectoral relations; relatively immediate access to power-holders and –influencers; greater agility and flexibility, allowing ‘turn moments’ in policy for science communication. The panelists will reflect on the experience of their countries with reference to these issues and to the political contexts which influence how they arise in those countries.

Presentation type: Roundtable discussion
Theme: Society
Area of interest: Comparing science communication across cultures

Communicating contested science

Author: Simon Torok – Scientell, Australia

Co-authors:
Paul Holper – Scientell

There are challenges associated with effectively communicating the science and impacts of environmental research, such as climate change and threatened species. These subjects are complex, controversial and often hotly debated, but also prone to public fatigue.

The communication of information to support decision-makers has the added difficulty associated with using and translating research into appropriate responses or action.

The rapidly changing media landscape has created new opportunities and challenges for communicating science. For example, climate change media reports in Australia increased 30-fold between 2003 and 2007, leading to increased awareness but also public (and news editor) fatigue. Evolving media composition, from the decrease in specialist rounds to the increase in alternative news sources and new media platforms, has changed how we communicate science.

Traditional science communication assumed a deficit model and bestowed privilege on the expert knowledge of the scientist. More recently, science communication has attempted to address the needs of stakeholders through strategic planning and formal processes that enable more inclusion and dialogue between scientists and the community. The changing approach is driven in large part by legitimate demands from society for increased accountability and transparency.

To address these challenges and make the most of opportunities to better communicate contested science, we need to move beyond dissemination of results and information transmission (web site, media, newsletters, brochures, seminars), and use new tools, communication theory, and successful practices to move towards dialogue (interaction, data accessibility, events, synthesis and emphasis of research, solutions-focus, and use of a variety of media channels).

This presentation will draw on examples of communication of climate change, threatened species, and other high-profile areas. By incorporating communication theory into practical communication activities, drawing on techniques that work well, and monitoring and evaluating science communication activities we have a better chance of communicating contested science in ways that achieve change.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Show, tell and talk
Theme: Science
Area of interest: Investigating science communication practices

Report on mega-drought in Chile (or how to win the hearts and minds of decision makers)

Author: Nicole Tondreau – Center for Climate and Resilience Research (CR)2 / Master in Advanced Design, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile

The long and extensive drought that has affected Chile since 2010 is an unprecedented event in the country’s history. Given this scenario, a group of social and natural scientists from the Center for Climate and Resilience Research, known as (CR)2, undertook interdisciplinary research to explain the causes and impacts of the phenomenon, which they refer to as a “mega-drought.”

Defying academic logic, (CR)2 decided to present the research carried out over almost three years by disseminating the findings in a science divulgation report aimed at decision makers and released on late 2015, rather than publishing a scientific paper in an academic journal.

The effort was a collaboration between scientists and the center’s communications unit. The report was reviewed by an editorial committee made up of a journalist, a project engineer and the director and deputy director of (CR)2. The communications staff was responsible for the graphic design, and rose to the challenge of transforming scientific graphs into understandable and attractive graphic content.

It should be noted that the first paper on the causes and impacts of the “mega-drought” appeared on late 2017, almost two years after the report was published, so the product cited by other scientists during that period was the divulgation report itself.

The report was widely covered in the media, largely because it was presented to the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, at La Moneda Palace and also due to an effective media campaign. The “mega-drought” concept was successfully instilled among members of the media and decision makers, lending support to the initial decision to present this substantial research, on a topic of political, economic and social importance for the country, in the report format.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Show, tell and talk
Theme: Science
Area of interest: Influencing policies through science communication

The email as a stress factor for academics

Author: Franziska Thiele – University of Rostock, Germany

Co-authors:
Corinna Líthje – University of Rostock

Although the email is an essential part of scholarly communication, it has gained little attention in scholarly communication research. Studies on organizational practice found that emails can be a distraction and contribute to a feeling of overload and stress (Barley et. al., 2011; Boswell & Olson-Buchanan, 2007; Chelsey, 2005; Mark et al., 2012). This paper wants to investigate, if the research findings from organizational labour can be expanded to the context of academic labour and identify if different academic status groups apply different coping strategies.

As its theoretical framework this work makes recourse to the field theory of Bourdieu (1992) and the mediatization approach by Krotz (2007), which says that technological media change influences human communication, interaction and social as well as cultural reality.

To answer the research questions 54 German scientists from different disciplines and academic status groups were interviewed in qualitative interviews.

Across disciplines the email was the most commonly used tool in mediated communication. It accelerated and facilitated international co-operations and helped to organize and structure work. The amount of emails as well as the time spend on them rose with the status of the interviewed person and contributed to a feeling of overload and stress, which was enhanced by using mobile media. But the structural power coming with a professor’s status gave them more possibilities to reduce email-induced stress (e.g. by outsourcing email-related tasks to secretaries) than post-docs had: “I have an office and they are always inside [my email] […] otherwise I would choke, I could not process them” (8044, professor).

