An obvious fact is that scientific knowledge that was once "cold" is now coming to the public in more diverse and trendy ways.
Open content platforms such as social media, websites, and forums. A large number of experts, scholars, scientific research institutions, cross-border practitioners, and science enthusiasts gather here to output various forms of knowledge content such as graphics, audio, video, MOOC live broadcast, and online forums. . "Scientific information disseminated through Weibo, the Internet, and WeChat has accounted for more than 80%," said the statistics from the Ministry of Science and Technology.
In the traditional popular science channels, changes have also happened quietly. Offline popular science exhibitions, lectures, etc. integrate virtual technology, immersive experience, cultural and creative development, etc., and update the presentation form. Books, audio-visual products and other publications are no longer "flat", but with the support of technology, the possibility of practical interaction is added, and the content of popular science is output in a "three-dimensional" way.
The "China Science Communication Report (2021)" shows that in 2020, China will establish 2,732 new science popularization websites, 3,282 popular science popularization microblogs, and 8,632 popular science popularization WeChat public accounts. At the same time, the publication of popular science books remains strong. In 2020, China will publish a total of 98.536 million popular science books and 131 million periodicals.
"The current science popularization work is very different from the previous science popularization!" said the scientific researchers who produced popular science content.
The Internet is injecting new vitality into science popularization. This also means that science popularization creators must change with the times and explore new forms and contents of popular science popularization that adapt to the new situation.
"Creating popular science content may not be easier than making a rocket"
Yang Haoliang, a carrier rocket expert and technical director of Zhongke Aerospace Corporation, has been engaged in the creation of aerospace science content for a long time in his spare time, including books, audio and video courses, offline and online lectures, etc.
In recent years, he has personally experienced the changes in the science popularization scene: "In the past, we held an offline forum to face hundreds of people, but now the same content can reach tens of thousands of people online. Combined with some novel Secondary distribution in the form can greatly expand the magnitude of the audience."
The increase in channels is only a form of expression. Yang Haoliang observed that audience preferences have changed the internal logic of science popularization creation: "The one-way, pure-style narration that was used in the past is no longer effective. Everyone prefers science popularization with a strong sense of interaction and hopes to 'personally participate' , to arouse interest and acquire knowledge.”
Therefore, Yang Haoliang will integrate more diverse forms in science popularization creation to bring a stronger sense of experience and interaction.
"For example, I created a pop-up rocket science book for children. Instead of directly explaining how a rocket is made, I designed a game like 'building blocks', allowing children to draw a picture, assemble a model, and simulate a launch. Rockets, gain a more intuitive and interesting popular science experience.” Yang Haoliang said that in addition to pictures and texts, the book also comes with video lessons explained with real rockets as teaching aids. Different from traditional flat books, this is a three-dimensional A multi-element popular science product.
For example, for middle school students, Yang Haoliang designed an aircraft teaching aid that simulates a small rocket for their popular science teaching.
Students use 3D printing technology to build the shell of the rocket by themselves, connect various components, and then realize its flight through programming.
Through the simplistic design, the use of teaching aids does not involve advanced content, but cleverly introduces knowledge such as "Newton's Three Laws" from middle school textbooks, making science and daily learning more accessible.
It is not easy to transform relatively advanced and complex rocket knowledge into easy-to-understand popular science content, but Yang Haoliang found that by cleverly combining new technologies and new forms of "teaching students in accordance with their aptitude", the content of "cold" can be more approachable, more moist and silent.
Of course, this means that the creators pay more enthusiasm and ingenuity, "may not be easier than making rockets."
"Science popularization under the trend of the Internet and intelligence is similar to the logic of designing an Internet product. It is important to consider the needs and preferences of the audience, and use a suitable expression method to remove the barriers of time and space for knowledge dissemination, and better Pass on scientific knowledge." Yang Haoliang said.
As Cao Sansheng, deputy director of the Collaborative Innovation Center of Communication University of China, put forward in the article: "In the new media era, popular science content presents the characteristics of socialization, entertainment, and gamification, and the public needs to be able to 'translate' scientific knowledge. More easy-to-understand professional science popularizers."
"Be a caring person in life and spread knowledge in a more vivid way"
Rice, soybeans, and millet are slowly planted. We know that hybrid varieties have advantages. Follow nature, pay attention to solar terms, and stems and branches...
At the end of 2021, this rap song "Tao·China" released by the Institute of the History of Natural Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences on a video platform became popular on the Internet, showing the great achievements of important scientific and technological inventions and creations in ancient China.
The catchy libretto and ingenious design have made many netizens "play in a loop and can't stop".
This made Yan Xingru, director of science popularization at the institute, very excited. She never expected that the inspiration inspired by watching rap variety shows would have such a good communication effect.
Today, the development of the Internet has brought a hundred flowers in content production.
How does knowledge dissemination find its place in the huge flow of information?
This post-90s youth has his own thinking.
In 2017, Yan Xingru started her science popularization career.
At that time, she dealt with popular science books every day.
"To be honest, my previous work was 'scientific', but not 'general'." Yan Xingru deeply felt that although popular science books with text as the carrier have content advantages, the dissemination effect is difficult to evaluate. "Sometimes it is like a pebble. Throw it into a pool of stagnant water, and you won't even see the ripples."
In 2020, affected by the epidemic, the relevant work of the institute will be transferred online.
It was also at this time that Yan Xingru moved popular science online.
Science popularization "touching the Internet" is a brand new challenge. Starting from scratch, she has a learning-by-doing attitude, planning themes, shooting and editing videos.
