Narratives of Science Outreach in Elite Contexts of Academic Science

Johnson, David R.; Ecklund, Elaine Howard; Lincoln, Anne E.

doi:10.1177/1075547013499142

Cited by 63 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(76 reference statements)

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“…13,50 Researchers working in some fields may perceive a strong moral duty to make their work publicly accessible, while other disciplines are governed by more restrictive norms. 31 The number of visible South African scientists per broad scientific field, as identified in the current study, were in line with these findings and also reflected the scientific opportunities and priorities of the country. For example, given the country's rich biodiversity 51 and unique fossil heritage 52 , it is not surprising that there were many biologists and palaeontologists amongst the visible scientists (Table 4).…”

Section: The Effect Of Discipline On Public Visibilitysupporting

confidence: 69%

“…In contrast, some studies show that, despite the normative sanction from their peers, female scientists are significantly more involved in reaching out to external audiences compared with their male colleagues. 31 The dominance of male scientists in public life is not unique to South Africa. For example, there were only two women -Margaret Mead and Jane Goodall -in the list of the 20 most visible scientists identified by Goodell 8 .…”

Section: Too Few Black and Women Scientists In The Public Eyementioning

confidence: 99%

“…30,31 While the public communication of science, including the factors that influence scientists in terms of their communication with lay audiences, has attracted considerable research interest over the last few decades, local studies were mostly limited to explorations of public science literacy and attitudes to science. 32 Only two studies investigated interactions between South African scientists and journalists 33,34 and both highlighted gaps in understanding and skills deficits on the sides of both journalists and scientists.…”

Section: The South African Context For Public Science Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In the footsteps of Einstein, Sagan and Barnard: Identifying South Africa’s most visible scientists

Joubert¹,

Guenther²

2017

S. Afr. J. Sci.

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ARTICLE INCLUDES:× Supplementary material × Data set FUNDING:National Research Foundation (South Africa) Highly visible scientists are increasingly recognised as influential leaders with a special role to play in making science part of mainstream society. Through consultation with a panel of 45 experts working at the science-media interface, we sought to identify the most visible scientists currently living and working in South Africa. In total, 211 scientists -less than 1% of the scientific workforce of the country -were identified as visible in the public sphere. The demographic profile and institutional spread of South Africa's visible scientists suggest that more should be done to increase the diversity of scientists who are publicly visible. Although only 8% of South Africans are white, 78% of the group of visible scientists were white, and 63% of the visible scientists were men. Only 17 black women were identified as publicly visible scientists. While visible scientists were identified at 42 different research institutions, more than half of the visible scientists were associated with just four universities. Recent controversies surrounding the two most visible South African scientists identified via this study, and the potential implications for fellow scientists' involvement in public engagement, are briefly discussed. Significance:• This is the first study to identify highly visible scientists in South Africa.• The study has meaningful policy implications for mobilising scientists towards public science engagement.• It is an important contribution towards the new public engagement framework of the Department of Science and Technology.

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Section: The Effect Of Discipline On Public Visibilitysupporting

confidence: 69%

Section: Too Few Black and Women Scientists In The Public Eyementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The South African Context For Public Science Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

In the footsteps of Einstein, Sagan and Barnard: Identifying South Africa’s most visible scientists

Joubert¹,

Guenther²

2017

S. Afr. J. Sci.

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“…Universities, museums, and other partners are developing programs expressly to facilitate the acquisition of this experience 30 . Such collaborations creature unique opporunites for the edification of the public, and for developing understanding 3,7,28 .…”

Section: Outreach and The Academymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The initial impetus for this focus on outreach is likely the scientists themselves. Surveys from professional societies suggest that most practicing scientists and engineers feel an obligation to share their knowledge, and to increase the general understanding of their discipline 28 . This urge goes beyond simple duty; scientists and engineers regularly call upon each other to share their excitement along with their knoweldge 21 .…”

Section: Outreach and The Academymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Museum Outreach

Haase¹

2016 ASEE Annual Conference &Amp; Exposition Proceedings

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Mark Haase is currently completing his PhD in Chemical Engineering. His research is focused on the synthesis, characterization, and application of nanocarbon materials, especially carbon nanotube arrays exhibiting the property known as spinnability. Mark has been involved with teaching since starting his graduate work, developing laboratory experiences and lesson content pertaining to nanotechnology. He is outreach work enters around introducing people, especially youth, to nanotechnology concepts.c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016The Impact of Museum Outreach AbstractMuseums are organizations dedicated to developing understanding in a broad audience. Science musuems in particular are known for this. The general public believes in the effectiveness of this museum work, frequently turning to these institutions for knowledge and understanding. Further, the public increasingly finds enjoyment in the learning opportunities provided by these institutions. However, these institutions are experiencing increasing difficulty in accessing subject matter expertise, especially in young fields.Scientists and engineers are strongly motivated to share their understanding of technical subjects with others. Most a driven towards this communication centered outreach by personal desire. This desire is reinforced by professional and institutional requirements. However, these groups are concerned about the effectiveness of their efforts. Their time is limited, and it can be difficult to reach a wide audience.Developing partnerships between subject matter experts and museums provides a mechanism to resolve both difficulties. Museums gain access to much desired expertise, and scientists and engineers gain access to established mechanisms for reaching a broad audience. Here, an example of this sort of partnership is considered: presentations aiming to improve staff and volunteer understanding of nanotechnology. A single presenter improves the understanding of a museum personnel, who in turn guide visitors to a fuller understanding. This outreach event, and its evolution, are described. A simple survey was developed using standard techniques, and used to assess the impact of these presentations on the audience. Ultimately, the activity was succesful; it is presented here as a guide for those interested in pursuing similar outreach.

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Orientations to the public in the academic profession

Johnson

Ecklund

2022

New Drctns Hghr Edu

Self Cite

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What do academics think about their “responsibilities” to the public? This chapter provides a view of “the public intellectual” by examining how academics construct their relationship to the public. Drawing on in‐depth interviews with physicists at universities in the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK), we illustrate a typological approach that could be applied to understanding the public intellectual in any academic discipline and points to implications for how universities and the academic profession can engage with the public. Academics should view themselves as stewards of the public good and be able to articulate how such a role is manifest in their work.

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Narratives of Science Outreach in Elite Contexts of Academic Science

Cited by 63 publications

References 50 publications

In the footsteps of Einstein, Sagan and Barnard: Identifying South Africa’s most visible scientists

In the footsteps of Einstein, Sagan and Barnard: Identifying South Africa’s most visible scientists

The Impact of Museum Outreach

Orientations to the public in the academic profession

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