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Dear all,
Please find below the usual round-up of news and views. Apologies for the
delay in December's edition.
Best,
Karen John-Pierre
-------------------------
Information Officer
Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine
Information Service
183 Euston Road
London
NW1 2BE
Tel: + 44 (0) 171 611 8510
Fax:+ 44 (0) 171 611 8726
Web: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/infoserv
http://www.psci-com.org.uk
The Wellcome Trust is a registered charity No.210183
Public understanding of science bibliography: December 1999
A monthly round-up of books, reports and articles collated by the Wellcome
Library's Information Service. All the below items are publicly available,
for reference, in the Information Service http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/infoserv
or from the British Library's Lending Division, via public, academic or
special libraries.
Books and Reports
Fondazione Carlo Erba.
The future of science has begun: the communication of science to the
public: science and the media.
Proceedings of the V international conference, Milan, 15-16 February
1996.
Subject heading(s): Communication in science - Congresses; Science in
mass media - Congresses
Milan: Fondazione Carlo Erba 1997 210pp
Williams, M.
Science and social science: an introduction.
Subject heading(s): Social sciences - Methodology; Science -
Methodology; Social sciences - Philosophy; Science - Philosophy
London: Routledge 2000 173pp
ISBN: 0415194857
Faigman, D. L.
Legal alchemy: the use and misuse of science in the law.
Subject heading(s): Science and law; Forensic sciences
New York: Freeman 1999 233pp
ISBN: 0716731436
Glass, B.
Progress or catastrophe: the nature of biological science and its
impact
on human society.
Convergence (Series ed Anshen, R. N.)
Subject heading(s): Biology - Social aspects
New York: Praeger 1985 253pp
ISBN: 0030017475
Van Dijk, J.
The network society: social aspects of new media.
Subject heading(s): Information technology - Social aspects;
Information
technology - Economic aspects; Information technology - Law and
legislation; Information society; Technology and civilization
London: SAGE 1999 267pp
ISBN: 0761962824
Moffat, H. and Woollard, V. (eds.)
Museum and gallery education: a manual of good practice.
Professional museum and heritage series
Subject heading(s): Museums - Educational aspects; Museum techniques
London: Stationery Office 1999 197pp
ISBN: 0117026956
Articles- Public understanding of science
Involve the public to rebuild trust
A conference on the role of scientific advice in government policy making,
'Oracles or Scapegoats?', took place in London in October. The conference,
sponsored by the Institution of Professionals, Managers and Specialists
(IPMS), was attended by many eminent guests from the world of science,
including Sir Robert May, the Government's chief scientific adviser. Topics
discussed included the role of government and business in science, public
attitudes to science, and the nature of science itself.
IPMS Bulletin 8 December 1999 p.5
Computer models and the public's understanding of science: a case-study
analysis
Many of the aspects of science which touch the public most deeply involve
some degree of modelling (for example, the dispersion of pollutants,
predicted climate change or the spread of flood waters), yet explicit
analyses in the public understanding of science tradition have seldom
examined computerized scientific models. However, scientific models of all
sorts are increasingly run on computers, often raising new obstacles to
public understanding of science and participation. Though the practicalities
of modelling have received some attention from social scientists, it is
clear that there are comparatively neglected questions about PUS in relation
to public judgements of the accuracy and legitimacy of such models, and to
their reception and use by the public. This paper examines the significance
of these issues through a recent case study of a local authority-operated
air-quality model in Sheffield.
Yearley, S. Social Studies of Science Vol.29 No.6 December 1999 p.845-66
Understanding understanding: a model for the public learning of
radioactivity
While much of the work in the public understanding of science has focused on
the public's appreciation of science and their familiarity with key
scientific concepts, understanding the processes involved in learning
science has largely been ignored. This article documents a study of how
particular members of the public learn about radiation and radioactivity,
and proposes a model to describe their learning - the Informal Conceptual
Change Model [ICCM]. ICCM is a multidimensional framework that incorporates
three theoretical dimensions - the cognitive, conative, and affective. The
paper documents each
of these dimensions, and then illustrates the model by drawing upon data
collected in a case study. The emphasis of the analysis is on understanding
how the members of the public living in an area with high levels of
background radiation learn about the science of this potential health
threat. The summarizing comments examine the need for a greater awareness of
the complexities
of informal learning.
