After Porto meeting, a new important meeting toward the realization of EuroScitizen goals
The EuroScitizen meeting of Paris took place at the National Natural History Museum, involving WG2 and WG5 as well as WG3 and WG4 during intergroup meetings with WG5. Decisions about specific WG deliverables were taken and ideas and activities among the different groups were shared.
WG2 (Formal Education Researchers) meeting
What 4th grade students know and what can they learn about natural selection and the history of life? These are just two of the questions that WG2 will study during EuroScitizens, as decided in Paris meeting. (Figure credits: Pedro Cardia).
Decisions were taken about the analysis of students’ understanding about evolution –with particular focus on natural selection and history of life- across different developmental stages and countries to inform curriculum design (Project 3). It has been also planned an educational program for the 4th grade aimed to foster learning on natural selection and history of life, apply it and measure its educational outcomes, involving at least 3 countries. The basis of suitable evaluation instruments to be developed and assessed have been discussed.
Schools, museums or other suitable places of various countries, where applying and evaluating such programs, are seeking: for more information, please contact Xana Pinto (xanasapinto@gmail.com) and Evangelia Mavrikaki (emavrikaki@primedu.uoa.gr).
WG5 (scientists) meeting
Main tasks were discussed, respectively concerning the activity of Literature Review, Outreach activities planning and evaluation guidelines.
(i) As for Literature Review, the discussion concerned the protocol, including critical questions and keywords, to be used. Main issues concerning the outreach activity have regarded the portrait of researchers doing it, their motivations and different models of outreach they do. The preliminary work already developed has been shared. Next work has been agreed, with the aim to involve EuroScitizens members to collect references for literature review; to choose an Open Access reference manager; to define a protocol for the literature review collaborative work to be e-mailed to EuroScitizen members within the end of May; to write instructions for critical selection and critical analysis of bibliography; to share keywords and critical analysis instructions.
During the brainstorming, for all EuroScitizens WGs, analyzing main actors and forums of scientific landscape involved in evolution is a crucial issue. (figure credits: Roberto Torres)
(ii) During the session focused on Outreach, different viewpoints of scientists were exchanged and different scenarios, motivations and obstacles that scientists would face in outreach and promotion of their research and career were analyzed. Structured guidelines for scientists were discussed to start, develop and evaluate outreach activities of their own ongoing research. A process of self-evaluation was proposed, in order to identify motivations, targets and specific (short and long term) goals. The final goal is to help scientists to find or look for the specific collaborators, the right timing, the more effective communication channels and, finally, to obtain better results and accurate ways and indicators to evaluate these results. The guidelines are oriented to encourage scientists to do outreach of their research and are minded to expedite the process, allowing scientists to establish more realistic goals, develop more effective strategies and get better results and accurate evaluations.
For more information, please contact Inmaculada Yruela (i.yruela@csic.es), Roberto Torres (rtorres@fruitfly.eu)
Paris meeting was really productive because it allowed participants to exchange diverse points of view about the various EuroScitizen activities and deliverables. (Figure credits: Roberto Torres)
WG3 (informal educators) and WG5 (scientists) joint meeting
Main task was to discuss the overlap of WG3 and WG5 in collecting evolution-themed outreach activities and creating a repository platform that will contain such activities. Doing an exploratory survey collecting evolution-themed outreach activities (WG3) overlaps with one of the WG5 tasks which is to create a repository platform for outreach activities (in the context of a best practice guide and recommendations for scientists’ engagement). Members of both WG5 and WG3 worked on streamlining the questionnaire started during the Porto Meeting by WG3, so that both groups can benefit from the exploratory survey. The end product is a survey that will be ready to be distributed during the week of June 3. The goal is to distribute it widely during June to September 28, 2019, and prepare the results of the survey for our meeting in Split, starting September 29.
For more information please contact Davorka Radovčić (davorka.radovcic@hpm.hr).
WG4 (media) and WG5 (scientists) joint meeting
During a very productive meeting, participants worked together on two main deliverables:
(i) The development of a questionnaire aimed at identifying the status of communication between scientists and journalists in different countries, also focusing on needs and concerns. The results picture will be useful to plan future activities.
(ii) The planning of a training school, scheduled for next 2020, to be suited for scientists and journalists, aimed at improving the communication between them, as important actors of science culture.
For more information, please contact Rita Ponce anaritaponce@gmail.com and Szymek Drobniak (geralttee@gmail.com)