Science explained A new channel of communication was set up between the general public and the scientific community by the Biopop consortium. This activity could launch an innovative way of communicating science and technology issues. Climate Change and Environment © Thinkstock Making the public understand what science is all about has always been a challenge. Seeking to overcome this, the EU-funded Biopop initiative proposed to use students and young scientists to communicate the essence of science to the public. For this purpose, Biopop partners organised various events in the main square of two selected cities. They used a combination of animation, games for children, music, public discussions and real experiments performed with common kitchen ‘reagents’ in an ‘open lab’ environment. Biopop reviewed similar experiences and practices and included the involvement of the EFB Task Group on Public Perception in order to train and support the people leading these events. Public participation in the event and their curiosity in scientific issues seemed to go beyond culture, gender or age. A substantial proportion of visitors expressed their desire to go deeper into the issues presented during the event, indicating the success of Biopop activities. The Biopop consortium managed to turn communication into participation in the development of science by proposing a new model where young scientists were the main actors in interaction and dialogue with the public. This approach could be implemented to raise public awareness on various scientific or health-related issues.
