BUILDING INCLUSIVITY IN SCIENCE COMMUNICATION THROUGH MULTIPLE HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES

The development of science communication practice is often driven by the evolving needs and embedded values of a specific culture or country (Davies & Horst 2016). These differing perspectives are lost when we focus on Western histories of science and science communication. In the literature, and often in practice, this has resulted in the exclusion of non-Western and Indigenous histories of communicating scientific knowledge (Orthia, 2020). Similarly, science syllabi often privilege Western histories of science, with narratives of white male scientists dominating science history (Pringle & McLaughlin, 2014). These narratives are neither representative of the rich history of science nor the diversity of the student cohorts. Incorporating science history into curriculums can improve student engagement and understanding of concepts (Olsson et al., 2015), highlighting the importance of representing diverse histories. This presentation will explore multiple histories of science communication, including Western, non-Western, and Indigenous histories. It will challenge the ‘deficit to dialogue’ rhetoric by highlighting the broad landscape of science communication in Australia and globally. Finally, it will suggest some ways to broaden histories of science communication and acknowledge those that have been excluded in order to build towards a more inclusive future of science education and communication. REFERENCES Davies, S. R., & Horst, M. (2016). Science Communication. Palgrave Macmillan UK. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-50366-4 Olsson, K. A., Balgopal, M. M., & Levinger, N. E. (2015). How Did We Get Here? Teaching Chemistry with a Historical Perspective. Journal of Chemical Education, 92(11), 1773–1776. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed5005239 Orthia, L. (2020). Strategies for including communication of non-Western and indigenous knowledges in science communication histories. Journal of Science Communication, 19(2), A02. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.19020202 Pringle, R. M., & McLaughlin, C. A. (2014). Preparing Science Teachers for Diversity: Integrating the Contributions of Scientists from Underrepresented Groups in the Middle School Science Curriculum. In M. M. Atwater, M. Russell, & M. B. Butler (Eds.), Multicultural Science Education: Preparing Teachers for Equity and Social Justice (pp. 193–208). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7651-7_1

A NEW ECOSYSTEM OF ONLINE SCIENCE: ONLINE EVENTS AS A TOOL FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN SCIENCE

Science education is frequently singled out as a priority goal for Australia (Office of the Chief Scientist, 2014). To date, much of the focus has been on formal education (Falk & Needham, 2013), despite the average person spending less than 5% of their life in formal education (Corin et al., 2017). Public science events and festivals are increasingly recognised as crucial avenues for facilitating science engagement, learning, and positive attitudes towards STEM, particularly for low-SES or marginalised populations (Canovan, 2019; Jensen & Buckley, 2014). However, there has been relatively little focus in the literature on online public science events and their impacts. COVID-19 has prevented public gatherings, but a diverse online ecosystem of free-choice learning avenues, such as online classes, panel discussions, interactive workshops and more, have flourished during this period. Previous research on online science engagement mostly focuses on social media and online platforms such as TED talks (McClain, 2017; Scotto di Carlo, 2014). The current situation provides a new opportunity for online science engagement to expand beyond social media and into the sphere of online events. This presentation will focus on the shifting directions of free-choice science learning in the online space. It will describe how diversifying future online engagement could positively impact how audiences interact and engage with science online, as well as highlighting some areas for future research. REFERENCES Canovan, C. (2019). “Going to these events truly opens your eyes”. Perceptions of science and science careers following a family visit to a science festival. Journal of Science Communication, 18(2), A01. https://doi.org/10.22323/2.18020201 Corin, E. N., Jones, M. G., Andre, T., Childers, G. M., & Stevens, V. (2017). Science hobbyists: Active users of the science-learning ecosystem. International Journal of Science Education, Part B, 7(2), 161–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2015.1118664 Falk, J. H., & Needham, M. D. (2013). Factors Contributing to Adult Knowledge of Science and Technology. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 50(4), 431–452. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21080 Jensen, E., & Buckley, N. (2014). Why people attend science festivals: Interests, motivations and self-reported benefits of public engagement with research. Public Understanding of Science, 23(5), 557–573. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662512458624 McClain, C. R. (2017). Practices and promises of Facebook for science outreach: Becoming a “Nerd of Trust.” PLoS Biology, 15(6). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2002020 Office of the Chief Scientist. (2014). Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: Australia’s Future. Office of the Chief Scientist, Australian Government. Scotto di Carlo, G. (2014). The role of proximity in online popularizations: The case of TED talks. Discourse Studies, 16(5), 591–606. https://doi.org/10.1177/146144561453856

A Preliminary Study: An Evaluation and Redevelopment of Current First Year Laboratory Practices

This study consisted of an evaluation and redevelopment of first year laboratory experiments in Chemistry 1 at the School of Chemistry, University of Tasmania, with respect to the teaching styles implemented. The teaching approaches focused on were expository, guided inquiry, and problem solving and these were applied to two physical chemistry experiments. The aims of this study included investigation into the engagement and input of both students and demonstrators, the understanding achieved by students through completion of the laboratory experiment, and the enjoyment of students in participating and completing the laboratory experiment. The major outcomes of this study found that both problem solving and guided inquiry approaches had greater success than the expository approach in areas such as the engagement of students within the laboratory environment, and the deeper understanding the students gained in the chemical concepts. In addition, expository and problem solving approaches were found to have more acceptable workloads than the guided inquiry variant. The greatest contribution of this study is in providing a foundation for further investigations to be continued into this field of research

