Write, Present, Create: Science Communication For Undergraduates

China has made remarkable and rapid progress in the area of science communication, both in theory and practice. This book critically examines all aspects of science communication practices in China. Dealing with major turning points since the introduction of the ‘Science and Technology Popularization Law’ and the ‘Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy’, the book tells a success story by scrutinizing structural changes in science communication policies, education system, construction and efficacious utilisation of science popularisation facilities, and creative use of a mix of traditional and modern channels of communication. The book also gives an in-depth analysis of the monitoring and evaluation mechanism, which constitutes the backbone of the national science communication project.

This book has an introduction and 22 other chapters that cover science communication skills. The editor has detailed knowledge of the field and consultation with leading editors and journalists in the region. It provides hands-on guidance together with examples, learning activities, graded and ungraded quizzes to facilitate learning. The content has been tried and tested by lecturers at two universities in Nigeria and Uganda, who used it to successfully train thousands of students in science communication. Each chapter carries hands-on advice on the practice of science journalism, with learning activities to deepen the learner's understanding of the topic. The book also includes five academic systematic review papers, written by university faculty, that that identify, review and synthesize available literature and experiences on science journalism and communication issues in the region.

The idea for this text stemmed from the fruitful experience gathered during the training course of 9 Nigerian university students organized in Naples from 3 to 18 September 2008 by the team of Fondazione IDIS-Città della Scienza under the project Science Centre Owerri.