Science and the Public 6th Annual Conference:
‘A Quarter Century of PUS: Retrospect and Prospect’
2-3 July 2011
Kingston University
Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey
Abstracts
Miquel Carandell Baruzzi The “Orce Man” Against the “Deficit Model”.
The "deficit model" is dead. The popularization of science that denied the
participation of public in the production of scientific knowledge is definitely a too
simplistic model. Science communication can not be explained as the two-stage
model where scientists develop new knowledge and after, journalists simplified this
knowledge for the public. New views considered a role in science communication for
the publics, now seen as a wide range of different entities. Further, these publics
must be seen as a crucial factor in the shaping of scientific knowledge. The "Orce
Man" is a very intriguing and unique case study to grasp this approach. In 1983, the
cranial fragment VM-0, found at Venta Micena (Orce, Granada), was attributed to an
hominid by Gibert, Moyà-Solà and Agustí. VM-0 it's a 10 centimeters fragment with
parts of the parietal and occipital bones. It was called "the Orce Man" by Spanish
mass-media were it had a great impact. Scientists themselves gave pressconferences and wrote their own newspaper articles. One year later, the same
cranial fragment was attributed to Equus by other scientists as reported by the
newspaper El País. Three years later, a scientific paper was published dealing with
this attribution. Moyà-Solà and Agustí were the authors of this paper. Only Gibert
continued to claim the human nature of VM-0. Gibert was somehow marginalized by
his colleagues. The mass-media, especially newspapers, were the scenario for the
scientific debate. Due to the public controversy, political institutions refused
excavation petition and funding to Gibert, and Venta Micena's excavations were
stopped for nearly twelve years. The "Orce Man" case shows how popularization of
science, started by scientists themselves looking for funding, validation and
reputation, is far more than a way to minimize public ignorance. Publics and the
media answer to a scientific controversy have a decisive influence in the shaping of
scientific research.
1
Alice Bell (Imperial College) On the tribes of science blogging: "ScienceBlogs is a
high school clique, Nature Network is a private club".
Science blogging is often seen as an opportunity for science to be made more open,
to involve non scientist stakeholder groups and/or other scientists outside a
researcher‟s immediate expert group. Or, to put this in terms in some STS theoretical
framework, that blogs facilitate the treatment of science as a form of “boundary
object” for many eyes to contemplate. However, in action it is possible to see a range
of barriers to such involvement. It is noticeable that much science blogging is largely
“downstream” communication of published research papers and/ or campaigning
over scientifically uncontroversial issues. There are also the sometimes "tribal"
nature of science blogging – it‟s cliques, networks, fractions and dependence on
brands – referenced in the paper's title (taken from discussion on the Scholarly
Kitchen blog). Thus, in STS parlance, we might read science blogging more as an
opportunity for quite straightforward “boundary work”. Taking advantage of the
reflexsive nature of many bloggers, I qualitatively examine the ways in which
bloggers themselves perceive their own identities with respect to two cultural clashes
often associated with the field: journalists vs blogger and scientists vs the public. Do
bloggers feel as if they are working as scientists, popularisers, educators, journalists
and/ or publics? How do they see their audiences and the relationships they might
build? Do science bloggers conceive of themselves as providing an opportunity for
public engagement/ dialogue, or are they producing a rather traditional form of
popular science, largely aiming to disseminate knowledge.
2
Bipana Bantawa (University of Oxford) How can 'dialogue' be reconceptualised in
a citizen science context?
Citizen science is becoming an increasingly popular mode not only to engage with
the non-professional enthusiasts, but also to get some science done. Although data
deluge might have been the driving force behind seeking help from volunteers,
running citizen science projects requires innovative practices on the part of the
scientists as they attempt to make the scientific process more open. It calls for
understanding of the amateur mind. Not often do scientists have to wonder and
discuss how would the public understand the scientific method, especially since their
scientific results could be at stake. Practices that facilitate this kind of thinking require
a different kind of expertise, which may be suggested to be relational in nature. I
argue that our understanding of nature of the dialogue between science the public
needs to be reconceptualised in the context of citizen science. Practices within
science become more complex as the interaction with the public increases and
exploration of those interactions in terms of dialogue as an academic study has value
beyond the academic arena. Theorising the relationship between science and society
in a different light not only bear implications for methodologies in empirical research,
but also it might be instrumental in informing practices within science and the policies
that influence practices that produce scientific knowledge. The ideas to be presented
will be drawn from preliminary data from an ethnographic study of examining the
practices in Galaxy Zoo, a web-based citizen science initiative.