Phenotypic Characterization and Comparison of Cystic Fibrosis Rat Models Generated Using CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing

Animal models of cystic fibrosis (CF) are essential for investigating disease mechanisms and trialing potential therapeutics. This study generated two CF rat models using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats–associated protein 9 gene editing. One rat model carries the common human Phe508del (ΔF508) CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutation, whereas the second is a CFTR knockout model. Phenotype was characterized using a range of functional and histologic assessments, including nasal potential difference to measure electrophysiological function in the upper airways, RNAscope in situ hybridization and quantitative PCR to assess CFTR mRNA expression in the lungs, immunohistochemistry to localize CFTR protein in the airways, and histopathologic assessments in a range of tissues. Both rat models revealed a range of CF manifestations, including reduced survival, intestinal obstruction, bioelectric defects in the nasal epithelium, histopathologic changes in the trachea, large intestine, and pancreas, and abnormalities in the development of the male reproductive tract. The CF rat models presented herein will prove useful for longitudinal assessments of pathophysiology and therapeutics

Daptomycin plus fosfomycin versus daptomycin monotherapy in treating MRSA: protocol of a multicentre, randomised, phase III trial.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the availability of new antibiotics such as daptomycin, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemia continues to be associated with high clinical failure rates. Combination therapy has been proposed as an alternative to improve outcomes but there is a lack of clinical studies. The study aims to demonstrate that combination of daptomycin plus fosfomycin achieves higher clinical success rates in the treatment of MRSA bacteraemia than daptomycin alone. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A multicentre open-label, randomised phase III study. Adult patients hospitalised with MRSA bacteraemia will be randomly assigned (1:1) to group 1: daptomycin 10 mg/kg/24 h intravenous; or group 2: daptomycin 10 mg/kg/24 h intravenous plus fosfomycin 2 gr/6 g intravenous. The main outcome will be treatment response at week 6 after stopping therapy (test-of-cure (TOC) visit). This is a composite variable with two values: Treatment success: resolution of clinical signs and symptoms (clinical success) and negative blood cultures (microbiological success) at the TOC visit. Treatment failure: if any of the following conditions apply: (1) lack of clinical improvement at 72 h or more after starting therapy; (2) persistent bacteraemia (positive blood cultures on day 7); (3) therapy is discontinued early due to adverse effects or for some other reason based on clinical judgement; (4) relapse of MRSA bacteraemia before the TOC visit; (5) death for any reason before the TOC visit. Assuming a 60% cure rate with daptomycin and a 20% difference in cure rates between the two groups, 103 patients will be needed for each group (α:0.05, ß: 0.2). Statistical analysis will be based on intention to treat, as well as per protocol and safety analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The protocol was approved by the Spanish Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (AEMPS). The sponsor commits itself to publishing the data in first quartile peer-review journals within 12 months of the completion of the study

Evolution of the use of corticosteroids for the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in Spain between March and November 2020: SEMI-COVID national registry

Objectives: Since the results of the RECOVERY trial, WHO recommendations about the use of corticosteroids (CTs) in COVID-19 have changed. The aim of the study is to analyse the evolutive use of CTs in Spain during the pandemic to assess the potential influence of new recommendations. Material and methods: A retrospective, descriptive, and observational study was conducted on adults hospitalised due to COVID-19 in Spain who were included in the SEMI-COVID- 19 Registry from March to November 2020. Results: CTs were used in 6053 (36.21%) of the included patients. The patients were older (mean (SD)) (69.6 (14.6) vs. 66.0 (16.8) years; p < 0.001), with hypertension (57.0% vs. 47.7%; p < 0.001), obesity (26.4% vs. 19.3%; p < 0.0001), and multimorbidity prevalence (20.6% vs. 16.1%; p < 0.001). These patients had higher values (mean (95% CI)) of C-reactive protein (CRP) (86 (32.7-160) vs. 49.3 (16-109) mg/dL; p < 0.001), ferritin (791 (393-1534) vs. 470 (236- 996) µg/dL; p < 0.001), D dimer (750 (430-1400) vs. 617 (345-1180) µg/dL; p < 0.001), and lower Sp02/Fi02 (266 (91.1) vs. 301 (101); p < 0.001). Since June 2020, there was an increment in the use of CTs (March vs. September; p < 0.001). Overall, 20% did not receive steroids, and 40% received less than 200 mg accumulated prednisone equivalent dose (APED). Severe patients are treated with higher doses. The mortality benefit was observed in patients with oxygen saturation </=90%. Conclusions: Patients with greater comorbidity, severity, and inflammatory markers were those treated with CTs. In severe patients, there is a trend towards the use of higher doses. The mortality benefit was observed in patients with oxygen saturation </=90%

Magnetophoretic trapping of microparticles

International audienc

Diamagnetic levitation based digital microfluidics

International audienc

Magnetic levitation of microdroplets in air

International audienc