Engaging scientists: An online survey exploring the experience of innovative biotechnological approaches to controlling vector-borne diseases
Background Pioneering technologies (e.g., nanotechnology, synthetic biology or climate engineering) are often associated with potential new risks and uncertainties that can become sources of controversy. The communication of information during their development and open exchanges between stakeholde...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BioMed Central
2015
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/98089 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2564-629X |
| _version_ | 1811097126999949312 |
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| author | Beisel, Uli Reeves, R. Guy Boete, Christophe Castro, Luisa Reis Cesard, Nicolas |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Program in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology, and Society |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Program in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology, and Society Beisel, Uli Reeves, R. Guy Boete, Christophe Castro, Luisa Reis Cesard, Nicolas |
| author_sort | Beisel, Uli |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Background
Pioneering technologies (e.g., nanotechnology, synthetic biology or climate engineering) are often associated with potential new risks and uncertainties that can become sources of controversy. The communication of information during their development and open exchanges between stakeholders is generally considered a key issue in their acceptance. While the attitudes of the public to novel technologies have been widely considered there has been relatively little investigation of the perceptions and awareness of scientists working on human or animal diseases transmitted by arthropods.
Methods
Consequently, we conducted a global survey on 1889 scientists working on aspects of vector-borne diseases, exploring, under the light of a variety of demographic and professional factors, their knowledge and awareness of an emerging biotechnology that has the potential to revolutionize the control of pest insect populations.
Results
Despite extensive media coverage of key developments (including releases of manipulated mosquitoes into human communities) this has in only one instance resulted in scientist awareness exceeding 50 % on a national or regional scale. We document that awareness of pioneering releases significantly relied on private communication sources that were not equally accessible to scientists from countries with endemic vector-borne diseases (dengue and malaria). In addition, we provide quantitative analysis of the perceptions and knowledge of specific biotechnological approaches to controlling vector-borne disease, which are likely to impact the way in which scientists around the world engage in the debate about their value.
Conclusions
Our results indicate that there is scope to strengthen already effective methods of communication, in addition to a strong demand by scientists (expressed by 79.9 % of respondents) to develop new, creative modes of public engagement. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:54:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/98089 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:54:45Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | BioMed Central |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/980892022-10-03T09:04:33Z Engaging scientists: An online survey exploring the experience of innovative biotechnological approaches to controlling vector-borne diseases Beisel, Uli Reeves, R. Guy Boete, Christophe Castro, Luisa Reis Cesard, Nicolas Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Program in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology, and Society Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Program in Science, Technology and Society Castro, Luisa Reis Background Pioneering technologies (e.g., nanotechnology, synthetic biology or climate engineering) are often associated with potential new risks and uncertainties that can become sources of controversy. The communication of information during their development and open exchanges between stakeholders is generally considered a key issue in their acceptance. While the attitudes of the public to novel technologies have been widely considered there has been relatively little investigation of the perceptions and awareness of scientists working on human or animal diseases transmitted by arthropods. Methods Consequently, we conducted a global survey on 1889 scientists working on aspects of vector-borne diseases, exploring, under the light of a variety of demographic and professional factors, their knowledge and awareness of an emerging biotechnology that has the potential to revolutionize the control of pest insect populations. Results Despite extensive media coverage of key developments (including releases of manipulated mosquitoes into human communities) this has in only one instance resulted in scientist awareness exceeding 50 % on a national or regional scale. We document that awareness of pioneering releases significantly relied on private communication sources that were not equally accessible to scientists from countries with endemic vector-borne diseases (dengue and malaria). In addition, we provide quantitative analysis of the perceptions and knowledge of specific biotechnological approaches to controlling vector-borne disease, which are likely to impact the way in which scientists around the world engage in the debate about their value. Conclusions Our results indicate that there is scope to strengthen already effective methods of communication, in addition to a strong demand by scientists (expressed by 79.9 % of respondents) to develop new, creative modes of public engagement. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France). Action Interdisciplinaire de Recherche (AIR) 2015-08-18T13:02:37Z 2015-08-18T13:02:37Z 2015-08 2015-06 2015-08-11T04:20:22Z Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 1756-3305 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/98089 Boete, Christophe, Uli Beisel, Luisa Reis Castro, Nicolas Cesard, and R. Guy Reeves. “Engaging Scientists: An Online Survey Exploring the Experience of Innovative Biotechnological Approaches to Controlling Vector-Borne Diseases.” Parasites & Vectors 8, no. 1 (December 2015). https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2564-629X en http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13071-015-0996-x Parasites & Vectors Boëte et al. application/pdf BioMed Central |
| spellingShingle | Beisel, Uli Reeves, R. Guy Boete, Christophe Castro, Luisa Reis Cesard, Nicolas Engaging scientists: An online survey exploring the experience of innovative biotechnological approaches to controlling vector-borne diseases |
| title | Engaging scientists: An online survey exploring the experience of innovative biotechnological approaches to controlling vector-borne diseases |
| title_full | Engaging scientists: An online survey exploring the experience of innovative biotechnological approaches to controlling vector-borne diseases |
| title_fullStr | Engaging scientists: An online survey exploring the experience of innovative biotechnological approaches to controlling vector-borne diseases |
| title_full_unstemmed | Engaging scientists: An online survey exploring the experience of innovative biotechnological approaches to controlling vector-borne diseases |
| title_short | Engaging scientists: An online survey exploring the experience of innovative biotechnological approaches to controlling vector-borne diseases |
| title_sort | engaging scientists an online survey exploring the experience of innovative biotechnological approaches to controlling vector borne diseases |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/98089 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2564-629X |
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