The results show that the findings from organizational research can be expanded to academic labour. Though the email is of great relevance for scientific communication, it is also a disruptive factor and becomes more problematic with rising media mobility and rising status.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Individual paper
Theme: Science
Area of interest: Investigating science communication practices

Reasons for use and disuse of academic social networking sites

Author: Franziska Thiele – University of Rostock, Germany

Co-authors:
Corinna Líthje – University of Rostock

The academic social networking sites (ASNS) ResearchGate and Academia are gaining more and more popularity among researchers (Van Noorden, 2014). They offer the opportunity to easily upload and access publications as well as for academic self-marketing. They have the potential to significantly change scientific communication. But why do researchers actually use ASNS?

Though the number of studies on ResearchGate and Academia is increasing, those identifying reasons for using ASNS (like sharing publications, increasing citations or contact colleagues) mostly apply a quantitative approach (Meishar-Tal & Pieterse, 2017; Muscanell & Utz, 2017; Van Noorden, 2014). This study wants to add to the findings from a qualitative perspective. It identifies reasons for researchers to (not) use the two platforms with the uses and gratification approach by Katz et al. (1973) as its theoretical basis. To identify the reasons 54 German scientists from different status groups and disciplines were interviewed in qualitative interviews in 2016-2017.

28 of the participants had ASNS accounts: 17 used ResearchGate and three Academia.edu exclusively, while nine had accounts in both networks. Most interviewees reported to make little use of the platforms. If they did, it was to access and share publications, network, increase their visibility and learn more about the impact of their publications. Doctoral students rather followed interesting people and accessed publications, while postdocs and professors shared them and tried to increase their visibility. With the impact factor of a publication or comments left by others researchers quickly get feedback on their research, they would otherwise not receive. ASNS furthermore enhance self-marketing and networking opportunities and seem to gain importance as scientific communication tools.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Visual talk
Theme: Science
Area of interest: Investigating science communication practices

Multimodal metaphors in science communication

Author: Jan Swierkowski – Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Portugal

In the era of visual culture the scientific world described by equations is incomprehensible for most of the society because it lacks qualitative representation of its main ideas. There is a need of a multimodal language for communicating science.

The results of research and analysis show that when scientists solve complicated problems in order to understand the unknown they often use heuristics methods that include metaphors (Miller, 2000). The theoretical background of this fact lays in sciences of cognition and the idea that the way we perceive the Universe has a largely metaphorical character. The essence of ‘a metaphor’ is to understand and experience one thing in the terms of the other (Lakoff, Johnson 1980). Moreover when people conceptualize their experience, especially for new phenomena that has never been observed and cannot be understood otherwise, they usually rely on metaphors (Dudzikowa, Czerepaniak-Walczak, 2009).

Following this reasoning I suggest that in the Digital Era in which ‘digital, electronic, and visual expressions’ became a form of literacy (Gentry, McAdams, 2013), multimodal metaphors ‘whose target and source are each represented exclusively or predominantly in different modes’ (i.e. written or spoken language, visuals, sound, music etc.) (Forceville 2009) can form basis of new scientific stories and serve as modern translations from scientific to layman language.

I try to understand how these multimodal metaphors can be methodologicaly created/curated with the use of conceptual blending theory (Turner, Fauconnier, 2002) and presented as art, performance or Digital Storytelling based on the work of an interdisciplinary experimental group ‘Institute B61’ that I established in 2009. Since then B61 has been conducting intensive art and science experimental research that has resulted in the formulation of over 50 multimodal metaphors of scientific phenomena, most of them presented as spectacular pop-up activities to more than 20,000 volunteers from 5 countries.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Individual paper
Theme: Stories
Area of interest: Applying science communication research to practice

Visualising Pacific women in ocean science and management

Author: Tiffany Straza – United Nations Environment Programme, Kenya, Samoa

Co-authors:
Sefanaia Nawadra – UN Environment
Nanette Woonton – Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)

Women at all levels contribute to ocean management, use, conservation and science, but the number of Pacific scientists is low. According to the Global Ocean Science Report, the Oceania region is represented in less than 6% of ocean science publications annually and this region has one of the lowest proportions of female representation. Pressures against the selection of science careers include lack of awareness, a perceived Western or masculine nature of science, and importantly academic grade-based competition for scholarships which can strongly influence future options.

Including women’s voices in science and governance requires key strategies acknowledging social and cultural traditions. In the Pacific islands, there is a broad range of female ownership of ocean-related activities and inclusivity in ocean management, with underrepresentation in senior governance roles.

Again and again, we see that young women and girls choose career paths after seeing the success of someone with whom they identify, and this visualisation is especially critical for technical careers. By seeing how women connect with the ocean, we can identify ways to nurture those connections and strategies to incorporate women’s views and knowledge for effective integrated ocean management.