3
Christophe Boete (Unaffiliated) Genetically Modified Mosquitoes for Malaria
Control: Relations between Scientists and Public Opinion, Consultations and Critical
Engagement.
Technological advances in molecular biology have led to the idea of a potential use
of genetically modified mosquitoes for malaria control in the near future. There are
however a number of obstacles that might impair this approach. If the ecological and
evolutionary issues constitute obviously real challenges to the successful deployment
of this high‐tech method, biological questions are not the only issues and we should
really learn form previous experiences in vector control. The ethical and social
aspects related to the possible release of transgenic mosquitoes and the public
perception of biotechnology are indeed major questions to be addressed.
Related to this point, I have conducted a survey whose aim is to determine how
scientists working on malaria perceive the public opinion and how they consider
public consultations on their research dealing with malaria. Among its major results,
the survey reveals that if malaria researchers agree to interact with a non‐scientific
audience, they (and especially the ones from the North) remain quite reluctant to
have their research project submitted in a jargon‐free version to the evaluation and
the prior‐agreement by a group of non‐specialists. This might appear quite striking
considering that most of the researchers consider working on topics with potential
applications. Such a study, by considering the links between the scientific community
and the public(s) reveals the importance to favour the emergence of structures that
could lead to a better involvement of non‐specialist public(s) in the actual debates
linking scientific, technological and public health issues in Africa.
4
Elizabeth Bohm (British Medical Association) Take two aspirin and call me in the
morning - The public understanding of health and the role of the patient in modern
medicine
As part of the public understanding of science there has been a specific journey that
has happened within the public understanding of health. The advent of the internet
has democratised medical information allowing patients to turn up knowing more than
their GP about their condition. Expectations on patient involvement in decision
making about their own care have changed but also about decisions involving
healthcare services and systems which have created mechanisms and forums for
including the „patient voice‟. This is of particular interest as the Health and Social
Care Bill proposes the biggest restructuring of the NHS since its creation in 1948.
This paper will look the journey travelled in the public understanding of science - from
the „deficit model‟ to current understandings of the relationship of the public with
science. This will be paralleled with the journey that has happened in healthcare,
examining at the role of the patient and the public in healthcare and healthcare
systems, the changing relationship between the public and public health and a brief
look at where healthcare may be going. This will touch on the changes that have
been proposed for the NHS as how this fits with the public understanding of health.
5
Angela Cassidy (University of East Anglia) „Evidence based‟ to „evidence led‟
policy? Science in public, expertise and policymaking in the bovine TB debate
In 2008 the findings of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT), the largest field
experiment ever carried out in the UK, were published. Contrary to widespread
expectation, the results of this of this ambitious, expensive and lengthy piece of
policy driven science proved to be unexpected, counterintuitive, complex and
uncertain. The findings were immediately contested in the public sphere of the mass
media by a range of actors, including the Government‟s own Chief Scientist, and
have subsequently been reinterpreted by the new Coalition Government in their
recent proposals for the control of bovine TB (bTB) through badger culling. Actors on
all sides of the badger/bTB debate have configured and reconfigured their positions
with respect to evidence, uncertainty and expertise over the fifteen year period prior
to, during and following the RBCT, but have not changed their stances on bTB. This
paper will discuss developing relationships between science, evidence, policy and
politics over this time, and contrast the differing performances of scientific and
veterinary expertise in the mass media and policy domains. Despite the best efforts
of all involved, managing bovine TB still involves making policy and other decisions
under conditions of irreducible uncertainty: what can this case tell us about the role
of the public sphere in mediating such chronic, ongoing and polarised science/policy
debates?
6
Oliver Escobar (University of Edinburgh)
Science, deliberation, and policymaking: The Brain Imaging Dialogue as upstream
engagement
Neuroscience has become one of the most exciting scientific areas of the last
decade. Brain imaging techniques are an excellent example of the dual nature of
technology. On the one hand, new breakthroughs promise an array of future medical
wonders. On the other, uses of the technology for non-medical purposes (neuromarketing, neuro-security, etc) are raising substantial concerns around privacy, moral
and ethical issues. Scientific communities and policy networks around the UK have
come to recognise the importance of fostering „upstream public engagement‟, that is,
early public dialogue and deliberation around potentially controversial scientific
advances in order to avoid the kind of public outrage and media misrepresentation
that has jeopardised other research agendas in the past. This paper presents the
case of a deliberative process that took place in Scotland in 2010. The Brain Imaging
Dialogue (BID) brought together scientists, health practitioners, philosophers,
ethicists, religious representatives, socail scientists, citizens, policy makers and legal
experts in a series of events about new uses of brain imaging technology around the
world. The BID represented an effort to create a deliberative community of inquiry to
discuss the implications of current and future uses of this emerging technology, and,
on the basis of such dialogue, inform policy deliberation in Scotland. This paper tells
the story of the process from an independent insider perspective, focussing on the
dilemmas emerging in fostering cross-disciplinary deliberative dialogue, as well as on
the challenges of forwarding the results to parliamentary decision-making arenas.
