Welcome to the jungle : science communication in the mediatized society

This paper discusses the influence of the media on science communication, on both the institutional and personal level with regard to the changing public nature of science. Authors analyze three heavily intertwined parts of the modern system of science: regulation of science, communication of science and the processes of its production. Looking from the institutional perspective the following tendencies of science mediatization are observed: institutional and individual self-promotion (i. e. PR), increase of scientific (and/or political) impact, selfregulatory behaviour and simplistic mediation of scientific content. At the micro- level, or in the arena where science actually is produced three areas of particular media influence are highlighted: achieving and improving scientific status, increase of informal scientific communication and changes in scholarly publishing patterns. Authors conclude by emphasizing the need of embedding the media and information literacy content into all levels of science education and production

Estudo dos canais informais de comunicação técnica: seu papel na transferência de tecnologia e na inovação tecnológica

Estudo dos canais informais de comunicação técnico-científica,com ênfase nos canais de comunicação técnica em laboratórios de pesquisa e desenvolvimento, e em suaatuação sobre os processos de inovação e de transferência de tecnologia.Visando fornecer ferramentas que possibilitassem aos administradores de pesquisa e desenvolvimento uma melhor utilização dos recursos humanos envolvidos em P & D, foram estudados, à luz de uma abordagem de processamento da informação, os vários papéis técnicos informacionais existentes,e que constituem os verdadeiros agentes da comunicação técnica, intra ou inter-organizacional   Descritores Comunicação informal. Comunicação formal. Comunicação técnica. Transferência de tecnologia. Inovação tecnológica. Administração de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento. Gatekeepers.   Abstract Study of the informal channels of scientific and technological communication, with emphasyson the informal channels of technical communication within R & D laboratories and on its role as regards the processes of innovation and technology transfer.Aiming at providing tools that could enable R & D managers to maximize the utilization of the human resources involved in R & D, through management of the communication channels within the organization,the existing special communication/information roles were studied taking into consideration an information processing approach.These roles constitute the true agents of technical communication, either intra or inter-organizational boundarie

Informal Science Engagement via Extension Exhibits: A Pilot Evaluation of Adult State Fairgoers’ Experiences, Attitudes, and Learning at Raising Nebraska

Science communication and informal science education collide in the context of Extension state fair exhibits for engaging public audiences in critical agricultural and natural resource issues impacting people’s daily lives. A need exists to employ systematic communication and education theory and techniques to effectively deliver scientific information in informal learning spaces. In an effort to apply and expand systematic instructional design thinking and research in informal science learning, this study piloted a touchscreen iPad survey evaluation (n= 93; ages 19-66) of adult state fairgoers’ demographics, experiences, attitudes, and learning during their visit to a 25,000 square-foot facility featuring an Extension museum-quality exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair in 2016. The exhibit included content such as farmers’ and ranchers’ stories, food security, soil quality, and water flow via natural landscapes and irrigation. Survey results included fairgoers’ demographics and backgrounds, as well as insights into favorite exhibit features, attitudes toward agricultural and environmental issues, and exhibit experience and attitude differences between visitors with agricultural backgrounds versus non-agricultural backgrounds. Results showed respondents were predominantly Caucasian with ties to agriculture, preferred physical and electronic engagement pieces of the exhibit compared to static text panels, and expressed slight changes in attitudes about agriculture with larger shifts in attitudes about the role of science in agriculture. Recommendations include systematically developing Extension informal learning efforts and exhibits such as the one in this study by conducting needs assessments and evaluations, as well as expanding exhibit locations, access, and topics to reach more diverse demographics

Production and use of documentation in scientific software development

Software is becoming ubiquitous in science. The success of the application of scientific software depends on effective communication about what the software does and how it operates. Documentation captures the communication about the software. For that reason, practices around scientific software documentation need to be better understood. This thesis presents four qualitative empirical studies that look in depth at the production and use of documentation of scientific software. Together, the studies provide evidence emphasising the importance of documentation and shows the handshake between written documentation and the informal, ephemeral information exchange that happens within the community. Four reasons behind the obstacles to producing effective scientific software documentation are identified: 1) the insufficient resources; 2) lack of incentives for researchers; 3) the influence of the community of practice; 4) the necessity of keeping up with the regular advancements of science. Benefits of the process of producing documentation are also identified: 1) aiding reasoning; 2) supporting reproducibility of science; 3) in certain contexts, expanding the community of users and developers around the software. The latter is investigated through a case study of documentation ‘crowdsourcing’. The research reveals that there is a spectrum of users, with differing needs with respect to documentation. This, in turn, requires different approaches in addressing their needs. The research shows that the view of what constitutes documentation must be broad, in order to recognise how wide a range of resources (e.g., formal documents, email, online fora, comments in the source code) is actually used in communicating knowledge about scientific software. Much of the information about the software resides within the community of practice (and may not be documented). These observations are of practical use for those producing documentation in different contexts of scientific software development, for example providing guidance about engaging a community in ‘crowdsourcing’ documentation