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receiving and analyzing feedback (Info 3 from science workers
and Info 4 from Internet users). Meanwhile, as a social force
concerned about the function of science to society, the public
should have a chance to participate in science and understand
its influence, power and function. It is necessary to promote
communication between scientists and the public, and to empha-
size the social responsibility of scientists in scientific research.
Therefore, VSMC also serves as a platform on which a virtual
society of science is built among science workers, science popu-
larization workers and Internet users.
The uses of ICT in promoting a public appreciation of science
Science workers serve as the information source for science popu-
larization. As a CAS-sponsored project, VSMC takes the
responsibility to promote the sharing of research equipment and
achievements. In traditional animal observation, human inter-
ference influences the behaviour of giant pandas. The application
of a web-camera gives the scientists convenience as well as more
authentic data. VSMC introduced this advanced research method,
where Internet users could control a remote camera using a
computer and the Internet, make real-time observations of panda
cubs, publish an observation diary and take videos. Now, VSMC
has a regular live broadcast on national science events and lectures
by famous scientists, sends free digital magazines to subscribers
with science topics of general interest, and updates “Look into
Science” every week with the latest science content relevant to
people’s everyday lives.
ICT helps to make science easier to understand, more enjoyable
to receive and fun to play with. VSMC encourages playful learning
through interactive contents like multimedia, flash explaining scien-
tific experiments and procedures, virtual reality technology showing
the local environment, and science games such as the Giant Panda
Contest, Net a piece of Chinese Ceramics, and Build a Space
Shuttle. In 2003, when SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)
suddenly prevailed, VSMC immediately designed a game to teach
people about SARS and ways to prevent it.
Science could serve the society better if individuals had the
opportunity to participate in it and understand its influence,
power and function in their lives. VSMC encourages Internet users
to share their own data. In VSMC, the audience could write
suggestions, submit observation diaries, publish science journals
and papers, discuss opinions about science and science events,
and ask questions to the scientists. The online Science Forum,
involving scientists and researchers, helps build a bridge between
the science community and the public.
Every citizen should benefit from the development of the
Internet society. VSMC produces and transfers free information to
Internet users, with special attention to the youth, children and
citizens of low socio-economic status. VSMC designs online
curriculums for elementary and middle school students based on
virtual museums, and encourages playful learning through inter-
active content like multimedia. In order to reach people in poor
and remote areas, VSMC donates CDs containing science content,
and has set up mirror sites in Western China. From September
2004, virtual museums like Ancient Science and Technology and
Wild Animals are included in the Children and Early Youth Culture
of National Cultural Information Resources Sharing Project, cover-
ing all provinces and most cities in China and providing free service
for approximately 50,000 rural elementary and middle schools
through the National Rural School Remote Education Project.
The Internet makes a smaller world, and promotes dialogue
between different cultures and civilizations. As China’s leading
power of Internet-based science popularization, VSMC builds
international partnerships with universities and organizations
like Texas A&M University and Sesame Workshop. Twelve
museums in the English language, like the Giant Panda Museum,
Chinese Nationalities, Chinese Ceramics and Xishuangbanna
Tropical Botanical Garden, help people from different cultures
to get a better understanding of the natural resources and cultural
heritage of China.
A bridge for communication
With the spread of the Internet and people’s increasing trust in it,
the Internet has begun to serve as an important media for science
popularization. Most Internet users and non-Internet-users choose
to believe the information on the Internet. The proportion of non-
Internet-users who choose to believe the information on the
Internet is even higher than that of the Internet users. The atti-
tude of non-Internet-users towards the Internet shows the great
potential of Internet-based science popularization.
In science popularization, different measures should be taken
to communicate the knowledge, method, procedures and social
responsibilities of science. Compared with traditional methods
of popularizing science, the emphasis in science popularization
today is more on the Internet, television, newspapers and other
mass media. The purpose of science popularization is to promote
the public understanding of science, and to give people more
decisive power on their own future. Science will serve society
better when more common people can understand, appreciate
and raise questions about it.
In the procedure of science popularization, ICT brings the
possibility of building a bridge for equal communication and
mutual understanding between the science community and the
public, by means of live broadcasts of big science events, chat
rooms, science forums and BBS, video conferencing between
science workers and the public, online lectures by scientists, and
so on.
In the community of Internet-based science popularization,
professional science popularization workers are the core force
and science workers are indispensable.
It is necessary to build a professional team armed with basic
scientific concepts, theories of science communication studies,
information technology and experience of science popularization,
which are the key drivers of Internet-based science populariza-
tion. These will encourage other participant forces and promote
the efficiency of the whole.
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Screenshot of VSMC, English Edition