7
Claudia Geyer, Katrin Neubauer & Doris Lewalter (TUM School of Education,
Fachgebiet Gymnasialpädagogik) Public understanding of science via research
areas in science museums - the evaluation of the EU-Project Nanototouch
The EU-Project Nanototouch is a Europe-wide initiative that aims to create innovative
environments in science museums to encourage public understanding of science.
Based on common ground theory (Clark, 1996) and Public understanding of research
(e.g. Field & Powell, 2001), this is done by relocating academic laboratory
environments and research work in science museums and science centers. For this
purpose museum-university-cooperations were founded in different European
locations (Munich, Milano, Naple, Tartu, Göteborg) and research areas in the
associated museums and science centers were established. By doing so the public
gets the opportunity to watch especially trained researchers from the field of
nanotechnology during their daily work, to ask questions, and to discuss with them.
The evaluative research of the project focuses on the acceptance and effects of the
research areas. In every location at least 100 visitors were surveyed after their visit of
the research area by questionnaire (total n=533). Additionally a detailed analysis of
the visit was conducted by applying qualitative interviews with 17 visitors on one
exemplary research area. Within our talk we present results regarding the
motivational and cognitive effects of such a visit and parameters concerning the
person and the situation. The results are discussed in terms of an effective
application of research areas in museums.
8
Beverley Gibbs (University of Nottingham) The Role of Intermediaries in the
Making of Scientific Citizenship
Whilst the shadowy figure of the scientific citizen is prevalent in academic and state
discourse, we have not found it easy to illuminate this problematic individual.
Continually evolving ideas as to what „scientific citizens‟ might look like, where they
might be found and how they emerge or are made are somewhat patchy and
problematic. Why does citizenship –already a highly contested concept – need this
further nuance? This talk draws out and critically evaluates typologies of adult
scientific citizenship from the literature including the work of Callon, Elam &
Bertilsson, Epstein, Irwin, Jasanoff, Michael, Mouffe and Wynne paying particular
attention to the often unarticulated rights, responsibilities, obligations and liberties
that such citizens embody. Mechanisms for – and barriers to – exercising such
citizenship are considered and the role and impact of (non-mass) mediators from
civil, state and commercial sectors of society are highlighted. Ideas of scientific
citizenship have spanned the early (but persisting) „imposed‟ PUS modes of public
education, through cure-all models of democratic dialogue to more emergent genres
of assemblages and social movements. The bounds of these theoretical findings are
then tested by applying them to the contemporary engagement landscape that exists
between publics and science in Scotland with respect to low carbon technologies.
The talk concludes by outlining a programme of exploratory empirical work to
research the roles of these intermediaries and their performative effects on scientific
citizenship.
9
Miguel Gomes (University of the West of England) New Forms of Art, New Forms
of Engagement?
The research presented here consisted in evaluating two media art, or sciart,
exhibitions at Thinktank Science Museum, Birmingham. The artworks evaluated were
Data_plex and Headlines… by Michael Takeo Magruder. The exhibitions were held
at the experimental sciart corridor at Thinktank, and the feasibility of turning the
corridor into a permanent sciart gallery was also a research focus. This study
intended to capture narratives pertaining to various actors in the process: the
institution (through members of staff), the artist and the visitors. Methodology
involved semi-structured interviews with members of all three groups (staff, artist and
visitors). The evaluation of Headlines... also involved a questionnaire. The artworks
evaluated gathered mostly positive opinions from the visitors, but elements of
frustration and indifference have also been identified. Sciart received consensual
support from the visitors, and was seen as a pertinent engagement vehicle by the
artist and Thinktank staff. There is, however, much more to be said on the matter of
science as an artistic practice, or on the role of that art within a science museum. In
this paper, the author aims to share some results of the evaluation. Additionally, a
brief reflection on the role of science in art, and vice-versa, and also on the notion of
science as culture, will be presented.
