Category: Research

One of the six experiments supported by the MSCL launched its exhibition this month in the Deutsches Museum in Munich. This project was selected from the MSCL Call for Participation in February 2022.

Location: Science Communication Lab, Auditorium in the first floor, Deutsches Museum

Schedule:

• 09.01.2023 — 15.01.2023 Pop-Up exhibition
• 16.01.2023 — 22.01.2023 Pop-Up exhibition
  Exchange with scientists on site
• 23.01.2023 — 29.01.2023 Pop-Up exhibition
  Exchange with scientists on site
  Self-supervised exploration of satellite data through a “microscope”
• 30.01.2023 — Feb/Mar 2023 Pop-Up exhibition
  Self-supervised exploration of satellite data through a “microscope”

Description:

Where do my cereals come from? What about Planetary Health? We are facing major challenges: a growing world population needs to be fed. In the process, planetary boundaries have long been exceeded, and the global ecosystem is under strain. Does modern, intensive agriculture really provide food for all? Our food system is in a deep crisis. Why is that, what does it matter to me, and what role does my own consumption play? Is there hope, and what can I do? A view from space gives answers.

In this exhibition, you are the center of attention. Surely you have a lot of questions. We provide you not only with facts and figures. Follow in the footsteps of researchers yourself and examine real satellite data and Planetary Health under the microscope. Get an overview and draw conclusions. Intuitive graphics help you to put everything into perspective. You are also invited to ask questions directly to a local expert! What about agriculture in your neighborhood? See the latest images from the European Earth observation satellite “Sentinel”!

At the end of the exhibition, the group asks you to answer a few questions as part of your experience. It is quick and fun!

Click here for more information.

In a time of multiple crises (e.g., Covid pandemic, climate crisis, geopolitical crises such as the war in Ukraine), scientists and engineers are expected to help in approaching wicked problems (Rittel & Webber, 1973) that, in fact, have no solutions. As science communication grapples with the increasing demands of complex issues in globally networked societies, authenticity, or the lack thereof, plays an ever more significant role.

For communicators, authenticity is vital. It makes it more likely for audiences to consider their insights. For science communicators, authenticity is negotiated on different levels (Hendriks et al., 2015). Their roles, for example, as scientists, journalists, or influencers, require staying true to the relevant norms and values of their social role and discipline, while other roles may introduce conflicting demands and values (Saffran et al., 2020). How is authenticity negotiated by different science communicators, and how does it affect their impact on policymakers and the broader public?

Scientific evidence and (allegedly) science-based arguments in mass media and social media have suffered from fake news and misinformation campaigns, while scientists add to the issue through scientific dissent or multiple replication crises across disciplines (Earp & Trafimow, 2015). How can science communication contribute to public science literacy and media literacy, helping individuals assess the authenticity of arguments, evidence, and data, and how can such assessments help people make better science-based decisions?

We want to explore the concept of authenticity in the broadest possible sense. Trust in organisations (Mayer et al., 1995) can be part of our exploration as much as authenticity judgments of scientists and scientific evidence (Anderson et al., 2012; Boyette & Ramsey, 2019). We welcome works on perceptions of trustworthiness and integrity in science communication. Contributions may discuss possible connections between related concepts to draw out differences and overlaps with authenticity.

The 2023 post-conference, Authentic Voices in Science Communication, is planned as a continuation of the Paris 2022 Preconference, The Science of Science Communication: Mapping the Field, and is co-organized by the environmental communication division. We welcome a broad spectrum of
theoretical, methodological, and empirical contributions from all sections of the ICA dealing with authenticity in science communication from a theoretical, conceptual, or empirical perspective.

