Science Communication recent issues

Curiouser and Curiouser

Priest, S. — 2009-09-30

Managing Misunderstandings: The Role of Language in Interdisciplinary Scientific Collaboration

Monteiro, M., Keating, E. — 2009-09-30

This article explores how scientists communicate with each other in interdisciplinary collaborative work. It is based on ethnographic research conducted with one such group, which is building a predictive computer model of heat transfer in prostate tissues. The analysis identifies strategies scientists use in their communication practices, including managing different understandings of the validity of knowledge, partial understandings among participants, and interpretive discipline crossing in group meetings. The ideas of productive misunderstandings and of registration as correlating distinct knowledge domains are used to interpret how scientists must manage their unshared backgrounds as part of the collaborative scientific work.

The New Men: Scientists at Work in Popular British Fiction Between the Early 1930s and the Late 1960s

Russell, N. — 2009-09-30

Science communication should include some account of doing science as well as of its product; new scientific knowledge. Fiction and drama are well placed to communicate the process of doing science although, in practice, popular novels on this theme are rare. One exception is the collectivist period in British history from the early 1930s to the late 1960s, when several science-trained authors wrote popular novels about doing science. They gave reasonably sophisticated accounts of the practice, philosophy, sociology and politics of science and their representations of these activities are outlined here. If historical context was a major factor in these novels being written, this may explain why contemporary popular fiction about science is hard to publish. The economic upheavals of 2008 may herald a new era of managed capitalism which might trigger a fresh wave of fictional representations of science.

The Development of Public Perception Research in the Genomics Field: An Empirical Analysis of the Literature in the Field

Pin, R. R., Gutteling, J. M. — 2009-09-30

This article describes a meta-analysis that was conducted on the subjects of published academic research on the public perception of genomics. In total, 451 journal articles were analyzed, all published between 1970 and 2006 and sampled from the databases Web of Science and Scopus. Results indicate the increasing popularity of research on this topic in the last decade, which reflects the same curve as media coverage of the new technology. Many authors study the public perception of genomics, but only a small number are productive. There is a strong focus on food and agriculture genomics and a separate field of authors and journals for medical genomics. The authors make several recommendations for future developments in the public perception of genomics.

Tacit Understandings of Health Literacy: Interview and Survey Research With Health Journalists

Hinnant, A., Len-Rios, M. E. — 2009-09-30

This research offers both qualitative and quantitative data about how health journalists approach health literacy practically and conceptually. Using interviews with 20 writers and editors for magazines and newspapers coupled with a national survey ( N = 396), this analysis uncovers journalistic techniques and tacit theories for making information understandable. The journalists evince a basic understanding of how health literacy can be enhanced through certain story elements (such as nontechnical word use), but they also maintain false ideas about appropriate comprehension aides (such as statistics). Findings show that journalists struggle to maintain scientific credibility while accommodating different audience literacy levels. Journalists’ definitions of health literacy strategically carve out a place for their work as translators.

Can Science Communication Workshops Train Scientists for Reflexive Public Engagement?: The ESConet Experience

Miller, S., Fahy, D., The ESConet Team — 2009-09-30

The European Science Communication Network, between 2005 and 2008, created and delivered original communication training workshops to more than 170 researchers, primarily early-career scientists, to empower them to perform reflexive public engagement activities in various communication situations. The program designed 12 original teaching modules for science communication that not only delivered skills training, including writing for popular audiences and media interview skills, but also developed capacity in, among other areas, risk communication, communicating science in dialogue, and examining controversies within the scientific community. The workshops aimed to encourage scientists to reflect critically on the social, historical, cultural, and ethical dimensions of science.

