What is the difficulty for scientific research personnel to do science popularization?
Ouyang Ziyuan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the first chief scientist of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Project, walked into Beijing No. 2 Middle School Education Group to give a keynote speech for teachers and students, and watched the students' scientific and technological works.
Issued by Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Zhou Liang)
Make up the shortcomings of popular science and improve the scientific quality of citizens ②
Encouragement is necessary, but it is more important to make researchers feel that it is beneficial to do this from the bottom of their hearts.
At the same time, the scientific community recognizes this kind of professional behavior, and will not think that scientific researchers are "not doing their jobs properly."
Zhou Zhonghe
Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Researcher of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
"We just wanted to open a video account and make two short videos about big health and food safety every week, but we talked to a professional filming and production team, and one cost one to two thousand. This funding has not been available until now." After taking office last year, Shen Qi, director of the Agricultural Products Processing Research Institute of the Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, first thought of promoting popular science knowledge on food health to the public.
However, it is too difficult for this wish to be implemented. “In addition to funding, the opening of a public account requires multiple levels of approval, and it is necessary to find an interested scientific researcher to be responsible.” Shen Qi said that recently, various ministries and commissions of the central government have requested to strengthen science popularization work. The statement made him see hope again.
He said: "Maybe there will be funds next year to build the official account."
Researchers are considered to be the "first servers of science communication", and doing a good job in science popularization should have been one of their duties.
However, for a long time, the proportion of scientific researchers devoted to popular science has not been high, and the trend of popularizing scientific knowledge to the public has not become popular in scientific research circles.
What is the reason for this, is it lack of system or lack of funds?
The answers of some scientific researchers may be able to find a basis for the relevant national departments to formulate policies.
People who are most suitable for science can't let go
Zheng Yongchun, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, this "Uncle Mars" who interprets the "Zhurong Rover" and "The First Bud on the Moon" on the Internet is now a "net celebrity" in the field of popular science.
"I didn't take the initiative to enter this field, just like when I chose a major before, I didn't take the initiative to choose, but when there was such an opportunity, I didn't resist it. I was willing to learn about it. I just entered slowly through such a process. "In 2015, an accidental teaching experience exposed Zheng Yongchun to the writing of popular science articles, and from then on step by step became a popular science expert. "I published a book and later registered a blog, so I have more opportunities to do more things. This opened up a whole new world."
Today, when Chinese creation has become a strong voice of the times, there are very few "net celebrities" scientists like Zheng Yongchun. Whether science popularization is a part of scientific research is still a matter of debate.
In recent years, a number of surveys and analyses on the participation of scientific researchers in science popularization have come to similar conclusions-high recognition, strong willingness, and weak action.
Why can't the scientific researchers who are most suitable for science popularize their hands and feet?
Researcher Wang Yongdong, director of the Science Communication Center of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, told reporters that there are two main reasons why researchers are absent from science popularization work. But it doesn't count. For example, awards are not counted, and job titles may not be counted. There is neither a corresponding position setting nor a corresponding incentive mechanism. After all, in scientific research institutions, everyone values more projects, papers, impact factors, talent hats, etc.
Secondly, from a subjective point of view, most scientific researchers feel that science popularization work does not require too in-depth professional knowledge; at the same time, they worry that science popularization requires the use of other people's achievements, resulting in intellectual property disputes, and feel that instead of spending time doing unfamiliar science popularization Work, it is better to concentrate on writing your own thesis.
The research personnel interviewed unanimously agreed that in the current scientific research and talent evaluation system, most of the contributions to popular science are unnamed and unprofitable, and they are not thankful.
Under the guidance of such a "baton", the collective cognition that emphasizes scientific research and ignores popular science has gradually formed.
"At the cultural level, although there is only one word difference between scientific research and popular science, they are completely different. Scientific research culture is inward. It seeks recognition within academic circles and professional circles. The culture of popular science is extroverted. It pursues the public. Recognition." Zheng Yongchun said.
Scientific research personnel cannot do "one size fits all" in science popularization
Since the existing "baton" ignores science popularization, will the enthusiasm of scientific researchers increase by increasing the contribution of science popularization in the scientific research evaluation system?
The reporter learned that in recent years, the country has issued relevant policies to encourage popular science.
