A "Science Café" is a place where anyone can come to explore and discuss the scientific issues. Science Cafés promote science through a respectful dialogue between the public and the scientific community. Cafés are ideal places, they are neutral and the atmosphere is relaxed; bars and restaurants as well as other locations are also possible venues.
Science Cafés have been arranged all over the world for a number of years. In many countries the cafés are organised on regular bases with their own websites and routines. For those reasons it is natural to include the Science Cafés in WONDERS, the European Science Festival.
Furthermore, the participation of the European Union of Science Journalists' Associations (EUSJA, http://www.eusja.org) gives the activities an extra value, as some of Europe's best science journalists will moderate the Cafés.
The Carousel partners will organise at least one WONDERS Science Café. The moderator is a science journalist, either chosen together with the local EUSJA representative – or, if there is no such organisation, chosen among the most important science journalists of the city, region or country.
General recommendations to the Carousel Partners:
The Cafés in at each participating may be arranged along these – or other –ideas described here. Every event should present the Science Café in the programme of the total event, just as an activity included in WONDERS, the European Science Festival. A WONDERS banner will be produced and should be used at the occasion, as well as the posters presenting the Wonders part of the national or local event. The Science Cafés are arranged as a co-operation between the Science Communication Event and (if there is any) the national member association of EUSJA, the European Union of Science Journalists' Associations.
Checklist of the Science Cafes: (for the Local Organisers)
Before the Café
1. Select an appropriate venue for the Science Café for approximately 50-150 people – a nice place that encourages informal contacts.
2. Get in contact with the science journalist nominated by the national EUSJA member association - in case of Lithuania, Luxembourg and Israel where there is no member association of EUSJA - select a science journalist from the local media.
3. Select an interesting, currently in discussion of the media and "controversial" topic for the discussion! The topic is very important.
4. Select one or at maximum three scientists/experts and invite them to discuss the topic of the Cafe and the Title. Make it clear that overheads and PowerPoint cannot be used – it is just about talking, discussing and meeting people.
5. Look for sponsors: publisher, magazine, academic organisation (funding science projects); the sponsor could print more posters, have special gifts, print small invitations etc.
6. Marketing of the Science Café: advertise the Cafés with the selected topic, the name of the invited guest(s) and the moderator in the (local) media. Produce posters (text from you, print from EUSCEA, sent in advance) at the venue in advance as well as leaflets about the participating persons and topic – inviting the community to the WONDERS Science Cafe.
7. Send press information to local and other possible media.
8. Set the venue with tables and chairs.
9. Arrange a "café" feeling (for making available the serving).
10. Place the WONDERS banner and the local event logo together with the main title of the WONDERS Science Café.
11. Arrange the technical and personal support: two wireless microphones to the table: one for the moderator and one for the guest(s) and one for the contributions from the audience. Appoint an assistant to manage this microphone. Make sure it works!
12. Arrange some information material of the issue in co-operation with the guest(s).
13. Involve the café manager; discuss how he or she would like to arrange serving coffee and drinks, possible need for breaks and room for serving staff.
14. Make sure that pictures (or videos) are taken.
15. Arranging books and/or popular science magazines, prepare a Quiz for the audience as well as first questions to "warm up". This all is the duty of the Moderator.
During the Cafe
1. When the audience is seated, a short signal (if possible) signs the beginning of the WONDERS Science Café and the guest(s) and the Moderator will come in to take a seat around the table in the middle.
2. The moderator will introduce him/herself and the Guest(s) – or someone appointed by the Carousel partner.
3. In the beginning there should be a 20-30 min Questions-and-Answers dialogue with the guest to "warm up" the audience, to put them in tune for questions.
4. Then the audience may ask questions to the guests. The moderator tries to enliven the discussion, cuts too long contributions (also from the guest) and ensures a lively and respectful discussion. This may last up to an hour – but respect the finishing time if such a time limit is set. There are always people who have other engagements and need to leave at a certain time.
5. A quiz is advised (at the end or in between; it is up to the moderator). The guest prepares some - serious or sneaky - questions that are connected to his/her activity. If somebody answers correctly he/she will get a book from the author or copies of popular science magazines.
