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Special Content


Issue no 08, 25 - 31 May 2024

Significance of Effective Communication in Fostering Scientific Temper

 

Effective communication of Science and Technology (S&T) information plays a crucial role in creating scientific aware-ness and promoting rational thinking among the public. According to Article 51A(h) of the Indian Constitution, it is a fundamental duty of every citizen to develop a scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform. India has a remarkable history of scientific achievements, with significant Research and Development (R&D) occurring across numerous laboratories and institutions nationwide. Despite these advancements, effectively disseminating scientific knowledge to the general public has been a challenge. Often, scientific breakthroughs remain confined within academic circles and fail to reach the broader population, thus limiting their impact on societal progress and individual empowerment. Effective science communication can bridge this gap, making scientific knowledge accessible and relevant to everyday life.

S&T Communication in India

While India's scientific community continues to thrive, the lack of a common body dedicated to disseminating R&D break-throughs hindered efforts to showcase the nation’s scientific prowess to the masses for long. Recognising this need, the National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (NIScPR), a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Re-search (CSIR), took a pioneering step by establishing the Science Media Communication Cell (SMCC). The SMCC aims to serve as a conduit between scientific research and public understanding, democratising access to scientific knowledge and fostering greater engagement between scientists and society. With a legacy of over seven decades in science communication, NIScPR has used popular science magazines, books, and various outreach programmes to connect with different stake-holders in society. The SMCC adds a new dimension to these efforts by utilising audio-visual, digital, social media, print, and public engagement avenues to bring Indian science closer to the people.

In the last two decades, India's R&D ecosystem has evolved significantly, with an increase in the number of scientific publications, emerging innovations, and start-ups. This growth reflects both quantitative and qualitative improvements in the nation’s scientific endeavours. Scientific laboratories and research institutions have played a pivotal role in generating new knowledge, technologies, and innovations, thereby enhancing the quality of life for citizens. In this context, the SMCC is a timely and essential initiative to disseminate Indian R&D break-throughs through various media platforms. By effectively communicating scientific achievements and making them accessible to the public, the SMCC not only promotes scientific temper but also inspires future generations to engage with science. This comprehensive approach ensures that the benefits of scientific advancements are widely recognised and utilised, fostering a more informed and rational society.

Key Objectives of SMCC

Inculcating scientific temper by raising scientific awareness among diverse segments of the public.

Disseminating S&T knowledge through various media platforms, including social media, print, and electronic media.

Conceptualising multimedia content, infographics, and illustrations to communicate complex scientific concepts effectively.

Producing compelling audio-visual products such as short films, documentaries, and podcasts to engage audiences.

Engaging public through workshops, training sessions, policy dialogues, and interactive sessions to foster science communication.

Establishing robust media networking with outlets, science journalists, and communicators to maximise impact.

Collaborative Initiatives and Partnerships

In addition to its core functions, SMCC actively collaborates with various stakeholders, including scientific institutions, government bodies, media organisations, and educational institutions, to amplify its impact and reach. By forging strategic partnerships, SMCC enhances its capacity to disseminate scientific knowledge, engage diverse audiences, and ensure science communication across India.

SMCC's collaborative initiatives include joint workshops, seminars, and training programmes aimed at building the capacity of science communicators and enhancing public understanding of science. Through these partnerships, SMCC leverages expertise from diverse fields to develop innovative communication strategies and create engaging content that resonates with audiences of all backgrounds.

Moreover, by facilitating dialogue among scientists, policy-makers, media experts/practitioners and the public, SMCC contributes to informed decision-making and fosters greater appreciation for the role of science in addressing societal challenges and driving sustainable development.

Social Media Management

Social media plays a pivotal role in S&T communication by making information more accessible and engaging for a broad audience. It serves as a dynamic platform for scientists to share their research findings, for institutions to promote innovations, and for the public to engage with scientific content in real-time. Through videos, info-graphics, live discussions, and interactive posts, social media simplifies complex scientific concepts, encourages public interest, and fosters a community of informed individuals. This widespread reach and interactive nature help bridge the gap between scientific communities and the public, promoting scientific literacy and curiosity across diverse demographics.

The SMCC team is dedicated to effectively disseminating R&D breakthroughs and achieve-ments of all Indian labs through strategic social media engagement. With a focus on organic growth, the social media pages of CSIR-NIScPR on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Insta-gram have flourished to a level typically achieved through paid social media marketing efforts. SMCC has significantly boosted engagement by introducing innovative content formats all posted with a meticulously planned strategy.

