Open science

Open science is the most recent paradigm shift in the practice of science. However, it is a practice that has emerged relatively recently and as such, its definition is constantly-shifting and evolving. This commentary describes the historical background of open science and its current practice, particularly with reference to its relationship with public engagement with research

Review: 'Social networks and popular understanding of science and health: sharing disparities' by Brian G Southwell

In this book, Brian G Southwell discusses how disparities in information-sharing arise and what can be done to alleviate them. In all sorts of ways and for all sorts of reasons, people have always sought to share information among their family and other social networks. However, this sharing has never been equal: inevitably, some people are better-informed than others and some are more socially-connected than others. At first glance, the plethora of communication tools and technologies available nowadays should help democratise information and reduce disparity but differences in how, when and with whom information is shared create conversation gaps and maintain inequalities. Southwell explores and catalogues information-sharing behaviours, discusses the factors that affect how and why we share information and addresses the questions of why disparities in information-sharing matter and what we can do about the gaps between ‘information-haves’ and ‘information have-nots’

"We muddle our way through": shared and distributed expertise in digital engagement with research

The use and availability of digital media is changing researchers' roles and simultaneously providing a route for a more engaging relationship with stakeholders throughout the research process. Although the digital realm has a profound influence on people's day-to-day lives, some researchers have not yet professionally embraced digital technologies. This paper arises from one aspect of a project exploring how university research and professional practices are evolving as researchers engage with stakeholders via digital media to create, share and represent knowledge together. Using researchers from the Open University (U.K.) as a case study, this paper reviews the extent to which they are developing multiple identities and functions in their engaged research through digital media

Open science and public engagement: Exploring the potential of the open paradigm to support public engagement with science

Open science, a practice in which the entirety of a research project is made available, via the Internet, using a variety of tools and techniques, is an emerging approach to the conduct of science. The hypothesis that open science therefore has the potential to support public engagement with science has been investigated through the research outlined in this thesis. The research has also sought to address the related issues of how, or if, the science thus made available therefore needs to be translated and narrated for public consumption and how, or if, open science can or should develop as a deep and bidirectional mode of engagement between members of the public and researchers.The research employed two methods of qualitative enquiry (interviews and case studies) and one method of quantitative enquiry (a web-based questionnaire survey) to enable appropriate validation through methodological triangulation. The interview participants, recruited through purposive sampling, took part in semi-structured interviews, which were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Three exploratory case studies were selected using a descriptive decision matrix. The case studies were conducted using a mixture of ethnographic observations of events, meetings and other situations involving personal contact, documentary studies of project websites, available materials and so on, and interviews with project members. Finally, a web-based survey was carried out to establish baseline data on the scientific and cultural background, motivations and opinions of visitors to open science project websites.The results suggest that although the principle of openness is widely accepted, there are a number of issues to be addressed as research is opened up to a wider public. These include the development of shared praxis between researchers and members of the public, for example understanding of data analysis techniques and how to support judgements of validity and trustworthiness of information. Problems of data ownership are also foreseen, both in terms of proprietary and intellectual property rights, the maintenance of reputation, precedence and priority and in how to value non-professional and non-traditional contributions to research.The results also indicate that open science has the credentials to claim a place in the ranks of public engagement strategies. This research indicates that open science is not yet a tightly-defined practice; as a flexible, innovative methodology, it offers a variety of routes for engagement for both scientists and members of the public. For scientists, it could be a mode for communication in which the communicative activities are part of daily scientific work. For members of the public, it could enable them to follow a project in which they are interested, offering direct access to data, publications and other research outputs. For both communities, it could support the development and sustaining of public participation in research, and enable dialogue and collaboration throughout the scientific process, from defining the research question, to research design, to experiment, to analysis

Artistic participatory video-making for science engagement

This paper uses theatre to frame reflexive discussions on the use of participatory video making for science engagement. The ‘JuxtaLearn’ research project is presented as a case-study that focuses on performance concepts such as audience, purpose, improvisation or final production as a lens for supporting technology-enabled creative exploration. Three different approaches were taken to creative participatory video making processes: co-creation by learners, as a communication tool for researchers and as a public engagement tool. Differing expectations about the timing and aim of the research process created considerable debate among the research team regarding the control of and purpose of filmmaking. It was not the topic of debate within the film that was deemed controversial, but more who, when and in what ways these debates occurred. Theatrical and HCI concepts of audience, performance ownership, improvisation and storyboarding, boundary object creation, participation and boundary creatures are foci of debate within the project

Evaluation of the Wellcome Trust strand at the Latitude Festival 2015

This report details the key findings of the evaluation of a series of events sponsored by the Wellcome Trust at the 2015 Latitude Festival, which took place between 16th and 19th July. In addition, the report includes the complete evaluation kit.The evaluation included a variety of data collection methods that focused on the audiences’ engagement with the activities and on the presenters’ motivations for participating, the challenges they faced and the value of including these activities in a festival such as Latitude.Dr Ann Grand and Dr Margarida Sardo, from the Science Communication Unit at the University of the West of England, Bristol undertook the evaluation

Science in Culture: Audiences’ Perspective on Engaging With Science at a Summer Festival

© 2016, © The Author(s) 2016. In this commentary, we explore the factors that contributed to festival goers’ choice to attend science-based events at a summer cultural festival. We evaluated the impact of such events on the audiences: their levels of engagement, reasons for participation, and their views on and reactions to the events. Presented with a variety of cultural events, attendances at science-based events were strong, with high levels of enjoyment and engagement with scientists and other speakers. Moreover, audiences saw science not as something distinct from “cultural” events but as just another option: Science was culture

Café sci East Africa: Talking with young people about science and technology

When Café Sci started in Ugandan schools in 2009, it was rare for scientists to visit schools to talk about their research. Former students might speak at career days and the National Council for Science and Technology set up occasional school visits by scientists but the visits seldom focussed on the students’ interests in science and technology.The aim of Café Sci is to support informal, but respectful and rational, conversation between scientists and young people. With the support of the UK’s Wellcome Trust, the British Council and the Ugandan Ministry of Education and Sports, the Café Sci project began in Ugandan secondary schools, primarily in the areaaround Kampala and Mbale, in 2009. By the time the project finished in 2012, Café Sci had established itself in 35 schools as an effective route for scientists to meet young people to discuss issues in science and technology that came from the students’ interests. We ran about 400 cafés, as well as three conferences where students were able to share their experiences

Open Day 2013: Researchers' event evaluation

The University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE) holds open days several times a year. These days enable prospective undergraduates and their families to visit the university and learn more about its study options, programmes and facilities. For the first time, the Open Day held on Saturday 23rd March 2013 included a range of displays and activities featuring current research in the Faculty of Health & Life Sciences. This report details the key findings of an evaluation of the research-based activities at the Open Day, focussing on the visitors’ engagement with research and UWE researchers and on the researchers’ views of the process of developing activities for the Open Day, their motivations for participating, the challenges they faced and the value of including research in the open day