10
Miguel Gomes and Pedro Casaleiro (Science Museum of the University of
Coimbra) Behind the Glass
The Science Museum at the University of Coimbra, Portugal, has been established
in late 2006. Its permanent exhibition features instruments and objects and
hands-on exhibits, combining a “science centre” fashion with a museum
collection. The phenomena portrayed in this exhibition are related with light and
its interaction with matter, and although many exhibits are interactive, scientific
instruments are also on display. In 2010, the scientific collections from the
University were put under the Science Museum management, as a part of the
second stage of the Science Museum project. A unique collection of 18th and 19th
century scientific instruments from the Physics Cabinet was part of that
collection transfer. The Physics Cabinet has remained it was used in the 18th
century. Visitors have no physical interaction with the instruments while they are
guided though the space and hear about the history of physics revealed by the
instruments exhibited. As the governing paradigm on scientific museology shifts
towards interactivity, this paper focuses on the role an 18th century physics
cabinet can play in 21st century science communication. A brief analysis of the
juxtaposition of two different exhibition styles (the interactive permanent
exhibition and the physics cabinet) is presented, along with the evaluation of
guided tours to the physics cabinet with school groups. A reflection on the
engagement value of the historical connection between scientific
experimentation and entertainment is also presented.
11
Robert Hatch (Kingston University) “Organic = Good, GM = Bad”: A case study of
science education mismanagement
The widely held opinion that Organic food is good and GM food is bad permeates
both society and media in Britain today. A comparison of how these opinions have
developed in Europe and the USA acts as a useful example of how public science
education can be informed more by commercial and media interests than it is
informed by actual science. Public education about both Organic and GM foods is
biased: in both cases interested parties have controlled the narrative to either support
or oppose the science behind Organic/GM products. These biased views permeate
government thinking, media thinking and can eventually lead to a culture in which
oversimplified, unscientific positions about technologies are held. Here science
education has failed as one of the main roles of science education should be to
facilitate individuals in their own objective analysis of technologies. Important lessons
must be learnt from the GM vs. Organic debate if the public are to be educated in a
both a fair and appropriate manner when it comes to science.
Durant, R.F., Legge, J.S. (2005) Public Opinion, Risk Perceptions, and Genetically
Modified Food Regulatory Policy Reassessing the Calculus of Dissent among
European Citizens. European Union Politics 6 (2): 181–200
Magkos, F., Arvaniti, F., Zampelas, A. (2006) Organic food: buying more safety or
just peace of mind? A critical review of the literature. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 46 (1):
23-56.
12
Inga Kroener (Lancaster University) „Caught on Camera‟: the media representation
of CCTV in relation to the 7th July 2007 London Underground bombings
On 7 July 2005, four bombs went off in London – three of which exploded on tube
carriages on the London Underground and one of which exploded on the No.30 bus
at Tavistock Square. All of the bombs were carried in person by suicide bombers. In
the immediate aftermath of the bombings, newspapers focused on the use of CCTV
during the investigations. This paper looks at the dichotomy which exists in the press
media during this time: one the one hand „selling‟ CCTV as a technology which, if
installed to a greater extent throughout the Underground, could have prevented the
bombings; and on the other hand, as a „witness‟ to the events (in terms of retelling
the story in terms of the ordinariness and mundanity of the actions of the people
involved), with the implication that the bombings were not preventable. The paper
situates these differing representations of CCTV in the wider context of UK policy on
CCTV and the notion that is pushed forward of a „passive public‟ in need of
protection.
13
Marek Kukula (Royal Observatory Greenwich) Deep Impact, Dark Matter and the
Deficit Model
In March 2011, to promote its latest exhibition, the Royal Observatory Greenwich
produced a lurid B movie-style poster showing a fiery asteroid on a collision course
with London. The exhibition itself, although accessible and entertaining, was a
scientifically rigorous exploration of the origins of the Solar System. But the playful
way in which the subject was marketed served to illustrate the unusual status of
astronomy and certain other areas of Big Science when it comes to public
engagement. Like other science subjects – biotechnology, climate change –
astronomy enjoys a high profile in the media and in popular culture. But, apart from
occasional questions about funding and the odd clash with religious fundamentalists,
its lack of obviously controversial applications leaves it largely free from negative
associations. And there is another difference: when engaging with the public
astronomers are made acutely aware of a hunger for information across a wide range
of audiences. The public themselves seem to have identified a knowledge deficit
which they are eager to rectify by asking questions and listening to the answers. The
practice of communicating astronomy remains strongly informed by innovations
across the field of public engagement. But techniques in astronomy engagement are
often closer to those employed in the arts, focussing on its inspirational value as well
as its ability to make us examine our view of ourselves. In this paper I‟ll explore these
issues and ask whether the peculiar circumstances of astronomy might hold some
lessons for public engagement in other areas of science.
