- Jon Copley
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Jon Copley's Groups
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Using 'new' internet med…
5 members
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'Direct' engagement: pub…
11 members
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Science and news media
6 members
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Schools outreach
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Dr Jon Copley
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Latest Activity
As researchers, these days we are exhorted to take part in "public engagement" and "public dialogue", rather than "public understanding of science" (aka PUS) activities.
PUS died because it relied on something called the "deficit model". The idea b…
A place to ask questions and share advice about interacting with the media. And a forum to discuss issues surrounding news coverage of science.
Involved in, or planning to be involved in, "direct" engagement (e.g. public lectures, cafe scientifique events etc)? Here's a place to share ideas.
Podcasting, blogging, 'Web 2.0' etc offer the potential to engage very wide audiences about science. How can we use them effectively?
Involved in, or planning to be involved in, "direct" engagement (e.g. public lectures, cafe scientifique events etc)? Here's a place to share ideas.
Podcasting, blogging, 'Web 2.0' etc offer the potential to engage very wide audiences about science. How can we use them effectively?
A place to ask questions and share advice about interacting with the media. And a forum to discuss issues surrounding news coverage of science.
Involved in, or planning to be involved in, "direct" engagement (e.g. public lectures, cafe scientifique events etc)? Here's a place to share ideas.
Profile Information
- Please outline your interest/ experience in science communication/ public engagement
- (see below!)
- Do you have a website?
- http://www.personal.soton.ac.uk/jtc/
Who am I and why am I here?
I'm a marine ecologist, trying to understand the patterns of life in island-like habitats beneath the waves. I work at the University of Southampton, in the National Oceanography Centre. Much of my research is focused on exploring newly-discovered "islands" of life on the ocean floor, where colonies of deep-sea species thrive around chemical sources of energy such as volcanic vents.
In terms of science communication, I used to be a full-time reporter and news editor at New Scientist magazine and I still write popular science articles for a variety of publications. My research also attracts quite a lot of media interest; I've worked with documentary-makers for the BBC and Discovery Channel and given interviews ranging from BBC News 24 to the Paul O'Grady Show. I'm also involved in schools outreach, which I'm increasingly realising is a vital activity. And I enjoy "direct" outreach and engagement, in the form of public lectures and cafe scientifique type events. I'm particularly interested in the potential of "new media" for direct public engagement on a wider scale.
When I'm not doing my research etc, I also teach courses in science communication, media skills and public outreach to undergraduates, PhD students and established researchers. I teach these courses for universities and institutes around the UK (and now beyond) through the company SciConnect Ltd, which I co-founded with Claire Ainsworth, the architect of this social network.
I'm here on this network to find out what other people are doing in terms of science communication and outreach, hopefully learn from their experiences and share my own where useful. I absolutely subscribe to the sentiment in the quote from Carl Sagan on the front page of the network: I think it is vitally important that scientists engage wider audiences about their work, and if scientists won't do that, no-one else will promote science for them.
There are lots of people out there running excellent initiatives in communication and outreach; the challenge now is to join up those islands and share best practice etc. And that's what I hope Connecting Science can help to do.
In terms of science communication, I used to be a full-time reporter and news editor at New Scientist magazine and I still write popular science articles for a variety of publications. My research also attracts quite a lot of media interest; I've worked with documentary-makers for the BBC and Discovery Channel and given interviews ranging from BBC News 24 to the Paul O'Grady Show. I'm also involved in schools outreach, which I'm increasingly realising is a vital activity. And I enjoy "direct" outreach and engagement, in the form of public lectures and cafe scientifique type events. I'm particularly interested in the potential of "new media" for direct public engagement on a wider scale.
When I'm not doing my research etc, I also teach courses in science communication, media skills and public outreach to undergraduates, PhD students and established researchers. I teach these courses for universities and institutes around the UK (and now beyond) through the company SciConnect Ltd, which I co-founded with Claire Ainsworth, the architect of this social network.
I'm here on this network to find out what other people are doing in terms of science communication and outreach, hopefully learn from their experiences and share my own where useful. I absolutely subscribe to the sentiment in the quote from Carl Sagan on the front page of the network: I think it is vitally important that scientists engage wider audiences about their work, and if scientists won't do that, no-one else will promote science for them.
There are lots of people out there running excellent initiatives in communication and outreach; the challenge now is to join up those islands and share best practice etc. And that's what I hope Connecting Science can help to do.
Jon Copley's Blog
The "deficit model" is alive and well, on BBC Newsnight
As researchers, these days we are exhorted to take part in "public engagement" and "public dialogue", rather than "public understanding of science" (aka PUS) activities.
PUS died because it relied on something called the "deficit model". The idea behind the deficit model is this: if the public are not enthusiastic about a science topic (e.g. GM), it is because they lack knowledge of it. So if you just address that "knowledge deficit" by giving them more information about the science involved, t… Continue
PUS died because it relied on something called the "deficit model". The idea behind the deficit model is this: if the public are not enthusiastic about a science topic (e.g. GM), it is because they lack knowledge of it. So if you just address that "knowledge deficit" by giving them more information about the science involved, t… Continue
Posted on December 17, 2009 at 7:00pm —
Daily Mail returns to form
Ah, the Daily Mail. Recently I've noticed them actually getting some stories right, compared with other outlets. And that is a disturbing experience (as a result, I have been half-expecting the Four Horsemen to ride by at any moment...). So it's reassuring to see them return to traditional form with this one-sided, alarmist tripe:
Is electro smog causing your headache?
Is electro smog causing your headache?
Posted on November 20, 2009 at 7:03am —
Goldacre vs Drayson: RI, Weds 16 Sept
Ben Goldacre and Science Minister Lord Drayson are squaring off for a debate on the state of science reporting by the UK media, at the RI on Weds 16 Sept (1900-2030h). The event is fully booked, but they are taking stand-bys (click here for details).
Goldacre (for any who have not come across him?) is the author of Bad Science, the Guardian column and now book commenting on examples ranging from lazy churnalism to c… Continue
Goldacre (for any who have not come across him?) is the author of Bad Science, the Guardian column and now book commenting on examples ranging from lazy churnalism to c… Continue
Posted on September 1, 2009 at 6:16pm —
Science A-level entries for 2009: "good news" or spin?
Once again, the director of the Joint Council for Qualifications, Jim Sinclair, has hailed the annual A-level entry statistics as evidence for greater uptake of sciences, saying: "It is particularly good to report improved uptake and outcomes for mathematics and science."
And Mike Cresswell, director of the AQA, also comments that: "The three of the sciences are coming through strongly. It's a good news story for the sciences."
But is it really a "good news story" for the sciences? Let's take… Continue
And Mike Cresswell, director of the AQA, also comments that: "The three of the sciences are coming through strongly. It's a good news story for the sciences."
But is it really a "good news story" for the sciences? Let's take… Continue
Posted on August 20, 2009 at 12:00pm —
Communicating uncertainty - a cautionary tale
Communicating uncertainty, via the media, is very difficult. Just ask the Met Office, which has found itself in something of a storm after revising its forecast of this summer's weather. And it's perhaps a cautionary tale for the rest of us.
Back in April, a Met Office press release stated we were "odds on for a barbecue summer". But after a couple of weeks of widespread rain, and grumbling among those who chose to go on holiday in the UK this year, the popular press have scented blood in the w… Continue
Back in April, a Met Office press release stated we were "odds on for a barbecue summer". But after a couple of weeks of widespread rain, and grumbling among those who chose to go on holiday in the UK this year, the popular press have scented blood in the w… Continue
Posted on July 29, 2009 at 7:30pm —
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