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  • Enshan Liu
    Studies on Science Popularization. 2017, 12(4): 5-10.

    Engineering science is considered as a discipline principally for changing and shaping the natural environment by means of designing, manufacturing and maintaining of artifacts and technical systems, the artificially-made world conjured up by such science makes the earth where we are inhabiting today more and more beautiful. Thanks to the ever increasing linkage between the global economic competitiveness and the innovation, engineering science has drawn wider attention than any other period in history. The fact that Engineering science is included into the basic education helps significantly to enrich and expand the related curriculums and their educational value by its innovation, designing, as well as practice, that will provide a most direct and pivotal linking point for the related curriculums (including science) in cultivating students’ capabilities on seeking creativity, practice and problem-solving, thus all the above-mentioned factors will offer a more effective tool for goals set forth for education and curriculums. Entering into the 21st century, the new curriculum which takes engineering science as its main component has taken shape, resulting in encouraging ripples. In China, the 2017 Science Curriculum Standard for Primary School and the Impending Chemistry Curriculum Standard for Senior High School have incorporated engineering science into the content standard of the curriculum as an independent study area or module. In a nutshell, in order to better put into place the requirements for the related curriculums and to include engineering science into courses set for primary school and middle school students, teachers of math and science, school administrators, and education decision-makers shall have a better knowledge of engineering science, and shall review the role played by engineering science in basic education curriculum as well.

  • Siyi Wang
    Studies on Science Popularization. 2017, 12(3): 46-57.

    Today’s museums are much more than repositories for the preservation of ancient artifacts. They are served as centers for learning, community centers, and even places for an exchange of ideas and discussions. We now understand that a museum visit is not simply an encounter for an eager visiting public who soaks up the knowledge articulated by the curatorial team. The museum experience is more about a multi-layered journey which is proprioceptive, sensory, intellectual, aesthetic, and social. In that context, this paper takes the case on fishermen’s daily life multisensory area in the folk exhibition of Taizhou Museum as an example, integrates the qualitative and quantitative research approaches in museum and analyzes the practical effect and relative merits of the multi-senses used in this exhibition through the lens of the cognitive effect and communication evaluation. Accordingly, museums should be more concerned with the combination and complex interaction between “body” and experience, as well as visual, auditory, olfactory, taste, and proprioceptive experiences and focus on the potential impact on museum visitors in cognitive, emotional and other aspects. In a nutshell, the above-mentioned suggestion is serving as an important direction for the future development of museums, and also a key and valued point of this paper.

  • Qian Guan, Bing Liu
    Studies on Science Popularization. 2017, 12(3): 19-25.

    Some international scholars have turned their attention to a discussion of “civil understanding of science”, while more and more scholars in China have been discussing topics under the umbrella of “public understanding of science”. Albeit these two concepts are closely connected, the difference between them provides a new insight into the problems in the field of science communication. In this paper, the concept of “citizen” is analyzed through a discussion of the current state of the public understanding of science at both domestic and global level, and the difference between civic education, public education and common education is discussed as well. By adopting a typical case analysis of “citizens’ understanding of science”, the paper reveals the difference and distinctive meaning of delving into science communication from the citizen’s position or perspective rather than the view under the frame of “public understanding of science”.

  • Yude Hou, Guofang Ma
    Studies on Science Popularization. 2017, 12(3): 97-103.

    The Restless Universe, a classical popular science book about physics written by Max Born, was published in England in 1935. Max Born puts a great deal of efforts in writing the book, including the following aspects such as content selection, narrative method and skills, using literary means, drawing more delicate pictures in the book, and so on, those efforts have left fond and deep impressions on the readers. Thus, it is exemplified as a classical popular science book. Born’s academic thinking, such as attaching great importance to the role of valuing experiment in research work, and placing emphasis on the role of disciplinary history in teaching, were well embodied in that book. The book also illustrates Born’s unique insights into science and science research, and the law of the development of physics due to his meticulously studying and observing history of physics. A popular science writer could get more help, guidance and reference when he holds and reads the book.

  • Fang Hu, Xian Song
    Studies on Science Popularization. 2017, 12(3): 58-68.

