Communication and publicity
Scientific and technological developments are rapidly changing our everyday lives. They affect individuals as well as the community. It is therefore all the more important that these developments are discussed not only among experts but also among the general public.
The first prerequisite for this is the communication of information. We evaluate texts and materials, especially on behalf of federal ministries and authorities, with regard to comprehensibility, accuracy, neutrality and transparency. This is important, for example, to inform citizens about the importance of radiation protection or to motivate heating system owners to replace old systems earlier.
Our special focus, however, is on the debates on technologies and scientific findings in the public sphere. We analyse discourses on social media, bioeconomy or nuclear power, among others, by means of media analyses as well as document analyses in scientific databases and collect the views of experts and the population on this. We develop materials to illustrate and communicate the often complex interrelationships. And we carry out dialogue and discourse projects with which we enable and motivate private individuals to participate in the debates.
Projects
A selection of projects from the past five years is presented below. A complete overview is available via the search.
Citizens' dialogue on nuclear energy (1974-1983) - State action in the debate on nuclear waste disposal and its significance for today's site selection procedure
Investigation into the usability of Citizen Science to obtain data on indoor radon concentrations
BioDisKo-Bioeconomic Use Paths - Discourse and Communication
Possibilities of tailoring risk information in radiation protection to different target groups on the Internet
Evaluation of the BfS messages and texts from the area of electricity grid expansion
Substitutes for food: technology assessment, sustainability, future orientation in discourse with young people
Stakeholder surveys in the municipalities of the BMBF Energy Efficient City competition
Handbook on the inter- and transdisciplinary integration of humanities, social and cultural sciences (GSK) in research projects at the Viennese Universities of Applied Sciences
Discourse ELSA: Young people and how they deal with ethical, legal and social issues of performance enhancement through brain doping
Discrimination risks in Germany related to boys and men, their prevalence and public perception as well as possible protection gaps
Conception and organisation of an information and communication event "New self-employment on the net"
Technological and economic structural change: spatial effects and regional adaptation strategies
Investigation of the change in the information culture of the authorities responsible for food and feed monitoring and the companies active in this field...
Effects of government risk communication on risk perception and risk understanding
Discourse forum for young people on the Internet: Genetic research interactive