Diapositive 1

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Learning to participate in the scientific debate
Adriana Valente, Luciana Libutti, Michela
Mayer, Alba LAstorina
The methodology and results of the Perception and
Awareness of Science (PAS) Project, carried out
by the Italian CNR, the British Council and the
Rosselli Foundation within the cycle of
initiatives Ethics and Polemics is here
described.
Within the PAS Project 4 initiatives were held in
Bologna, Rome, Naples and Milan (with a
teleconference link to Rome) for the
communication of science through a public debate.
Italian and British scientists discussed GMOs
(2002-2003), electromagnetic pollution
(2003-2004), space exploration (2004) and the
impact of climate change on cities (2006-2007).
For this last event a follow up meeting was
organized consisting of a restricted round table
among students, citizens, scientists and
administrators in which the deliberative/proposal
aspect was emphasized. This part of the project
gave evidence of communication as a two ways
process.
Awareness
Science
of
Perception
and
Innovative methods of public debate have been
recently adopted to enhance interaction between
institutions and citizens and make the public
take an active part in the political and
decision-making process. The aim of the PAS
Project is to promote public debates among
secondary school students, lifelong learning
people and experts on the critical, ethical and
interdisciplinary components of in action
science, in order to enhance participation and to
reduce the distance between young people and
science.
In presence of a linear model of public
communication of science, where people are only
considered as the final part of a unidirectional
process, it is difficult to think that young
people become aware to be important part in the
scientific debate. The PAS Project revealed that
to participate in the scientific debate knowledge
is indeed important but only when it is critical,
problematic and interdisciplinary. Furthermore,
active participation implies deliberation/proposal
steps, the most important aspects of the
interaction between institutions and citizens,
and this passage is not easily made for both of
them.
Each PAS Project initiative is divided into two
main phases 1) the structuring of the debate
within student groups 2) the completion of a
survey on perception of science and its values
(with two questionnaires before and after each
initiative). Each group coincides with a class
and emphasis is given on the chances of an
informed dialogue between students to create
tacit understanding and collective
wisdom. Professors play the role of tutors in
this process promoting study and discussion
activities before taking part in the debate with
scientists, experts, stakeholders and
administrators. In the course of the project
didactic material is given to all classes beyond
traditional textbooks in which the debate on in
progress science is either not present or briefly
treated in a linear, not problematic style the
material is selected on the basis of different
criteria, but especially able to grant plurality
of the scientific sources. The experts contacted
for the public debate represent different points
of view in the debate. Some groups have been
involved in the meta-plan technique in order to
enhance personal involvement and participation.
SOME TIPS This methodology is useful as a way
to involve people/students in a long term
process. Joining didactics, it allows a deep
awareness on science and its values. Consisting
of modular steps, it also allows the inclusion of
more participatory models and techniques. It is
not easy to really represent the different points
of view of science much effort must be directed
on the selection of the documentation and experts.
References Adriana Valente (editor), La scienza
dagli esperti ai giovani e ritorno/ Science from
specialists to students and back again, Biblink,
Roma, 2006. L. Libutti, A. Valente, Science
communication and information dissemination The
role of the information professional in the
Perception and Awareness of Science Project,
Journal of information science, 32(2), 2006
Institute of Research on Population and Social
Policies of the National Research Council
(IRPPS-CNR) Unesco Commission, Education for
Sustainable Development Institute for
Electromagnetic Sensing of Environment of the
National Research Council (IREA-CNR)