After the Cafe
1. Arranging the Report from the Science Cafe (1-2 sheets) with photos (The Duty of the Moderator) including topic, names of guest(s), moderator, special people in the audience, main line of discussion, most interesting contributions, results of quiz and other results.
2. Send the report to the EUSJA Secretariat as well to the EUSJA member in the PMT (the Duty of the Moderator).
3. Preparing materials for the Final Evaluation.
Case study in Budapest, Hungary:
At a traditional café in Budapest called "Hauer", the Club of Hungarian Science Journalists for three years now has organised Science Cafés called "Hauer Evening".
These events take place in a special room with small round tables and chairs. In the centre of the room at the wall there is another table with two chairs and microphones.
Here is the place of the guest and the moderator who is always a member of the science journalists association. The guest is a scientist who will answer questions from the moderator and from the audience. But, it is not only a matter of questions and answers, but a matter of dialogue between all people present about the current topic.
On the wall, above this table, is the symbol of the Cafés [which will be a WONDERS banner in our case].
The audience is general public which is informed about the Cafés through the daily papers, popular science magazines and websites. The audience may order coffee, tea, other drinks or cakes and they are served silently even during the activity. Some assistants bring the wireless microphones to the people who ask questions or contribute to the discussion.
It all starts with a short music signal while the moderator and the guest go in and sit down at the table. Somebody from the board of the national EUSJA introduces the two persons to the audience [in case of WONDERS, this could be a representative of the partner's organisation or an important academic].
Then the moderator will make a 20-30 min Questions-and-Answers dialogue with the guest to "warm up" the audience, to put them in tune for discussion. Afterwards the audience has the right to put questions to the guests and the moderator tries to enliven the discussion.
This normally takes about one hour. There is a quiz as well (at the end or in between; it is up to the moderator). The guest prepares some - serious or sneaky - questions that are connected to the topic. If somebody answers correctly he/she will get a book from the author or copies of popular science magazines. Publishing houses offer these [in case of WONDERS, this could also be a WONDERS T-shirt].
At the end of the event (after almost two hours) the introducing person announces the surprise of the activity: two cakes, one for the guest and one for the moderator. On the round cakes there are the symbol of our association in marzipan [WONDERS?]. The moderator also announces the date of the next event with the name of the guest and the moderator.
Case study in Helsinki, Finland:
Heureka, the science centre in Vantaa, Finland (http://www.heureka.fi) organised a series of Café Scientifique in the centre of Helsinki together with the British Council for 3 years now, approximately 10 times a year. The place is a quiet nice café; we start at 18:00 and have 40-120 persons per Café.
The first part is the introduction of the speakers; the guest expert is talking for 20 minutes. After that we used to have a break for 10 minutes (for the audience to get coffee, wine etc. and also to start talking at the tables, too, not just preparing the questions to the expert). That is how it is more of a conversation than a lecture. After the break there is room for the discussion in the tables and with the expert for about 45 minutes. Not all questions are always answered, but that is OK. It is good to leave the audience a bit "thirsty", so they'll come again.
In the end we thank the visitors, announce the next café, and then the audience can go or stay as they wish. The expert gets his/her late dinner in another restaurant and can talk non-business, too. They are always very delighted about the whole evening, full of ideas and happy with the contact they've experienced with the audience. That is something not all the scientists can get.
We have experienced that finding a person who knows the latest and hottest issues of her/his field plus has charisma is a hard but crucial thing. That kind of a person is not so easily found.
Another thing we've experienced is that the cosy atmosphere of the cafés we are looking for is easier achieved if there are NO PP's or overhead projectors, just the expert and a microphone. They are not always very delighted about that, and sometimes they just show up with their memory sticks anyhow. So make sure that the experts are not waiting for any laptops and video projectors.
We use a moving microphone for the audience, the expert has her/his. It is usually a person from Heureka who goes around with that second microphone, encourages the audience to speak up and gives turns. Finns are not always very hot in conversation, so encouraging seems to have to be done, especially when all the Café Scientifiques in Finland are totally in English.
We've also found that it is useful to clarify that both the questions and especially the answers should be short.