Walter Staveloz

La vulgarisation scientifique à l’épreuve de google 

Depuis le sommet de Rio en 2012, la communauté scientifique a progressivement augmenté sa pression sur le monde politique pour que les décisions concernant les grands enjeux pour la planète soient basées sur les pistes proposées par la science et la recherche. L’accord de Paris sur le climat a suscité un certain optimise qui aujourd’hui semble bien compromis. Il est aisé de blâmer le Président Trump pour cette situation, mais comme beaucoup d’analystes le déclarent aujourd’hui, il n’est peut-être que le résultat de ce que nous avons générés nous-mêmes. Ma présentation visera donc à une analyse auto-critique des mauvais jugements et orientations que la communauté scientifique, mais surtout la communauté des communicateurs et éducateurs scientifiques, ont étalé ces dernières années et qui nous ont conduit dans l’impasse actuelle. J’aborderai la question de la relation entre les scientifiques et les citoyens ; la dérive de la recherche fondamentale vers l’innovation comme remède miracle ; l’incapacité de l’école et des communicateurs scientifiques à identifier et surtout à répondre aux changements sociétaux qui entrainent le public vers des stratégies de réussites omniprésentes en télévison comme « The voice » ou « La Belgique a un incroyable talent ». Aujourd’hui plus que jamais les talents doivent être multiples et en particulier l’éducation formelle et informelle doivent s’allier pour donner aux jeunes les véritables atouts pour accéder à la sphère professionnelle et devenir des citoyens responsables en même temps. Mais pour cela, les scientifiques comme les communicateurs de la science doivent avant tout reconsidérer la façon dont ils parlent de la science.

Director of International Relations at the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC, Inc) Washington DC, 818 Connecticut Ave, NW. Washington, DC. 20006. USA..

- ASTC is the global worldwide organization of science centers/museums serving 650 member institutions in 45 countries.

Achievements:

  •  Is the lead organizer of the International science center and science Museums Day in collaboration with UNESCO (ISCSMD - First edition 10 November 2016).
  • Created the World Biotech Tour (12 science festivals around the world about biotech)
  • Organized the representation of the worldwide science center field at the COP 21 meeting in    Paris December 2015 including the organization of Youth Climate Summits in seven countries.
  • Created in 2012, the Science Center Engagement and the Rio Summit SCEnaRioS In support of the Earth Summit in Rio (June 2012). Science centers in eleven countries where twinned via internet video conferencing systems to allow youth to compare local impacts of global planetary issues and learn how to address them better locally.
  • Directed the worldwide science center contribution to the Rio+20 Summit last June. Including the lobbying efforts to insert the importance of informal science education in the final declaration; the partnership with the scientific community to showcase science centers contributions to education about global challenges at the “Planet under Pressure” conference.
  • Designed IGLO (International action on GLObal warming) as the science center field’s first worldwide collaboration, in conjunction with the International Polar Year. 2007 – 2009)
    • Created an Honor committee that included Albert, the Prince of Monaco.
    • Established partnerships for ASTC with “Live Earth” concerts; with WWF for” Earth Hour” program’s; with NASA for the Albedo project . Partnered with NOAA for the participation of ASTC in COP15 meeting in Copenhagen (organized an international competition for youth using an on-line game “Clim’Way” inviting participants to build a sustainable world over a 50 year period) and COP16 meeting in Cancun (bringing together youth from Mexico city, Portugal and LA to discuss cities mitigation of climate change impacts).
  • PI of Communicating Climate Change (C3). 2009-2011. a project that brings together 12 science centers over the US that addresses local indicators of climate change and builds science communication tools for the general public on these issues.
    • A secondary result of C3 is the launch of Community Conversations on climate change in partnership with NOAA in several US cities.
  • PI for two China- US Informal Science education and communication Summits. (Shanghai 2008 and Beijing 2010).
  • Set up a session for the ASTC Annual Conference 2011 featuring Government deciders about ISE funding (US, Australia, India, South Africa, Greece, Portugal, Brazil, Chile and EU).
  • Set up a capacity building workshop for the creation of a science center in Sri Lanka including the aspects of IK systems
  • In charge of the capacity building workshop for African professionals in science communication as a three-day pre-conference program at the occasion of the 6SCWC in Cape Town (September 2011).

