Ateneo - UPO

Scientific communication and its limits, use of social networks, communicability problems, innovative solutions.
General aspects of scientific practice. Models and predictions. The role of the uncertainty. The communication of results. Physics and physicists on the media and in public debate. Some major scientific issues and their communication: climate change, energy, etc.

For the first part (Mathematics for the citizen): Comunicare la scienza.
Autori: Silvia Bencivelli, Francesco Paolo de Ceglia.
Ed. Carocci
ISBN: 9788843069552
For the second part (Physics for the citizen):
1) papers provided by the lecturer;
2) Eric Swanson, "Science and Society. Understanding scientific methodology, energy, climate and sustainability", Springer 2016

The purpose of this course is to develop soft skills useful to argue and explain scientific ideas in different settings and through different communication channels. Therefore, the educational goal is to acquire the necessary knowledge in the education and communication sectors on the topic of scientific communication.

None

Frontal lessons, class discussion, group work and project work

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request
specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse
e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-
students-physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted
the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination
modalities, concerning academic aspects.

As for the second module of the course (Physics for the citizen), students will be requirede to write a brief text (10.000-15.000 characters)
on a topic covered by the course and freely chosen (a list will be provided). The text will be evaluated according to four criteria: clearness, consistency, critical analysis, documentation.

Outline of science communication, problems related to popularisation, both in presence and through media.
Scientific attitude and practice. The role of uncertainty. Models and predictions. The error in science. Great discoveries and daily research. Communication of results. Peer review and open access: the arXiv experience. Pseudodiscoveries and pathological science. Physics and physicists on the front page (Marconi, Einstein, Fermi, Oppenheimer). The problem of climate change: scientific data and denialism. The nuclear energy debate.

- Knowledge and understanding:
acquiring basic theoretical concepts regarding science communication, problems related to popularisation, both in person and through media. Awareness of the uncertainty attached to scientific results (both experimental and theoretical), of probability theory as the logic of the unknown, of uses and abuses of statistics. Knowledge about mathematical models of phenomena.
- Applying knowledge and understanding: being able to produce popularisation and educational materials on contemporary topics of mathematics and science.
- Communication skills: being able to present to a non specialised audience the basic aspects of the scientific method, of mathematics, of sciences with particular attention to physics.