Scientific research is a human endeavour, performed by communities of people. Disproportionate focus on only some of the features related to this obvious fact has been used to discredit the reliability of scientific knowledge and to relativize its value when compared with knowledge stemming from other sources. This epistemic relativism is…

Shaping public research to enhance its societal contribution has become a key policy concern. Against this background, how research funding may stimulate the societal orientation of scientific research--or how funding is societally targeted--has been underexplored. This article proposes an exploratory approach to characterize societal targeting in…

The worldwide impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been enormous. It has affected the justification of the contributions from academia, and resulted in rapid spreading of misinformation and conspiracy theories. The use of the social media has during the pandemic intermixed the space between the private and the public domain, and has interfered with…

In today's rapidly advancing world, scientific literacy is becoming increasingly crucial. The ability to understand and critically evaluate scientific information is a key skill for navigating an increasingly complex and technology-driven society. Developing scientific literacy not only boosts individual knowledge but also promotes 21st-century…

Programs that emphasize the important, multifaceted roles that soils play as the interfaces between humanity and the earth are needed to attract new students from diverse backgrounds. The Basic and Environmental Soil Science Training Research Experience for Undergraduates (BESST REU) site aims to provide undergraduates from a variety of science,…

Citizen science's (CS) deployment and benefit over the last ten years have been remarkably substantial in their contributions to the massification of citizen participation in tech-based CS projects. Insights into how CS projects influence community changes through proposals of actions and public policies are essential to understanding how they…

Background: Many different concepts have been invoked in the literature to describe coordination between scientific and policy practices. However, a framework to understand different types of this boundary management is lacking, which allows 'linear' models and 'gap' metaphors to persist. Objectives: To operationalise the multidimensional…

Microorganisms are ubiquitous in nature and are central to human, animal, environmental, and planetary health. They play a particularly important role in the food chain and the production of high-quality, safe, and health-promoting foods, especially fermented foods. This important role is not always apparent to members of the public. Here, we…

Integrating service learning with undergraduate research, the student biodiesel project converted all waste vegetable oil (WVO) from campus dining centers into a sustainable biofuel used by campus vehicles, allowing half of the campus diesel energy needs to be met by a material (WVO) that was formerly a waste. Biodiesel reduced air pollution from…

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and given the huge volume of information available for the general population (being part of them fake news), there is a clear need to foster people's understanding of the meaning of science, of how scientific knowledge is produced, communicated, and used. As one of the main aims of science education is the…

Recognizing the position and validity of science in understanding religion has led to very diverse algorithms in the Islamic world. It must be admitted that before the fourteenth century, there were no views on the confrontation of or separation of the realm of science and religion. Although after the nineteenth century, the advent of modernist…

Although participation in citizen science can improve cognitive and affective learning outcomes, many citizen science projects exhibit low retention rates. By gaining an understanding of forms of engagement, reasons for ongoing participation, and the impact of project design on participant motivation and engagement, we can help keep people…

New introductions to invasive mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, increase the risk for vector-borne diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika in the United States. Tracking these new introductions is more important than ever. This lesson plan focuses on the collection of mosquito larvae and pupae before the onset of summer with a…

The COVID-19 pandemic provides an opportunity for teachers to explicitly address nature of science (NOS) themes during instruction. Aligned with key NOS categories in the "Next Generation Science Standards," this article discusses events and trends from the pandemic that teachers can use to help students understand values and methods of…

In light of the increased recognition among researchers and science policy actors of the capacity (and necessity) among the public to be actively involved in research, this chapter explores the epistemological ideals invoked as the sciences configure to accommodate outsiders as citizen scientists. The chapter offers suggestions on how to arrive at…