Public Opinion about European Researchers’ Night on Climate Change and Polar Science in Türkiye

Year 2024, Volume: 11 Issue: 4, 635 - 654

Tuğba Güner Demir , Pelin Taşkın , Fatma Mızıkacı , Nasıh Sarp Ergüven

https://doi.org/10.30900/kafkasegt.1470131

Abstract

The European Researchers' Night is an annual event held across Europe on the last Friday of September, with the primary goal of promoting public recognition of scientists, disseminating information about the real-world impact of their research, inspiring young people to pursue careers in science, and raising awareness about research and innovation activities. In 2022, European Researcher’s Night focused on climate change and polar science in Istanbul and Gaziantep provinces. The central aim was to enhance public awareness of polar regions and global climate change, as well as to facilitate the acknowledgment of researchers and their work by the general public. This study examined the opinions of participants who attended these events, including 221 primary school students, 687 secondary school students, 525 high school students, and 319 adults. Utilizing a mixed-method approach, participant opinions were collected through both quantitative questionnaires and qualitative interviews conducted concurrently during the events. The results revealed overwhelmingly positive feedback from all participants regarding the events, with unanimous support for the continuation of such engaging public outreach initiatives. In conclusion, these events serve as effective channels for communicating scientific research with the public and underscore the importance of research extending beyond the confines of research communities.

Keywords

European Researchers' Night, polar science, climate change, science festival, public opinion

Ethical Statement

In this study, we declare that the rules stated in the "Higher Education Institutions Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Directive" are complied with and that we do not take any of the actions based on "Actions Against Scientific Research and Publication Ethics". At the same time, we declare that there is no conflict of interest between the authors, which all authors contribute to the study, and that all the responsibility belongs to the article authors in case of all ethical violations.

Supporting Institution

European Researchers' Night in Türkiye in 2022 was funded by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme through its coordination and support action: HORIZON-MSCA-2022-CITIZENS-01 (Grant agreement no. 101061630). This research would not have been possible without the support of TUBITAK MAM Polar Research Institute. The events themselves would not have happened without the support of the staff of Tuzla District Municipality and Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, vol

Thanks

The authors extend their gratitude to the instutions of the EDUCATE project, which fosters harmonious collaboration and facilitating partnerships, including the project coordinator TUBITAK MAM Polar Research Institute, and the partners Tuzla District Municipality, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, Istanbul Technical University, Ankara University, Yaşar University, and Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education.

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