Science Communication

Frank Burnet

The Science Communication Unit

Bristol

Who’s he?

• Professor of Science Communication

• Director of Science Communication Unit

[Graphic Science]

• Founding Director Cheltenham Science Festival

• Director of Masters in Science Communication

[Bristol]

What’s the SCU

• Ben Johnson

• Karen Bultitude

• Helen Featherstone

• Emma Weitkamp

• Clare Wilkinson

• Laura Streith

• Claire Rocks

• Emily Dawson

• Becky Williams

• Valerie Wicksey

• www.uwe.ac.uk/fas/graphicscience

Why communicate science to the

public?

To produce a science and technology

literate workforce

• To enable citizens to play an informed role

in their democracy

• To reclaim science’s place as a part of

main stream culture

Sponsors and their motives

To produce a science and technology literate workforce

• Universities: to attract students [ recruitment into science degree courses is declining in many parts of the world, in the UK the number of Universities offering degrees in the Physical Sciences [data cf 1980 c 2005] is in long term decline, as is the number of applicants for them]

• Learned Societies and Institutions [eg Institute of Physics, Royal Society of Chemistry]: to maintain their membership base and promote the value of their disciplinary area

• Government Agencies: concern about ability to compete globally as a knowledge based economy

• Private sector: need for new ideas and talent

Sponsors and their motives

To enable citizens to play an informed role in their democracy

• Research Funders: to assure support for expenditure on research from the general public

• Government Agencies : to assure the acceptance of innovatory technologies within society

• Private sector: to assure return on investment in new technology

Sponsors and their motives

To ensure that science and technology are

an integral part of everyday experience

• Educators [at all levels]: to ensure the

general population is science literate

• Scientists: to be valued and trusted

Who are the Public?

Many publics, can be categorised by amongst many other

things:

Age

Gender

Ethnicity

Educational achievements

Occupation

Leisure interests

Political views

Marital status

Who are the Public?

Many attitudes to science

Fascination: seek out science in the media, enjoy gadgetry - I am amazed by science [75%]

Tolerance: passive but generally supportive

- Science and technology are making our lives healthier, easier and more comfortable [68%]

Fear: distrust of motives of scientists and their funders - Rules will not stop researchers doing what they want behind closed doors [70%]

Indifference: low priority concern, out of reach - Science and technology is too specialised for most people to understand it [66%]

[data adapted from OST/Wellcome Trust. Survey of Public attitudes to Science and technology UK 2000]

Who are the Public?

Many approaches to taking science to them,

fall into two categories:

• Direct interaction

• Media coverage

Direct Interaction

Pluses

• public meet a scientist

• control of content

• two way communication

Minuses

• small audience

• low sustainability

• preaching to converted

Media coverage

Pluses

• reach a large potential audience

• agenda setting [opinion formers/decision makers in audience]

• select an audience [Sun vs Guardian]

Minuses

• lack of control [I never claimed that..]

• limited focus [Breakthrough in …..treatment]

• one way communication easier [plus editorial line]

What types of direct interaction?

• Talks

• Displays

• Public Events

• Posters

• Performances

• Science Centres

• Festivals

TALKS

• Based on lecturing model;

• Predominantly a one way communication tool;

although can be time for questions and answers,

but not usually discussion.

• Focused on facts; can be problems with talking

at right level for a particular audience

• Highly transferable; once devised a lecture can

be delivered on many occasions

DISPLAYS / EXHIBITS

• Experienced by individuals or small groups rather than by audiences

• experience can be open-ended; allowing people to choose the level at which they wish to be addressed etc

• possibilities for two way communication; principally one to one encounters

• Require high levels of attention;

• Need to look good

Poster campaigns

• Reach audiences other than “the converted”

• Place science in everyday contexts; like buses

• Large potential audience; although can be hard to evaluate real numbers engaged

• Better suited to one way rather than two way communication; although can be used as tip of an information pyramid

• Graphics and textual styles are audience selective

• Can be reproduced in different formats

• Contagious because easily adapted for specific contexts and purposes

Evaluation What is the message of this poster?

25%

21%

12%

18%

9%8%

22%21% 22%

15%

13%15%

13%

8%

15%

18%

20%

11%

18%

22%

28%

20%

29%

34%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

16-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 65+

Message Content Theme Other

Examples of SMS messages

• Personally I believe that better controlled food would be

the first step into the right direction

• YES to local and appropriate farming technology. NO to

global companies controlling our food and trade.

