abstract: The academic literature on science communication widely acknowledges a problem: science communication between experts and lay audiences is important, but it is not done well. General audience popular science books, however, carry a reputation for clear science communication and are understudied in the academic literature. For this doctoral dissertation, I utilize Sam Harris's The Moral Landscape, a general audience science book on the particularly thorny topic of neuroscientific approaches to morality, as a case-study to explore the possibility of using general audience science books as models for science communication more broadly. I conduct a literary analysis of the text that delimits the scope of its project, its intended audience, and the domains of science to be communicated. I also identify seven literary aspects of the text: three positive aspects that facilitate clarity and four negative aspects that interfere with lay public engagement. I conclude that The Moral Landscape relies on an assumed knowledge base and intuitions of its audience that cannot reasonably be expected of lay audiences; therefore, it cannot properly be construed as popular science communication. It nevertheless contains normative lessons for the broader science project, both in literary aspects to be salvaged and literary aspects and concepts to consciously be avoided and combated. I note that The Moral Landscape's failings can also be taken as an indication that typical descriptions of science communication offer under-detailed taxonomies of both audiences for science communication and the varieties of science communication aimed at those audiences. Future directions of study include rethinking appropriate target audiences for science literacy projects and developing a more discriminating taxonomy of both science communication and lay publics. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Biology 2013

Two centuries after the printing press was invented, the first scholarly journal appeared in 1665. Less than two decades after the journal went online, the digital format is reshaping scholarly communication rapidly. We are moving quickly towards an open system of scholarship, and from a Western heritage of print scholarship to a future of global knowledge, a shift driven by the communications revolution. This thesis provides data describing the size and growth of the universe of scholarship, its global reach, how much of it is accessible free of charge on the internet and the rate at which that share is growing. Open Access together with development programs aimed at reducing price barriers to subscription journals have vastly increased the possibilities for accessing research in the South. The relevance to globalization and development is explored conceptually and revealed in the results.

What persuades people one way or another to accept or deny climate change? More importantly, what persuades people to act on, ignore, or even be defiant of climate change? We would like to think that people are motivated when they hear the science explained clearly and when they are presented with a clear understanding of how their actions have a lasting impact. Yet the science on climate change has been made clear for some time, and doubt in climate change science is rampant (at least in the United States). This dissertation seeks to answer these questions and develop a new methodology for persuading people to change their behaviors to be more environmentally friendly. I discuss a rhetorical theory called new materialism (a branch of posthumanism) that looks at the impact that nonhuman factors have on an audience’s decision-making. I apply that theory to the study of technical communication in three case studies of rural communities in Utah, Morocco, and Ohio, learning from local knowledges and seeking to understand what persuades these audiences’ in a more complex way than we may have previously thought. I conclude by suggesting what approaches communicators might take with these communities in the future toward engaging them in making the behavior changes that are necessary to mitigate the human contribution to climate change.

Popular media portrayals and promotion of vaccine hesitancy still rely heavily on the information-deficit model despite a push for non-information-based strategies from scholars such as increasing trust. In this study, newspaper portrayals of vaccine hesitancy during the COVID- 19 pandemic were examined to determine the prevalence of the information-deficit model. Canadian newspaper articles from The Globe & Mail and the National Post published during a 14-month period between May 2020 and June 2021 were examined. A total of 56 unique articles were identified, and a coding frame was developed through both inductive and deductive methods. Data was collected using a qualitative content analysis. Through thematic analysis, three distinct portrayals of vaccine hesitancy were identified, and the use of the information- deficit model varied depending on the portrayal. Portrayals of vaccine hesitancy in the general population and vaccine hesitancy as “anti-vaxxers” used the most rhetoric based on the information-deficit model, whereas vaccine hesitancy portrayals focusing on specific marginalized subgroups included more non-information-based explanations and suggested solutions. Media portrayals of vaccine hesitancy show signs of shifting to a non-information- based rhetoric, but is still predominantly based on the information-deficit model. This reliance on the information-deficit model, as well as its possible effects on expert-lay relationships, are discussed.