For example, "Several Opinions on the Opening of Scientific Research Institutions and Universities to the Public to Carry Out Popular Science Activities", which clearly proposes to consider the performance evaluation methods of science communication as an important basis for the evaluation of scientific research personnel's professional title and job appointment.
However, there are no substantive operating rules and rigid regulations, which makes the policy impossible to implement.
During the interview, the reporter also found that scientific researchers had mixed opinions on the establishment of a rigid system for popular science evaluation.
"I originally thought that scientific research personnel should be encouraged to do science popularization, or some institutionalized incentive mechanism should be established, but now I increasingly feel that it is impossible to generalize." Zheng Yongchun said that the main business of scientific research personnel is scientific research, and science popularization requires not only Having a scientific research background, a wide range of knowledge, willing to share, and spending a lot of time and energy to accumulate experience, not everyone is suitable.
Zhou Zhonghe, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, once said at the 27th National Science Popularization Theory Symposium that administrativeization is a double-edged sword, and policies cannot be applied across the board. Evaluation indicators for all scientific research personnel.
Shen Qi suggested that quantitative assessments of a research group, a laboratory, and a research institute could be carried out to force the team and unit leaders to pay attention to popular science work.
Zhou Zhonghe said that encouragement is necessary, but it is more important to make researchers feel that it is beneficial to do this from the bottom of their hearts.
At the same time, the scientific community recognizes this kind of professional behavior, and will not think that scientific researchers are "not doing their jobs properly" to do science popularization.
Luo Jingjia, Dean of the Frontier Institute of Climate and Application of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, has worked abroad for a long time. He told reporters that foreign scientists are happy to share their scientific research progress and related scientific knowledge. It's just science popularization for professionals. If you can share it with people in the circle, why don't you bother to popularize science to the public?"
Luo Jingjia said that translations between different languages are needed, and the distance between different disciplines is like a mountain. Scientists in other fields are also the public, and they also need science. Once this kind of cognition and science culture is formed, there is no need for the system to force it.
The popular science system should be established as soon as possible
The lack of science popularization funding is the most common call that reporters heard during interviews. So, do scientific research units have special expenditures for popular science work?
Among the 120 research institutes of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the science communication index ranks among the top.
Wang Yongdong told reporters that the institute is very supportive of science communication work. The budget of the Science Communication Center alone this year has reached nearly 7.8 million yuan.
Expenditures include the editing and publishing fees of several professional magazines, the procurement fees of library documents and materials, the maintenance fees of specimens, the operating fees of the Nanjing Museum of Paleontology, and personnel expenses.
The annual income, including financial appropriations, is very limited. After the income and expenditure are equalized, the institute will have to subsidize more than 3 million yuan. This puts a lot of pressure on a research institute that mainly conducts basic research.
At the same time, the scientists of the institute also have a high enthusiasm for science popularization.
"On May 18 this year, we hired more than 20 researchers from the institute as the first batch of science communication experts." Wang Yongdong said, this group of science communication experts actively participated in the museum's exhibition outline and board explanation writing, booth and exhibit design , Participate in video shooting, participate in popular science lectures and popular science activities.
Zheng Yongchun suggested that the state should establish a system of science popularization as soon as possible to fund popular science like scientific research, such as the establishment of science popularization funds, science popularization talent programs, and science popularization achievement rewards.
"Researchers who can receive project funding and national awards, and can also be recognized by their peers, will naturally be willing to join them." Zheng Yongchun said.
Wang Yongdong also believes that the state can set up science communication projects in the Natural Science Foundation, and science communication awards can also be set up in the three major science and technology awards.
At the same time, interviewees generally believe that science training and talent training must be paid attention to.
"After I did science and science education, I discovered that this person is studying high-energy physics, that person is studying applied mathematics and analytical chemistry, so is anyone studying science? We need someone who can connect different disciplines. , Compatibility, centering on the perspective of future talent training, give these talents an overall scientific nourishment." Zheng Yongchun said.
Wang Yongdong suggested that science communication courses should be offered as a compulsory course in the science and engineering majors of the university, so that students can master the ability to express difficult content and popularize the essentials and methods of media dissemination. In the future, they will be able to describe the results clearly and disseminate them when they go to work. , So that the whole society and the general public can understand, understand and use.