Contributions can address at least one of the following aspects while referencing the overarching topic of the post-conference, authenticity, in its broadest sense:

1. The concept of authenticity in science communication and its relationship to integrity and trustworthiness.
2. Transcultural perspectives on authenticity in science communication.
3. Science, risk, health, and environmental communication.
4. Empirical research from various theoretical and methodical perspectives
   a. (new, emerging) communicators,
   b. messages,
   c. (digital, social) media formats,
   d. reception,
   e. and/or effects of science communication.
5. Theoretical contributions to science communication research.
6. Methodological contributions to science communication research.
7. (Public) discourses about norms and ethics in science communication.
8. Science communication as a profession: skills, education, careers.
9. New and innovative approaches to science communication from traditional science communication institutions as well as arts, (political) activism, business, etc.

Organized by the Munich Science Communication Lab (LMU Munich) – Bernhard Goodwin & Sabine Reich / Contact: Bernhard Goodwin (goodwin@lmu.de)

Submission Guidelines
We welcome regular and PhD-submissions. All conference submissions must include a separate cover page and extended abstract. The cover page should provide the submission’s title, author information, three to five keywords, and, if applicable, a note identifying the submission as a “Ph.D.
paper” (Ph.D.-student led paper). Works in progress are welcome. The conference organizers support open science practices and accept preregistrations and replications. Extended abstracts must be fully
blinded for reviewing and be limited to a maximum of 800 – 1000 words plus references, tables, and figures.

Please send your conference submissions (cover page and anonymous extended abstract) to scienceofsciencecomm@gmail.com.

The deadline for submissions is January 23, 2023. Submissions will undergo blind peer review, and acceptance notifications will be sent out on February 11, 2023.

Date & Conference Format
Authors of accepted extended abstracts will be able to present their papers live in Toronto on May 30, 2023.

Keynote Speaker is John C. Besley (Michigan State University)

The organizers plan this as a one-day in-person conference, opening with a keynote panel. Accepted submissions will be presented in two or three consecutive panels followed by a networking and reflection session to close out the post-conference.

Conference venue
McLuhan Centre for Culture and Technology (University of Toronto)
39A Queens Park Crescent East, Toronto, Ontario

Full Document:

Eva Winzer is a post-doctoral researcher in Public Health Nutrition at the Medical University of Vienna, at the Centre for Public Health. She has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Nutritional Sciences and a Ph.D. in Endocrinology and Metabolism. Dr. Winzer has almost ten years of experience in Public Health Nutrition, Malnutrition, and Chronic Disease Prevention. Recently, she has included Digital Public Health in Health Promotion & Disease Prevention in her research focus, mainly Digital Food Environment.

Currently, she is a visiting scholar at the Department of Media & Communication at the Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU) of Munich. During her stay and hopefully beyond, she is working on the topic of science communication about planetary health with the Munich Science Communication Lab.

Q: How are you and your work related to the MSCL?

E.W.: Dr. Brigitte Naderer from the LMU of Munich at the Department of Media & Communication, my colleagues from the Medical University of Vienna at the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine and I conducted a content analysis on meals, snacks, and drinks that appeared in videos and posts by six of the most popular German-speaking influencers on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Together, the efforts of these three men and three women reach and influence more than 35 million followers and subscribers in the 13 to 17 age group. This study showed that three-quarters of the foods and beverages presented were so high in fat, sugar, and/or salt that, according to World Health Organization (WHO, 2022) guidelines, they should not be marketed to children. The majority of these products were ultra-processed foods (~80%). This finding is consistent with other studies, showing that ultra-processed food producers aggressively market their products and interfere with implementating policies and regulations to improve public and planetary health (Swinburn BA et al., 2019, Barlow P et al., 2018).

These foods have undergone several industrial processing steps and contain many ingredients and additives. As a result, they often contain a high amount of fat, sugar, salt, artificial colors, flavors, and stabilizers and no longer provide the key properties of healthy foods. The artificial additives are intended to give food flavor or enhance it, make it last longer, and spice it up visually. Examples include carbonated soft drinks, confectionery, snacks, compounded meat products or fast food, ready meals, and more (Monteiro CA et al., 2019). Ultra-processed foods are prevalent in diets worldwide (Monteiro CA et al., 2013), and their increased consumption has been linked to several chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and cancer (Elizabeth L et al., 2020). In addition, ultra-processed foods have been identified as one of the most critical diet-related environmental footprints (Hadjikakou M, 2017), and are associated with negative impacts on water consumption (Garzillo JMF et al., 2022). Other evidence suggests that ultra-processed foods use a lot of energy and land in their preparation and contribute to plastic packaging, pollution, deforestation, and biodiversity loss, as described in a recent article in The Conversation (Anastasiou K et al., 2022).