14
Catharina Landstrom (University of East Anglia) Why experts fail to change public
misunderstandings of scientific uncertainty
The substantial body of knowledge and the range of analytical approaches generated
over 25 years of studying the public understanding of science enables this paper to
turn the question on its head, asking instead how scientists and experts understand
the public. We employ a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach to formulate an
empirically based critique of how experts understand the public understanding of
scientific uncertainty in relation to climate change. Conducting interviews with UK
experts we found that they considered the public to have a poor understanding of
scientific uncertainty and that the topic is misrepresented in the media. Our study
shows the deficit model to be alive and becoming fused with ideas about dialogues
between scientists and publics over scientific uncertainty and climate change. We
also found that the experts‟ understandings of scientific uncertainty differed relative to
their fields of practice. In addition, finding it difficult to communicate uncertainty
experts avoid discussing the issue outside of their own communities of practice, while
efforts to communicate with the public are mainly trying to educate lay audiences in
probability theory. We regard the lack of shared meaning among experts and among
experts and wider publics, as a consequence of a missing public discourse. Using
the CDA framework to contextualise the interviews we are able to rethink the
discrepancy between scientific and vernacular meanings of „uncertainty‟ and suggest
new ways of addressing the problems caused by a lack of shared language in the
communication of climate science.
15
Bruce V. Lewenstein (Cornell University) Natural Science Meets Social Science:
The NRC‟s 2009 Report on “Learning Science in Informal Environments”
One strand in the "Public Understanding of Science" community carries the label
"informal science education" (for example, the U.S. National Science Foundation's
funding stream for popular science productions is called the "Informal Science
Education Program"). ISE operates focuses on "learning outcomes" for individuals,
schools, families, and society. The evidence base that describes informal science, its
promise, and its effects is informed by a range of disciplines and perspectives,
including field-based research, visitor studies, and psychological and anthropological
studies of learning. This talk summarizes a 2009 report prepared by the U.S.
National Research Council on Learning Science in Informal Environments, for which
I was one of the co-leaders. The report draws together disparate literatures,
synthesizes the state of knowledge, and articulates a common framework for the next
generation of practice in and research on learning science in informal environments
across a life span. The report is the product of a 3-year study by the U.S. National
Research Council‟s Committee on Learning Science in Informal Environments.
Contributors include recognized experts in a range of disciplines--research and
evaluation, exhibit designers, program developers, and educators. They also have
experience in a range of settings--museums, after-school programs, science and
technology centers, media enterprises, aquariums, zoos, state parks, and botanical
gardens. This talk summarizes the report, but also calls attention to aspects of the
report where the social study of science allows us to reflect on what constitutes a
“scientific” approach to public understanding of science.
16
Simon J. Lock (UCL) Lost in Translation? Discourses of public engagement and
legitimacy in the UK
The transition over the past twenty-five years from a „deficit model‟ of public
understanding of science to a „dialogue model‟ of science and society is largely
accepted as canon within the academic, political and practitioner circles involved in
debates over the public‟s relationship with science, often with the added assumption
that the conceptual argument for a public engagement agenda has been won. This
paper is based on testimonies from key actors involved in the evolution of the recent
public understanding of science arena, and an examination of documentary
evidence, which suggest, however, that this transition has not been total, or
straightforward. This paper considers the post-2000 phase of “science and society”
which is dominated by the emergence of a new language of engagement and
dialogue within public understanding of science circles. While much of the new
language used by scientists, science communicators and policy makers is similar to
that used previously only by social scientists, thus suggesting some convergence of
the rhetoric of public understanding of science, this paper argues that instead we see
the specific meanings assigned to these terms in a social scientific context getting
„lost in translation‟ as they are taken up by other professions and used to achieve
other purposes. What is evident within this new language, therefore, is a multiplicity
of meanings of „the public‟, and „science‟, as well as different usages of the terms
„science communication‟, „dialogue‟ and „engagement‟. Thus the new dominant
discourse of „science and society‟ post 2000, far from ushering in a new age of
consensus on how to manage the relationship between the public and science
through dialogue, is as contested a cultural space as ideas around PUS had been
previously.
