All Blog Posts (26)
Slinn Pickings and ChemSpy daily posts by me
Added by Robert N Slinn on January 23, 2012 at 3:01am — No Comments
Introductions
Hi Everyone
I am proud to announce (although some of you already know), that Immersive Theatres - 360° Mobile Experiences is here and trading!
I have set up my own, part-time business all to do with operating digital mobile domes. My mission is to be 'Unique in some ways and exatly the same in other ways' - so apart from high quality astronomy shows, look out for weddings, birthdays and even picnics under an inflable dome!
Over the years I have…
ContinueAdded by Zeeshaan Dinally on January 2, 2012 at 10:27am — No Comments
More "churnalism"
At the risk of starting to sound like a old curmudgeon (ok - what risk - who am I kidding?), there's another lovely example of "churnalism" out there today.
Right now there's a breaking news story reporting a paper in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, in which climate modelling of exoplanet Gliese 581d shows that it might be habitable.
Gliese 581d is about 20 light years from Earth. The…
ContinueAdded by Jon Copley on May 17, 2011 at 8:30pm — 1 Comment
Online outreach: a personal view
As I sit here bobbing about aboard the research ship James Cook in the Antarctic, I have some time to reflect on the online outreach that we're doing, which we developed on a previous expedition.
Back in April last year, we were exploring the Cayman Trough in the Caribbean, which is the world's deepest undersea volcanic rift, in search of deep-sea hydrothermal vents to answer a major question about the patterns of life in the oceans.
The ingredients of seeing parts of our world…
ContinueAdded by Jon Copley on January 21, 2011 at 2:12pm — No Comments
Antarctic expedition blog
Blogging live from our Antarctic research expedition at:
http://www.thesearethevoyages.net/jc55/index.html
Also taking questions from school kids, and offering webchats for classes.
Haven't activated visitor comments on this trip, however, because we don't have someone full-time for outreach to moderate them.
http://www.thesearethevoyages.net/jc55/index.html
Also taking questions from school kids, and offering webchats for classes.
Haven't activated visitor comments on this trip, however, because we don't have someone full-time for outreach to moderate them.
Added by Jon Copley on January 20, 2011 at 6:57pm — No Comments
Dumbing down Physics GCSE?
Michael de Podesta, a physicist and Science Ambassador at the NPL has stimulated a lively debate about the quality of the GCSE physics curriculum in a post on the "How should we teach science?" blog.
He reports on a meeting he attended with the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency,… Continue
He reports on a meeting he attended with the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency,… Continue
Added by Claire Ainsworth on January 26, 2010 at 6:21pm — No Comments
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… 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… Continue
Added by Jon Copley on December 17, 2009 at 7:00pm — No Comments
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?
Added by Jon Copley on November 20, 2009 at 7:03am — No Comments
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… 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… Continue
Added by Jon Copley on September 1, 2009 at 6:16pm — No Comments
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… 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… Continue
Added by Jon Copley on August 20, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments
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… 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… Continue
Added by Jon Copley on July 29, 2009 at 7:30pm — No Comments
Science education "black hole" in Islington and Slough?
If you live in Islington or Slough, and can't afford to attend a private school, then the most significant human endeavour of recent centuries - science - may effectively be closed to you as a career option.
That's the bottom line in new data published today on the numbers of state schools offering triple science - separate physics, chemistry and biology at GCSE.
No pupils were entered for triple science GCSEs… Continue
That's the bottom line in new data published today on the numbers of state schools offering triple science - separate physics, chemistry and biology at GCSE.
No pupils were entered for triple science GCSEs… Continue
Added by Jon Copley on June 3, 2009 at 2:00pm — No Comments
Making a career of a hobbie
Isn't that the perfect job?! Doing something you are passionate about and being paid for it!
Our hobbies are the things we choose to do because we enjoy doing them. Wouldn't everyone like to be paid to do the things they love doing? Well I thought, foolishly it seems, that I could do just that. That I could realise my dream and become a full time communicator of science. It is my hobbie, my passion, and I am fortunate enough to have been able, on occassion, to make it part of my… Continue
Our hobbies are the things we choose to do because we enjoy doing them. Wouldn't everyone like to be paid to do the things they love doing? Well I thought, foolishly it seems, that I could do just that. That I could realise my dream and become a full time communicator of science. It is my hobbie, my passion, and I am fortunate enough to have been able, on occassion, to make it part of my… Continue
Added by Emma Johnson on May 19, 2009 at 1:35pm — 4 Comments
Getting the balance right
As a full time postdoctoral researcher with a passion for Science Communication, I often find myself trying to balance the two in terms of time and money.
It's no secret, that I am passionate about Science Communication to the point where I would like to make a career of it. This means that, like a moth to a flame, I am naturally attracted to the organisation and participation of outreach and enterprise events.
This is great for the University and great for the scientific… Continue
It's no secret, that I am passionate about Science Communication to the point where I would like to make a career of it. This means that, like a moth to a flame, I am naturally attracted to the organisation and participation of outreach and enterprise events.
