Publications

The 19th Congress of the Latin American and Caribbean Network for the Popularisation of Science and Technology (RedPOP) ‘Living Science: Connecting Minds and Communities’ was held from 9 to 13 September in the city of Puebla, Mexico. The review describes a chronology of the most relevant activities carried out during the meeting between professionals, communicators and researchers in the field of science communication in Latin America. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

This study evaluates how a Mathematics Festival influences students’ attitudes toward the discipline in a secondary school in southern Chile. Using an adapted version of the Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI), the research reveals a positive impact on students’ appreciation of mathematics. A novel finding was a motivational difference by gender, with an increase among male students and a decrease among female students. The results highlight the relevance of such festivals in strengthening positive perceptions of mathematics and the need for inclusive approaches..

The present study establishes connections between science communication (SC) and social project management. The case of a SC event on gender equity in science with adolescents and female researchers is studied. Representative of a group of similar SC initiatives, the event is divided into six phases of a social project's life cycle, each of which is analyzed according to good management practices, identifying points where failure to apply these practices led to missed opportunities. In conclusion, it is recommended that SC projects do not fail to record and document their processes.

This article examines the history of public visitation at the Prof. Mello Leitão Biology Museum (MBML) from 1949 to 2023, including an analysis of the objectives behind scheduled visits in 2022 and 2023. The methodology was based on bibliographic research, document analysis, and thematic categorization of visit purposes. Since its foundation, MBML has prioritized scientific research, but over the years, it has become an important space for education and culture. Its transition to federal management brought significant implications for public engagement. Among the main motivations for guided visits are: Biodiversity and Conservation (30%), History and Culture (26%), and Environmental Education (17%).

This article discusses the infodemic in Argentina and Brazil. Based on the sociology of social problems approach, it analyses the discourse and practices of 17 interviewees who are involved in raising public awareness and influencing political decision-makers regarding the effects of the infodemic. The results show that they condemn the politicisation of scientific information. In both countries, the interviewees have questioned the effectiveness of state regulation and platform self-regulation, emphasising the need to improve the media's science reporting, invest in science literacy, and develop fact-checking strategies to prevent the spread of scientific misinformation

This study analyzes the coverage of Folha de S. Paulo and Gazeta do Povo regarding the actions of the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) during the Covid-19 pandemic. Using content analysis, we examined how the newspapers portrayed the CFM’s stance on treatment and vaccination. “Early treatment” was the most frequent topic (40%), and “politicians” were the most cited actors (28%). While 96% of the texts published by Gazeta defended the CFM, 98% of those published by Folha criticized the institution.

This article shares the results of a visitors study conducted with families at Modo Escape: Solo la ciencia podrá salvarte, the educational escape room located at the Espacio Ciencia hands-on center (Montevideo, Uruguay). To collect data for the research, six families' participation in the escape room was recorded using a GoPro camera placed on the head of one of the participants. The interactions and conversations that occurred among family members were subsequently analyzed. The results show that participants spent a significant amount of time engaged in interactive activities, primarily referring to manipulation of objects. It was observed that conversations about topics related to the activity facilitated various situations of collaborative work among participants and were essential for completing the tasks before the time limit expired. Regarding the conceptual content addressed through the activities, it was evident that participants were able to understand some scientific concepts beyond just playing and having fun. We hope that this study will be of interest to anyone interested in designing and implementing educational escape rooms with scientific content.