It was published back in 2000, but it’s still a great read: Science and the Public – A Review of Science Communication and Public Attitudes to Science in Britain.

9th International Conference on Public Communication of Science and Technology

Academy of science communicators planned
PCST, an international network of science communicators, has announced plans to create an academy to support its work.

Science communicators ‘must promote public debate’
A conference has heard calls for science communicators in developing nations to promote public debates, not just raise awareness of science.

Science speaks through artistic forms

From Science (14 April 2006, Vol. 312. no. 5771, p. 201): Environmental Science Adrift in the Blogosphere, by Alison Ashlin and Richard J. Ladle

Weblogs are a growing global phenomenon with important consequences for science policy and communication. A survey of blogs on environmental topics shows that they vary greatly in accuracy, which indicates a need for participation by informed scientists.

Nanotechnology: assessing the risks
Andrew D. Maynard
in Nanotoday, May 2006

Nanotechnology is seen as a transformative technology, which has the potential to stimulate scientific innovation while greatly benefiting society. However, the enthusiasm with which the scientific and technical communities are embracing the technology is being tempered by concerns over possible downsides, including risks to human health. “Are these concerns valid?” is a question being asked by many, but frequently from differing perspectives. Given the increasingly complex interface between nanotechnology and society, relevant answers will be built on solid science and framed within a societal context.

From today’s The New York Times: In the Quest for Coolness, Science Could Really Use a Vito Corleone.

Observa, an italian association that promotes interaction between science and society is announcing Escity: Europe, Science and the City, “a new european network aimed at promoting science culture locally”.

FROM Seed Magazine – Taking Aim at Scientific Journals: New, pending legislation could require all government research to be freely available to the public that funded it.

You can now receive AlphaGalileo’s informations by RSS.

The Royal Society’s Aventis Prizes for Science Books “are an annual book prize, which celebrate the very best in popular science writing for adults and children”.

Tomorrow is International Museum Day.

From El Pais: Un nuevo futuro para los museos de Ciencias (in spanish).

A Royal Society, the UK national academy of science, report: Science and the public interest

Lina Nordquist, PhD student, took a course in science communication: Dabbling in science journalism

This is really a great idea: Knight Science Journalism Tracker, a site to track major stories by science journalists across the US.

From Physics World, February 2006: Blogs add a new dimension to physics.

Physicists are increasingly using Internet forums to exchange scientific views and share gossip. Paula Gould explores the rise of “blogging”

For your information: How old are Europe’s human resources in science and technology?

Do you know of Communiqué?

Communiqué is an initiative of the AlphaGalileo Foundation, in cooperation with the European Commission. Communiqué provides a platform for Europe-wide debate on the best way to enhance the performance of media relations staff within the European research community. The results that emerge from Communiqué will form the basis for a proactive media service.

Laura Chang, science editor at The New York Times, is answering questions from readers during the whole week.

From today’s The New York Times: Some Publishers of Scholarly Journals Dislike Bill to Require Online Access to Articles.

Published by VU University Press and Da Vinci Institute: Science and the power of TV.

A great ideia for a science exhibition: 80 Years of Cinematic Science: Movie Posters from Around the World
May 5, 2006 – Jun 30, 2006
The New York Academy of Sciences

Asian Journal of Social Psychology
Volume 9 Page 12 – April 2006

Biotechnology in the Japanese media: Comparative analysis of newspaper articles on genetic engineering in Japan and Europe
Aiko Hibino and Motohiko Nagata

The present study examined how the representations of biotechnology using genetic engineering have been developed in Japan relying on media analysis. Specifically, using the online database of the Asahi Shimbun, one of the major opinion-forming newspapers in Japan, the annual numbers of articles concerning biotechnology were tallied from 1985 to 2000, and an analysis was conducted of the content of 850 articles from 10 particular years. Specifically, a framework in which a biotechnological issue was presented was focused on; the changes of dominant frames and the relationships between frames and specific biotechnological applications (e.g. medicine, agrifood and cloning) were investigated. The results showed that: (i) the number of articles increased sharply in particular since 1996–1997; (ii) although general attitudes toward biotechnology were persistently positive, a frame of biotechnological article became more diverse (i.e. the prospect frames were considerably dominant in the earlier phases, but the concern frames also became prominent in the later phases); and (iii) several articles were found which reported cloned animals in a frame of emotional attachment, a frame unique to Japan. These results were compared with those of European countries and discussed from a perspective of the theory of collective symbolic coping.

From Seed Magazine: Meet the geeks, a chat with the science-savvy writers behind “The Simpsons” and “Futurama”.

From The New York Times: For Science’s Gatekeepers, a Credibility Gap.

Science Communication Vol. 27, nº 4
June 2006

Science Communication, Vol. 27, No. 4, 496-513
A Longitudinal Study of the New York Times Science Times Section
Fiona Clark , University of Washington
Deborah L. Illman, University of Washington

The weekly science section of the New York Times, Science Times, is an important and influential entity in science journalism. This article presents the results of an in-depth, longitudinal study of Science Times over twenty years. Sampling every five years from 1980 to 2000, the authors analyzed changes in the size of the section, advertising, and coverage emphasis in terms of disciplines and themes treated. Science Times grew from 1.7 pages per issue, on average (excluding advertising), in 1980 to 5.4 pages per issue in 2000. While the downturn in computer-related advertising is often blamed for the demise of science sections in other newspapers, Science Times was bigger in 2000 than during the boom years of computer-related advertising. Medicine, health, and behavior received the most attention overall, although the proportion varied over time. While research findings were the most frequent theme, explanations, reviews, and profiles were a substantial component. The findings are discussed with regard to the institutional history of Science Times.

Public Understanding of Science Vol 15, nº2
April 2006

From Moving at the Speed of Creativity a great post about science in elementary schools: Let’s do more experiments in elementary science.