Furthermore, I participated in the workshop organized by the MSCL for co-creating communication on planetary health related to food and food systems on March 28^th 2022. I joined the group “Dietary Choices & Self-efficacy”  in this workshop to discuss and develop ideas for experiments and to form teams. I contributed to the team of Lorenz Bodner and Yannick Loyoddin (students from the Medical University of Vienna) with their experiment proposal “Planetary Plate – Recipes Good for You & Good for the Planet.” Additionally, I contributed to the team of Prof. Eva Rehfuess (LMU, Public Health and Health Services Research) with the proposal titled “Influencing Planetary Health Nutrition – harnessing the power of social media to change narratives,” which was successfully funded and supported by the MSCL. Following the MSCL’s mission and goals, experimenting with influencer engagement as a channel for science communication (Su LYF et al. 2022, Caspari G. 2022) will allow the testing of new, innovative communication strategies in the field of nutrition transformation for planetary health towards social change and a transformative society. The motivation of this experiment was to expand the current knowledge on communication strategies in the field of planetary health and public health and to create space for new and innovative concepts.

Q: What’s the connection between science communication and planetary health in your work area? How does your time at the MSCL follow from what you are already doing?

E.W.: As a Nutritional Scientist, I believe planetary health and nutrition are connected. Nutrition, and especially a change in diet, can be seen as a “wicked problem” (Freidberg S. 2016), as there is no (simple) solution for society as a whole to bring current eating habits into line with the “ideal” of planetary nutrition. This is due, among other things, to the complexity of established eating habits in society. The influences on our eating habits range from prenatal imprinting, nutritional education, cultural imprinting, and available budget to health status, interest in nutrition, time commitment, and indirect factors such as exposure to advertising and politics  influencing the food system. All of these factors play a role in implementating scientific findings from research into practice. Planetary Health Nutrition is a way of eating that protects both human health and the planet now and in the future. The 2019 report of the EAT-Lancet Commission, for example, shows what this diet can look like, describing this necessary societal shift in nutrition (Willet W et al., 2019). The core elements are a change in dietary habits towards a more plant-sourced and thus more climate-friendly diet, improving food production and reducing food waste. Starting from the population’s current level of general food consumption, the consumption of foods such as fruit, vegetables, and legumes would have to increase significantly. In contrast, the consuming foods such as meat, other animal products, and ultra-processed foods would have to decrease significantly (Willet W et al., 2019, DGE 2019).

The connection between science communication and planetary health is still missing in my work. As this is a multidisciplinary topic, I would like to involve science communication more in future projects. Therefore, my time at MSCL is to follow on from what I have done so far, as science communication and planetary health should also be closely linked.

Q: What questions about the topic drive you the most? Do you have any related current projects?

E.W.: There are many questions about the topic that drive me. Yet the most important for me is how we can reduce the production, aggressively marketing, and consumption of ultra-processed foods. It might be one way by which we could reduce our environmental footprint and improve our health. These products have no nutritional role in healthy diets and are unnecessary for human nutrition. This also means that the environmental resources we use to create ultra-processed products could be avoided or re-routed into food products necessary for healthy diets. So, reducing ultra-processed foods could provide a unique opportunity for improving the health of both people and the planet.

