Public understanding of science bibliography: January 2000
A monthly round-up of books, reports and articles collated by the Wellcome
Library's Information Service. All the below references 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
Hamstra, I. A.
European Federation of Biotechnology: Task Group on Public
Perceptions of Biotechnology; SWOKA Institute for Strategic
Consumer Research
Public opinion about biotechnology: a survey of surveys.
The Hague: European Federation of
Biotechnology 1998. isbn 9076110034
Subject headings: Biotechnology - Public opinion
Medin, D. L. and Atran, S. (eds.)
Folkbiology.
Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press 1999 504pp isbn 0262133490.
Classifications: HD Med BOOK
Subject headings: Ethnobiology; Folklore; Cognition and culture
Allan, S., Adam, B. and Carter, C. (eds.)
Environmental risks and the media.
London: Routledge 2000 278pp isbn 0415214475.
Subject headings: Mass media and the environment; Environmental
health - Press coverage; Environmental protection - Press
coverage
Fuller, S.
The governance of science: ideology and the future of the open society.
Issues in society (Series ed May, T. )
Buckingham: Open University Press 2000 167pp
Subject headings: Science-Social aspects; Science and state; Science-
Philosophy
Articles- Public understanding of science
Report: World Conference on Science for the twenty-first century- a new
commitment
To forge a 'new social contract for science' some 2, 000 scientists and
policy-makers from more than 150 countries gathered in Budapest, Hungary 26
June 1999 for the World Conference on Science, organised by UNESCO and ICSU.
The conference produced two documents: Declaration on Science and the use
of Scientific Knowledge and Science Agenda-Framework for Action. Both are
available on the Web at
http://www.unesco.org/science/wcs/eng/proceedings.htm
Rogers, C L Science Communication Vol.21 No.2 December 1999 p.179-182
Commentary: Getting the message across: World Conference on Science
The need to improve the public communication of science surfaced as one of
the key themes throughput the World Conference on Science. Although exactly
what this entails was never made explicit, it must include a new model that
moves beyond the old conveyor-belt approach in which scientists simply
transmit information to the public. The role of science communicators in
this process is paramount.
Dickson, D. Science Communication Vol.21 No.2 December 1999 p.196-199
Articles- Science communication
Communicating science to the public
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has been running training
courses in communicating science to the public for the last two years. The
courses include presentation skills, giving interviews and writing
press-releases.
NERC News Winter 1999 p.34
Writing science
A report on the rewards of popular science writing looks at what motivates
scientist-writers such as Dean Hamer, Carl Sagan and Richard Leakey to write
for the popular press.
The Scientist 10 January 2000 p.24-25
Science with attitude
Dr. Nick Batty, Reader in Plant Biology at University of Reading, makes
suggestions for improving the public's understanding of science:
non-scientists should learn about the function, limits and scope of science;
scientists should accept that scientific enterprise is not value-free and
should be willing to communicate its limits and uncertainties to the general
public.
Science and Public Affairs December 1999 p.19-21
Articles- Science and art
Poems and photos offer insights into physics
The Physics Department of Strathclyde University has won £20 000 from the
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to help communicate their
work to a wider public through poet Ian McDonough and photographer Peter
Fraser. The two artists plan to take a travelling exhibition of their work
around schools, colleges and other universities.
THES 416 24-31 December 1999 p.5
Articles- Science and media
Bridges to understanding
An article discusses how questions of uncertainty in the public's mind about
the truthfulness and reliability of scientific research can be allayed.
Television and educators can nurture the public's curiosity about science
through popular science broadcasts, building bridges to a greater
understanding of the underlying scientific principles.
Science and Public Affairs December 1999 p.22-23
Women scientist role models on screen : a case study of Contact
In the absence of real-life role models, children may construct an
understanding of the role of women in science largely based on images of
women scientists they see in the media. This study assesses the images used
in the portrayal of a female astronomer in the film Contact. The themes used
as a framework for the analysis were early encouragement in science.
Professional status, professional reputation, professional relationships,
and impact of personal relationships on career goals. The film's portrayal
of a woman scientist is discussed in light of empirical data and anecdotal
reports on the actual experiences of women scientists.
Steinke, J. Science Communication Vol.21 No.2 December 1999 p.172-178
Report: Second World Conference of Science Journalists (WCSJ)meets in
Budapest
The Second (WCSJ) was held 2-4 July 1999 in Budapest, Hungary, as a
satellite conference to the World Conference on Science, just preceding it.
This article is a report on the conference by a member of in the
international organising committee. The Declaration of the Second World
Conference on Science Journalists can be found on the Web at
http://www.esf.org/eusja/Declaration.htm
Cornell, J. Science Communication Vol.21 No.2 December 1999 p.200-202
Articles- Science and ethics
Brave new worked (II)
Tom Shakespeare research development officer of the Policy, Ethics and Life
Sciences Research Institute, Newcastle calls for informed public debate and
democratic accountability surrounding the potential human applications of
new genetic technologies. To access online search the following web site
http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Archive/
Guardian Society 5 January 2000 p.4-5
Ethics of science
Sir Arnold Wolfendale and Paul Guinnessy, Chairman of the Oversight
Committee Student Pugwash International respond to an earlier opinion piece
in which Lewis Wolpert suggests that scientists should not apply ethics to
their research.
Independent Review 12th January 2000 p. 2
See also Take responsibility for your knowledge Independent Review 7th
January 2000 p.?
Articles- Science education
Biology students back gene scientists
Sixth-form biology lessons have a dramatic impact on UK teenagers' attitudes
towards genetic engineering, a recent Journal of Biological Education
research report has found.
TES January 7th 2000 p.9
Articles- Science museums & Centres
The appliance of science
A 3-page report focusing in the UK lottery funded science centres asks:
will science centres lure visitors away from museums, or can museums use
them to broaden their audiences
Museums Journal January 2000 p.25-27
Project profile: @ Bristol
A small overview of the new science centre @ Bristol looks at costs,
funding, and design.
Heritage Development p.21
Project profile: Sensation at the Dundee Science Centre
A small overview of the new science centre Sensation at the Dundee Science
Centre looks at costs, funding, and design.
Heritage Development p.22
This bibliography will appear on the psci-com web site
http://www.psci-com.org.uk (Note new URL)
Karen John-Pierre
-------------------------
Information Officer
Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine
Information Service
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