Book Review: Holliman, R., Whitelegg, E., Scanlon, E., Smidt, S., & Thomas, J. (Eds.). (2009). Investigating science communication in the Information Age: Implications for public engagement and popular media (Vol. 1). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Holliman, R., Whitelegg, E., Scanlon, E., Smidt, S., & Thomas, J. (Eds.). (2009). Practising science communication in the Information Age: Theorising professional practices (Vol. 2). Oxford: Oxford University Press

Mulder, H. A. J., Goedhart, M. J. — 2009-09-30

Book Review: Marchant, J. (2009). Decoding the Heavens. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. 328 pp

Toner, M. — 2009-09-30

Of Note

Valenti, J. M. — 2009-09-30

Beliefs About Science and News Frames in Audience Evaluations of Embryonic and Adult Stem Cell Research

Stewart, C. O., Dickerson, D. L., Hotchkiss, R. — 2009-05-08

This study investigates the influence of demographic variables, beliefs about science, and news frames on ratings of ethics, credibility, and usefulness of embryonic and adult stem cell research. Framing affected only ratings of ethics, in interaction with type of stem cell, with a large difference between embryonic and adult stem cells in a political conflict frame and no difference in a scientific progress frame. Belief that science is neutral with respect to religion and morality was positively associated with ethics and usefulness ratings for embryonic research; frequency of religious attendance was positively associated with ethics, credibility, and usefulness ratings for adult research only. Humanities and social science majors tended to rate both the embryonic and adult research as more credible, as did participants with higher self-reported science interest and exposure. Quantitative analyses are supplemented with qualitative interview data.

Lost in Translation?: A Comparison of Cancer-Genetics Reporting in the Press Release and Its Subsequent Coverage in the Press

Brechman, J., Lee, C.-j., Cappella, J. N. — 2009-05-08

Understanding how genetic science is communicated to the lay public is of great import. To address this issue, this study examines the presentation of genetic research relating to cancer outcomes and behaviors (i.e., prostate cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, smoking and obesity) in both the press release (n = 23) and its subsequent news coverage (n = 71). Data suggest that genetic discoveries are presented in a biologically deterministic and simplified manner 67.5% of the time. The introduction of deterministic language is attributed equally to both press releases and news coverage. Also, there are substantive differences between content introduced in the press release and content presented in subsequent press coverage; in fact, when two sources report on the same scientific discovery, the information is inconsistent more than 40% of the time. These findings suggest that the intermediary press release may serve as a source of distortion in the dissemination of science to the lay public.

From Public Understanding to Public Engagement: An Empirical Assessment of Changes in Science Coverage

Schafer, M. S. — 2009-05-08

Science communication is said to have changed in the past decades. It is widely assumed that science is no longer merely transported and translated by the mass media to a passive audience, but "medialized": Many authors believe that scientific issues are discussed extensively in the mass media nowadays, that these discussions are plural in its participants and in the arguments used, and that the issues at stake are evaluated controversially. It is still unclear, however, if this change applies to all science topics or only to some. The article at hand argues that science issues from different epistemic cultures can be expected to be "medialized" to different extents, and analyzes mass media coverage on stem cell research, human genome research, and neutrino research to underline this claim. The findings show that the described change only applies to some issues, and that further differentiation of the concept of "medialization" is necessary.

Exploring a Black Box: Cross-National Study of Visit Effects on Visitors to Large Physics Research Centers in Europe

Neresini, F., Dimopoulos, K., Kallfass, M., Peters, H. P. — 2009-05-08

Results from a cross-national quantitative study of 3,301 visitors to four large physics research centers in Europe focus on short-term learning and motivational effects. The authors collected data from these visitors before and after visiting the centers as part of a research project funded by the European Union. Overall, visitors' knowledge of the research centers increased. However, effects on learning of scientific concepts are not so clear. The visits mostly seem to reaffirm visitors' prior attitudes and images related to the centers. The findings imply that these visits offer some learning potential and, for school students, increased motivation to enter a scientific profession, but in terms of altering visitors' images they seem rather ineffective. Nevertheless, because of their uniqueness in allowing different publics an authentic glimpse of the production of scientific knowledge, visits to research centers remain an important public communication activity.

"Prediction" or "Projection"?: The Nomenclature of Climate Science

Bray, D., von Storch, H. — 2009-05-08

A survey among climate scientists is used to examine the terminology concerning two key concepts in climate science, namely, predictions and projections, as used among climate scientists. The survey data suggest that the terminology used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is not adopted, or only loosely adopted, by a significant minority of scientists. Contrary to established guidelines, approximately 29% of the respondents associate probable developments with projections, and approximately 20% of the respondents associate possible developments with predictions.

