Quando o cientista fala de si e do seu trabalho para estudantes da educação básica: uma atividade de divulgação científica sob a ótica da sociologia da ciência

Abstract

The extension project named Hoje vi um cientista (Today I saw a scientist) promotes meetings at the university between scientists and Basic Education students, aiming that this proximity may foster a more realistic perception of scientific work and of the scientist. In this context, the objective of this research is to identify the ideas regarding "doing science" and the work of the scientist expressed by researchers during the meetings, and to analyze which of these ideas are reported by the students participating in the activities developed by the project. The method employed encompassed the following stages: a) non-participant observation of the activities of the extension project Hoje vi um cientista and data compilation in the form of a field diary; b) collection of textual productions from students who participated in the meeting with the scientist; c) data treatment using Discursive Textual Analysis. The research methodology is characterized as qualitative and utilized the perspective of the Sociology of Science (SS), specifically the works of Bruno Latour, with the goal of answering the question raised by this research: which aspects of doing science and of the scientist's work manifest in Science Communication (SC) activities aimed at bringing scientists and students closer? For this work, we utilized data obtained from 12 meetings held within the context of the project Hoje vi um cientista and from 144 textual productions of students who participated in 9 of these meetings. The analysis revealed that ideas regarding collective work in science, the role of inscriptions in data production, the importance of the curriculum and researcher credibility, research funding, and concern with the public representation of science were expressed by the scientists. At many moments, however, the scientist seems to present the black box of science, as they hide the uncertainties, difficulties, and controversies within the sociotechnical network of science. In the analyses of the students' productions, we verified ideas such as the role of inscriptions, centers of calculation (laboratory dynamics), scientist credibility, research funding, and the demystification of the scientist. Thus, the data show that direct contact with scientists contributes to a more concrete perception of what "doing science" means, but also point to challenges that need to be overcome so that these interactions result in a more critical and in-depth understanding of science and its processes. The research reinforces the need for Science Communication that brings students closer to the reality of scientific production and indicates that activities such as Hoje vi um cientista contribute to some progress in this regard.