Concepts like ”post truth” and ”alternative facts” are being increasingly used, mainly in American politics, but also in debate internationally. Does this indicate a crisis of confidence in research? Not in Sweden anyway. A new report shows that the Swedes’ confidence in universities is greater than ever before. Läs mer
Almost half of young men in Sweden would consider a career as a researcher. Among young Swedish women, only a fifth can see themselves as researchers in the future. At the same time, Swedish women’s confidence in researchers has fallen sharply, while men’s confidence remains at the same level as last year. These are some of the findings from this year’s annual VA Barometer conducted by Swedish civil society organisation VA (Public & Science). The VA Barometer is now available in English.
Peter Ueda, a medical researcher at the Karolinska Institute, has won the title of Sweden’s best science communicator. His research involves using large data files to discover how the treatment of a range of illnesses can be improved. Yesterday he was awarded the 2017 Researchers’ Grand Prix trophy on the stage at Nalen in Stockholm.
How credible do teenagers think the news in their digital news feeds is? And where do they get their news from? Around 6,000 pupils have been helping researchers to investigate these questions in a citizen science project involving schools across the whole of Sweden.
Fake news is a topic that is currently generating much debate. But what kind of news is streaming through young people’s digital news feeds? And how trustworthy do young people think this news is? For the first time, researchers and pupils from across Sweden will together be investigating these questions in a mass experiment being run as part of the 2017 Researchers’ Night in Sweden.
ORION is a new collaborative European project to explore ways in which research and funding organisations in life sciences and biomedicine can open up the way they fund, organise and do research. VA (Public & Science) is one of the nine partners in the project. ORION kicks off in Barcelona this week.
The scandal surrounding the surgeon Paolo Macchiarini has led to a fall in confidence in medical research among one third of the Swedish public, who are familiar with the incidents. However, public confidence in researchers in Sweden in general has increased, although it has also weakened. These are the results of the annual VA Barometer conducted by the Swedish non-profit organisation VA (Public & Science).
Anita Pettersson, whose job at the University of Borås involves researching how phosphorus can be recycled, has won the 2016 Swedish Researcher’s Grand Prix and the title of Sweden’s best science communicator. Anita’s presentation captivated both the audience and the expert jury at the final in Stockholm.
In the last two weeks of September, more than 3,000 Swedish pupils will be out on the hunt, with their mobile phones at the ready. Pokémon? No, notice boards! In the Notice Board mass experiment, researchers and pupils will be undertaking pioneering research together.
Despite the Swedish public being aware of the extensive media coverage about the researcher Paolo Macchiarini, trust in researchers remains high, according to a new survey conducted by the Swedish non-profit association Vetenskap & Allmänhet, VA (Public & Science).