Gear up Science Popularization for prosperity

Science plays a crucial role in the modern society, and the popularization of science is closely related to the rise and development of the scientific and technological culture, that ultimately strengthen science literacy.

Gear up Science Popularization for prosperityWith the advancement of media (print, electronic, and digital) the science popularization has become more and more involved in the knowledge-based society. Therefore, the Science Communication has become an important technical support for the Science Popularization.

Science Popularization is simply nothing than an effort to conceive scientific ideas in a way where everyone (especially non-scientists) can understand the primary concepts and have functional knowledge of what science is. The primary objective of the science popularization is to increase public understanding of science and technology.

The science popularization is an attempt to reduce the distance between science specialists and the public. Science popularization is an interpretation of scientific information intended for a general audience, rather than for other experts or science students.

Science popularization via the Science Communication is a package that takes science to general users with an objective of making them aware of the efforts, achievements and advances of science.

This include books, conferences, newspapers, journalism, workshops, seminars, meetings, electronic forums, open-access journals, audio-visual material, etc.

In this regards, Science, Technology, Communication, and Popularization (STCP) is a specialized branch of human communication that analyze the theories and methods of communication studies, which has its own structure of communication. Content related to communicators and audiences and communication outlets constitute the basic grounds of STCP.

These days, the communicators and spectators have diversified characteristics. Media groups, scientists’ organizations, public and private sector, industrial institutions, professional bodies and public itself compliments the societal structure of science communication and an integrated networked approach.

STCP have many elements like science education, science media communications, science popularization activities, and public understanding of science and technology.

Through these elements, it addresses the multiple components of the society and generate scientific vision, knowledge, methods, and above all develop social function of science and technology – simply the concept of science for social development.

STCP is characterized and promoted by cooperation among various channels of communication, this include science technology education, facilities of science popularization, and media organization.

This need active participation of public sector departments, educational institutions, science and technology organizations, corporate sector, media organizations and public.

To develop the roots for science communication and popularization and to develop civic science literacy, it is necessary to promote integration and cooperation between these channels, this will establish successful cooperative mechanism.

STCP has become an active research topic as well as a keen subject for academic researchers of this area. Whereas, public have totally different concepts of many topics in STCP research.

By using proper science communication tools and techniques STCP leads the communication and popularization of S&T knowledge, promotes the S&T dissemination and public input of science and technology.

This also stimulates public understanding, experience, interest and views on science and technology. The critical boundaries of STCP include two basic aspects; public scientific literacy and science for social development.

The swift development and widespread application of science and technology in contemporary age not only encouraged a deep conversion in economy and society, but also profoundly impacted the mode of presentation, influenced people’s lifestyle and connection between science and the public.

This emerging trait of science and technology, economy and society foster the importance and significance of STCP and the needs for STCP from different level of state, society and public.

Meantime, the STCP also cultivates the attribute of various targets and missions. The need of time is to analyze the relationship between science, technology, economic and social development and its impact on public and STCP itself.

Due to its effects, the STCP aims popularizing scientific and technical knowledge, enhancing public understanding of science and technology, promoting public engagement in science and technology, and science technology innovation.

Keeping in mind the importance and significance of STCP, Pakistan with the population of 197 million (2017) and having rich traditions of learning and knowledge still not fetching the benefits of scientific and technological advancements.

The hard reality is that Pakistan’s share in high-tech products is far and few and even there is unequal technological competency gap between different geographical regions of Pakistan.

With changing patterns of economic development, the today’s challenge for Pakistan is to get ready the capability of science and technology for the progress and development of the Country, which can only be achieved through enhanced science, technology communication popularization.