Liliann Fischer, Lisa Mertin, Wissenschaft im Dialog, Germany
What does scicomm practice need to know? Identifying open questions by practitioners
Given the heightened importance of science communication in light of current crises, it is pertinent to ensure that it is conducted in an effective way. This confronts science communication practitioners with many questions in their daily work. Science communication research can provide some orientation, but scientific insights on many issues relevant to practitioners are still lacking.
To spark a debate on this and inspire relevant research, an analysis of the open questions by science communication practitioners in Germany was conducted. The rich results show among other things that practitioners seem to be particularly interested in learning more about the impact of their communication, their target groups and current challenges. The poster will encourage participants to engage with the results, reflect on them in light of their own work and point out further questions of interest. The data was collected in the framework of the German project Transfer Unit Science Communication.
Anne Kearns, Laura Grehan, Adapt Centre, Ireland; Christophe Debruyne, Université de Liège, Belgium; Mary Colclough and Ciaran O’Neill, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Debunked: How to Tell Fact from Fiction
Have you ever shared an article or meme on social media that you believed to be true, only to realise later that it was “fake news”? In this time of information overload, it’s an easy mistake to make, and it has happened to most of us. Mis-or Dis-information is becoming one of the biggest challenges we face. It is increasingly difficult for people to trust the research they are being presented with. In 2021-2022, in an effort to tackle this universal problem, ADAPT in partnership with Trinity College Dublin, engaged local residents to co-develop an informative, fun, and interactive public workshop to help people uncover these incidents of “fake news”.
This poster presentation will outline how ‘Debunked’, co-created a series of one-off interdisciplinary workshops for adults, promoted awareness of the importance of data literacy in tackling Mis or Dis-information, providing an opportunity for participants to improve their data literacy skills in an interactive and social space.
Xenia Raufeisen, TU Dortmund University, Germany
@-Reply: The positive effects of replied messages on bystanders’ credibility perception of scientific information
I propose that science communicators can enhance their credibility perception through active engagement in online debates. Social media allows private users and organizations not only to state posts, but also to reply to others. For instance, Donald Trump is famous for twittering wrong information about the existence of climate change. One strategy of climate scientists is correcting the misinformation in replying to Trump’s tweets and stating the right facts about climate change (Paul, 2019). So, scientist can post scientific facts on their accounts or institutional website or they can reply to other users. In a series of seven experiments, I investigated the effect, that the information in a replied-message is perceived as more credible than a single-stated message containing the same content. In fact, I found that this effect appears in various contexts can be explained through enhanced authenticity perception of the communicator.
Julia Panzer, Wissenschaft im Dialog, Germany
Who do we want to reach? Approaches to describing target groups in science communication
Science communication often tries to address different parts of society. In order to find out how this can be done successfully, an understanding of specific target groups is essential and it can be helpful to think beyond socio-demographics to get a clear picture of who we are trying to communicate with. This interactive poster presents the results of an analysis of typologies and dimensions from research and practice for distinguishing and describing science communication target groups. The participants have the opportunity to answer questions for themselves, reflect and to bring “their” target group to life by referring to different categories and characteristics. What attitudes and prior knowledge does the target group have? Are there certain channels through which information is consumed? Is there a particular relation to the institution or person communicating? Based on these and other categories, an in-depth discussion of target groups can be initiated directly on site.
John Hyland and Catriona Boyle, Teagasc, Ireland
An Evaluation of the Irish Science Week Festival of Farming and Food
Science Week is a week-long engagement event in Ireland. As part of Science Week the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority (Teagasc) hosts nationwide events every November. Results of the 2021 evaluation survey were positive; participants said it increased their interest in science. A focus group with primary school pupils served as an opportunity to assess perceptions of the event and wider issues. Pupils stated the educational packs Teagasc provided enabled them to apply science in a real world setting. Those who did not typically enjoy science appreciate when art is a medium of engagement. Female scientists were seen as outsiders; making science less appealing to girls. Results suggest that the event is achieving its objective of increasing engagement. However, there are issues that require attention. Results from the 2022 festival are forthcoming and both 2021 and 2022 evaluations will be combined for a EUSEA conference poster presentation.
Bonny Ortiz, the University of Puerto Rico
Celebrating Latin Women in Science: Uncovering Groundbreaking Contributions & Overcoming Challenges
The Next Generation of Latinas in STEAM initiative started four years ago with a community of passionate Latinas in Puerto Rico who worked together to share and celebrate their scientific and social contributions. These dedicated Latinas inspire and encourage the next generation to strengthen their scientific literacy and pursue STEAM careers by providing opportunities to develop the skill set and networks needed to succeed in the field. Through exciting activities and opportunities, young Latinas and girls connect with successful Latina scientists, share ideas, receive advice, and gain empowerment and confidence to navigate the STEAM paths.
As part of the initiative, we have successfully organized four “The Power of Women in Science” symposiums that impacted over 4,000 participants. We have also created two books, held two career fairs in STEM, celebrated the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and developed over ten workshops in advanced science topics for teachers, as well as four orientations on STEAM careers. Alongside our latest activity, the creation of a traveling exhibition that tells inspiring stories of pioneer Latinas in STEM, our initiative has been highly successful in breaking stereotypes so that young Latinas can feel identified and proving to young women that they can be scientists without compromising their identity, culture, or gender.
Susan Crawford, FutureNeuro SFI Research Centre for Rare and Chronic Neurological Diseases, Ireland
Growing Brain Health and Neurological Disease Awareness in A Primary and Secondary School Education Context.
This poster explores the planning, implementing and evaluating of a collaborative University-School-Community initiative to address Growing Brain Health and Neurological Disease Awareness for both primary and secondary school educators and parents in an education context. The project involved FutureNeuro Researchers, Clinical Neurologists and Educators collaborating to develop and deliver quality webinars to audiences in lay English with working examples of how to optimize brain health and also how to grow awareness, understanding and acceptance of neurological diseases. Qualitative feedback from all stakeholders using the reflective framework for teaching and learning indicated that participants evolved across technical, situational, and sensitizing reflections following engagement with the programme and the overall initiative.