Frontiers of research in geosciences and science and technology policy: The experience of IG-UNICAMP

• Grant number: 18/06839-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Journalism
• Start date: August 01, 2018
• End date: July 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Roberto de Souza Filho
• Grantee: Paula Penedo Pontes de Carvalho
• Host Institution: Núcleo de Desenvolvimento da Criatividade (NUDECRI). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil

Abstract

Since last century, advances in science and technology have played a major role ir our everyday life. Because of this, it has become essential to discuss those issues with the lay public, in order to allow the dissemination of the knowledge originated in research activities and the citizen's engagement in democratic processes. Based on that, the aim of this proposal is the journalistic dissemination of research and other scientific activities developed within the three departmentes of Geosciences Institute (IG) of State University of Campinas (Unicamp): Department of Geography (DGEO), Department of Geology and Natural Resources (DGRN) and Department of Science and Technology Policy (DPCT). Areas of research covered by IG include remote sensing, mineral prospecting, science and technology policies, innovation systems, evolution of the Earth, environment, cartography and others. The project is justified through the understanding that mass media is a place where debates take shape before they become a research priority and where science and technology justify their investiments, hence making it important that the academic community get involved in public debates regarding their objects of investigation. At the same time, in addition to rarely being adressed by the great media, themes related to geosciences are usually presented in a very sensationalistic and incomprehensible way, while science and technology policy, a complex object of study that adresses the relationship between science and society, simply does not appear on journalistic publications. In this context, it is the role of the Geosciences Institute to mediate debates regarding their themes of study, presenting to society those investigations and discoveries that have greater relevance in terms of benefits, resources - considering that most researches are carried out through public funding - or the visibility it brings to brazilian science. The news and reportages written in the context of this project will be published online, on two science divulgation magazines from the Laboratory of Advanced Studies in Journalism (Labjor - Unicamp): ComCiência and Inovação. The texts will be also reproduced on the webpage of the Geosciences Institute and their social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. In addition, it is also the goal of this project to hold a workshop on Science Divulgation destined to the academic comunity of IG, in order to teach them how to detect issues of public interest, how to write a press release, which channels are available in the university to disseminate their researches and how to use online social networks in science divulgation. Lastly, it's also a goal of this proposal to publish articles and present papers on events discussing themes related to the poject.