This is great for the University and great for the scientific… Continue
Added by Emma Johnson on April 30, 2009 at 2:47pm — 1 Comment
Lack of scientific literacy, or lazy churnalism?
(the links in this post were time-sensitive; see postscript below)
Here's some hot science news. Contrary to what you were taught at school, sodium hydroxide, aka caustic soda, is an "acid" - at least according to several media outlets. The Press Association has issued a newswire about an accident in which a boy was badly burned after falling through a building roof into a vat of caustic soda. Their newswire, however, had the erroneous headline… Continue
Here's some hot science news. Contrary to what you were taught at school, sodium hydroxide, aka caustic soda, is an "acid" - at least according to several media outlets. The Press Association has issued a newswire about an accident in which a boy was badly burned after falling through a building roof into a vat of caustic soda. Their newswire, however, had the erroneous headline… Continue
Added by Jon Copley on April 17, 2009 at 9:30am — No Comments
Another example...
...of some media coverage bending science out-of-shape:
"Twitter can make you immoral, claim scientists" - headline of an article by Jenny Hope in today's Daily Mail.
Wow, that's quite a claim - like any good headline, it draws you in to the story to find out what's behind it. It made me wonder how that claim was made; presumably some study actually involving Twitter… Continue
"Twitter can make you immoral, claim scientists" - headline of an article by Jenny Hope in today's Daily Mail.
Wow, that's quite a claim - like any good headline, it draws you in to the story to find out what's behind it. It made me wonder how that claim was made; presumably some study actually involving Twitter… Continue
Added by Jon Copley on April 14, 2009 at 8:30am — No Comments
Decline in science journalism and rise of the science bloggers
Good round-up article on Nature's website about the cuts in "traditional" science journalism - and the rise of "citizen-journalist" science bloggers.
What do you think? Do "new media" tools that allow scientists to engage mass audiences directly offer a great opportunity? Is a decline in science journalists worrying, if it results in more cutting-and-pasting of press releases by mainstream… Continue
What do you think? Do "new media" tools that allow scientists to engage mass audiences directly offer a great opportunity? Is a decline in science journalists worrying, if it results in more cutting-and-pasting of press releases by mainstream… Continue
Added by Jon Copley on March 31, 2009 at 3:30pm — 1 Comment
Headlines and hype
This week's New Scientist has an article by Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge, about recent misreporting of his research in the media.
The Guardian article that he complains misreported his work is here.
And… Continue
The Guardian article that he complains misreported his work is here.
And… Continue
Added by Jon Copley on March 28, 2009 at 2:30pm — No Comments
To hypothesise or not to hypothesise?
Are there are times, perhaps, when one should not communicate with wider audiences - at least not via the media - unless one does so very, very carefully? The mainstream media (and I'm talking about journalists who are not science correspondents) have little understanding of the scientific method. As most are arts / humanities graduates, to them one "expert" opinion is just as good as any other.
So when an "expert" scientist hypothesises, to the mainstream media their hypothesis has… Continue
So when an "expert" scientist hypothesises, to the mainstream media their hypothesis has… Continue
Added by Jon Copley on February 25, 2009 at 8:30am — 1 Comment
Ecognomospeak
Scientists are sometimes derided as poor communicators for using jargon, rather than plain English, when communicating with non-specialist audiences. There is another profession, however, that is as least as bad, if not worse: economists and bankers. But they seem to be seldom criticised for it.
Here's an example – the public statement from Eric Daniels, Chief Executive of Lloyds Banking Group, explaining the unexpected £10 billion loss by HBOS:
"HBOS's 2008 results have… Continue
Here's an example – the public statement from Eric Daniels, Chief Executive of Lloyds Banking Group, explaining the unexpected £10 billion loss by HBOS:
"HBOS's 2008 results have… Continue
Added by Jon Copley on February 15, 2009 at 2:00am — No Comments
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- The "deficit model" is alive and well, on BBC Newsnight
- Dumbing down Physics GCSE?
- Lack of scientific literacy, or lazy churnalism?
- Slinn Pickings and ChemSpy daily posts by me
- Online outreach: a personal view
- Decline in science journalism and rise of the science bloggers
- Science A-level entries for 2009: "good news" or spin?
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Introductions
Hi Everyone I am proud to announce (although some of you already know), that Immersive Theatres - 360° Mobile Experiences is here and trading! I have set up my own, part-time business all to do with operating digital mobile domes. My mission is to be 'Unique in some ways and exatly the same in other ways' - so apart from high quality astronomy shows, look out for weddings, birthdays and even picnics under an inflable dome! Over the years I have found (and no doubt you have too) many constomers…See More
Blog post by Zeeshaan Dinally
Coventry Astronomy Show 2012 at Coventry, CV3 2QD
March 17, 2012 from 12pm to 8pm
A day of lectures and workshops on Saturday 17th March 2012, 12:00 - 21:00Ernesford Grange School, Princethorpe Way, Coventry, West Midlands. CV3 2QDWith professional speakers, workshops for younger participants, trade stands and a digital planetarium you're sure to be kept busy until dark...See More
Event posted by Zeeshaan Dinally
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