Best practices in the field of science communication
In the following accordion you will find the best practice examples that are being or were implemented at UNIVERSEH’s partner universities.
Implemented at AGH University of Science and Technology in Poland.
Short description
AGH Junior is an educational university project coordinated by the Centre for Communication and Marketing for preschool and primary school-aged children. Its goal is to show that complex physical and chemical phenomena, knowledge of mechanical and electronic engineering, processes taking place in the natural environment, or problems related to the production, testing, and use of materials are not only the domain of our research laboratories.
Main objectives
The main objective of the AGH Junior initiative is to relate science in a way that encourages children to learn, ask questions, develop a passion for science and inspire them to choose a career in the sciences.
Target group
Children from eight through twelve years of age.
Output and impact
The events lead to an increased interest in science-related topics among children as well as a better understanding of the discussed topics. Parents also became aware of the value of science and the possibilities an education in science has to offer.
Implemented at AGH University of Science and Technology in Poland.
Short description
The AGH SCIENCE Meetings are a series of short popular science presentations and discussions with scientists and specialists. In these meetings, scientists present their research in a manner the audience understands and explain the importance of their work.
Main objectives
Specialists often explain scientific innovations and findings in a technical language the public does not understand. The AGH’s Science Meetings objective is to promote this understanding and make society aware of the value of science and critical thinking that help us develop decision-making capabilities to solve everyday problems.
Target group
Open to the public.
Output and impact
Since the project is open to the public and participation is free of charge, the project has a social function that should not be underestimated. It offers both the speakers and participants the opportunity to meet and discuss relevant subjects, present their work and research, express their opinions and gain experience. As the recordings of the AGH Science Meetings are accessible on the YouTube channel, it contributes to the university’s outreach mission.
Implemented at Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf in Germany.
Short description
“denXte” is an innovative lecture series initiated by Prof. Dr. Markus Schrenk at the Institute of Philosophy and run together with a team of postdocs and students. The series offers approximately six evening lectures yearly. The project is funded by the Citizens’ University and the HHU’s Faculty of Arts. In this interactive lecture series, philosophical thought experiments are conducted together with the participants. A thought experiment is a mental exercise in which a hypothesis is posed and the potential consequences are explored. The lecture is followed by a discussion during which the participants have the opportunity to ask further questions and put forward their arguments.
Main objective
Is to engage citizens in various ways in the total research and innovation process, from need-finding and idea-generation, through concept- development and prototype and usability testing to service piloting.
Target audience
Open to the public.
Output and impact
Through its innovative character denXte has evoked public interest in philosophy, thereby bringing philosophical questions and theories to non-professional philosophers. This experimental and interactive form of science communication has offered citizens a low-threshold entry into philosophical research and allowed for interaction with citizens on equal terms. Furthermore, seminars concerning science communication within the context of the denXte concept have brought about creative student projects, like podcast episodes and BlogSpots dealing with philosophical questions that are of special relevance to citizens.
Implemented at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden.
Short description
Vetenskapens hus is both an actual building in the city center of Luleå, and an arena for science communication. The venue opened in 2014 and is run by three partners: the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Science, the mining company LKAB, and the Luleå University of Technology. The university has a coordinator for Vetenskapens hus, who is assisted by a board and a program council. The program council consists of representatives from companies, the municipality, and the university and their task is to suggest thematic areas for events, seminars, and lectures targeting a non-academic audience.
Main objectives
The primary objective of Vetenskapens hus is to reach out to the general public with the university’s research, framed in a popular science way. A secondary objective is to reach out to companies, authorities, and research funding agencies. The aim is to use science as an enrichment for society, to create a democratic platform where facts and research results are in focus.
Target group
Open to the public.
Output and impact
An impact the project wants to achieve though is that whoever is participating in the events, whoever is listening to a lecture. One of the biggest challenges the project has experienced is the difficulty to make researchers understand the concept of popular science. A huge challenge is therefore to identify researchers that can popularize science, preferably those who can turn science into infotainment.
Implemented at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden.
Short description
Tech for Youth was an activity carried out by the Luleå University of Technology, sponsored by Facebook (Facebook, now Meta, built its first European data center in Luleå. Within the framework of Tech for Youth, four activities were performed: the Preschool Challenge, Remote experiments, Ask a researcher, and the Technology challenge.
