Centre for Science Communication
Recent Deposits
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Sharks and New Zealand News Media
Sharks could be the most feared animal in the world. They could also be the most misrepresented. Although traumatic, human-shark interactions are incredibly rare events. Yet historically, mass media disproportionately ... -
Awe and Pro-environmental Behaviour
Astronauts who have looked down at Earth from the vantage point of the International Space Station, which is over four hundred kilometres away, tell a similar story of an intense feeling that overcomes them. Known as the ... -
Exploration and discovery: Learning at a science centre
Free-choice learning provides the majority of human learning over the course of a lifetime. Since interactivity developed in science centres fifty years ago, hands-on learning has been spreading itself all around the world, ... -
Where Fact Meets Fiction - The Science Mockumentary
Mockumentary is a style of film that has existed since 1957, at the latest. A fictional news piece from the BBC told the story about the annual spaghetti harvest occurring in Switzerland. Presented in the style of a typical ... -
Climate change and behaviour change : empowering youth action through narrative
This thesis is a review of the literature spanning multiple disciplines to provide an overview of climate change science in the global and New Zealand context, its implications, and a context for action amongst young New ... -
Visual appeal: How the characteristics of photographs can affect science communication in Chinese national parks
As places that conserve iconic natural heritage, national parks are appropriate destinations for people to engage with and reconnect to nature. Within such parks, the interpretation of the natural science stories behind ... -
The Use of Regional Accent in Audio Health Communications
Cancer is a large and complex family of diseases with a variety of causes and risk factors. The health communication strategy needed to combat cancer may also need to be a large and complex family of communications. Podcasts ... -
Does the production value of a short science video hosted on YouTube influence how much the desired audience is likely to enjoy and engage with it?
This thesis continues the research of Welbourne and Grant (2016) within the field of science communication on YouTube, by following the study that Figueiredo, Almeida, & Benevenuto designed to evaluate whether content ... -
Using ArcGIS Story Map to Communicate an Emotive Topic: Responsible Cat Ownership in New Zealand
This thesis examines how the general New Zealand public can be engaged with the controversial idea of responsible cat ownership by using ArcGIS Story Map as a tool. Cat management is a vital part of achieving New Zealand’s ... -
Perceptions of Wildlife in New Zealand And Persuasive Documentary Filmmaking Techniques
Understanding the current knowledge and perceptions of your audience is important when creating persuasive communication. The aim of the creative component of this thesis, a 25-minute film, is to encourage responsible cat ... -
The Icing on the Communication: Text or Video?
Learning is lifelong, life-wide and life-deep (Tal & Dierking, 2014) and whilst science is everywhere, opportunities for scientific learning are missed every day. However, when it comes to learning, the learner must be ... -
Perception of Three Agricultural Applications of Genetic Engineering
Global food security is a challenge that must be faced in the next few decades, food production must increase whilst maintaining or, ideally, improving environmental sustainability of agriculture for food. Genetically ... -
SciArt and Environmental Restoration: The role of intentionality in audience engagement
Science and art share a long history of interaction, and their practitioners contribute to wide-ranging collaborative projects. Interactions between these disciplines have demonstrated the value of using art to communicate ... -
New Zealanders' Perceptions of Green-Lipped Mussels and Sustainability
We need to change the way we eat. Compounded by issues such as land-use intensification, the impacts of climate change and the overfishing of the ocean, our ability to feed an evergrowing population is becoming compromised. ... -
The Effects of Accents on Conservation Attitudes Towards Native Species
This thesis aims to answer the question of whether people are more likely to want to conserve a flagship national species after hearing a distressing message about that species from someone with an associated accent, as ... -
Source of Expertise Affects Perceived Credibility of an Interview Used in a Medical Documentary
This thesis is composed of two integrated components: a creative project and original academic research. The creative component is a 25-minute medical documentary called Fairy Steps. Fairy Steps follows a 4-year-old girl ... -
Using Esri Story Map ArcGIS to Support Community-led Natural Resource Managment
This thesis investigates a potential platform for communities and environmental management groups to compile and communicate their environmental data. With natural resource management shifting from government-led to ... -
Framing Entertainment and Wild Gorillas: Effects on Public Perception and Endangered Status A Conceptual Review
Schroepfer, Rosati, Chartrand, and Hare (2011) found that the use of chimpanzees in entertainment leads people to believe that they are not endangered and that they would make suitable pets. As gorillas have also featured ... -
Putting Meaning in Naturalism: The Role of Science Films and Support for Evolution
Only 19% of Americans believe that human beings evolved over millions of years and that this occurred without any divine creator, according to recent Gallup polls (Swift, 2017). Despite overwhelming supportive evidence for ... -
Activism, Science and the Infinite Game: Exploring the relationship between science and environmental activism
According to James Carse, humanity plays two types of games. We play games that are finite and games that are infinite. As human activity alters the biosphere, ecosystems are collapsing, biodiversity is declining, and the ...