Effective Chemistry Communication in Informal Environments (2016) / Chapter Skim
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2 Why Chemists Engage in Communication
2 Why Chemists Engage in Communication
Pages 19-36
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From page 19... ...
These individuals noted many personal and professional motivations and goals for engaging in communication; one chemist stated, "Personally I've made it my mission to change attitudes towards chemistry." The chemists also often noted that they developed the communication activities to fulfill funding requirements, such as the National Science Foundation's (NSF's) Broader Impacts criterion.
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1) One commonly cited reason for engaging in chemistry communication with the public is that it serves a personal and intellectual need, "broadly framed as knowledge for the sake of knowing more about the world and how it works, addressing human curiosity in ways that go beyond instrumental needs for practical knowledge" (NSB, 2012, pp.
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As will be discussed, engaging in communication with the public in informal environments provides opportunities to showcase real-world examples of chemistry and to increase public awareness of chemistry's roles in various aspects of society. Goal 3: Empower Informed Citizen Participation in Democratic Processes "Everyone needs to be able to engage intelligently in public discourse and debate about important issues that involve science and technology." (NRC, 1996, p.
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report Learning Science in Informal Environments, "Anderson et al.
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THE ROLES OF CHEMISTS IN COMMUNICATING IN INFORMAL SETTINGS As discussed below, chemists themselves contribute in at least three ways to learning chemistry in informal environments: as sources of content, as sources of credibility, and as bridge builders with other groups. Chemists as Sources of Content Chemists play an important role in chemistry content for informal environments.
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Chemists can thus support communication in informal environments by providing content on both chemistry fundamentals and current chemistry research. Chemists as Sources of Credibility In general, Americans rank scientists as more credible sources of scientific information than most others who might provide such information, such as the news media and regulatory agencies (see Figures 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3)
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. The NSF's biennial Science and Engineering Indicators series shows that the public thinks scientists who are specialists in a scientific field understand both the science and the public issues related to that field better than elected officials, business leaders, or religious leaders.
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EFFECTIVE CHEMISTRY COMMUNICATION IN INFORMAL ENVIRONMENTS FIGURE 2-3 Public confidence in institutional leaders. Note that scientists are often perceived positively by the survey respondents.
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Enhanced Learning About Informal Science Education and Science Communication Informal science education and science communication are social science disciplines that may be unfamiliar to many chemists. However, chemists who participate in such activi 4 The term "publics" refers to the multiple communities that exist within the general public.
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University-affiliated individuals who participate in NISE Net noted multiple benefits of participation. They value providing nanoscience learning activities to interested individuals, but they also recognize that participating provides them with valuable professional development; for some, this was the greatest benefit of participation.
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. Informal science education organizations have developed knowledge about and skills for engaging the public in learning about science, and scientists appreciate the value of that knowledge and those skills: We live in a short-attention-span world, and although science is engaging by itself, scientists may not be the best candidates to come up with attention-grabbing ideas.
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From page 30... ...
The benefits to chemists of such dialogue were noted in interviews conducted by Inverness Research Associates in 2009 with scientists engaged in NISE Net public communication activities. The benefits included learning how to better communicate their own scientific interests to the public, fulfilling the Broader Impacts requirements of their NSF grants, and "learning from the public -- getting a chance to hear their questions, issues, and concerns regarding nanoscience." A sample of scientists' comments includes the following (St.
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They have found that the questions raised by the public during engagement activities lead the students to consider their work in new ways and extend the students' awareness of the potential societal implications of nanoscience. Strengthening Research Grant Applications Participation in communication activities aids chemists applying for grants from NSF and other federal funding agencies.
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In a 1990 Association of Science-Technology Centers survey of science museums and science centers, 28 percent of science museums reported no chemistry activities and less than 30 percent reported chemistry exhibits (Zare, 1996)
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2015. Bridging science education and science communication research.
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:908-937. NISE Net (Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network)
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2011. Review of NISE Network Evaluation Findings: Year 1–5 [online]
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