17
Lukas Otto, Marion Rahnke, Joachim Marschall and Michaela Maier (University
of Koblenz-Landau) Effects of science TV-shows on peoples‟ understanding of
science: Results from an online field experiment
Public understanding of what constitutes sound scientific evidence lies at the heart of
scientific literacy (Gott & Duggan, 1998). But do laypersons view evidence as
tentative and uncertain like scientific experts do, and what is the role of science news
media in shaping their understanding of evidence? This paper examines if and how
different journalistic representations of scientific research findings change recipients‟
perception of scientific evidence in a large-scale online field experiment. N=450
participants of a population-based online panel were exposed to six TV show video
clips (one per week) presenting evidence of molecular medicine as either uncertain
or as unambiguous. We report the effects of this treatment on subjects‟ perceived
uncertainty of scientific evidence and knowledge about the scientific process (one of
the most important measures to gain scientific literacy; Pardo & Calvo, 2004),
mediated by personal characteristics such as level of education. Results show that
perception of scientific evidence is moderately effected by science TV-shows:
Participants watching the "uncertain" treatment have significantly higher scores on
the Uncertainty of Scientific Evidence scale (Marschall, Otto, & Maier, 2011) than
subjects watching "certain" science TV-shows or the control group. Furthermore the
knowledge of scientific methods (e.g. what is a control group) highly affects the
beliefs about scientific evidence. Even education has no additional explanatory
power over knowledge of scientific methods. In sum we can conclude that there are
mid-term media effects on beliefs about science.
18
Sai Pathmanathan (Ignition*) Informal Science Education vs. Informal Science
Education
This presentation aims to explore the differences and similarities between informal
science education in the UK and abroad, particularly in the US. Whilst this is not a
formal piece of research (yet!), this session will offer the opportunity to showcase
various pilot schemes and initiatives in both countries aiming to promote informal
approaches to the teaching and learning of science. In particular highlighting new
schemes for incorporating arts into STEM (science, technology, engineering and
mathematics) education. With many confused over the „STEM‟ acronym (and some
countries choosing „TEMS‟), will the new „STEAM‟ („A‟ for „Arts‟) acronym ever catch
on? How many of these initiatives are informal science, and what exactly do we
mean by „creativity in science education‟? Those present will be invited to share their
own experiences of informal science learning and creativity in science education.
19
Daniel Peplow (University of Washington) and Sarah Augustine (Suriname
Indigenous Health Fund) Community-Directed Participatory Action Research by
Native Amerindian Wayana in Southeast Suriname
This project asked the question, “how can Western researchers engage traditional
indigenous communities in Suriname, South America, in public health research. The
approach used was a combination of Participatory Action Research methods and the
methods described by Linda Tihiwai Smith in Decolonizing Methodologies. This
project employed a research framework where „Western‟ researchers became
participating observers in an indigenous-led Western research initiative. While
factors that appealed to indigenous communities were identified, obstacles inherent
to Western culture were also encountered. Critical theory proved that no researcher
is free of bias. Despite the contributions of critical theory to the reformation of
scholarly research, it does not question the superiority of Western knowledge. This
limits the relationship between the Western academy and indigenous communities
since the Western academy, as an institution, controls the means for disseminating
knowledge. Under these conditions, Western researchers must simultaneously
employ the strategy described above to provide the space necessary for indigenous
people (i.e. research subjects) to be leaders in a research project and, at the same
time, they must maintain their objectivity and exercise the academic freedom
necessary to meet the rigors of peer reviewed journals. Tangible evidence of the
conflict inherent to this approach was exemplified in comments from jurors for an
international public health journal who claim it is “impossible to replicate communitydirected studies” without independently controlling the study design. If true, then the
potential for indigenous people to become engaged in Western research initiatives
lies somewhere between being disengaged and participating as unequal partners.
20
Ana-Maria Raus and Ines Hülsmann (Maastricht University) Following the Story
of the Pacemaker: from 'Clean Room' to Exhibition Space
In this paper we research current modes of communicating science to the public in
the Netherlands. Following an object from medical technoscience, the pacemaker,
we discuss the role of technology in the interaction between scientific research
centres and science museums. We are looking at two science museums, one with a
traditional setting, the other with an 'edutainment' approach of presenting scientific
knowledge. In addition, we investigate the collaboration between the latter and a
scientific research centre to see what form knowledge transfer can take. The focus is
on the dialogue between the different actors involved in the popularisation of science,
as well as the ensuing mediation processes. We want to open up for discussion how
the pacemaker acquires different functions in the translation of scientific knowledge
from one context to another. The exchange of competencies from 'clean room' to
exhibition space makes apparent the different ways meaning gets transformed during
the interaction of the different fields. This is problematic especially due to the
diverging aims put forward by the institutions involved in the diffusion of specialised
knowledge. Our approach is based on Latour's Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and
ethnographic research methods.
