NWA subsidy for four Leiden science communication projects
A festival that combines music and science, and a digital 'time machine' for science history: four Leiden projects that focus on science communication have been awarded a subsidy in the context of the National Science Agenda.
With funding of over 1 million euros for a diverse package of 16 projects, the National Science Agenda (NWA) gives an extra impetus to science communication. The projects will apply new communication methods while at the same time using existing resources in a different way. The projects expressly aim to reach sections of the public that do not readily come into contact with science, and that consequently do not have a good understanding of what science actually is and its significance for society.
Besides honouring particular projects, the NWA also wants to measure the impact of science communication. Leiden researcher Anne Land will be developing a toolbox for this, together with colleagues from Utrecht University. The toolbox will be shaped around a number of the projects awarded funding from this call. The aim is to gain new insights on how to generate impact among a broader share of the public than the target groups who are already interested in science.
The four Leiden projects that have been awarded funding are:
Perspective-oriented teaching for primary and secondary education
Fred Janssen, ICLON
Perspectives are domain-specific ways of looking, thinking and working, based on big scientific ideas. Using perspectives as design tools for teachers and thinking tools for pupils is a good way for pupils to learn a scientific way of thinking. This will contribute to informed citizenship and a broad societal acceptance of science.
Streaming the Past: Livestreaming as a new way of sharing and democratising knowledge about the past
Angus Mol, LUCAS
Step into a digital time machine! In Streaming the Past, students and researchers at Leiden University take the general public with them into the past. They can look at and discuss present-day knowledge of the past during weekly Let’s Plays of popular games and vodcasts, broadcast on livestream platform Twitch.
SNAAR festival: An accessible link between music and science
Rebecca Schaefer, Institute of Psychology
The new biennial SNAAR festival focuses on music and broad science, with special performances developed jointly by artists and scientists. This first event, focusing on Einstein's life and migration background presents, presents surprising, stimulating performances, lectures and public experiments, oriented towards a young and diverse target group.
NeurolabNL Young
Annelinde Vandenbroucke, Institute of Psychology
Findings from research on brain development and behaviour often only reaches adults, while this knowledge is important for young people so that they can learn more about such issues as how to handle stress or social exclusion. In this project young people will design communication products for social media to disseminate this knowledge more effectively among their contemporaries.