February, 2023
February, 2023
February was eventful! In our 2nd Newsletter, we present a lecture on ISEED results within the Yearbook Science, Technology and Society 2023 by Observa. We are also pleased to share the publication about Smart Cities and Surveillance. And lastly, details of a powerful survey in Citizen Science Practice.
Events
Science, Technology and Society
The Yearbook “Science, Technology and Society 2023” edited by ISEED member Giuseppe Pellegrini and Andrea Rubin from Observa. This is the 18th survey since Observa was founded in 2005.
It presents the results produced by the survey conducted by Observa in 2022 regarding different topics: Scientific literacy; Exposure to science and technology in the media; Credibility and quality of scientific information; Orientations towards science and technology; Information on Covid-19 and the communication of the experts on the Covid-19.
On 9th of February, Pellegrini gave a lecture on the results obtained in ISEED within the Master “Philosophy and history of science and technology” at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, an ISEED partner.
Alongside, on the 22nd of February, Pellegrini presented the Yearbook within the meeting “A complicated relationship. Science and society on the verge of a crisis?” at the University of Turin, an ISEED partner.
Within the Yearbook there is a vast section with ISEED results, those regarding Mapping and interpreting Deliberative and Participatory Processes, ISEED’s Work Package 3. You can read a summary of these ISEED results here.
The video presents a summary of what the Yearbook approaches in Citizen Science & Public Participation with Giuseppe Pellegrini. Activate the closed captions (CC) for English translation!
This content was translated from the Italian original text taken at the source: Annuario Scienza, Tecnologia e Societa, Observa 2023.
Research
Smart Cities and Surveillance
“The effect of the pandemic on European narratives on smart cities and surveillance” by Biesaga, M., Domaradzka, A., Roszczyńska-Kurasińska, M., Talaga, S., & Nowak, A. was published in Urban Studies in 2023. Anna Domaradzka and Magda Roszczyńska are ISEED members.
In this paper a tool was tested for extraction of narratives in a topic of smart cities. The study attempts to understand what are the most typical narratives regarding development of smart cities that are published in international European journals.
The analysis shows the growing number of positive narratives underlining the importance of technology in fighting the pandemic and mitigating the climate emergency, but the latter is often mentioned in a tokenistic fashion. Right to privacy considerations are central for two out of four discovered topics.
It was found that the main rationale for the development of surveillance technologies relates to the competitiveness of the EU in the global technological rivalry, while ambitions like increasing societal well-being or safeguarding the transparency of new policies are nearly non-existent. Magda Roszczyńska will be presenting these results at the Urban Affairs Association Conference in April.
Action
Citizen Science Practice
“Perspectives and Perceptions on Citizen Science” is a survey that focuses on the experiences and perspectives of citizen scientists. Led by ISEED member Michael O’Gray, the goal is to create an adviser report for policymakers.
“Citizen scientists are members of the public who collect and sometimes analyse data to help answer research questions.” They may collaborate with professional scientists, local community groups, online communities, or other organizations. Citizen scientists volunteer their own time and efforts to further scientific knowledge.
The research team will use this survey’s results to compile a report for policymakers, among others.
It is envisaged that the survey will be completed in 20 minutes. It is emphasized that the survey is anonymous – no identifiable data is requested or should be provided. A report detailing the results of this survey will be made freely and publicly available in the latter half of 2023.
Thanks to our international team, the survey has been translated by native speakers to 9 languages! Making it more #accessible and #inclusive.
If you have participated in a science project in recent years, please complete the survey!
Text: Observa, Giuseppe Pellegrini, Chiara Piccolo, Magda Roszczyńska, Michael O’Gray and Sarah Santos
Edit: Chiara Piccolo and Sarah Santos
Last updated: 27/02/2023
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