Transcript eusea keynote 10july12 bt

Science of science communication
Brian Trench
Dublin City University
The Science of Science Communication
Colloquium hosted by US National Academies of Science,Washington, May 2012
This colloquium will survey the state of the art of empirical social science research in
science communication and will focus on research in psychology, decision science, mass
communication, risk communication, health communication, political science, sociology, and
related fields on the communication dynamics surrounding issues in science, engineering,
technology, and medicine with five distinct goals:
•To improve understanding of relations between the scientific community and the public
•To assess the scientific basis for effective communication about science
•To strengthen ties among and between communication scientists
•To promote greater integration of the disciplines and approaches pertaining to
effective communication
•To foster an institutional commitment to evidence-based communication science
See programme and archived webcasts at http://www.nasonline.org/programs/sacklercolloquia/upcoming-colloquia/science-communication.html
Communication
Psychology
Philosophy
Ethics
Mass communication /
media
Rhetoric
Sociology
Linguistics
Science
communication
History
Political
Economy
Policy
Studies
Life
sciences
Physical
sciences
Science
education
Risk
communication
Health
promotion
Environmental sciences
Science
communication
Social Studies of Science
History of Science
Philosophy and Ethics
of science
Status of science communication
Hybrid status as both interdisciplinary and
multidisciplinary (Priest 2010)
Not a full discipline [and this] “allows science
communicators to plunder all disciplines and fields of
study to conduct their work most effectively” (Gascoigne
et al 2010)
Emerging discipline with some recognised criteria of a
discipline but still weak in theoretical development and
definition of its boundaries (Trench and Bucchi 2010)
Complex root system
Cross-disciplinary migration of champions
Short training courses for professional scientists
Science writing within communication programmes
Writing and presentation modules for science students
Training for science museums, shows, outreach
Science writing postgraduate programmes
Programme content from four fields
Science (usually biology)
Education studies (also museum studies)
Social studies of science (incl. history, philosophy)
Communication theory and skills
Challenges to programmes
Not seen as core business and therefore vulnerable
to cutbacks (Netherlands, Italy)
Reduced practical content through relocation to
another department (Mexico)
Continuing need to explain or justify science
communication and science communication research
in a natural sciences setting (UK, Netherlands)
Opportunities for programmes
Improved protection through relocation from a natural
sciences to a humanities department (France)
Demand for courses in science communication for
other programmes (Spain, UK)
External support from institutions promoting sciencein-society initiatives (Spain)
Internal support from unit promoting science-insociety initiatives (France)
“I’m not sure the scientists understand completely
what we do and they could have some problems with
some of it.
We are in a strange balance. They understand that we
are useful. It depends on different boundary
conditions: we could become a kind of outreach
department or a research department, though this is
less likely. Mostly, the scientists in our institute have
in mind a popularisation model for science
communication.”
Nico Pitrelli, SISSA, Italy
“We were very fragile when we depended directly
on science departments but our relocation to
Humanities seems to protect us.
Our Masters is really a professional Masters and the
departments in Humanities don’t have many
professionally oriented programmes.
The literary people welcome us because of the
professional dimension to our education.”
Baudouin Jurdant, University of Paris 7
SCI-COMM RESEARCH ARTICLES, 2000-2009
(n=1,237)
More than twice as many articles published 2005-2009 as 2000-2004
TOP10 JOURNALS FOR SCI COMM RESEARCH, 2000-2009
Tpp 10 journals accounted for 518 of 1,237 papers (42%)
RESEARCH METHODS IN ARTICLES, 2000-2009
Research Method
Total Articles Using This Method
Surveys or Questionnaires
331
Content Analysis
290
Interviews
159
Case Studies
149
Secondary Analysis of Surveys
78
Focus Groups
72
Evaluation Studies
56
SELECTED TOPICS IN SCIENCE COMMUNICATION RESEARCH
Science comm PhD theses 2000-2010
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Data gathered for 57 theses
> 50% in UK/Australia/USA
> 50% focused on context of science or medicine
media/journalism > means of communication >
engagement and dialogue > role of scientists > role of
stakeholders > evaluation
Top 4: media content analysis, survey, interview and
case study
No clear shared research aims
Multiple theories employed
Multiple contributions to practical field
18
Topics of current PhD projects
sc. theories/application in practice
sc. theories/deliberative democracy
concept of interactional expertise
theory
public health program
laboratory access/teachers and pupils
cancer prevention high school teachers
corporate
strategic sc/climate change
strategic sc/changing university
professionalization in SC
scientist
cultural knowledge/western science
dialogue/responsiveness science
expertise citizenship stakeholder int.
education
benefits field trip/guest speaker
learning/school trip
engagement/dialogue
stakeholder/sustainable dev.
stakeholder/sus. bioproducts
nanotech./civil society
science/public/citizenship
evaluation theory/science education
evaluation
citizen
antibiotic resistance/risk reduction
television/scientific citizenship
engagement/cyberscience
authentic museum objects/visitors
interaction visitors/scientists museum
culture based sc-training
public/museum governance
multimedia/com. / edu. potential
media/means
ecological art /pus of marine biology
art
popular culture/’a brief history of time’
scientist online involvement/journalism
climate change Australian newspapers
math. info in Portuguese press
festivals
pop. science books mathematics
effective strategy/organize
framing / pet fish owners
media influence/bone marrow donation
Topics of current PhD projects
sc. theories/application in practice
sc. theories/deliberative democracy
concept of interactional expertise
theory
public health program
laboratory access/teachers and pupils
cancer prevention high school teachers
corporate
strategic sc/climate change
strategic sc/changing university
professionalization in SC
scientist
cultural knowledge/western science
dialogue/responsiveness science
expertise citizenship stakeholder int.