We describe the creation of a partnered initiative combining the documentation of stories by and about Pacific women as well as a global dialogue, “Healers of Our Ocean”, involving 17 international agencies and held at the first United Nations Ocean Conference, which set the global agenda for Sustainable Development Goal 14.

We consider the effectiveness of these stories for increasing the visibility of Pacific female ocean leaders to equip more women to choose these career paths and to demonstrate to development partners the need to (1) support science education within the Small Island Developing States and (2) to include women’s opinions and ocean uses in integrated ocean management decisions.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Show, tell and talk
Theme: Stories
Area of interest: Applying science communication research to practice

Science communication – How to get from the lab bench to the stock exchange

Author: Veronica Stevenson – Humble Bee Ltd, New Zealand

Technological advancements permeate nearly every sector and industry, and a strengthening public trend is putting academic researchers under increasing pressure to show the commercial relevance of their research. We are also seeing increasing interest from venture capital funds and high net-worth individuals in the potential of science-based intellectual property. Despite their desire to find and work with each other, the gap between scientists and business remains vast. Effective science communication is key to bridging the divide, especially as the way in which research is evaluated for public funding has shifted towards the applied. A growing awareness of this fact is beginning to shape the way stories are told by researchers as they’re seeking funding, and it is changing the types of research that are being done.

This presentation will provide practical insights from real-world projects at the interface between science and business. How does the investment community differ from other science communication audiences? What format do researchers need to use when starting a conversation with investors? As academic institutions become more industry R&D focused what will this mean for the future of pure research?

Veronica Stevenson is a biotechnology entrepreneur who has used science communication to bring different institutions, disciplines and private equity together on a commercial research and development project. She has for the last two years mentored at KiwiNets’ workshop ‘Get Funded’ a that teaches academics how to tell the applied story of their work.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Show, tell and talk
Theme: Stories
Area of interest: Applying science communication research to practice

Increasing awareness of women’s health services – The continued need for face-to-face communication

Author: Christina Standerfer – University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, United States

Co-authors:
Akaylah Jones – Independent Consultant
Joseph Schafer – WinRock International

In 2016, the Arkansas (US) Department of Health (ADH) contracted with the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service (UACS) to conduct a needs assessment of its BreastCare program. According to the ADH website, the BreastCare program “provides breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services for eligible Arkansas women” with a mission of increasing “the rate of early detection of breast and cervical cancer and reduce the morbidity and mortality rates among women in Arkansas by lowering barriers to screening that result from lack of information, financial means, or access to quality services” (www.healthy.arkansas.gov).

The purpose of this needs assessment was threefold: 1) to determine needs of current and past BreastCare program providers; 2) to determine current women’s health needs of Arkansan women between the ages of 40-64; 3) to determine bests ways to raise awareness of women’s health care services available to women living in Arkansas

Methods used to gather data included telephone interviews with providers, telephone surveys with Arkansas women between the ages of 40 and 64, and two focus groups with Latina women.

In this paper, we report the findings related to raising awareness of women’s health care services. These findings suggest that while the proliferation of social media might imply that the best ways to spread the word about advances in medicine and science are through mediated messages (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.), the power of face-to-face interactions should not be discounted or underestimated.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Individual paper
Theme: Society
Area of interest: Investigating science communication practices

Skills and knowledge development of programme presenters who participate in science outreach

Author: Nantida Sripaoraya – Centre for Science Communication, University of Otago, New Zealand

Co-authors:
Nancy Longnecker – Centre for Science Communication, University of Otago
Rachel Spronken-Smith – Higher Education Development Centre, University of Otago

The National Science Museum, Thailand (NSM) brings 70 -100 science exhibits and activities to local communities in at least twenty Thai provinces each year through a programme called the NSM Science Caravan. This programme involves students from local high schools or universities who volunteer to assist as presenters with the Science Caravan. They receive two days of training in basic science communication and natural science and then present with Science Caravan for four days. Over more than ten years, about 10,000 presenters have facilitated and encouraged approximately 1,000,000 visitors to be actively involved in science activities.

Presenters of science outreach are influential through their facilitation and encouragement of participants to interact with activities. Three important skills or areas of knowledge required by presenters when they interact with visitors include insights about their visitors, communication skills, and scientific content. This research investigates whether skills, abilities, and knowledge are developed and retained among science outreach current and alumni presenters. Observations of current presenters during their training and four days of presenting will involve an instrument developed to examine essential elements of science communication. Seventy-two presenters will be observed in 12 locations across Thailand to determine whether their science communication skills improve over their short time of presenting. Early responses from a survey of alumni presenters revealed that over 80% found being a presenter increased their confidence and ability to teach others. It also increased their likelihood of discussing and sharing ideas about science. Importantly, many report that they still use the skills and abilities that they developed as presenters.

The author has not yet submitted a copy of the full paper.

Presentation type: Visual talk
Theme: Science
Area of interest: Investigating science communication practices

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