"In the beginning, when I posted a video, I checked every few minutes to see if there were any likes and comments. Finally, I got a few, but it turned out that 'my own people' came to support me." Yan Xingru can't forget the difficult start.
While shopping with friends, she came into contact with the blind box.
She thought, could this method also be used to popularize ancient scientific and technological cultural relics?
In this way, Yan Xingru shot the first "Blind Box of Cultural Relics" video.
"I will never forget the surprise when I opened the first blind box, which contained a bright red butterfly pattern treasure box (a replica of cultural relics)! I suddenly understood the reason why blind boxes are popular." It was also the joy of that moment that made her I am sure this video will be a success.
"This way of explaining is great!" "I didn't expect that we would create 'Peppa Pig' during the Shang and Zhou dynasties." Searching for scientific inspiration in the history of science and technology in life.
Since then, no matter what Yan Xingru does in life, she always thinks "can this be used in my video".
As a result, these videos such as "Exploring the Chinese Academy of Sciences" and "Rapping "Tao·China"" derived from life have all achieved success.
"These inspirations are hidden in the details of our life such as visiting museums and watching variety shows. I want to be a caring person and spread the knowledge of the history of science and technology in more vivid ways." She said.
"Not only disseminate knowledge, but also let the scientific spirit emerge naturally from the bottom of the heart"
When scientific information is "at your fingertips" on the Internet, the ensuing problem is that the content of popular science is complicated and uneven. If people do not have the ability to think rationally and discern in the "bombing" of massive information, it is easy to Misreading and misinterpreting the status of scientific research.
Wang Yifang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and an experimental high-energy physicist, once talked about the feelings of editing and reviewing popular science books: "Many popular science books are about introducing knowledge. Everyone knows that there is too much scientific knowledge now, and it is impossible to learn everything. It's not easy to figure it out, and we should popularize scientific methods." He said that only after the public has mastered the methods can they "infer other things from one instance" and identify and judge the authenticity of information.
Whether it is using new technologies to assist creation, or using various emerging channels to expand dissemination, more and more science popularization creators are gradually realizing that high-quality popular science content cannot be discarded, but must return to science itself, highlighting scientific methods and scientific spirit. In order to improve the scientific literacy of the public, and establish a scientific atmosphere of rational thinking and discussion in the Internet field.
Zhao Ke, a science popularization creator in the field of electronic technology, had the above insights in the process of preparing to build the Electronic Science and Technology Museum of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.
Since 2015, as the director of the Electronic Science and Technology Museum, he has led a team to visit 105 electronic science and technology enterprises and institutions in 46 cities in 21 provinces, collecting and preserving 15,000 pieces (sets) of historical collections recording the development of China's electronic science and technology from scratch.
In the meantime, he was able to understand the ins and outs of a lot of scientific knowledge.
"For example, the technology of the steam engine, many people simply think that it was invented by Watt. However, when we visited the Hunterian Museum of the University of Glasgow in the UK and the National Museum of Crafts and Technology in France, we saw with our own eyes related inventions older than the Watt steam engine , we know that the steam engine has undergone several generations of improvements, and thus comprehend the historicity and continuity of scientific and technological progress." In Zhao Ke's view, scientific thinking is often formed in this subtle way-people first realize that "science does not come out of thin air. or overnight", and then be able to think about the essence of things through a certain scientific and technological knowledge. At this time, many rumors and pseudoscience are naturally untenable.
Popular science that can inspire scientific thinking is as important as scientific research!
This understanding became the motivation for Zhao Ke to engage in science popularization creation.
Since then, when carrying out popular science creation and product development on the museum platform, Zhao Ke has always innovatively added design such as historical experience and simulation restoration, trying to let everyone understand "the things behind the knowledge".
The popular science series of "Classic Experiments and Instrument Restoration" is a successful example.
The project was initially aimed at college students, and restored the "Enigma cipher machine", "Hertz's experiment to prove the existence of electromagnetic waves" and "Babbage's difference engine" in the history of electronic technology.
"Mr. Zhao, can you really find electromagnetic waves with just these copper balls, light bulbs and wires?" The students' confusion is understandable.
Enjoying modern technology, they have taken mobile phone communication and wireless charging for granted, and they cannot fully understand the Hertz experiment with just a few words in textbooks.
Zhao Ke took them back to the original point, verified Hertz's scientific research experience, collected historical records about this experiment, communicated with foreign academic institutions that preserve relevant historical collection materials, and made "retro" experimental equipment by himself...
After half a year and hundreds of experiments, everyone finally lit a small light bulb in the air, proving the existence of electromagnetic waves in the way of Hertz.
Students have benefited a lot from this "pretty good" science popularization project, which was praised by the professor of Dartmouth College in the United States as "not only popularizing knowledge, but also laying a solid foundation, allowing students to penetrate deeply into the professional field".
They said that they seemed to "travel" to hundreds of years ago when doing experiments, and found the "password" of science in reverse.
Later, the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Museum carefully built the project and developed related popular science interactive equipment. It has been authorized by 3 national invention patents, and added video courses, immersive experience courses and other forms to expand the object of science popularization to primary and middle school students, adults and professional crowd.
"We never directly talk about how amazing science is, or how great scientists are. But I believe that when we go back to the history of science and technology and experience a technology immersively, the spirit of science will naturally emerge in people's hearts." Zhao Ke said.
(Our reporter Li Danyang and Yin Zehao)