21
Hauke Riesch, Chi Kong Chyong and David Reiner (University of Cambridge)
Public perceptions of Carbon Capture and Storage: Results from the NearCO2
survey
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a relatively little-known and understood
technology intended to reduce carbon emissions from conventional power plants by
capturing their CO2 emissions and storing them deep underground in depleted
natural gas reservoirs or other suitable sites. The NearCO2 project has been trying to
find out perceptions of specific projects that are currently being planned in five
European countries through a large scale survey on members of the local and
national public as well as selected stakeholder groups (journalists, local politicians,
members of environmental NGOs). The aim of the research is is to define public
information needs regarding CCS and unravel the factors shaping public opinion
about CCS. What is particularly needed is an understanding of how the perceptions
of CCS relate to the locality where specific projects are being planned, and what are
the particular local contingencies that shape reactions towards CCS. The survey
finds for example that knowledge and acceptance about CCS are more negative the
closer the respondents live to the proposed projects, and that specific projects are
perceived as more negative than the technology in general. Worries about the risks
of CCS are predominantly about unforeseen events, whether the technology can
even in theory be tested and how we can know what the storage will be like in 100
years. We conclude that any planned CCS project will need to take into account the
local contingencies and needs, as well as think about communicating and being
honest about risks that are not easily assessable through conventional risk
assessments, since these often fail to capture the unknowns and “unknown
unknowns” that people are worried about.
22
Kate Roach (University of Nottingham) Enchanting Science
Much scholarly work has focused on a single fictional image of the scientist (as
irrational, over-rational or mad) and interprets it as symptomatic of public attitudes
toward science. It is at this point that investigations of fiction and debates about the
public understanding of science intersect and, in a way, short-circuit. There is a
temptation to equate one image with one meaning and one attitude toward science
and to overlook the complexities of science representations, their meanings and the
attitudes that they may reflect and influence. In this paper, I will explore a complex of
scientific themes in two popular, generic fictions that appeared long before and after
the period in which the Bodmer report raised concerns about public attitudes toward
science. Bram Stoker‟s Dracula (1897) and Stephanie Meyer‟s Twilight (2005) are
stories that mingle magic and science, and in so doing raise issues of enchantment
and disenchantment. The notion that science, or rationalism, has a disenchanting
effect on society and the mindset of its people was famously proposed by Max
Weber in 1918. Indeed, fears of disenchantment are inherent in both vampire
stories. Yet, each story also tells of some form of heroic vampire hunter, who
enchants science, restores order and sends a powerfully pro-science message. The
intricacies of enchanted science and rationalized magic that recur in stories
separated by long time periods, suggest that these themes have a cultural
significance, not least, a sophistication, beyond PUS. Is science always, and at
once, rational and magical?
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Roundtable: Science and Public: Researchers in practice?
Convener Angela Cassidy (University of East Anglia)
Participants (provisional): Simon Lock (UCL); Jason Chilvers (UEA); Alice Bell
(Imperial); Claire Wilkinson (UWE)
This panel session will use the conference theme as a stopping off point to open a
conversation about the roles played by 'science and public' researchers in practices
of public engagement, participation, policymaking and communication. Despite the
highly influential role S&P researchers have had on changing the broader realm of
(natural?)science-society relations, as a field we seem to have been remarkably
unreflexive in addressing our own positions as „experts‟ in this domain, or in changing
the ways in which we address public participation and communication in our day to
day research.
Each of the panel members will speak briefly of their experiences
researching, participating and communicating about S&P research.
We will then open the session to general discussion, in which we hope to address
some of the following questions:
What makes an „expert‟ in participation?
How can we improve relations with policymakers?
How do we better communicate key ideas in the field?
Why do so few S&P researcher engage in public communication?
How do make sure our own attempts at „engagement‟ are truly conversational, and
how do we best take on ideas from outside of the field?
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Stephen Sillett and Jennifer Jimenez (Aiding Dramatic Change in Development)
Socio-Drama Topography: A Method to Engage Communities in Dialogue and Inform
HIV/AIDS Programming
Introduction
Our project, exploring peer influence and vulnerabilities of youth infected or affected
by HIV and AIDS, was conducted through a 4 day school-based workshop in rural
South Africa. Consideration of the fatigue caused by humid 30C heat, hunger and
affects of HIV/AIDS – along with the need to be sensitive to cultural-specific
terminology and desire to honor the long-term trusting relationships the local Zulu
facilitators have built with the children and their parents – all directed our decision in
using the unique method of Socio-Drama Topography (SDT).
