EUROPEAN PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF SCIENCE

In this paper we explore the relationships between public interestin, knowledge of, and attitudes towards science and technologyand the level of industrialization in 12 countries of the EuropeanCommunity. Using the 1989 Eurobarometer survey no 31 (N=11,678),we constructed four scales measuring interest, knowledge, generalattitudes to science, and support for EC funded science foreach of the 12 EC countries. We found that overall factual scientificknowledge correlates moderately positively with interest andattitudes to science. For example the Netherlands and GreatBritain have relatively high levels of knowledge, interest,and support for science in general. Spain and Greece have relativelylow levels of knowledge, interest, and support for science ingeneral. However, the simple correlation hides more complexrelationships. First, the variance within and across countriesof knowledge, attitudes and interest increases with nationallevels of knowledge. This indicates greater degrees of polarizationof both support and interest. Second, the data indicates a post-industrialismeffect: knowledge, interest in, and attitudes to science showa curvilinear relationship with levels of industrialization.The decline of interest in science and the less positive attitudesin highly developed countries requires further exploration.Third, we found, that the consistency of the knowledge and theattitude measures declines as the national level of knowledgeincreases. We suggest that this reflects a knowledge-ignoranceparadox and knowledge specialization among informed populations.Support for EC level science follows a different pattern. Wefound that France, Italy, and Spain show high levels of supportfor EC level science. This is not the case in Great Britainand Germany. The pattern suggests that attitudes towards ECscience are formed on the basis of national level scientificstrength: if the national science base is strong, EC scienceinitiatives find less support and vice versa. These findingsrepresent a first step towards a comparative assessment of publicunderstanding of science in EC countries.     

Is race or ethnicity a predictive factor in Shaken Baby Syndrome?

OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have concluded that shaken baby syndrome occurs more often among Whites than among Blacks. The purpose of this study was to determine whether race is a predictive factor in Shaken Baby Syndrome when population and referral patterns are considered. METHODS: A retrospective medical record review of closed head injuries due to child abuse during the time period January 1992 to July 1997 was conducted at three pediatric tertiary care medical centers in North Carolina. Patients included children, ages 0-4 years, identified from medical record reviews and child abuse databases. Only North Carolina residents were included. The specific rates of shaken baby syndrome in Whites versus non-Whites in the referral area were computed. RESULTS: The difference in the rate of shaken baby syndrome from the referral area was not statistically significant among Whites versus non-Whites (26.7/100,000 versus 38.6/100,000, p = .089) Most of the perpetrators were male (68%), and most victims (76%), lived with their mothers and biologic father or mother's boyfriend. CONCLUSION: Race was not a significant factor in predicting shaken baby syndrome in the referral area studied, and therefore is not a useful factor in targeting groups for intervention.     

科技博物馆的“科普外交” ——澳大利亚国立大学和国家科技馆的“科学马戏团”项目

澳大利亚国立大学和澳大利亚国家科技馆在以科学促进澳大利亚及全球各地的民众之间的联系方面,因联手创建的推广项目——科学传播硕士/“壳牌科学马戏团”而闻名。30年来,这个项目在澳大利亚提供跨区域和偏远地区的科技实践活动,开发出一套切实可行的方法——利用便携式科学普及展览和简易器材,推出适合于不同地点和观众的科普展示与体验。在澳大利亚举办科学马戏团的经验可供许多国家借鉴,并已经应用于“科学马戏团外交”中。