Centre for Science Communication
Recent Deposits
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Educating Critical Scientists: Critical Science Literacy in University STEM Subjects
Much of our interaction with the world is overtly influenced by science or the products of science. The forward progress of science can seem overwhelming and relentless, leading many to adopt a fatalistic attitude to ... -
Human Impact on Marine Mammal Strandings: The Joining of Worlds Through Documentary Film
The title of this thesis is “Human Impact on Marine Mammal Strandings: The Joining of Worlds Through Documentary Film”. The “worlds” referred to here are science, conservation agendas, aesthetics and psychology all in the ... -
Irrationality, Misinformation and the Role of Science Education in Science Communication.
Human beings, as a species, are capable of both incredible scientific and technical achievements, but also of deep scientific denial. In late 2012 while the Curiosity rover descended from a “sky crane”, to make a soft ... -
Listening to the voices of Māori tertiary students in science
This research aims to identify the key themes of Māori student success in science education (from a student perspective). Fourteen Māori science students from the University of Otago participated in this study. This study ... -
Does anthropomorphism affect people's ability to distinguish fact from fiction?
Anthropomorphism is a fictional tool that is used in documentaries to invoke empathy and communicate science in an entertaining and engaging way. However, the appropriateness of anthropomorphism is contested as it may ... -
Rainforest, Reef, and our Appetite for Beef: Communication for Sustainable Behaviour Change
Meat production, and the current rate of consumption, is one of the leading causes of tropical deforestation, freshwater degradation, ocean dead zones, and wild species extinction. The livestock sector is also a major ... -
Barriers to the Development and Implementation of Assistive Gaming Technology for Upper-Limb Rehabilitation After Acquired Brain Injury: Stakeholder Perspectives.
Acquired brain injuries are one of the leading causes of lasting physical disability worldwide. Current rehabilitation services are insufficient, and an increasingly aging population suggests that this problem will only ... -
The Influence of Place: A Case Study of Antarctic Scientists
Research into place identity and attachment is commonly linked to the formative influence of places from our childhood, but what about the places we interact with in our professional adult lives? This thesis investigates ... -
The Affect of Language on Attitudes Towards Levonorgestrel-based Emergency Contraception
Globally, there is at least one registered form of emergency or post-coital contraception registered in 146 countries, with a further 22 countries importing emergency contraceptive products. By far the most commonly accessed ... -
The Role of Art in Conservation Engagement
Conservation is a complex and sometimes controversial endeavour, which occupies a unique position at the junction of science, society and the natural world. Increasingly, conservation practitioners are using art as a way ... -
Residential Camps about Biodiversity and Wildlife Conservation for School Children
Illegal wildlife trading and habitat destruction have increased in Thailand in recent decades. While there has been research in this area, much of it has focused on sustainable development. In addition to focusing on ... -
Evaluating the Media’s Role in Public and Political Responses to Human-Shark Interactions in NSW, Australia
Of all animals that pose danger to humans in this world, few are more feared than sharks. Human-shark interactions are traumatic, emotional and difficult to rationalize. While rare, human-shark interactions generate a ... -
Communicating Science Effectively Through The Voice of Animals in Natural History Films
Traditionally humans have been used to narrate natural history films and to communicate the science contained in those films. A variation on this pattern can be found in natural history films where the film is narrated ... -
Conflict and Compromises: Wildlife documentary production for commercial television. A case study of Dark Days in Monkey City.
Dark Days in Monkey City (2008) was a 13-part television series produced by Dunedin-based factual documentary company NHNZ Ltd, for American cable channel Animal Planet. This thesis deconstructs and analyses Dark Days in ... -
A comparison of different graphic approaches in the design of information panels about headaches
An exhibit developed to increase awareness and educate about a topic will traditionally consist of a variety of elements such as: displays, participatory elements, artefacts and panels. Information panels, in particular, ... -
Communicating the sciences of Disaster Risk Reduction: media stories surrounding the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010-2011
Communication of disaster risk reduction (DRR) should be participatory, democratised and scientifically robust according to ideals enshrined in the United Nations’ International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Hyogo Framework ... -
The Impact of Different Modes of Film Distribution on Science Communication
The academic component of the thesis investigates how modes of film distribution have impacted upon the science communicated in scientific films. The thesis examines the different modes of distribution used since the ... -
Battling Extinction: Can Emphasising Different Features of Native Bats invoke Support for their Conservation?
New Zealand native bats, the short-tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata) and long-tailed bat (Chalinolobus tuberculatus) are threatened with extinction in the next 40 years. The current study was undertaken to find out which ... -
Through the grapevine: In search of a rhetoric of industry-oriented science communication
Rhetorical features of industry-oriented science communication texts structure meetings between science and industry communities and, consequently, structure research industry relationships. Industry-oriented science ... -
Life on the edge: The survival of wildlife cinematography as a craft
Our natural world is under serious threat. Maintaining a connection between our ever-urbanising global population and our natural world is getting more and more difficult. Sometimes the only link between these two worlds ...