We will continue our work in digital food marketing, as most of these products are ultra-processed foods and are marketed heavily, especially to children and adolescents. So, we must crack down on social media and challenge the role of influencers in junk food marketing. There is an urgent need for government action and the involvement of civil society to tackle this public and planetary health issue. Spain has recently announced plans to ban influencers pushing unhealthy (mostly high-processed) food and drink to children. Still, most countries, have no restrictions on marketing these foods on websites, social media, or mobile applications. Governments must adopt a comprehensive approach, targeting multiple media channels to encourage our children to make healthy nutrition choices.

Are you a researcher working on planetary health or engaging in science communication? Do you have something to say about food or food systems and how they relate to climate change, environmental protection, and human health? Then the Munich Science Communication Lab (MSCL) is your place to be. On March 28th, we will hold an in-person workshop in Munich where experts, practitioners, and researchers from science communication and planetary health will come together to develop ideas and form teams. The MSCL will help you develop new ideas for communicating planetary health by funding and supporting your project (= experiment) through our experience and network.

Join our workshop or apply directly for an experiment at the MSCL.

FAQs

Workshop:

• What is going to happen during the workshop?

In the workshop, you will explore innovative ways of communicating about the interaction between human health and the planet’s health with a specific focus on food and food systems. You will meet many people you can form teams with and discuss and develop new ideas on how to communicate planetary health.

• What is necessary to apply for the workshop?

You need to fill out this form until March 10, 2022, and tell us your motivation, expertise, and ideas at their current stage. Don’t worry if you can’t fill in all the fields yet – we are looking for a diverse group. You can also apply as a team.

• When and where will the workshop take place?

The workshop will take place on March 28, 2022, at the University of Munich. It will be an in-person event starting at 3:30 PM local time. **

• Who can apply for the workshop?

Anyone who has a good idea or is interested and motivated to develop an idea related to planetary health communication is welcome to apply for the workshop. It will be a bilingual workshop with input welcomed in English and German. You can already come as a team or as an individual.

• What if I have a good idea, but I cannot join the workshop?

To apply for an experiment, it is not necessary to join the workshop. You can also directly apply for a funded experiment. **

• How much does it cost to join the workshop?

The workshop is entirely free. However, travel expenses are not covered.

• Is there a way to participate in the workshop virtually?

There isn’t a virtual workshop planned yet – the workshop on March 28th is a presence workshop held in Munich. If there is enough interest for a virtual brainstorm session, we will plan one shortly after. Please let us know if you can only meet virtually. Don’t forget that if you have a team and want to be in the process, you don’t have to participate in the workshop to propose an experiment. It is not a pre-requisite.

• Will only people at the workshop be able to apply for an experiment?

We have two applications – one for attending the workshop and another for the experiment, which can be applied independently.

Experiments:

• What is meant by an “experiment”?

An experiment can be a media product (e.g. a social media post, a radio show), an event, an exhibit, an installation, or any other communicating activity related to planetary health. **

• When and where does the experiment need to take place?

You are entirely free in choosing the location. However, the period in which the experiment must take place is between April and August. **

• How can the MSCL help me?

The MSCL can assist you in conducting the experiment. We have many social scientists and experts in the lab who can help you with questions and support you at any stage of your experiment.

• Are the experiments funded?

Yes, the experiments are funded with a grant of up to €8,000 in direct costs per team.

• What are the general requirements for an experiment?

First of all, you do not need to worry if you cannot fulfill all the requirements. We will help you and guide you through the different points. In the end, …

… the experiments should address at least one of the following issues: (1) Framing planetary health, (2) communicating wicked problems, (3) the Mutual Benefit Model of Science Communication. If you want to dig deeper into the topics, look into our call sheet.

… the content has to come from the field of planetary health with a particular focus on food and food systems. The experiments must be based on scientific facts backed by appropriate scientific experts.

… the experiments’ messages, message design, and communication tools must be theory- and evidence-based. That is why we will put a lot of effort into building teams with the appropriate knowledge.

… you should co-create the experiments with its desired stakeholders and have clear, measurable goals and outcomes. The co-creation process and the evaluation are part of the experiment. Data collection must be done scientifically and ethically.