Main objectives
The primary objective of Tech for Youth is to get children and young people interested in STEM subjects. The secondary objective is to encourage gender equality, to broaden the conception of what you can study and what profession you can eventually choose for the future. Traditionally, girls and women are underrepresented in the field of civil engineering, a fact that we aim to change at the Luleå University of Technology. A third important objective is to reach out with our research and inspire young people to have fun with STEM subjects.
Target group
Open to children and teenagers.
Output and impact
Preserving the night is no longer just an astronomers’ problem but has now become a cultural, environmental, and ecological stake. Involving the public, children included, raises awareness of the problem, and enables more efficient leverage on local authorities.
Implemented at Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées in France.
Short description
Since 2009, the University of Toulouse, in partnership with the Cité de l’Espace (the Toulouse Space Museum), organizes the Congrès scientifique des enfants (Children’s Scientific Conference). Each year, the conference takes place at the Cité de l’Espace, involving over 200 children attending the last two years of elementary school and the first year of junior high school.
The event is designed as a science conference and follows the general procedure with nametags, panels, posters, a keynote speaker, and a conference briefcase including goodies, a conference program, games, and an evaluation form. The theme of the conference is always related to space or astronomy.
Main objectives
The aim is to give children a “taste” for science and encourage them to pursue vocations in the field of science. Although other science communication activities such as visits to research laboratories or encounters with scientists have the same objective, the opportunity to participate in a science conference, an important activity in scholarly careers, is seldom offered to children. The experience is extremely formative as it introduces children to documentary research, helps them develop communication skills, competencies, and methods to acquire knowledge not only in the field of space but in all fields of scientific research.
Target group
Children attending the last two years of elementary school and the first year of junior high school.
Output and impact
Beyond sparking children’s interest in science and encouraging them to go on to higher education and pursue a scientific career, the conference enables children to meet and exchange ideas. The participating classes, specifically chosen by the Académie de Toulouse, represent a mixture of social classes including children from the underprivileged neighbourhoods as well as those from the more affluent areas of Toulouse and the rural areas of the region.
Implemented at Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées in France.
Short description
There are several events, locations, and activities all aiming to convey scientific space knowledge to a wide public. Every year in August for an entire week, Fleurance, a little town in the Gers department, becomes the astronomy capital, with 40 scientists in residence for the duration of the festival. The festival has four main activities:
- The Science Marathon: a 12-hour session, during which 12 specialists (scientists, philosophers, writers, etc.) take turns analyzing a scientific topic from different perspectives.
- The Adult Festival: lectures, classes, workshops, exhibits, observation workshops, “Astro-cafés” for discussions with the guest speakers, etc.
- The Village of Science: experimentation booths, scientific exhibitions, etc.
- The “Astro-Youth” Festival: animated by young researchers of the Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie (IRAP) of the Université Toulouse (campus Paul Sabatier).
Main objectives
To help people, especially the younger generation, discover and enjoy science, and introduce them to or provide them with specialized training in astronomy, aeronautics, and astronautics. To contribute to the raising awareness of the dangers threatening the earth and make people, especially the young, aware of the necessity to adopt new habits and develop a critical mind.
Target audience
Some activities are for the young generations, others for the general public.
Output and impact
It organizes complementary preparatory sessions in local schools, fosters debates, connects scientists and citizens, and gives a large number of people access to space science. The festival attracts large crowds, dynamizing the local economy of the region which otherwise attracts marginal tourism but offers excellent conditions to observe the sky.
Implemented at Université du Luxembourg in Luxembourg.
Short description
The Scienteens Lab (SL) is the University of Luxembourg’s first research lab for high-school students in Luxembourg. It is an extracurricular learning center that offers workshops and activities designed to spark students‘ interest in science, show them the latest trends and support and encourage them to engage in higher education, and pursue a scientific career. One of the main courses that SL offers is the Computer Science Program.
The Scienteens Lab organizes hands-on experiments, supervised by experienced scientists and teachers from various disciplines, and provides the students an insight into scientific research and the day-to-day work in the lab.
Main objectives
The main objectives of the courses are to make computer science accessible to all high school students, make them aware that computer programming can be applied to answer questions in all imaginable fields, allow them to learn some basic programming themselves, and thereby increase their programming literacy while at the same time taking away their fear to this subject.
Target audience
Teenagers, and high-school students, it is currently also developing courses geared towards teachers as well as parents.
Output and impact
This offer a unique opportunity to discover different scientific fields, perform lab experiments, work with other budding scientists and catch a glimpse of the life of a researcher.
