Centre for Science Communication

Browse by

Recent Deposits

Conflict and Compromises: Wildlife documentary production for commercial television. A case study of Dark Days in Monkey City.

Walker, Sina (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2017)

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

Andersen, Signe Thorning Padkaer (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2017)

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

Bryner, Vivienne Frances (Thesis, Doctor of Philosophy, 2017)

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

Sargisson, Laura (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2017)

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?

Cull-Luketina, Sarah (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2017)

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

Szymanski, Erika Amethyst (Thesis, Doctor of Philosophy, 2017)

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

Chen, Samuel Alexander (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2016)

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 ...
Blueskin People Power - a toolkit for community engagement.

Willis, S; Stephenson, Janet; Day, R (Commissioned Report for External Body, 2012)
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Advocacy Documentary

Beamish, Caroline (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2016)

Advocacy documentaries are becoming a commonly used means of disseminating information and ideas. These documentaries aim to inspire an audience and persuade them to adopt an advocated behaviour or set of behaviours. ...
Bat Country: Communicating Conservation for New Zealand Bats

Sheil, Jennifer (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2016)

Bats, the world’s only flying mammals, are essential for native biodiversity and natural processes like pollination, but are portrayed negatively by the majority of mainstream media and pop culture, causing them to be ...
The Image of the Scientist in Documentary: A Case Study of Three Films

Swann, Kyle Marshall (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2016)

Negative stereotypes of scientists of have been prevalent throughout much of media history, from literary representations of the mystical alchemist to the mad scientist of early film. Since the inception of the moving ...
Your Brain on Booze: Impact of a Multimedia Adolescent Alcohol Educational Resource

Campbell, Samantha Rosalind Shanti (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2016)

This research examines effectiveness of science communication in conveying harm reduction messages about alcohol to adolescents. The average age for initial experimentation with alcohol in New Zealand is 14.6 years – a ...
Animal Personhood in Wildlife Documentary Films: A Case Study of Four Films

Frost, Kimberly (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2016)

Throughout history, the way animals have been represented has been largely governed by the popular cultural attitude of the time. From imposed classification schemes to more modern stereotyping and speciesism, the public ...
Critical and Creative Approaches to Communicating Neuroscience to the Public

Patterson Ross, Zoe (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2016)

The key to communicating new facts and findings from science is in enhancing the public’s understanding of both the scientific method and the conceptual framework underpinning empirical research questions and conclusions. ...
Discerning Communication: The impact of social class on science communication.

Wilde, Annastacia (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2016)

The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the improvement of science communication, and does so by providing an introductory examination of the impact of social class on the field. This work begins by illustrating ...
Life Story/ Science Story: Biography as a tool for science communication

Hamel, Susan Frances (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2016)

Storytelling, and specifically biographical material, can be used to enhance science communication in schools by increasing interest and engagement, placing discoveries in the context of scientific history, providing good ...
Community Co-Creation of Museum Exhibitions

Rogers, Alexandra Holly (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2016)

This thesis aims to examine the process of community co-created science communication in the form of a museum exhibition. It includes a brief review of the theory of co-creation and its application from a variety of ...
Finding Hope on a Planet in Crisis: Combining Citizen Science and Tourism

Brosnan, Tessa (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2015)

This thesis is produced in conjunction with the documentary film Whale Chasers (a copy of this film is included in the back cover of this thesis). The film follows the progress of the annual Cook Strait Whale Project, a ...
An Experiment in Optimising Science Communication: The Coral Garden Project

Blake, James (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2015)

Science Communication comes in numerous outputs, all with their own unique approach of trying to explain either the workings or the findings of the science. With the environmental predicament we face I put forward that ...
Screening Genes: Using frame analyses to explore representations of genetics in documentaries

Anson, Rachel (Thesis, Master of Science Communication, 2015)

Over the last twenty years, genetics technology and research has become increasingly integrated into our daily lives, from the first consumer paternity tests in 1997 to ‘three parent babies’ in 2015. The vast world of ...