… the experiment ideally includes some variation to evaluate different groups.

… the created knowledge should help to inform future research on the science communication areas described below. This also includes publishing the results of the evaluation. **

• How do I apply for an experiment?

You must write a four-page proposal and hand it in until April 15, 2022, via mail: info@mscl.de. In the proposal, you need to (1) describe your experiment (including an evaluation plan), (2) justify how you are going to meet our requirements, and (3) plan the monetary and non-monetary resources needed: What do you bring to the table, where do you need the MSCL and its network?

• I have more than one idea. Can I apply for more than one experiment?

Yes, you can apply for more than one experiment. **

• I have only a little idea about how social sciences work. Can I still apply for an experiment?

Yes, you can. We will help you find a team partner and, besides that, assist you at every step of the process.

• What happens after my experiment takes place?

Using social science methods (text/image analysis, participant interviews, observations, experimental designs), we will analyze your experiment and link it to other empirical findings from the research. Together, we will develop a timeline to coordinate the experiment, the study, and the evaluation.

• Can these experiments take place in 2023?

We wouldn’t exclude this possibility, but it is advantageous if they can produce results this year. This way, we can go into the next round with the knowledge of the first round. The experiments shouldn’t be too extensive.

• Is it possible to plan an experiment outside of Munich/Germany?

Yes, we welcome experiments taking place in other regions as well.

• Are you offering support regarding the methodology and practices of data collection during and after the experiment?

Yes, we will try our best and we will share our resources. We do want every team to include an aspect of science communication research.

• Regarding co-creation, where does co-creation take place if one comes to you with a topic or/and an idea? In the experiment with possible audiences? Or in the workshop/work with you?

Ideally, it takes place in both cases.

• How do you see the cooperation/application of research institutions that are well funded themselves and/or have their own funds for outreach projects?

There is no problem there. Maybe you have an idea of what you want to implement with us and you don’t need funding, but you would like the space for reflection and the network.

• How many experiments do you plan altogether?

It will depend on the scope of the experiments. If some require a lot of resources, we will plan less. If they are smaller, we will plan more.

• Is it possible that one part of the experiment could feed into a master thesis at another University?

There should be no problem. However, there might be an issue with the thesis advisor if they have other ideas in mind and want the student to concentrate on other aspects.

We are pleased to announce our first call for participation in a co-creation process on the topic of Planetary Health communication.

On March 28th at 3:30 PM, we will hold an in-person workshop in Munich where experts, practitioners, and researchers from science communication and planetary health will come together to develop ideas and form teams. In the workshop, English and German speakers are welcomed.

Find the Call in English and German with further information about the process and important deadlines. We would be very pleased if you share our call with your network and, of course, if you participate in our workshop/submit a proposal yourself.

Don’t hesitate to distribute the call in your respective networks.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please have a look at our FAQ, do not hesitate to contact us at: info@mscl.de. We will have a virtual Q&A on February 21, 3:30 PM (German time), the details will be shared on our mailing list, to which you can sign on right here:

„Ein sehr drängendes Thema“

At the newly founded Munich Science Communication Lab, scientists and practitioners want to investigate science communication in the field of “Planetary Health”. Communication scientist Bernhard Goodwin explains why he thinks this is relevant and worthwhile. 

This article was published in Wissenschaftskommunikation.de. See the full article in German HERE.

An introductory video on the MSCL’s topic area, goals, planned processes, and participants.

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Open “Munich Science Communication Lab: Communicating Planetary Health” directly

Science communication is currently facing the challenge of explaining the complex links between climate change and human health and pointing out options for action. Global challenges such as pandemics or climate change are proving that scientific research, societal changes, individual choices and political actions are tightly entangled. In no field is this so evident as in the emerging field of planetary health.

This videos introduces the Munich Science Communication Lab (MSCL), located at LMU Munich, which is taking on this challenge and addressing burning issues in the field of planetary health. The MSCL is based on a partnership between science communication academics, practitioners and subject-matter researchers.