Science communication of the Stress Studies Laboratory (LABEEST) -UNICAMP

• Grant number: 19/19023-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Journalism
• Start date: October 01, 2019
• End date: September 30, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Preventive Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Dora Maria Grassi-Kassisse
• Grantee: Paula Gomes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Coordenadoria de Centros e Núcleos Disciplinares (COCEN). Núcleo de Desenvolvimento da Criatividade (NUDECRI), Brazil

Abstract

Brazilians have a high interest in science-related issues, was the response obtained by the research of the Center for Management and Strategic Studies (CGEE) commissioned by the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications (MCTIC) in 2015. However, 88% of the interviewees could not inform the name of any scientific institution in the country. 90% of them do not know the name of any Brazilian scientist. The interest of Brazilians in matters related to science remains, therefore, in the field of potentiality. Such a phenomenon may be related to the lack of concern of communicators in find new ways to speak to wider audiences. Researchers and journalists need to critically incorporate the new aesthetic-narrative possibilities currently available in online and digital environments, such as the language of social networks, video repositories such as Youtube, among others. The establishment of bridges between society and science is a constant challenge, which cannot be imputed only to the researcher, whose professional demands often force him to move temporarily away from public spaces. Journalism, therefore, plays a fundamental role in maintaining these bridges. Professor Carlos Vogt reminds us that the dissemination of science has not only the occasional goal of transmitting certain scientific knowledge to the general population, but to form a society that makes, loves and encourages science daily (VOGT, 2011:13). Seeking to foster social engagement in scientific production, this project aims to work with researchers, teachers and students of the Stress Studies Laboratory (LABEEST) of the Unicamp Biology Institute, developing a coordinated strategy for scientific dissemination. The laboratory develops research of significant scientific and social relevance, analyzing the stress level of different social groups, such as college students, athletes, health professionals, among others. The project consists in the creation of a multiplatform journalistic initiative that aims to establish a bridge between researchers and students of the Institute and society in general, modulating the language to better meet the discursive particularities of these platforms. The initiative will be called EstresseTalks and will create content in the form of text, audiovisual and infographics that will be broadcast on its own channels on social networks as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and on Youtube. In addition, the project foresees the production of content related to the studies of LABEEST that should be broadcast on platforms maintained by the Unicamp Journalism Laboratory (LabJor), an institution in which the proponent is attending to the Specialization in Scientific Dissemination. The main journalistic platforms of LabJor which the proponent will act and collaborate are the ComCiência Magazine and the radio Oxygen. The results the project seeks are: (1) create and consolidate channels of dialogue between researchers and society within online digital content platforms and (2) assist in the formation of a culture of communication with the general public among laboratory members.