Book Review: Journalism, Science and Society, by Martin W. Bauer and Massimiano Bucchi (Eds.). New York: Routledge, 2007. 286 pp

Borchelt, R. — 2009-05-08

Book Review: Future Bioethics: Overcoming Taboos, Myths, and Dogma, by Ronald A. Lindsay. New York: Prometheus Books, 2008. 313 pp

Caulfield, T. — 2009-05-08

Book Review: Reinventing the Sacred: A New View of Science, Reason, and Religion, by Stuart Kauffman. New York: Basic Books, 2008. 320 pp

Larter, R. — 2009-05-08

No More "Business as Usual": Addressing Climate Change Through Constructive Engagement

Maibach, E., Hornig Priest, S. — 2009-02-06

Reorienting Climate Change Communication for Effective Mitigation: Forcing People to be Green or Fostering Grass-Roots Engagement?

Ockwell, D., Whitmarsh, L., O'Neill, S. — 2009-02-06

Climate communication approaches expend significant resources promoting attitudinal change, but research suggests that encouraging attitudinal change alone is unlikely to be effective. The link between an individual's attitudes and subsequent behavior is mediated by other influences, such as social norms and the "free-rider" effect. One way to engender mitigative behaviors would be to introduce regulation that forces green behavior, but government fears a resulting loss of precious political capital. Conversely, communication approaches that advocate individual, voluntary action ignore the social and structural impediments to behavior change. The authors argue that there are two crucial, but distinct, roles that communication could play in engaging the public in low carbon lifestyles: first, to facilitate public acceptance of regulation and second, to stimulate grass-roots action through affective and rational engagement with climate change. The authors also argue that using communication to stimulate demand for regulation may reconcile these "top-down" and "bottom-up" approaches.

A Two-Step Flow of Influence?: Opinion-Leader Campaigns on Climate Change

Nisbet, M. C., Kotcher, J. E. — 2009-02-06

In this article, we review concepts, measures, and strategies that can be applied to opinion-leader campaigns on climate change. These campaigns can be used to catalyze wider political engagement on the issue and to promote sustainable consumer choices and behaviors. From past research, we outline six relevant categories of self-designated opinion-leaders, detailing issues related to identification, recruitment, training, message development, and coordination. We additionally analyze as prominent initiatives Al Gore's The Climate Project and his more recent We campaign, which combines the recruitment of digital opinion-leaders with traditional media strategies. In evaluating digital opinion-leader campaigns, we conclude that there are likely to be significant trade-offs in comparison to face-to-face initiatives. The challenge for both scholars and practitioners is to understand under what conditions are digital opinion-leaders effective and in which ways can online interactions strengthen or build on real-world connections.

"Fear Won't Do It": Promoting Positive Engagement With Climate Change Through Visual and Iconic Representations

O'Neill, S., Nicholson-Cole, S. — 2009-02-06

Fear-inducing representations of climate change are widely employed in the public domain. However, there is a lack of clarity in the literature about the impacts that fearful messages in climate change communications have on people's senses of engagement with the issue and associated implications for public engagement strategies. Some literature suggests that using fearful representations of climate change may be counterproductive. The authors explore this assertion in the context of two empirical studies that investigated the role of visual, and iconic, representations of climate change for public engagement respectively. Results demonstrate that although such representations have much potential for attracting people's attention to climate change, fear is generally an ineffective tool for motivating genuine personal engagement. Nonthreatening imagery and icons that link to individuals' everyday emotions and concerns in the context of this macro-environmental issue tend to be the most engaging. Recommendations for constructively engaging individuals with climate change are given.

If We Seek, Do We Learn?: Predicting Knowledge of Global Warming

Kahlor, L., Rosenthal, S. — 2009-02-06

Derived from the risk information seeking and processing model (RISP), this study sought to isolate predictors of the public's knowledge of global warming. Using a national sample ( N = 805), multiple regression yielded a number of significant relationships among 13 moderators. Notably, the number of media sources used for information about global warming, information seeking effort, and general education were relatively strong predictors of knowledge. Counter to expectations, informational subjective norms were inversely related to knowledge.

