More than 500 participants from all over the world will take part in an international science communication conference in Malmö. One of the speakers from Malmö University is Malin Ideland, who will speak about why some topics receive such little media attention.
“I have asked myself why the media focuses on some topics and pays lip service to others. Genetically modified plants are widely covered, for example, but genetically modified animals are hardly discussed,” says Malin Ideland, a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Ethnology who conducts research into culture and genetics.
The international conference on PCST — Public Communication of Science and Technology — will open tomorrow (Wednesday) in the Orkanen building at Malmö University. This is the tenth international conference and the first to be held in Scandinavia. Participants include science communicators, researchers, journalists and librarians from all over the world.
The theme of this year´s conference is “Bridges to the Future”. The focus is sustainable development and how science communication can contribute to global awareness in the field. Topics for discussion range from young people´s attitudes towards knowledge through to food and health, but also how science and politics go hand in hand.
Caroline Wigren from Malmö University will speak about popular science and what Swedish researchers and teachers have achieved in this area. The university´s own exhibition will present research on sustainable municipal development, and how biofilms — bacteria that grow on a surface — can be used to purify sewage water.
Times for Malmö University´s contributions:
• Malin Ideland will deliver a lecture under “Framing Science and Technology II” on Friday, 27 June, 9.00 — 10.15 in room D222 in Orkanen, Nordenskiöldsgatan 10.
• Caroline Wigren will deliver a lecture under “From the Scientist´s Point of View” on Friday, 27 June, 13.30 — 14.45 in room E239 in Orkanen, Nordenskiöldsgatan 10.