The integration of digital technologies in K-12 education is ubiquitous. Web 2.0 technologies enable students who were once passive consumers to become active participants in, and even creators of, dynamic digital experiences. Social media, in particular, can connect disparate populations, minimizing traditional barriers such as time, space and geography. Similarly, science communication has also been influenced by an expanding array of media through which scientists can now connect directly with the public. #Scistuchat, the focus of this study, uses the social media platform Twitter to bring together scientists, secondary science students and teachers outside of school in monthly, science-focused Twitter chats. Using a multiple-case (embedded) design, this study sought to answer the question "How do #scistuchat participants perceive Twitter as a tool for learning and communicating science?" Thematic, cross-case analysis of four #scistuchats revealed themes specific to the #scistuchat experience, as well as the broader use of Twitter for science learning and communication. In addition to real-time observations of each chat and later analysis of the archived tweets, videoconferencing technology was used to conduct individual interviews with participating scientists (n=16) and teachers (n=6), as well as focus groups with students (n=17). Notable #scistuchat-specific findings include a recognition of the experience as dynamic and student-focused. Regarding student outcomes, although gains in science content knowledge were limited, an evolving understanding of scientists and the nature of their work was prominent. Findings regarding the broader use of Twitter for science purposes highlighted its multidimensional, professional utility and its unique contributions when leveraged in classroom settings.

É possível rir da ciência? Qual seria a relação entre o cômico e a ciência? Onde está o humor na ciência? No âmbito do ensino, os alunos riem das piadas com física? É preciso entender ou saber conceitos de física para entender a piada? É pensando nestas questões que articulamos a presente pesquisa, que visa estudar a relação entre o humor e a ciência e suas implicações didáticas. Para tanto, iniciamos nossa pesquisa a partir de um estudo das teorias sobre o humor e sua evolução ao longo da história, seguida de um levantamento de obras, tais como: O Guia do Mochileiro das Galáxias de Douglas Adams, As cosmicômicas de Italo Calvino, tiras e charges, entre outras, nas quais enxergamos uma aproximação entre ciência e humor. Com a base teórica, investigamos os resultados de intervenções didáticas nas quais foram utilizados materiais midiáticos pesquisados. Para a elaboração e realização das atividades e da pesquisa, nós nos apoiamos em uma metodologia que engloba três etapas: análise, formulação e aplicação/intervenção. Em que na primeira, o material é estudado, em seguida é realizada a produção de uma proposta de atividades, que, por fim, é realizada em um espaço educacional, seja ele formal ou não. No presente trabalho, a investigação foi realizada em dois momentos distintos. O primeiro envolvendo estudantes do ensino superior, tanto da Escola de Artes Ciências e Humanidades da Universidade de São Paulo, quanto da Universidade Júlio de Mesquita Filho - UNESP, Campus Rio Claro, e no segundo com alunos do ensino fundamental II, no âmbito do projeto Banca da Ciência na Escola. Como resultado, concluímos que, no geral, a relação entre humor e ciência se encontra fora da ciência, e relacionada com outros conteúdos. Pudemos observar que, de fato, há uma estreita relação entre o riso e a compreensão de um conteúdo científico, e, que o humor, devido a sua aproximação com o lúdico, possibilita, e necessita, um espaço dinâmico para a sua utilização. Portanto, o humor apresenta um papel importante tanto no processo de ensino-aprendizagem quanto no engajamento à ciência. / Is it possible to laugh from Science? What would it be the relationship between something funny and science? Where is the humor on science? On the scope of teaching, do the students laugh from physics puns? Is it necessary to understand or to know physics concepts to \"get\" the joke? It is thinking on these questions that we have articulated this current research, that aims to study the relationship between humor and science, and its didactical implications. To do so, we started this research studying the humors theories and its evolution trough history, followed by a study of media works, such as Douglas Adams\' Hitchhiker\'s Guide to the Galaxy, Italo Calvino\'s Cosmicomics, comic stripes, among others, on which we saw an approximation of science and humor. With this theoretical background, we have investigated the outcomes of didactical interventions on which the works researched were used. For the elaboration and realization of the activities and the research, we supported a methodology that can be divided in three steps, analysis, elaboration and intervention. On the first step, the work its studied, on the second step one intervention its elaborated, and, on the third step, the intervention takes place on an education environment, be it formal or nonformal. On the current work, the investigation was performed on two different moments. The first involving students from undergraduate courses, such as Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades da Universidade de São Paulo, and, Universidade Júlio de Mesquita Filho - UNESP, Campus Rio Claro, and on the second moment, with students from secondary education on the project Science stand at school. As results, we have concluded that, in general, the relation between humor and science can be found outside the science, and related with others subjects. We could also observe that, indeed, there is a strait relationship among laugh and the comprehension of a scientific content, and, that the humor, due its proximity with ludic activities, allows, and requires, a dynamical space for its use. Therefore, the humor has an important role in teaching and learning process an in the engagement of science

