Café Scientifique
Encyclopedia
Café Scientifique is a grassroots
public science initiative currently running in 42 cities across the United Kingdom
and cities in other countries. At least twelve cafés outside the UK are organised by the British Council
alone. Similar but independent events have also sprung up in many cities using variations of the "Café Scientifique" or "Science Café" monikers. Typically, one monthly evening meeting is organised in a café
or bar
to which one or several scientists are invited to talk in laymen's terms about their work in a topical or even controversial area. The events are known for their informal and friendly atmosphere, and are believed to improve the image of scientists and careers in science. Cafe Scientifique aims to demystify scientific research for the general public and empower non-scientists to more comfortably and accurately assess science and technology issues, particularly those that impact on social policy making.
Many Café Scientifique organisers choose to communicate with each other by means of a centrally-managed mailing list
.
There also is a series of cafés run in schools. These are called Junior Café Scientifique.
in 1998, but is based on the Café Philosophique
movement which the philosopher Marc Sautet
(1947-1998) started in France in 1992.
In France it was started by scientists who thought they ought to inform the public more, and in the UK it was started by members of the public who wanted to know more about science. In both countries it moved out of an academic structure into popular locations, and thereby attracted audiences.
It started at a time in the UK where COPUS, the Committee on the Public Understanding of Science(organised by the Royal Society and the British Association for the Advancement of Science), thought that the public did not understand science and needed to be better educated and lectured to. Newspapers considered it very odd that people should go to a café, drink wine and discuss science rather than just gossip. However the public were becoming more concerned about topics like Mad Cow Disease, GM crops, cloning, etc.
During the last decade the subject has moved from Public Understanding through Science Communication to Public Engagement and has been embraced by academic disciplines, government departments, research institutes, politicians, educators and policy makers. When it started Café Scientifique was considered weird and avant-guard. Now it is enmeshed in a huge industry.
What is the aim of the Café Scientifique? When the author and neurologist Oliver Sacks was asked this question after he had talked at a Café he said "The aim of the Cafes is to bring science back into culture". Whereas science was often seen as boring, difficult, mathematical and self-regulating, now it is seen as relevant, powerful, dangerous and important. It not only describes the universe, but considers climate change, maps out genes and watches how our brains function. So it is personally, globally and universally relevant.
Science is the same the world over, but cultures are very different. So Cafes have to engage and address their local culture, and they do this in many different ways. Although in Britain there is usually one speaker, in Denmark there are two (one non-scientist) and in France often four (as well as a band in the interval). In Japan more respect should be shown to old people , so questions and opinions are done by SMS onto a big screen, so that no one knows the age of the commentator. In Africa topics are down-to-earth – how to live with HIV, avoid Malaria or understand water purification. So in many ways the Cafes promote a cultural examination of science by local people.
Internet technology has provided the basis for the expansion of Cafes. The main website http://www.cafescientifique.org has provided support for cafes to start up in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. But now individual Cafes are using their websites to expand their audience and prolong the discussion.
Cafes have been set up in schools in France, Italy, Britain and now in Africa. Pupils are asked what subjects they would like to discuss, and are then asked to organise, advertise and chair the meeting, which should not take place in a classroom. Usually a speaker (younger rather than older) comes from a local university to talk at the school. Subjects can vary from Flying, Mobile Phones, and The Science of Love to Climate Change.
Finally, efforts are being made to take Cafes to areas which are problematical – to the countryside, Montana in the USA and Cockermouth in the Lake District, UK – to islands, Corfu in Greece and Orkney in Scotland – dangerous areas, Palestine – and immigrants or gypsies in Hungary and the UK.
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
public science initiative currently running in 42 cities across the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and cities in other countries. At least twelve cafés outside the UK are organised by the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
alone. Similar but independent events have also sprung up in many cities using variations of the "Café Scientifique" or "Science Café" monikers. Typically, one monthly evening meeting is organised in a café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
or bar
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
to which one or several scientists are invited to talk in laymen's terms about their work in a topical or even controversial area. The events are known for their informal and friendly atmosphere, and are believed to improve the image of scientists and careers in science. Cafe Scientifique aims to demystify scientific research for the general public and empower non-scientists to more comfortably and accurately assess science and technology issues, particularly those that impact on social policy making.
Many Café Scientifique organisers choose to communicate with each other by means of a centrally-managed mailing list
Mailing list
A mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients. The term is often extended to include the people subscribed to such a list, so the group of subscribers is referred to as "the mailing list", or simply "the...
.
There also is a series of cafés run in schools. These are called Junior Café Scientifique.
History
Café Scientifique was first organised by Duncan Dallas in LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
in 1998, but is based on the Café Philosophique
Café Philosophique
Café philosophique is a grassroots forum for philosophical discussion, founded by philosopher Marc Sautet in Paris, France....
movement which the philosopher Marc Sautet
Marc Sautet
Marc Sautet was a French writer, teacher, translator ), and philosopher. He was a Doctor of Philosophy ) at the Paris Institute of Political Studies. Sautet was a former Trotskyist who however edited two books on the German philosopher and philologist Friedrich Nietzsche...
(1947-1998) started in France in 1992.
