There is a renewed interest amongst science communication practitioners and scholars to explore the potential of storytelling in public communication of science, including to understand how science storytelling functions (or could fail) in different contexts. Drawing from storytelling as the core theme of the 2018 conference of the Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST) Network, we present a selection of papers, essays and practice insights that offer diverse perspectives. Some contributions focus on the cultural and structural qualities of science stories and its key success factors, while others explore new formats, platforms and collaborators in science storytelling activities.
The present comment examines to what extent science communication has attained the status of an academic discipline and a distinct research field, as opposed to the common view that science communication is merely a sub-discipline of media studies In his review How to establish PCST. Two handbooks on science communication (JCOM 7(4) December 2008), Alessandro Delfanti queries a claim in the bookCommunicating science in social contexts that science communication already 'is a distinct research field'. He sees in both books 'an explicit effort to establish PCST as an independent academic field, different from both science and technology studies and communication and media theory'.After pondering the question of whether we really need the creation of a new discipline such as public communication of science, Delfanti concludes that despite the growing strength and quality of the field, PCST still has some work to do if it is to distinguish itself as separate from fields such as science and technology studies, and media and communication studies. JCOM has asked the editors of the books to respond: "Starting from the experience of your book, it would be interesting for us to have a contribution concerning what is "specific" of science communication research. What does distinguish it from something that could be considered a sub-discipline of media studies, sociology of science or history of science? In addition, which is the relation between research in science communication and the more general field of Science and Technology Studies? In other words, why does science communication deserve a special attention as an academic discipline?'We may not be able to demonstrate to everyone's satisfaction that science communication has attained the status of 'a discipline'. Apart from anything else, the definitions are varied and the ground is hotly contested. What we can do, though, is to chart the progress science communication has made as an emerging subject over the last 50 years in terms of a number of measures.Science communication has established an identity over the last 50 years. In the aftermath of WW2, governments increasingly regarded science as important. At the same time they recognised their own lack of skills in the area, so appointed special advisors to lead presidents and politicians through science-based issues.James Killian was appointed in 1957 as Special Assistant to the US President for Science and Technology, followed in 1965 by Sir Solly Zuckerman's appointment as Chief Scientific Adviser in the UK 1 . These were the first two advisers and others followed, all performing a classic communication role of translating the significance of research results for a lay audience. A little earlier, "science communication (or popularization)" had been enshrined in the constitutions of both India and China. So the subject had a political imperative.
Modern science communication has emerged over the last 60 years as a field of study, a body of practice and a profession. This period has seen the birth of interactive science centres, the first university courses to teach the theory and practice of science communication, the first university departments conducting research into science communication, and a sharp growth in employment of science communicators by research institutions, universities, museums, science centres and industry. This chapter charts the emergence of modern science communication in Australia, against an international background.
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