Democratizing Computational Political Science: Journalistic Production for Scientific Dissemination and Development of Educational Materials

• Grant number: 25/07623-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Journalism
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Communications - Journalism and Publishing
• Principal Investigator: Sylvia Iasulaitis
• Grantee: Laís Cerqueira Fernandes
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar), Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/03090-0 - Analysis of large amounts of political data and complex networks: mining modelling and applications in Computational Political Science, AP.PNGP.PI

Abstract

The project aims to create science communication materials and educational resources to share findings from the research project "Analysis of large volumes of political data and complex networks: mining, modeling and applications in Computational Political Science," conducted at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar).The initiative will translate and share data and analyses related to Brazilian politics and elections, including speeches by political figures, voting records, and social media user behavior. The scholarship recipient, working 40 hours weekly for 12 months, will produce multimedia content in four formats: podcasts, videos, articles, and infographics.Main objectives:- Create and distribute free, high-quality multimedia materials to communicate scientific content- Encourage critical thinking and civic engagement on political-electoral topics- Connect non-specialist audiences with the scientific process- Show how science impacts everyday decisions and the political landscape- Share materials through official project channels, institutional platforms, and external media outlets- Develop educational resources to spark interest in science communication- Train new science communicators and make scientific knowledge more accessibleMethodology:The strategy focuses on using digital platforms to reach and engage non-specialist audiences. The approach will be inclusive and comprehensive, with accessible materials (transcriptions, captions, and descriptions of visual elements) and participatory communication, especially when developing educational resources for people interested in science communication.Scholar's activities:- Attending regular team meetings- Developing the project's visual identity- Writing scripts, recording, and editing audiovisual content- Editing texts and creating infographics- Implementing accessibility features- Sharing content across social media and institutional platforms- Creating educational resources- Contact with communication outlets and pressThe materials will be shared on social media (Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube), on the project website, and through UFSCar's institutional channels, including partnerships with the Scientific Culture Institute (ICC) and UFSCar Radio.The selected scholar, Laís Cerqueira, holds a Master's degree in Communication Studies from the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), with experience in narrative strategies for storytelling podcasts. She worked for nearly ten years in UFJF's Institutional Communication department, producing over 600 science and institutional communication articles, as well as podcasts and events.The project aligns with FAPESP's Science Journalism scholarship goals of broadly communicating scientific information and developing science communication skills, with a special focus on democratizing knowledge about computational politics and data analysis.