Living Knowledge – No 6, July 2005
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ISSN 1613-2270 LivingLiving No. 6 - July 2005 KnowledgeKnowledge International Journal of Community Based Research Science and Citizen Participation The Science Communication Escalator Fruitful Interplay: Science and Theatre Universities and Civic Participation Living Knowledge The International Science Shop Network Contents | Editorial Around the World Contents Editorial he fl ow of expert knowledge is undergoing Focus: Science and Ciitizen Participation Trapid change. As information highways are constructed around the globe, new questions about ethics, goals and economics must be an- swered. Science communication addresses theo- The Science Communication retical and pragmatic questions central to many Escalator of today‘s debates. But also the involvement of civil society Every type of knowledge needs its and citizens in policy deliberation and decision-making proc- specifi c way of communication. At the esses relating to scientifi c and technical issues has undergone moment there is no blueprint for the communication be- signifi cant and also highly heterogeneous changes in European tween scientists and society. Ann Van der Auweraert from countries. Ways of involving civil society and empowering the Antwerp describes a model of a ‘science communication community have been very diverse, ranging from social mobi- escalator’, based on the ‘risk communication escalator’ by lisations, the development of associations, Science Shops and Ortwin Renn. » 5 NGOs, to the introduction of formal participatory procedures in decision-making settings. The fact that Science Shops respond to civil society’s needs for expertise and knowledge is a key element that distinguishes them from other knowledge transfer mechanisms. However, many Fruitful Interplay: Science and initiatives are similar to Science Shops and do the same type of Theatre work. Despite their different names and differences in operation Do logic and inspiration lie closely to- and organisation, basic principles and goals are comparable. gether? How can molecules be made vis- With this issue of Living Knowledge we want to give an impres- ible? The Science Shop Tübingen demonstrated that a com- sion of the increasing activities and the increased capacity to bination of science and theatre offers new approaches to amplify local voices. increase the popularity of science among pupils » 8 After two and a half years and six issues of the magazine the publication structure of the Living Knowledge network will Lack of Confi dence change. With the end of the funding period of the ISSNET A seminar at the University of Barcelona focused on the project we have to change the publication rate of the magazine. experiences with the co-operation between researchers and The next printed issue of Living Knowledge will be published in citizens. The presentation of projects outlined the problems autumn 2006 within the TRAMS project. In the meantime the in mutal acceptance but also gave input how to set up a Sci- Living Knowledge Newsletter will be further developed to a spe- ence Shop at the University. » 10 cifi c web version with links to additional information to guar- antee continuity in reporting on experiences of Science Shops and similar organisations in Europe, to disseminate expertise, FOIST and examples of good practice as well to provide relevant infor- At the University of Sassari in Sardinia, Italy, is a social science mation for Science Shops such as conference announcements or laboratory which understands itself as a place for idea generation calls for proposals. and sharing as well as place for active social engagement. It ac- tively encourages contributions and particpation of people who Keep on contributing! are not normally involved in academic activities. » 13 Yours sincerely Norbert Steinhaus UfU With its roots in the environmental move- Living Knowledge ment UfU was the fi rst independent insti- International Journal of Community Based Research No. 6 – July 2005 tute for environmental concerns established in the former Published by: ISSNET, c/o Wissenschaftsladen Bonn e.V., Buschstr. 