In addition to engaging stakeholders, media outlets, and collaborators, SMCC extended its reach to rural communities by collaborating with community radio stations. Through this initiative, IISF attained traction in remote areas, with enthusiastic participation from interested youngsters previously unaware of the event.

SMCC's scope of work extends beyond IISF to include the media publicity of several other events of Indian science, such as Chandrayaan-3 Mission, One Week One Lab (OWOL), INSPIRE-ManakAwards, CSIR Foundation Day, and National Science Day. In collaboration with relevant science departments and organisations, SMCC has effectively disseminated their achievements to society.

Future Roadmap

Looking ahead, SMCC remains committed to its mission of promoting S&T information, fostering public engagement with science, and advancing scientific literacy in India. As technology evolves and communication channels continue to diversify, SMCC will adapt its strategies and approaches to effectively reach and engage with audiences across all segments of society. In future, SMCC plans to work in collaboration and strengthen their bond with the press, and audio-visual professionals for maximum outreach. Plans are underway to develop a creative logo and an engaging website for SMCC. This website will also serve as a comprehensive archive for the creative works and products generated by SMCC.

Workshops with the Nodal Officers, key stakeholders of science ministries/ departments and associated laboratories, Doordarshan, All India Radio, Community Radio and Press Information Bureau are also to be organised for discussing on the evolving paradigms of science dissemination and public engagement with science. SMCC plans to visit the Indian laboratories for assessing the need and dimension of knowledge products to be created and disseminated out of lab specific R&D breakthroughs.

SMCC produces popular stories in Hindi and English language for various newspapers and magazines. Future plans include providing S&T information in the Indian languages inlcuded in the 8th schedule of the Constitution of India. We realise that, other than English or Hindi, reaching out to the masses in their regional language or mother tongue will definitely be helpful in making a technology or invention understood clearly.                         

           

Interview

Prof. Ranjana Aggarwal

Director, CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication & Policy Research (NIScPR)

Here are the excerpts from the interaction with Prof. Ranjana Aggarwal, Director, CSIR-NIScPR on various aspects and dimensions of the Science Media Communication Cell (SMCC).

What was the motivation behind establishing the Science Media Communication Cell (SMCC) by CSIR-NIScPR?

Ranjana Aggarwal: The establishment of SMCC was a pivotal step towards the dissemination of R&D breakthroughs of Indian labs through different media. CSIR-NIScPR is a unique lab which not only formulates evidence-based Science, Technology & Innovation policies but it nurtures and ensures dissemination of scientific information to society very effectively. NIScPR has been designated as the nodal laboratory to plan, conceptualise and promote Indian R&D breakthroughs in the national media and increase the scientific awareness among citizens of the country. Creating a single window for this purpose was crucial, and SMCC has excelled in fulfilling this role.

Could you please elaborate on SMCC's recent initiatives to enhance science communication and outreach of breakthroughs of Indian labs?

Ranjana Aggarwal: SMCC came into existence on September 11, 2023 and in a short span of 8 months, this platform has coordinated media publicity of a number of programmes and activities of science departments. A few such activities are Chandrayaan-3 Mission; DST’s INSPIRE-Manak, National Science Day; CSIR’s One Week One Lab Program, 82ndFoundation Day and Decadal Achievements Celebrations. Furthermore, the recent inclusion of a weekly column from SMCC in Employment News underscores its growing impact and recognition as a vital platform for science communication.

How did SMCC contribute to the India International Science Festival (IISF) 2023?

Ranjana Aggarwal: Notably, during the Indian Science Festival (IISF) 2023, SMCC made significant contributions by coordinating media publicity of all the 17 events of this mega science festival. SMCC utilised electronic, print and social media to percolate the significant outcomes of IISF. In the IISF 2023, SMCC roped in more than 400 stations of the community radio. Through this endeavour, the message of IISF reached to rural public of the country. Our social media posts during IISF attained huge public attention and engagement. Each post on Twitter garnered over 10 thousand impressions, with SMCC's real-time coverage during the 4-day event further amplifying interest. While all posts received significant reach, a milestone was reached with the post of the ISRO Chairman's speech, which gained 60,000 impressions within a day, now totaling 95 thousand impressions. This achievement represents an unprecedented level of engagement for any previous IISF edition.

Contributed by:

Science Media Communication Cell,

CSIR-NIScPR, New Delhi.