Science Cafés, Science Shops and the Lockdown Experience in Florence and Rome

Abstract

<jats:p>The lockdown was crucial to stop the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, but it affected many aspects of social life, among which traditional live science cafés. Moreover, citizens and experts asked for a direct contact, not relying on mass-media communication. In this paper, we describe how the Florence and Rome science cafés, contacted by citizens and experts, either directly or through the Florence science shop, responded to these needs by organizing online versions of traditional face-to-face events, experiencing high levels of participation. The science café methodology was also requested by a high school that needed to conclude an engagement experience with students and their families. We also report the results of a survey about the satisfaction of this new methodology with respect to the old one.</jats:p>

Broadening adult engagement and education in science cafés: lessons from an STS — science communication boundary spanning experiment

“…Even when cafés moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic, some demographic trends, like the dominance of middle-aged attendees, persisted [Pacini, Belmonte & Bagnoli, 2020]. One scientist, who was both a presenter and an organizer of a 2011 Artificial Intelligence café in England, captured the tension between broadening knowledge and building stable audiences often at play in café events.…”