• Supposing my mother had chosen to abort me and my

brother due to the fact we had Cystic Fibrosis. I think the

world would have lost out especially my girlfriend.

Perhaps science will rid the world of CF before birth and

that would be great.

Events in public spaces

• Reach audiences other than “the converted”

• Place science in everyday contexts; like pubs, shopping malls etc

• Potential for two way communication

• provide opportunities for the public to “Meet a Scientist” on neutral ground

• concept is contagious, events can be devised to fit in other “generic venues”

• a particular venue specific event can also be contagious in that it can be run by others [see Physics to Go; www.einsteinyear.org]

Supermarkets

Where ?

Where?

Motorways

Festivals

Types

• A conference to which the media and the public are invited [eg BA, AAAS]; major purpose is to get good press coverage for contemporary science but audiences are generally small.

• A public event that has chosen science as its theme [Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Daugavpils]; major purpose is direct engagement with the public

• five days of science in one of the UK’s premier Festival cities

• appearances by top popularisers of science like: Lord Winston,

Richard Dawkins, Adam Hart Davis, Simon Singh, Colin

Blakemore and Steve Jones.

d

• a programme of debates and discussions about human cloning,

genetic modification and the future of the country-side

• a theme, pleasure, and events about music, chocolate and sex

• a robot arena and a free hands-on science space for families

• live shows for kids

Science Centres

• Hands-on experiences

• Informal learning

• Children and their families

• Mainly about how things work

Would you like to have a robot

living with you

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

< 9 < 14 <24 <44 <64 >64

Age Range

Yes [

%]

male

female

Would you have a robo-dentist?

0

20

40

60

80

< 9 < 14 <24 <44 <64 >64

Age Range

Yes [

%]

male

female

Would you have a robo-cleaner?

0

20

40

60

80

100

< 9 < 14 <24 <44 <64 >64

Age range

Yes [

%]

male

female

Would you like a robo-lover?

0

10

20

30

40

50

15-24 25-44 45-64 65+

Age Group

Yes [

%]

Male

Female

Science Communication Unit

engagement projects

• Robot Thought

• Meet the Gene Machine

• Walking with Robots

Robot Thought: Partners Robotics Labs:

•University of Wales,

Aberystwyth

•University of

Edinburgh

•Open University

•UWE, Bristol

Venues:

•At-Bristol

•Life Science Centre

•Techniquest

•Techniquest@NEWI

•Thinktank Science

Museum

•Science Museum,

London

•W5

•Edinburgh Science

Festival

Other:

•Science

Communication Unit

•Laura Grant

(external evaluator)

Flexible, Transferable &

Sustainable

• No requirement for specialist staging, e.g. sets, lights, etc

• All effects are deliverable through a laptop and a data projector

• No requirement for professional actors

• Adaptable to a range of audiences and venues

Profile

Target audience: 5-11 year olds and their families

Venue: Science Centres and Festivals

Delivered by: Presenters/Explainers

Issues: What is and is not a robot? What do we want to use robots for? What is the state of current research.

Activity: Five interconnected “scenes” each of which involves intense audience involvement

Funder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Meet the Gene Machine

Network Members

• At-Bristol

• Centre for Life, Newcastle

• Glasgow Science Centre

• Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester

• Science Oxford

• Techniquest, Cardiff

• Thinktank, Birmingham

• WhoWhatWhenWhereWhy, Belfast

Profile

• Target audience: 16-19 year olds

• Venue: schools and colleges

• Delivered by: presenters/explainers

• Issue: social and personal impacts of genetic screening

• Activities:

- mini-drama followed by facilitated discussion

- training workshop for teachers

Funder: The Wellcome Trust

Network Members

Barbara Webb

University of Edinburgh

Gurvinder Virk

University of Leeds

Kerstin Dautenhahn

University of Hertfordshire

Owen Hollands

University of Essex

David Barnes

University of Wales, Aberystwyth

Alan Winfield

University of West of England

Phil Husbands

University of Sussex

Open University Robotics Outreach

Noel Sharkey

University of Sheffield

Catherine Aldridge

At-Bristol

Graphic Science

Unit

Quentin Cooper

Public Engagement Expert

Melanie Quin

Public Engagement Expert

SCU Dialogue projects

Science Horizons

http://www.sciencehorizons.org.uk/

Profile

• Target audience: adults

• Venue: science centres and other community spaces

• Delivered by: anybody

• Issue: the implications of future science and technology

• Activities:

- Discussion events that bring experts and the public together

- Group discussions held by anyone willing to call a meeting

Funder: Office of Science and Innovation