Dequim-UEPG promotes activities to discuss fake news in science

The Department of Chemistry at Ponta Grossa State University (Dequim-UEPG) held an event aimed at discussing the effect of False news In scientific production, on April 17. The event took place at the Integrar Center, on the Uvaranas campus, and was organized by the Cinquentenário do Dequim Extension Project, in partnership with Graduate Programs in Chemistry and Journalism, with support from Chimera, Empresa Júnior do Dequim and PET Química UEPG.

The event started with a workshopFalse news On stage: There are contradictions in the scientific environment”, taught by professors who are members of the UEPG Scientific Theater Group, Leila Ines Follmann-Freire, from Decuim, and Joquemar de Quadros Chagas, from the Department of Mathematics (Demat). The participants in the workshop were able to discuss the topic through performances theatrical.

The urgency of the discussion False news At the university we understand that we produce knowledge for society. If the information is distorted here, imagine what comes out,” explains teacher Leila. For Joquemar, the goal of the activity is to exercise the audience’s critical sense to identify and combat false information. “The scientific method is there to fight lies. If you hear something you don’t know if it’s true, be careful and try to find out where that information came from.”

After the workshop, a lecture entitled “Vaccines that saved us from Covid and fight against it False news and denial ”, taught by Professor Luis Carlos Dias, from the Institute of Chemistry of the State University of Campinas (IQ-Unicamp). The professor analyzed the impact of false information in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and ways to avoid the damage it causes. “During the pandemic, I was able to notice the distance between people and scientific knowledge, thanks False news that spread en masse and hampered the fight against the disease, ”the speaker comments. He argues that it is necessary to identify the best strategies for countering falsehoods and improving people’s approach to scientific knowledge.

Professor Cristian Filipino Ferreira Borges, one of the coordinators of the 50th anniversary of the Dequim project and organizer of the event, points out that the university has a central role in combating disinformation thanks to its function of producing knowledge and training professionals. “the topic False news and scientific publication in different sectors of the UEPG. Faced with the need to talk about the topic, we joined many courses and graduate programs,” explains the professor.

Text: Gabriel Miguel | Photographs: Mauricio Pollet