An event with Germans and Brazilians discussing the perception of science in society in the post-pandemic era

The free event discusses whether the perception of science among Brazilians has changed after the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Pixabay / ernestoeslava

Is the Brazilian interested? Sciences? According to a survey conducted by Ministry of Science, Technology and InnovationsIn Brazil, one in 10 people can remember the name of a scientist or scientific institution.

a German Center for Science and Innovation (DWIH) São Paulo, which participates in the 74th annual meeting of Brazilian Association for the Advancement of Science (SBPC), Organizes the Roundtable “Perception of Science in Society”. The proposal is to investigate whether pandemic in COVID-19 It changed the Brazilians’ interest in the subject, how it became better known and how instantaneous it became the media and fake news affect this understanding of society.

The debate, free and open, will take place on the 26th, at 4 pm, in Runway 12 of the Central Institute of Science (ICC Sul) of the University of Brasilia (UnB). A large portion of opinion makers and the population have questioned scientific expertise and knowledge, as we have seen on the issue of coronavirus vaccines. Through the roundtable, we want to provide a reflection of the possible causes and strategies for restoring broad credibility to science”, says CEO of DWIH São Paulo, Marcio Weichert. For him, the discussion helps find ways to confront this problem.

The conversation will be in Portuguese and German (with simultaneous translation) and coordinated by SBPC President and former Minister of Education Renato Janin Ribeiro, Professor of Ethics and Political Philosophy at the University of São Paulo (USP). Also attending will be Olaf Kramer, Professor of Rhetoric and Cognitive Communication at the University of Tübingen. In his view, it is important to communicate the processes and methods behind scientific knowledge, not just the results themselves, to help avoid conspiracy theories, so common in fake news.

In this sense, in Brazil, the erosion of the flag’s image has been further eroded by false news during the pandemic. According to research by the global social mobilization network, Avaaz, 9 out of 10 Brazilians interviewed saw at least one fake news story about the disease, and 7 out of 10 Brazilians believed there was at least one.

To avoid this kind of misinformation, journalist Sabine Righetti, one of the event’s panelists, advocates the use of tools that improve the intersection between science and journalism. She is a researcher at Unicamp and the Agência Bori Foundation, which aims to disseminate Brazilian scientific production among media agents.

Completing the table is the Director of DWIH São Paulo and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in Brazil, Jochen Hellmann, who was a professor with a master’s degree in Scientific Management at DHV/Speyer University, Secretary General of the Franco-German University, and Head of the International Office at the University of Hamburg.

In addition to the round table, on July 28, DWIH will present the lecture “Fritz Muller – Colonizer, Naturalist, and Naturalist Researcher”. Biologist Rainer Radtke, of the University of Tübingen, will tell how, despite living as a poor settler in southern Brazil, Müller contributed to science, particularly to The theory of evolution of species. Charles Darwin himself, author of Origin of Specieshe recognized nature as the “prince of observers” and incorporated many of Mueller’s findings into his studies.

DWIH São Paulo will also display the exhibition “Fritz Müller: Prince of Watchers”, presented by the Martius-Staden Institute. In addition, a German delegation will also provide information about the work of the center and the possibilities of grants and research in Germany.

service:

Participation of DWIH São Paulo in the 74th Annual Meeting of the SBPC

When: July 24-30

where: Darcy Ribeiro University Campus (North Wing)

Round table “Visualizing science in society”

When: July 26, 4 p.m., at Runway 12 of the Central Institute of Science (ICC Norte);

Exhibition “Fritz Muller: Prince of Watchers”

When: July 24-30, at the DWIH Pavilion in São Paulo;

Lecture “Fritz Muller – Colonizer, Naturalist and Naturalist”

When: On the 28th, at 1 p.m., at ICC Coliseum 9.