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National Week of Science and Technology in Brazil : progress and challenges

Full text
Author(s):
Carina Pascotto Garroti
Total Authors: 1
Document type: Master's Dissertation
Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem
Defense date:
Examining board members:
Vera Regina Toledo Camargo; Marli dos Santos
Advisor: Maria das Graças Conde Caldas
Abstract

Founded in 2004, the Brazilian Week of Science and Technology (SNCT) is the result of advancement in scientific production and increasing recognition of the country as a new international player. Although public interest in the area is visible, this interest is not always accompanied by the necessary public understanding of science. By being integrated to the government public agenda and become an official government program, it allows to expand and diversify the activities of science communication for Brazilian society, taking the general public to the national debate on advances, benefits and risks of STI. This dissertation recovers the history of the evolution of the Week, which evolved from 1,848 activities and 252 towns in its original edition (2004) to 33,555 activities and 739 towns in 2013. It examines the contributions of SNCT for the popularization of scientific knowledge in Brazil and seeks to understand their role in the formation of scientific culture. This is a single case study (Yin, 1989), qualitative in nature, focusing on the activities of SNCT 2012 entitled "Sustainability, Green Economy and Poverty Eradication". The research focused on the activities of the city of São Paulo, responsible for 51 % of national scientific production and home to the main public universities in the country (state and federal). The corpus comprised the period of October 8th to 28th, 2012 (three weeks). In the first and third weeks it accompanied the activities published in the Portal of the Week, in the MCTI for a general context of its effect on the country. During the the Week ¿ October 15th to 21st , 2012 - , the central object of this work, it observed some of the activities held in the city of São Paulo in different institutions (schools , universities, shopping malls , public parks , science centers and museums and research institutions ) . The selection of these activities followed the criteria of diversity and relevance. Of 28,148 activities developed in the country, 741 were in the state of São Paulo and 329 in the capital. The data collected indicate a reduced number of activities in the city, despite their scientific importance . They also reveal the concentration of activities in a few institutions and almost essentially public schools. The survey also shows positive and negative aspects of the Week still held almost entirely with public funds. Despite the positive results of SNCT, much remains to be done for scientific disclosure to be in fact incorporated into the daily practice of research institutions, be they public or private, as well as the object of ongoing reflection in the school for the formation of a scientific citizen culture, a critical and analytical perspective . Although there is a noticeable expansion of activities , it also observed structural problems of organization and coordination between the ministries of Science and Technology and Education ; timid participation of private companies, poor dissemination of media in general , concentration of activities in the areas of Physics , Chemistry and Biology and near absence of related areas of Humanities and Arts activities (AU)

FAPESP's process: 12/05965-1 - The National Week of Science and Technology and popularization of knowledge (2004-2012)
Grantee:Carina Pascotto Garroti
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master