What is Science Communication?

There is an ever-increasing need for scientific, medical and technological information to be made available to any and all who may benefit. Gone are the days when a small group of experts or professionals were the sole arbiters of scientific knowledge. We now live in a world where access to useful, convenient and intelligible science information is becoming necessary in the day-to-day lives of the general public. People want to know the answers to questions such as: Are mobile phones safe to use? What constitutes a healthy diet? Should I immunize my child? What is global warming?

The Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS) works to promote the relevance of science and to facilitate the communication of evidence-based information. This allows people to make decisions based on the best available evidence. Science communication is the discipline that aims to improve the uptake of scientific information by lay audiences.

CPAS uses a wide-ranging and practical definition of science communication. We try to broaden the education that ANU science students gain at university by teaching undergraduate courses that teach communication skills and give context to their scientific understandings. We supervise postgraduate research students who investigate the communication of particular scientific topics and the understanding of these topics in the general community. With Questacon we train graduate diploma students to take science performances to rural and regional Australia in the traveling Shell Questacon Science Circus. We offer postgraduate training in theoretical and practical aspects of science communication in a Masters of Science specializing in science communication. Scientists and science teachers also receive training in communicating and demonstrating science in our workshops.

While there are courses in other departments and at other universities that focus on the philosophy of science or the sociology of science, CPAS focuses on communication, including barriers to the uptake of science, often applying theory to case studies of particular topics. Our postgraduate students bring with them the topics that interest them and the staff at CPAS help them to investigate it from a communications perspective or to develop a strategy to facilitate understanding. Projects undertaken at the centre are very diverse. They have included using the web to help children understand physics concepts, evaluating science outreach programs and visitors centres, the effect of scientific terms on marketing anti-wrinkle creams, lay understandings of mental illness and the potential of computer games for science education.

If you have a topic area in mind, contact us to discuss whether CPAS would be the right place to do your research project.

What is science awareness?