In France it was started by scientists who thought they ought to inform the public more, and in the UK it was started by members of the public who wanted to know more about science. In both countries it moved out of an academic structure into popular locations, and thereby attracted audiences.
It started at a time in the UK where COPUS, the Committee on the Public Understanding of Science(organised by the Royal Society and the British Association for the Advancement of Science), thought that the public did not understand science and needed to be better educated and lectured to. Newspapers considered it very odd that people should go to a café, drink wine and discuss science rather than just gossip. However the public were becoming more concerned about topics like Mad Cow Disease, GM crops, cloning, etc.
During the last decade the subject has moved from Public Understanding through Science Communication to Public Engagement and has been embraced by academic disciplines, government departments, research institutes, politicians, educators and policy makers. When it started Café Scientifique was considered weird and avant-guard. Now it is enmeshed in a huge industry.
Philosophy
Although Café Scientifique is an idea not a particular place, the location is absolutely critical. It was completely unexpected that Cafés would spread so widely. Yet the ambience of a café – relaxed, informal, discursive, egalitarian – is what makes the science accessible. In a lecture theatre you expect to be lectured to, take notes and sit exams. In a café you expect to enjoy yourself, relax, discuss and enter or leave as you please. That means that discussion with a speaker (or anyone else) takes place on equal terms – not equality of knowledge, but equality of respect. So scientists need to respect members of the public as much as the public respects scientists.What is the aim of the Café Scientifique? When the author and neurologist Oliver Sacks was asked this question after he had talked at a Café he said "The aim of the Cafes is to bring science back into culture". Whereas science was often seen as boring, difficult, mathematical and self-regulating, now it is seen as relevant, powerful, dangerous and important. It not only describes the universe, but considers climate change, maps out genes and watches how our brains function. So it is personally, globally and universally relevant.
Science is the same the world over, but cultures are very different. So Cafes have to engage and address their local culture, and they do this in many different ways. Although in Britain there is usually one speaker, in Denmark there are two (one non-scientist) and in France often four (as well as a band in the interval). In Japan more respect should be shown to old people , so questions and opinions are done by SMS onto a big screen, so that no one knows the age of the commentator. In Africa topics are down-to-earth – how to live with HIV, avoid Malaria or understand water purification. So in many ways the Cafes promote a cultural examination of science by local people.
Current Developments
Individual Cafes have many different names and often don’t require funding – they only pay the speaker’s travelling expenses by asking for donations from the audience. So Cafes provide the opportunity for individuals and groups to initiate many different forms – street science, comedy, music, theatrical readings, dancing, demonstration, etc.Internet technology has provided the basis for the expansion of Cafes. The main website http://www.cafescientifique.org has provided support for cafes to start up in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. But now individual Cafes are using their websites to expand their audience and prolong the discussion.
Cafes have been set up in schools in France, Italy, Britain and now in Africa. Pupils are asked what subjects they would like to discuss, and are then asked to organise, advertise and chair the meeting, which should not take place in a classroom. Usually a speaker (younger rather than older) comes from a local university to talk at the school. Subjects can vary from Flying, Mobile Phones, and The Science of Love to Climate Change.
Finally, efforts are being made to take Cafes to areas which are problematical – to the countryside, Montana in the USA and Cockermouth in the Lake District, UK – to islands, Corfu in Greece and Orkney in Scotland – dangerous areas, Palestine – and immigrants or gypsies in Hungary and the UK.
See also
- British Association for the Advancement of ScienceBritish Association for the Advancement of Scienceframe|right|"The BA" logoThe British Association for the Advancement of Science or the British Science Association, formerly known as the BA, is a learned society with the object of promoting science, directing general attention to scientific matters, and facilitating interaction between...
- British CouncilBritish CouncilThe British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
- Green DrinksGreen DrinksGreen Drinks is an informal networking event where environmentally minded people meet over drinks. Started in London in 1989, by Edwin Datschefski, Paul Scott and friends, it has spread to 51 cities in the United Kingdom, 400 in the U.S...
- dorkBotDorkbotDorkbot is a group of affiliated organizations worldwide that sponsor grassroots meetings of artists, engineers, designers, scientists, inventors, and anyone else working under the very broad umbrella of electronic art...
- Science festivalScience festivalA science festival is a public event featuring a variety of science- and technology-related activities—from lectures, exhibitions, workshops, live demonstrations of experiments, guided tours and panel discussions to cultural events such as theater plays, readings and musical productions, all with...
- Science outreachScience outreachScience outreach, also called Education and Public Outreach or simply Public outreach, is an umbrella term for a variety of activities by research institutes, universities, and institutions such as science museums, aimed at promoting public awareness of science and making informal contributions...
External links
- Café Scientifique Homepage
- sciencecafes.org - a website for the community of science cafes in the US, with information on finding cafes, presenting at a cafe, and starting your own
- Voice of America story on the Café Scientifique in Arlington, Virginia
- NOVA scienceNOW - includes information on resources available for science cafes, including video clips
- Cafés organised globally by the British Council
- New Scientist Article
- British Council page about Café Scientifique - includes some historical notes on Duncan Dallas and the Café.
- Café Scientifique Canada
- Network "Bar des sciences" in French
- Network "Caffè-scienza" in Italian
- Swedish science café website