Science communication the other way around – How to get scientists to understand you?

Science communication the other way around – How to get scientists to understand you?

Author: Leonardo de la Torre Ávila – The Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Spain

Co-authors:
Franco Bagnoli – Università degli Studi di Firenze (Italy)
Mitsuru Kudo – Center for the Study of Co* Design – Osaka University (Japan)

Great research could start when regular people inspire science, when somebody – as explained by Norbert Steinhaus – reformulates, translates society’s questions into a language that scientists understand. One of the methodologies that emerges from communication and understanding between civil society and science is the so-called “Science Shop”. Within a Science Shop experience, universities and research centres allow citizens and civil society organizations to, raising questions, present their problems on any topic, according with the available expertise. The answer may require a simple bibliographic consultation or a specific investigation. The research is assigned to students as part of their final dissertation, under the supervision of an experienced researcher.

In a roundtable discussion, partners of InSPIRES – an ongoing project under European Commission’s Horizon 2020’s programme “Science with and for Society” – will debate on current experiences that present Science Shops as a powerful communication opportunity to trigger bottom-up, demand-driven research. People attending our interactive discussion will analyze how Science Shops and other”communicative science”experiences that InSPIRES partners and advisors are developing in Italy, Spain, Tunisia, Bolivia and Japan look for the best of the Science Shop tradition and more participative methodologies.

Some of the partners’ background in science cafés, radio transmission, blogging and involvement of the population in citizen science projects in the Science Shop framework, will be shared on a discussion based upon a debate on Science bi-directional Communication. At InSPIRES we believe it is possible is to build effective cooperation between science and society by supporting the growth of Science Shops and enabling the expansion of responsible participatory research and innovation in Europe and abroad, in order to tackle key societal challenges that affect the world population.

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

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

Categories: 2018 PCST Conference – Dunedin, New Zealand
Tags: de la Torre Ávila L

Contact

The Network for the Public Communication of Science and Technology Incorporated (PCST Network) is an organisation that promotes discussion on the theory and practice of communicating science, and of public discourses about science and technology and their role in society.

Email: admin@pcst.network
Web: www.pcst.network

Incorporated in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Registered number AO5352.

Connect

PCST is the an active and influential international academic and professional organisation in the field of science communication.

Become a member

Our email discussion list is free for everyone to join and has an international audience of over 2000 subscribers.

Join the discussion list

PCST Network has co-operation agreements with the following international organisations:

EUSEA
European Science Engagement Association

IECA
International Environmental Communication Association

RedPOP
Latin American and Caribbean Network for the Popularisation of Science and Technology