    The study establishes a reasonable, effective, feasible and credible assessment system which can be used on single exhibit in science museum. Multi objective and comprehensive evaluation is used to build the indexes of the assessment system, and then effect function comprehensive evaluation is used to confirm the computing method of each index and their weight in the system. Index, their utility function and weight comprise the whole assessment system. An empirical study is carried out based on this assessment system. The study only focuses on the result of exhibit information communication instead of the content, form, design and management. There are three first-level indexes in the assessment system built in the study: exhibit attraction, information communication effect, and audience satisfaction. There are secondary indexes under the first-level indicators. The last level index is tertiary, and all last level indicators are calculable using their utility functions. The assessment system is easy to understand and is highly feasible. The result of the assessment is simple and comparable. Apart from being used for a single exhibit, the assessment system can be applied to an exhibition which has a single theme.

  • Yuguo Li
    Studies on Science Popularization. 2017, 12(3): 80-86.

    The paper mainly analyzes the successful cases where Beijing Children’s Publishing House have done a good job in introducing foreign copyright books, including “DK Color Illustration” series, and “Horrible Science” series. More importantly, the paper expounds on a fact that the principle of integrity of science and science history shall be highly respected when it comes to science writing, by doing so, science can be metaphorically regarded as “ berries”, to be loved and enjoyed by the children.

  • Yang Mo, Mo Peng, Xiao Gan
    Studies on Science Popularization. 2017, 12(3): 26-32.

    In this paper, questionnaire survey, in-depth interview and expert consultation method are used to study the motives, incentives, initiatives and influential factors of Chinese scientific researchers’ participation in science popularization, analyze the current issues and discuss the incentive policy on science popularization. The research shows that the main influential factors of the incentives for scientific researchers to popularize science are “the institution’s valuation and organization of science popularization events” and “the specific incentive policies for scientific researchers on their evaluation criterion and promotion of professional title”. The catchiest problems in existence are: performances of science popularization are not effectively weighed by the individual evaluation criterion; the evaluation mechanism on scientific institutions of their performances and projects of science popularization is deficient. Efforts shall be made to promote the understanding of the responsibilities and functions of science popularization for scientific communities, improve the evaluation system for scientific researchers to popularize science, establish an incentive mechanism for the evaluation of science popularization projects, strengthen the positive incentives for institutions and individuals participating in science popularization, and increase the intensity and scope of science popularization awarding.

  • Yueguang Luo, Kai Bu
    Studies on Science Popularization. 2017, 12(3): 74-79.

    This paper studies the science communication activities by foreign embassies in China from perspectives of the agent, content, purpose, form, audience and duration. by taking six embassies as the main representatives. This research finds that science communication activities by foreign embassies in China tend to focus on their own strong scientific research areas or their citizens with global influence. The activities carried out are mostly one-time activities. Media training program is highly noted by the foreign embassies. The findings show that the purpose of the science communication activities by foreign embassies is to publicize their science strength and to sell their science images rather than enhance the comprehensive scientific literacy of Chinese citizens. The benefits gained from these activities also provide certain countermeasures and suggestions for science communication activities in China.

  • Daoping Jiang
    Studies on Science Popularization. 2017, 12(3): 8-18.

    The connotation of “scientific spirit” is defined and understood in different ways among academia both at home and abroad, but scientific rationality and scientific endeavor of seeking truth and being practical are still the core of scientific spirit. It clearly indicates the gradual socialization of science from the traditional to modern historical evolution and becomes a significant factor of the advanced culture and social progress. To epitomize the essence of scientific spirit from a multi-angel and multi-layer view helps to cultivate and promote scientific spirit across the society.

  • Yong Wei, Zhijian Fan, Lei Sun, Guijian Liu
    Studies on Science Popularization. 2017, 12(3): 33-38.

    This paper conducts an analysis of CGSS (2013) data, revealing that the overall level of public environmental cognition is higher; the overall level of public environmental knowledge and environmental evaluation is lower, and there are remarkable differences between different provinces; the overall level of public environmental action is lower; the public believe that the environmental protection work by central government and local governments is far from satisfactory. This paper discusses the differences between gender, age, level of education, income, political affiliation, and urban and rural areas, which have huge impacts on their environmental awareness, and inductively discovers the lower score group with less awareness towards environmental protection within 5 dimensions. In a nutshell, the paper comes up with a number of suggestions such as applying “agenda-setting” method to enhance the public participation in environmental protection, and giving full play to the government’s public credibility to attract more public involvement.