education
benefits field trip/guest speaker
learning/school trip
engagement/dialogue
stakeholder/sustainable dev.
stakeholder/sus. bioproducts
nanotech./civil society
science/public/citizenship
evaluation theory/science education
evaluation
citizen
antibiotic resistance/risk reduction
television/scientific citizenship
engagement/cyberscience
authentic museum objects/visitors
interaction visitors/scientists museum
culture based sc-training
public/museum governance
multimedia/com. / edu. potential
media/means
ecological art /pus of marine biology
art
popular culture/’a brief history of time’
scientist online involvement/journalism
climate change Australian newspapers
math. info in Portuguese press
festivals
pop. science books mathematics
effective strategy/organize
framing / pet fish owners
media influence/bone marrow donation
Methods of current PhD projects
• questionnaires/interviews
• content analysis
– incl. discourse analysis
•
•
•
•
•
participant observation
eye-tracking
case study
participatory design
literature / document analysis
Current PhD research projects (extract)
Name
Country
University
Topic
Vickie Curtis
UK
Diana Kaiser
Ireland
Supara Kamolpattana
UK
How new developments in communication technologies are influencing
public engagement activities in science: citizen cyberscience initiatives.
Development and application of evaluation theory for the evaluation of
informal science education, science outreach and public engagement with
science.
Development of culture-based science communication training for science
museum explainers
Elaine McKewon
Australia
Institute of Educational technology
(Open University)
Schools of Biotechnology and
Communication (Dublin City
University)
Science Communication Unit,
(University of the West of England,
Bristol)
School of Journalism (University of
Technology, Sydney)
Eric Kennedy
Canada
Gustav Bohlin
Sweden
Nick Verouden
Netherlands
ConstanzeHampp
Germany
Susana Pereira
Portugal
Centre for Knowledge Integration
(University of Waterloo)
Department of Science and
Technology (Linköping University)
Department of Science Education
and Communication (Delft University
of Technology)
TUM School of Education, Science
Communication (TU Munich)
Faculty of Sciences (University of
Porto)
Coverage of climate change in Australian newspapers (1996-2010) with the
aim of explaining how the scientific consensus on climate change was
reconstructed as a ‘scientific debate’ in the news media.
Investigation of the concept of “interactional expertise” proposed by
sociologists Harry Collins and Robert Evans.
Antibiotic resistance and how different features of this problem, such as
causes and risk-reduction measures, are communicated to and with the
Swedish public.
This project explores the coupling of science communication to strategic
university organizational goals and objectives by investigating how
professionals deal with these issues on a day-to-day basis.
Seek to verify the claimed impact of authentic museum objects (originals)
on museum visitors, testing the assumption that originals attract higher
attention than reproductions
Mathematical information in the Portuguese press
Base
communication
models
Dissemination
Dominant
models in
PCST
Variants on
dominant PCST
models
Science’s orientation to public
Defence
They are hostile
Deficit
They are ignorant
Marketing
They can be persuaded
Base comm
models
Dominant
models in
PCST
Dissemination
Variants on
dominant
PCST models
Science’s orientation to public
Defence
They are hostile
Deficit
They are ignorant
Marketing
They can be persuaded
Context
We see their diverse needs
Consultation
We find out their views
Dialogue
Dialogue
They talk back
Engagement
They take on the issue
Base comm
models
Dissemination
Dialogue
Dominant
models in
PCST
Deficit
Dialogue
Variants on
dominant
PCST models
Science’s orientation to public
Defence
They are hostile
They are ignorant
They can be persuaded
Marketing
Context
Consultation
Engagement
We see their diverse needs
We find out their views
They talk back
They take on the issue
Deliberation
They and we shape the issue
Conversation
Participation
They and we set the agenda
Critique
They and we negotiate meanings
4 stages of scientific development
• Stage 1: new objects and phenomena
– scientists are pioneers, not afraid to make mistakes, have difficulties
with peer review, do not always possess excellent technical skills
• Stage 2: develop methods and techniques
– scientists validate techniques, develop a specific language, are
ingenious and inventive, able to implement ideas
• Stage 3: production of specific knowledge: highest number of
original publications
– Scientists are resistant to first-stage propositions
• Stage 4: maintain and pass on scientific knowledge generated
in phase 1 to 3  crucial revisions of the domain
– scientists write reviews and textbooks presenting overview of the
discipline
(Shneider, Trends in Biochemical Sciences, 2009)
How much do practitioners care?
Survey of those attending BAAS Science
Communication conference 2007 (N=124)
(87% science graduates; 54% professional science
communicators; 69% female; 73% <40-y-o)
• 42% read PUS and 36% SC occasionally
• 55% never read PUS or SC
• Miller, in Cheng et al, Science Communication in Social Contexts
(2008)
Uses of scientific research
• To classify objects
• To explain observed behaviour
– causation; correlation; models
• To clarify concepts
• To aid prediction
– If this, then that …
• To aid planning, strategy