Book Review: Parker, Cindy L., and Steven M. Shapiro. 2008. Climate Chaos: Your Health at Risk. What You Can Do to Protect Yourself and Your Family. Westport, CT: Praeger. 213 pp

Gastel, B. — 2009-02-06

Book Review: What Can Nanotechnology Learn From Biotechnology, by Kenneth David and Paul B. Thompson (Eds.). Burlington, MA: Academic Press, 2008. 342 pp

Besley, J. C. — 2009-02-06

Of Note

Valenti, J. M. — 2009-02-06

Making Environmental Communications Meaningful to Female Adolescents: A Study in Hong Kong

Lee, K. — 2008-11-03

Past efforts in studying environmental communication tend to focus on Western samples. This article investigates factors that are important in predicting female adolescents' environmental behavior in Hong Kong. Data from a survey conducted with a sample of 3,035 female adolescents show that environmental concern was the top predictor of environmental behavior, followed by perceived environmental responsibility, perceived effectiveness of environmental behavior, and perceived seriousness of environmental problems. It is surprising that environmental attitude was found to be the least important predictor of environmental behavior in the female adolescents of Hong Kong. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

You & Your Body: A Case Study of Bioscience Communication at the University of Leeds

Ward, V., Howdle, P., Hamer, S. — 2008-11-03

Universities are beginning to recognize that failing to engage with local communities can result in decreased public confidence, decreased credibility, and the slow uptake and implementation of research. This has led to significant interest in the concept and practices of public engagement, particularly within science. This article presents a case study of a biomedical public engagement project at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. The authors discuss how the project has highlighted the barriers and facilitators to engaging the adult public with biomedical research and university communities.

Interpersonal Discussion Following Citizen Engagement About Nanotechnology: What, If Anything, Do They Say?

Besley, J. C., Kramer, V. L., Qingjiang Yao, , Toumey, C. — 2008-11-03

The current study explores interpersonal discussion following participation in a novel program of citizen engagement about nanotechnology. Participants answered closed- and open-ended questions about their discursive behavior in a postengagement survey. The study seeks to address whether organizers of citizen engagement can expect participants to extend the impacts of engagement beyond direct participants through interpersonal discussion. Respondents reported moderate levels of postengagement discussion and appeared to say positive things about both nanotechnology and the experts who contributed to the engagement program. Respondents also reported primarily talking about nanotechnology in terms of scientific progress while using a range of fairness and competence frames to discuss experts and the program.

Human Cloning and the Raelians: Media Coverage and the Rhetoric of Science

Alcibar, M. — 2008-11-03

In this article, the author analyzes the reported coverage on human cloning and the Raelians in the Spanish newspaper El País. On December 27, 2002, Brigitte Boisselier, the director of the biotechnology company Clonaid, part of the International Raelian Movement, announced they had successfully cloned a baby girl. This news report enlivened the controversy on human cloning, which originated in February 1997 with the news of Dolly's birth. El País constructed the controversy as a fundamental problem of scientific policy. This study suggests that El País wants to persuade policy makers to establish limited regulations on experimentation with embryo stem cells for therapeutic purposes. To achieve this goal, this newspaper used scientific sources selected ad hoc and a series of well-defined rhetorical strategies.

Science-Media Interface: It's Time to Reconsider

2008-11-03

An international mail survey of 1,354 biomedical researchers in five countries has revealed that interaction with the media is widespread among this group and that this interaction is largely perceived in a positive light. Possible reasons are offered as to why the perception persists that the scientist-journalist relationship remains troubled, despite the apparent reality. This reality may have negative as well as positive implications; the potential for too much control by the scientific community of media coverage about it, as well as that for too much media influence on inner-scientific processes, are also addressed.

The State of Science Communication Programs at Universities Around the World

Mulder, H. A. J., Longnecker, N., Davis, L. S. — 2008-11-03

Building on discussions at two workshops held at the recent 10th International Conference on the Public Communication of Science and Technology during June 2008 in Malmö, Sweden, this article proposes specific steps toward achieving a common understanding of the essential elements for academic programs in science communication. About 40 academics, science communication professionals, and students from at least 16 countries participated in this process.

Book Review: The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman. New York: Thomas Dunne Books (St. Martin's Press), 2007. 324 pp

Kilker, J. — 2008-11-03

Of Note

Valenti, J. M. — 2008-11-03