Alsop, S. Public Understand. Sci. Vol.8 No. 4 October 1999 p.267-284
Creating (public) science in the Noah's Ark case
This paper explores how a recent ``Creation Science'' case from the
Australian Federal Courts was used by an informal alliance of science
popularizers (science litigant Ian Plimer, science journalists, and the
Australian Skeptics) as a vehicle for the celebratory ``boundary working''
of ``public science,'' despite the case's contingent and messy processes and
unfavorable legal outcome. This ``boundary working'' was pursued mainly
through the mass media, in which a narrow range of narrative strategies
involving well-worn metaphors and clichés conforming to the ideology of
science dominated the case's coverage. The dominance of these narratives
resulted in a marginalized coverage of the legal/policy ramifications of the
case, particularly the role of the courts in preserving/limiting freedom of
speech. We will conclude our analysis by identifying some similarities
between the Ark case and the Science Wars, noting that both instances show
how the ``boundary working'' of ``public science'' can be pursued in a
cultural space located at a significant distance from contexts where more
tangible science
policies are being negotiated.
Edmond, G. and Mercer, D. Public Understand. Sci. Vol.8 No.4 October 1999
p.317-343
Articles- Public attitudes and participation
Test tube truths
An articles discusses the inadequacies of public consultations on
developments in genetics and reproductive science. Public consultation is an
intrinsically 'good thing', the article argues, but fears that the future
of science may now be falling into the hands of a misled, anxious and
powerless public, full of mistrust for scientists following BSE and the
recent furore over GM foods.
Guardian 13 December 1999 p.15
Laypeople's viewpoints about the reasons for expert controversy regarding
food additives
The focus in this study is on the thoughts and opinions of the general
public to the divergence in expert standpoints regarding additives in food.
The relation of education, length of work experience, occupational field,
gender, and people's ideas on this matter, as well as the changes in it,
were of interest. Fifty-nine young and middle-aged Finnish adults were
interviewed during the years 1986-1988 and again in 1993-1994. The
semi-structured interview included straightforward questions about reasons
for disagreements among experts regarding additives; in other parts of the
interview people could spontaneouslycomment on the discrepancies. Three main
categories of reasons for the disagreement emerged. General difficulty in
obtaining scientific knowledge was the most common reason given. In the
second interview round, a greater number of less well-educated interviewees
expressed views in this category. The second category was various
interest-related reasons. The increase of these notions was statistically
significant among the academics. The least common category concerned
differences in the caliber and personal background of experts. Especially
people with long experience in working life increased their notions in all
three categories. The results showed that people are well aware of the many
factors that may influence the acquisition of scientific knowledge, as well
as its use. Moreover, the results showed that the more education people have
the more aware they are of the various interests. Because laypeople have
experiences and viewpoints about various open questions and risks, it is
suggested here that their opinions should receive more attention in the
public discussion of similar issues.
Kajanne, A. and Pirttilä-Backman, A-M. Public Understand. Sci. Vol.8 No. 4
October 1999 303-315
A genetic basis for public enlightenment? A personal view of the
Dawkins/Pinker phenomenon: Essay review
Jeff Thomas compares and contrasts the work of three popular science writers
looking at the impact of Pinker's How the Mind Works and Dawkins' Unweaving
the Rainbow on public perceptions of evolutionary science.
Thomas, J. Public Understand. Sci. Vol.8 No. 4 October 1999 p.285-302
Articles- Science communication
How to join an illustrious tribe
Matt Ridley, author of Genome, launches this year's Daily Telegraph/BASF
Young Science Writer competition. He outlines scientists' reluctance to
communicate their findings to the public for fear of being labelled populist
and suggests that good science writers should question the scientists'
claims and not take what they learn at face value.
Daily Telegraph 8 December 1999 p.14
Physicists must learn to love the public
An article examines the need for an accurate portrayal of science to the
public in an effort to avoid unrealistic expectations of what science can
achieve.
Physics World December 1999 p.71
How the general public can bring out the performance artist in scientists
The pros and cons of communication between scientists and the public are
examined in this article.