Method
SDT leads the youth through consensus mapping of the physical areas where peer
influence is likely to occur, exploring examples through non-verbal dialogue in image
theatre exercises. This dialogue is extended through visual art and photo card
activities, which lead to opening up discussions for solutions in role-play scenes. This
methodology is community based, allowing the participants to direct the content
explored, in a way that can be owned and does not carry an overtly western, and by
implication colonizing scientific rhetoric.
Conclusions
SDT is easily adaptable to a variety of dialogical considerations. The multiple steps
involved help to build trust, open dialogue and allow for an in-depth exploration of
issues. The extensible nature of the SDT process allows different modes of
communication to be introduced and provides students with access to multiple levels
of engagement.
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Theatrescience:
Rebecca Gould, Jeff Teare (Co-directors), Anthony J. Pinching (Peninsula
School of Medicine and Dentistry), Simon Turley (Ridgeway Specialist Science
College)
Theatrescience has created theatre and drama based on biomedical science (HIV,
CFS/ME, Cholera, Bilharzia, Dementia, Bipolar Disorder, etc.), and engaged in
diverse public engagement activities since 2002, producing shows and presenting at
conferences in four continents. We have developed a successful modus operandi,
based on creative partnerships between scientists and theatre practitioners, and on
public engagement through performance, workshop and discussion. Our work has
ranged from educative drama in rural Ugandan schools to plays in Bangalore and
London theatres, and at the Eden Project in Cornwall. Most of our work has been
video-ed and independently evaluated, with powerful individual feedback e.g.
(Eden) “It moved me to tears, and its high relevance and insight into the different
natures of dementia were enlightening” (see www.theatrescience.org.uk).
However, we are keenly aware of the dangers of muddling the role of drama as
entertainment with that of education. The drama has to work as drama, with
authenticity of both the science and the human narratives. We do not teach science
nor try to make the general public more amenable to controversial scientific
developments. Our workshops, education projects and theatrical productions are
however based on a deep reading of the personal impact of some of the moral,
political and economic issues raised by contemporary biomedical science, and what
they might mean to „being human in the twenty-first century‟. We would like to share
our experiences and debate „science engagement‟ with others doing related work.
We would prefer to do this through a short drama presentation/workshop and
discussion.
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Chris Toumey (University of South Carolina) Public Knowledge of Science.
The US National Science Foundation collects and publishes data every other year in
the form of the Science & Engineering Indicators. Chapter Seven is titled “Public
Attitudes and Understanding”. During the preparation of the 2010 Indicators, there
arose a concern about two particular measures of public knowledge of science, and
how well they capture the phenomena reported in Chapter Seven. One part of
addressing this concern was to convene a workshop at NSF in October 2010 to
reevaluate the conceptual framework for the Chapter Seven data. That workshop
discussed the framework known as “civic scientific literacy” (CSL) that had previously
guided the process of collecting data for Chapter Seven, and the workshop also
identified certain areas that needed improvement. In particular, it was agreed that
the process of measuring and reporting public knowledge of science should start with
the question of what knowledge a person in the public needs, whether for civic
engagement with science and science policy, or for making individual decisions
about one‟s life or health, or for feeding one‟s curiosity about science. This starting
point is different from that which informed the “civic scientific literacy” framework:
there the principal purpose was to measure public knowledge as a reflection of
scientific knowledge in general. The revised framework is known as “science in the
service of citizens and consumers” (SSCC), and it entails a series of consequences
for how we think about relations between the public and scientific knowledge. This
presentation traces the relationship between discourses of CSL and SSCC in the US,
and perhaps enables us to compare that with discourses in the UK, e.g., the Bodmer
Report and the critique of the Bodmer Report.
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Giuseppe A. Veltri (Institute for Prospective Technological Studies) Viva la
nano-revolución! A semantic analysis of Spanish national press
This study analyses nanotechnology‟s anchoring and codification in the Spanish
national press to determine in which thematic contexts this technology has been
discussed. Latent semantic analysis was applied to identify themes based on
semantic clusters and their longitudinal evolution. This analysis was carried out on a
corpus of more than 600 articles from the most important Spanish national
newspapers and includes articles from 1997 to 2009. Findings indicate an overall
positive coverage and dominant thematic clusters related to national policies,
economic development and business opportunities. Surprisingly, controversies on
nanotechnology are present in early years of coverage but later become marginal.
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