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 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%).

In recent decades, technological visions (TVs) have played a crucial role in shaping public expectations about the future. These projections, which seek to combine speculation with scientific rigor, generate narratives that both inform and shape society, while also guiding decision-making processes within transnational companies and governments [Baena, 2016]. In this essay, I propose a classification system to evaluate and analyze these visions, enabling a deeper understanding of their representations and objectives. The approach considers five interrelated qualities: Realization, Discourse, Mediality, Life Cycle, and Imaginary Magnitude.
It is timely to reflect on the relevance of TVs within scientific communication in the Latin American context, where futuristic narratives often adopt an external and biased perspective towards diverse realities, limiting their local resonance. As a tool for disseminating scientific knowledge and technological advances, TVs may be useful for adapting such narratives to the specific needs and challenges of the region.

This study presented how the exhibitions at Viera y Clavijo Botanical Garden (JBCVC), Gran Canaria, Spain, contribute to the scientific literacy of its visitors from the perspective Non-Formal Education. The presence of scientific literacy indicators at the JBCVC is evaluated using the tool developed by Marandino et al. [2018], which provides four indicators (scientific, social interface, institutional, and interaction). The results reveal that the exhibitions focus on attributes associated with the scientific indicator, with a limited presence of institutional, social, and aesthetic/affective indicators, and some recommendations are made for the environmental education process at the JBCVC.

The “Trupe Naturalista” is a group of Brazilian science communicators that operates on the social network Twitter, creating content and interacting with the public. The present study aimed to investigate whether interaction with these communicators can alter the perception of followers about arthropods. To this end, followers answered an online questionnaire informing about their profile, interests, motivations, interactions, use of the platform and perceptions about these stigmatized animals. The results indicate that the contact with the science communicators was able to positively change the behavior of the respondents regarding arthropods, reducing their aversion, and increasing their interest in nature.

In recent years, numerous initiatives have emerged in Argentina where both scientists and artists combine science and theatre, either as a form of art and/or public science communication. In order to understand the current state of this field, a research was conducted involving an exhaustive search, a survey, and interviews. The goal was to identify what actions are being carried out in our country and who, how, and why these practices, which could be termed scientific theatre, are being developed, as well as to explore their histories, interests, and perceptions regarding this practice

In Argentine institutes and scientific research centers, efforts are rarely dedicated to public science communication (PSC), which weakens the connection with the society to which they belong. For this reason, in 2015, the Institute of Limnology “Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet” (La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina) created its Extension and Communication Area, which has coordinated numerous activities at science fairs, schools, and neighborhoods. Through the implementation of a relational approach, adaptable to similar institutions, solid connections have been established with various sectors, and the internal revaluation and enhancement of PSC.