THES 1415 December 17th 1999 p.27
Poems and photos offer insight into physics
The physics department of Strathclyde University has won £20, 000 from the
EPSRC to help communicate their work to a wider public through the poet Ian
MacDonough and Photographer Peter Fraser. The top artists plan to take a
travelling exhibition of their work around schools, colleges and other
universities.
THES 1416 24-31 December 1999 p.5
Communicating science to the public
The NERC has been running training courses in communicating science to the
public for the last two years. The course includes presentation skills,
giving interviews and writing press releases.
NERC News Winter 1999 p.34
Articles- Science and media
Uses of expertise: sources, quotes, and voice in the reporting of genetics
in the news
Science journalists call upon experts for background and for clarification
and comment on scientific findings. This paper examines how science writers
choose and use experts, and it focuses on several cases of reporting about
genetics and behavior. Our research included two sources of data: interviews
with 15 science reporters and three print media samples of coverage of
genetics and behavior - alcoholism (between 1980-1995), homosexuality (in
1993 and 1995), and mental illness (between 1970-1995). Science reporters
seek relevant and specific experts for nearly every story. Good sources are
knowledgeable, are connected to prestigious institutions, are direct and
articulate and don't overqualify statements, and they return phone calls.
The mean number of experts quoted was 2.8 per story, differing for
alcoholism (3.5), homosexuality (2.8), and mental illness (2.6). Researchers
and scientists predominated among experts quoted. Quotes were used to
provide context, give legitimization, as explication, to provide a kind of
balance, and to outline implications. For the homosexuality sample, a
significantly greater percentage of activists and advocates were quoted (21
percent compared with 5 percent and 1 percent in other samples, X2<0.0001).
``Lay'' quotes for alcoholism and mental illness were minimal. Except for
homosexuality, whose advocates are organized, those ``affected'' do not have
a voice in genetics news stories.
Conrad, P. Public Understand. Sci. Vol.8 No.4 October 1999 p.285-302
Articles- Science and ethics
Guidelines for human research samples
Members of the public, health professionals, consumer and patient groups,
Research ethics committees and medical researchers have until the end of
April 2000 to comment on interim MRC guidelines on the collection and use of
human blood and tissue samples for use in medical research.
Science and Public Affairs December 1999 p.9
Articles- Science education
The 'ostension-teaching' approach as a means to develop junior-high students
attitudes towards biotechnologies.
The paper refers to a study in which biotechnologies were used as a channel
to teach 9th grade pupils (aged 15) about intra-cellular biological
processes, by showing. This teaching method, instead of dealing with proofs
of existence of any abstract theory based on the molecular (micro) level,
shows the 'theory in action'. Three modules were developed for the study,
all of them designed along the same pattern. After studying the modules, the
students were asked questions about specific biotechnologies, then to permit
or prohibit their use. The students were able to foresee various types of
arguments for and against the use of a given biotechnology. Most of the
students displayed moderate attitudes towards biotechnologies , and
established clear priorities in situations of moral dilemma.
Olsher, G. and Dreyfus, A. Journal of Biological Education Winter 1999
Vol.34 No.1 p25-31
Biotechnology: student's knowledge and attitudes in the UK and Taiwan
This study investigates the knowledge and attitudes of post-16 UK and
Taiwanese students aged 17-18 with regard to biotechnology. Questionnaires
and focus group discussions were used to explore students' knowledge and
attitudes. The results indicated a limited understanding of biotechnology:
in both countries 50 percent of pupils were able to give examples of
biotechnology, and about 60 percent were able to give examples of genetic
engineering. Attitudes towards manipulation of organisms depended upon the
purpose; manipulation of organism for disease resistance was judged more
positively than for enhanced growth. The implications of these results , for
the development of biotechnology teaching in secondary school science is
discussed. A key finding is the positive influence of the UK science
curriculum content on student's attitudes to biotechnology.
Chen, S-Y, Raffan, J. Journal of Biological Education Winter 1999 Vol.34
No.1 p.17-23
Articles- Science museums & Centres
Science centres seek status
Science centres are lobbying hard to persuade the Museums, Libraries and
Archives Council (MLAC) of their importance to the sector. Science centres
such as @Bristol are hoping to come under the remit of the newly created
MLAC and benefit from its £30 million funding availability.
Museums Journal December 1999 p.5
This bibliography will appear on the psci-com web site
http://www.psci-com.org.uk (Note new URL)
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