CCSP Think Tank Special Event • Academic Salon Session 3 of Studies on Science Popularization Successfully Held at Beijing Union University
Release: 2024-07-05
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On June 29, 2023, the salon titled "Creation, Dissemination, and Evaluation of Science Popularization Short Videos" was successfully held at Beijing Union University. This event was Session 3 of the Studies on Science Popularizations Academic Salon in 2023, part of the CCSP Think Tank Special Activities. It was organized by the China Research Institute for Science Popularization (CRISP) and the College of Art, Beijing Union University, with support from the editorial department of Studies on Science Popularization, the New Media Professional Committee of Chinese Society for Science and Technology Journalism (CSSTJ), and the Beijing Association for Digital Science and Technology Popularization.

More than 30 experts and scholars from institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Nankai University, the Communication University of China, Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, and the Chinese National Academy of Arts attended the meeting. Through academic reports and roundtable discussions, they focused on the theme and engaged in in-depth discussions.

Deputy Director of CRISP Zhang Lijie and Party Secretary of the College of Art at Beijing Union University Wang He delivered opening remarks, emphasizing the importance of developing science popularization short videos. They highlighted the need to strengthen research into the creation, dissemination, and evaluation of these videos, as well as their relationship with the development of innovation culture. Both parties pledged to enhance interdisciplinary construction between science and art, adopting an open mindset to actively serve science popularization and national innovation.

Science popularization short videos, as a product of technological development, differ from traditional forms of science communication such as text, films, and documentaries. They offer numerous areas for exploration in various aspects of creation. Metaverse and AIGC (Artificial Intelligence Generated Content) are currently hot topics in the field of information dissemination. Professor Cao Sansheng, Deputy Dean of the School of Information Science and Technology and Vice President of the Internet Information Research Institute at the Communication University of China, focused on immersive digital media in the metaverse that blend reality and virtuality, as well as AIGC based on large natural language processing models. He discussed the impact of these technologies on information dissemination and the development of science popularization short videos.

Professor Liu Zhongbo from the School of Journalism and Communication, Nankai University, drawing on the creation ecosystem of science popularization short videos, pointed out that knowledge production emphasizes effective pathways for conveying scientific knowledge. He noted that science popularization short videos advocate a spirit of truth-seeking and factuality. Professor Liu summarized the aesthetic characteristics of these videos as spectacular, unfamiliar, and networked, and explored the relationship between science popularization and the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

As a common means of selecting and evaluating works, science popularization short video rankings reflect the current state of these videos and serve as an incentive and guide for creators. Associate Research Fellow Zou Zhen from the China Research Institute for Science Popularization (CRISP) used the "Elephant Dance Index" science popularization short video list as an example to highlight three “many” trends and three “not” phenomena in new-era science popularization short videos. Based on this, she proposed three necessary shifts.

The rapid development of science popularization short videos calls for the establishment of comprehensive evaluation standards and systems. Assistant Research Fellow Huang Rongli from CRISP discussed how to construct an evaluation index system for science popularization short videos across three dimensions: content, form, and influence.

In the era of converged media, which integrates the strengths of traditional media, short videos have become one of the main forms of science popularization. Professor Cui Yajuan from the College of Art, Beijing Union University delved into how to build a cross-media dissemination system for long and short science popularization videos in multi-screen environments.

Research Fellow Leng Song, Secretary-General of the World Media Research Center at the Institute of Journalism and Communication, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), and Associate Research Fellow Yong Wenaung from the Institute of Art Studies at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, provided insightful comments on the various reports. Leng Song noted that science-related film content is currently relatively scarce and expressed hope for more talented individuals to participate in creating science popularization short videos. Yong Wenaung praised the originality and depth of the academic reports, emphasizing that science popularization short videos are a topic worthy of continued exploration, with much potential for future development. The two scholars also offered numerous suggestions aimed at helping the presenters further refine their research and develop it into scholarly papers.

 

During the roundtable forum, experts including Director Zhang Li from the China Science Film and Video Association and Bilibili documentary consultant, Associate Professor Wang Bin from the New Media Art Program at Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, Director Ke Min from CCTVs science documentaries, and Bilibili streamer Zhou Zhe of Mommy Talk Up discussed topics such as "Creating High-Quality Science Popularization Short Videos." They shared their experience in creating science videos and thoughts on improving the quality of science popularization short videos.

 

Wang Bin pointed out that, given the large volume of science popularization short videos currently available, standing out requires considering not only artistic creation but also multiple factors related to dissemination and marketing. Ke Min analyzed the success of Hundred Thousand Whys from a content perspective, emphasizing the importance of excellent concepts and correct scientific perspectives to make science interesting and maintain public curiosity. Zhou Zhe stressed the importance of audience feedback metrics, such as completion rates, and noted the significance of elements like titles and covers, while considering the needs of different platform audiences. Zhang Li reviewed the history of media evolution, arguing that targeting young people is key to successful short video dissemination.

The Academic Salon is an innovative series of thematic activities organized by CRISP based on the academic journal platform Studies on Science Popularization. These activities aim to collaborate with universities, research institutes, and institutions in the field of science popularization research to organize key manuscripts.