1995 – 2005, Executive Director, Ecsite (European Network of Science Centres and Museums)

During tenure obtained EU funding for several projects bridging formal and informal science education and was PI for:

-  “Sea Your Future” an international program of awareness of the oceans for youth created at the occasion of International Expo Lisbon 1998.

- “ISCOM” 2000-2003 Capacity building workshops for “Improving Science Communication in Science Centers and Museums”.

“EPOS”, the European Project on the Sun. A cooperative creation of a traveling exhibition on the Sun for which separate parts where build in 8 different countries and assembled for the inauguration at the European Space Agency headquarters in the Netherlands.

“PENCIL”, the Permanent resource center on Informal learning. Innovative European partnership to identify the criteria of success in informal science education and the way to support formal education based on the findings.

1995- 2003. Overlapping with the other positions at Focus Research and later ECSITE, created and managed the science center of the University of Brussels.

- Curator for several temporary exhibitions: e.g. the human body in cooperation with the University Health museum; on Belgian's history and structure...

- Created the permanent exhibition on new communication technologies. At the inauguration of the exhibition a colleague from Exploratorium operated remotely a Sony robot customized by the University cyber engineers.

1987 – 1995. Secretary General, Focus Research: the Belgian Association for the Advancement of Science.

Gained broad experience with research policy, careers in research, science communication, and interactive science exhibitions.  Started innovative projects in these areas for Belgium.  This led to an invitation to join the Ecsite board and later to serve Ecsite as Executive Director beginning in 1995.

1985 -1987. Researcher at the “Universite Libre de Bruxells” at the Inter University Institute of public polling, INUSOP (similar to IFOP in France or Gallup internationally).

- Conducted and reported qualitative and quantitative research on public’s knowledge and attitudes regarding: smoking, sport practices, use of contraception, Belgian’s development policy, etc..

Additional Activities

  • Chair of the evaluation panel of the Public Engagement efforts of SAASTA in SA.
  • Member of the Program Committee of the Science Center World Summit (Last edition, Tokyo: November 2017).
  • Consulting services/evaluator for international organizations and governments in ISE projects, including co-author (2005) for the UNESCO science department’s feasibility study for the creation of a science center in Tangier, Morocco;
  • Member of the expert committee of the South African Agency for Research to evaluate and make recommendations for a new South Africa science communication policy (2004)
  • Chief evaluator for the South African government of the science center achievements in South Africa 2014.
  • Juror, European Union Descartes Prize for Science Communication (2004, 2005)
  • Member of the EU high level group on benchmarking science communication (2002)

Publications

Staveloz W 2015: Embracing the vision of citizen science: an historic opportunity for science centers. Informalscience.org March 2015.

Staveloz, W. 2013. Water brings people together. UN-Chronicle (expected April).

Staveloz, W. 2007. Extreme science communication: how IPY can revamp science for the public. European Commission International Symposium - Polar Environment and Climate: The Challenges.

Staveloz, W. 2006. The IGLO initiative: Collaborating to address global warming. ASTC Dimensions Nov/Dec: 7-10.

Staveloz, W. 2002. Les nouvelles technologies de l’information et de la communication au secours de l’education informelle. Journal of Belgian Canadian Studies (special edition on museums).

Staveloz, W. 1999. To Teach or not to teach. Museologia 1(1).

Staveloz, W. A. Giordan, J.-L.Martinand et D.Raichvarg. 1997. un reseau Europeen de musees scientifiques pour relier les mondes de l’education formelle et informelle en utilisant le multimedia.  Actes JIES XIX