Evaluating science communication across cultures – European Researchers’ Night

Author: Joseph Roche – Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Co-authors:
Leonardo Alfonsi – University of Perugia
Eric Jensen – University of Warwick
Giuseppe Pellegrini – University of Padova

European Researchers’ Night is an annual science communication event that takes place in more than 300 cities across Europe. The aim of the event is to: bring researchers closer to the general public, support the public recognition of researchers, encourage young people to embark on research careers and increase awareness of the impact that research has on society. European Researchers’ Night events are usually organised by universities, science centres and museums and engage more than 1 million European citizens each year. Since it was first held in 2005, European Researchers’ Night has received more than €40 million of European Commission funding. It will continue receiving funding until at least the end of the Horizon 2020 funding programme. Despite having more than a decade of events across Europe to draw upon, there have been few significant attempts to compare the experiences of participants in different countries. This roundtable discussion will consist of a 75-minute session exploring empirical evaluations of European Researchers’ Night from several cultural perspectives. Dr Eric Jensen (University of Warwick), Dr Joseph Roche (Trinity College Dublin), Dr Leonardo Alfonsi (University of Perugia) and Dr Giuseppe Pellegrini (University of Padova) will be joined in the discussion by a representative of the European Commission to discuss work undertaken in Ireland, Scotland and Italy to coordinate evaluations of European Researchers’ Night. This initiative has implications for other international collaborative efforts at science communication evaluation.

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

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