This thesis explores new forms of scholarly communication and the practice of open science among UK based academics. Open science broadly refers to practices that allow cost-free open access to academic research. Three aspects of open science are examined in this study: open access to research articles; open access to research data; and publishing ongoing research updates using social media. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining a series of scoping studies using qualitative methods followed up by an Internet survey of 1,829 UK academics. Overall this thesis has shown that whilst there is support for open science, the use of open science by academics was limited. Many academics were not aware of RCUK's open access policy and had limited experience of making their research articles freely accessible online. Most academics did not share their primary research data online. Although some academics had used a range of social media tools to communicate their research, the majority had not used social media in their research work. Overall, male, older and senior academics were more likely to use open access publishing and share primary research data, but were less likely to use social media for research. Academics based in Medical and Natural Sciences were more likely to use open access publishing and share research data, but less likely to use social media for their research compared to academics from Humanities and Social Sciences. Academics who were aware of RCUK's open access policy and who recognised the citation advantages of open access were more likely to publish in open access journals. Academics that were aware of RCUK's open access policy and had used social media for research were more likely to self-archive research articles. Academics that had used secondary data collected by others and self-archived research papers were more likely to share their own primary research data. Academics seemed to be strongly influenced by their colleagues' recommendation for the adoption of social media in research. Those who considered that the general public should know about their research findings were more likely to share their research on social media. A group of academics were identified and described as super users who frequently communicated ongoing research on social media. These super users were more likely to use tablet computers and have received social media training organised by their institutions. It is clear that open science is going to be a major factor in future academic work and in relation to building an academic career. Many academics have recognised the importance of open science. However to date the use of the tools for open science has been limited. With the right guidance and reinforcement of relevant policies, the new forms of scholarly communication can provide a pathway to open science which would serve to benefit individual academics, research communities and the public good.

<p>Abstract</p><p>Purpose/Aim: The aim of this essay is to paint a picture of science news reporting in the Swedish Public Service science programme, vetenskaps-radion. Key issues to be adressed are: What areas in science are prioritised? How much of the total broadcast time are devoted to each area? Are there any differences in reporting between weeks? How well does the swedish science radio match common interets? Are the news in the form of short “soundbites” or are they more lengthy in-depth?</p><p>Material/Method: Quantitative analysis of radio programmes. The variables used are based on the different major areas in natural sciences.</p><p>Main results: This study shows that most broadcast time is devoted to news regarding biology and medicine and that the news rather are in the form of short snippets of news than more lengty in-depth stories. This is put in light of how journalistes tend to present news and that the subjects involved has to relate to peoples everyday lives. Furthermore, radio as a medium dictates that the listeners attention needs to be maintained throughout the broadcast, which may be a reason for the tendency to present short news snippets.</p><p>Keywords:</p><p>Science journalism, radio, science communication, news reporting</p>

Abstract Purpose/Aim: The aim of this essay is to paint a picture of science news reporting in the Swedish Public Service science programme, vetenskaps-radion. Key issues to be adressed are: What areas in science are prioritised? How much of the total broadcast time are devoted to each area? Are there any differences in reporting between weeks? How well does the swedish science radio match common interets? Are the news in the form of short “soundbites” or are they more lengthy in-depth? Material/Method: Quantitative analysis of radio programmes. The variables used are based on the different major areas in natural sciences. Main results: This study shows that most broadcast time is devoted to news regarding biology and medicine and that the news rather are in the form of short snippets of news than more lengty in-depth stories. This is put in light of how journalistes tend to present news and that the subjects involved has to relate to peoples everyday lives. Furthermore, radio as a medium dictates that the listeners attention needs to be maintained throughout the broadcast, which may be a reason for the tendency to present short news snippets. Keywords: Science journalism, radio, science communication, news reporting

Science communication, as a multidisciplinary field, serves to transfer scientific information to individuals to promote interest and awareness in science. This process resembles science education. Rooted in science education and science communication studies, this study examines the 4th and 5th grade students` usage of prominent science information sources (SIS), the features of these sources, and their effective and ineffective uses and processes in communicating science to students. Guided by situated learning and uses and gratifications (U&amp / G) theories, this study is a phenomenological qualitative inquiry. Data were gathered through approximately 64 hours of classroom observations / focus group and individual interviews from four elementary schools (two public, two private schools) in Ankara, T&uuml / rkiye. Focus group interviews were conducted with 47 students, and individual interviews were carried out with 17 teachers and 10 parents. The data were analyzed manually and MAXQDA software respectively. The results revealed that students used various SIS in school-based and beyond contexts to satisfy their cognitive, affective, personal, and social integrative needs. They used SIS for (a) science courses, (b) homework/project assignments, (c) exam/test preparations, and (d) individual science related research. Moreover, the results indicated that comprehensible, enjoyable, entertaining, interesting, credible, brief, updated, and visual aspects of content and content presentation of SIS were among the key drivers affecting students` use of SIS. The results revealed that accessibility of SIS was an important variable in students` use of these sources. Results further shed light on the connection between science education and science communication in terms of promoting science learning.