Science and the Public 2010

16 December 2009

Call for Papers: Science and the Public 2010

Imperial College, London

3rd and 4th of July 2010.

Now in its fifth year, the Science and the Public conference aims to bring together the various strands of academia which consider science’s relationships with groups generally called ‘the public’.

Delegates come from a wide range of disciplines: science and technology studies, history of science, geography, psychology, cultural studies, media studies, sociology, development studies, English literature, science policy studies and more.

The range of topics covered may include (but are not limited to):

  • PUS, PEST, PR.
  • Surveying public knowledge and attitudes.
  • Science and the arts (including science fiction).
  • Science, publics and personal identity.
  • The role of industry and/ or the third sector in public engagement
  • and scientific research.
  • The challenges of ‘upstream’ engagement.
  • Popular science and professionalization.
  • Specific public-science issues: e.g. climate change, MMR, energy policy, GMOs.
  • Studies of specific media: e.g. film, books, the internet, museums, radio.
  • Science, religion and the ‘New Atheism’.
  • Politically engaged scientists.
  • Churnalism vs. investigative science journalism.
  • Edu-tainment.
  • Scientific advisers, spin and secrecy.
  • Patients and publics in health services.
  • Science and the sceptics.
  • Amateur science.

Potential contributors should email a 300 word abstract to scienceandpublic@googlemail.com by 1st March2010. Please include full contact details (name, affiliation, email) of all authors.

Panel proposals should include a panel abstract and individual abstracts for each of the papers on the panel as well as contact information (name, affiliation, email) of the presider (moderator) and all panel members.

All submissions should be emailed to scienceandpublic@googlemail.com 1st March 2010. All other enquires also to this address.


Organisational Associates:
ESO AAS INSU CAS STRW NOVA STFC SCNAT SPA NRC MEC CNES DLR ESA JAXA NAOJ APL PS ESF ISRO ICRAN NLSI NOT U Cluster NASAEAS ASI NRAO CEA  KASI EAE SPA AUI CROSCI



The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is endorsed by the United Nations and the International Council of Science.