85, D-53113 Bonn, Germany, phone: ++228 201 610, fax: ++228 265 German Democratic Republic » 11 287, mail: [email protected], http://www.wilabonn.de Editor: Norbert Steinhaus ([email protected]), Assistant Editors: drs. Caspar de Bok ([email protected]), David Hall, ([email protected]) A unique and ideal situation Layout: Norbert Steinhaus, Pictures: Archive, FOIST, Interchange, UfU, Wissenschaftsladen Tübingen, Wissenschaftsladen Bonn Koen Dedoncker from a Belgian NGO explains how his or- Prited by: druckladen gmbH, Bonn, July 2005, Number of Copies: 3500 Living Knowledge – Journal of Community Based Research is part of a project called ISSNET which has been awarded fi nancial support ganisatin co-operates with the Brussels Science Shop » 11 by the European Commission through the contract HPRP-CT-2002-00011. ISSNET is a ‚Thematic Network‘ in the 5th Framework Pro- gramme, under the theme ‘Improving Human Potential & Socio-economic Knowledge base’, section ‘‘Raising Public Awareness of Sci- ences and Technology’. For further information please see www.scienceshops.org or contact drs. Caspar de Bok,[email protected]. The next printed issue of Living Knowledge – International Journal of Community Based Research will be published in October 2006. Information about coming online editions and the editorial guidelines can be found at the homepage of the Science Shop network Around the World » 3 (www.livingknowledge.org).The magazine (print and online) welcomes the contribution of reports, articles, news, press releases and clippings, letters, contribution to discussions, job offers, internships, internet links etc. Reports and detailed articles should follow the Forum » 18 editorial guidelines. Please feel free to contact the editors for your questions and any support. The views expressed in the articles and papers are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher. Whilst Clippings » 20 every care has been taken during production, the publisher does not accept any liability for errors that may have occured. 2 Living Knowledge International Journal of Community Based Research No. 6 | July 2005 3 Contents | Editorial Around the World Bonn, D Utrecht, NL Competition, co-existence or „clash of civilisations“? Down under Integration and confl ict de- edge of the religious pluralism, a example the structure of inter- The underwater vegetation pending religious pluralism in valid database of religious statis- religious communication and in the ‘Vecht’ river is not do- North Rhine-Westphalia tics still not exists. As a reaction the causes of confl icts, including ing well. Ecological recovery The broad discussion about to this empirical defi cit and possibilities of mediation. measures did not provide integration and confl ict poten- considering the consequences The project is funded by the the desired results so far. In a tials of the increasing religious for societal actors the Chair for North Rhine-Westphalian min- research for the ‘Hoogheem- pluralism in the German soci- Comparative Religion at the istry of science and research. Al- raadschap Amstel, Gooi en ety is situated in an empirical Ruhr-University of Bochum though it is led by local questions Vecht’, accompanied by the vacuum. Although the civil and intends to get an overview of the it also is connected to similar research group for landscape scientifi c predictions about the religious landscape in the state activities in Europe and the U.S. ecology at the faculty of biol- role of religious communities of North Rhine-Westphalia. The Bonn Science Shop will ogy of the Utrecht University, in confl icts or integration proc- The survey targets the compila- support this project by docu- it has been described which esses have to refer to a knowl- tion, aggregation and local dis- menting the roman-catholic, ecological reason or combina- tinction of statistic material and protestant and orthodox com- tion of reasons cause the most the analysis of exemplary cases munities. important obstacles for the of inter-religious communica- Contact: development of underwater tion and confl ict constellation. Chair for Comparative Religion, Faculty of plants in the Vecht river. The Therefore the structural data- Protestant Theology, Ruhr-University Bochum, circumstances appear suit- base of religious communities Building GA 7/62 and 162, Universitätsstr. 150, able for the germination and will be supplemented by aspects D-44780 Bochum, Tel.: +49 234 32 – 28 272, growth of underwater plants. of organisation, regional dis- [email protected], www.ruhr- As most important point ap- semination, economic questions uni-bochum.de/relwiss/ pears the supply of seeds and and inter-religious contacts. The Wissenschaftsladen Bonn e.V. (Bonn Science vegetative share for the estab- conclusions of the quantitative Shop), Krischan Ostenrath, Buschstr. 85, D-53113 lishment of new plants. and qualitative material will lead Bonn, Tel.: + 49 228 20 161 – 43, Krischan.Oste The report can be downloaded for free at http:// to the systematic elements, for [email protected], www.wilabonn.de www.bio.uu.nl/wetenschapswinkel/ (in Dutch) LIverpool, UK Rising to the challenge INTERCHANGE provides a research chosen challenge by undertaking and volunteering exchange site visit and risk assessments, between university and the Mer- and by briefi ng team leaders. seyside community and has been Whatever the challenge, the aim operating as