Lack of system or lack of funds. What is the difficulty for scientific researchers to do popular science？

　　Ouyang Ziyuan, an academician of China Academy of Sciences and the first chief scientist of China lunar exploration project, walked into Beijing No.2 Middle School Education Group to give a keynote speech to teachers and students, and observed students’ scientific and technological works. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Zhou Liang)

　　Fill in the shortcomings of popular science and improve citizens’ scientific quality ②

　　Encouragement is necessary, but it is more important to make researchers feel that it is beneficial to do it from the heart. At the same time, the scientific community will recognize the behavior of this profession and will not think that scientific researchers are "doing nothing" when doing popular science.

　　Zhonghe Zhou

　　Academician of China Academy of Sciences and researcher of vertebrate paleontology and Paleoanthropology Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

　　"We just want to open a video number and do two short videos about big health and food safety every week, but after talking to a professional shooting and production team, one will cost one or two thousand, and this funding has not yet been settled." After taking office last year, Shen Qi, director of the Institute of Agricultural Products Processing of Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, first thought was to promote popular science knowledge of food health to the public.

　　However, it is too difficult for this wish to land. "In addition to funding, the opening of WeChat official account has to be approved at different levels, and an interested scientific researcher has to be responsible for it." Shen Qi said that the recent statements of the central ministries and commissions calling for strengthening popular science work have given him hope. He said: "Maybe there will be funds to build WeChat official account next year."

　　Scientific researchers are considered as "the first starter of scientific communication", and it should be one of their duties to do a good job in popular science. However, for a long time, the proportion of scientific researchers involved in popular science is not high, and the atmosphere of popularizing scientific knowledge to the public has not become popular in scientific research circles. What is the reason for this? Is it a lack of system or a lack of funds? Some researchers’ answers may provide a basis for relevant state departments to formulate policies.

　　People who are most suitable for science popularization can’t let go of their hands and feet

　　Yongchun Zheng, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is now the "online celebrity" in the field of popular science.

　　"I didn’t take the initiative to enter this field, just like when I chose my major before. I didn’t take the initiative to choose, but I didn’t resist it when I had such an opportunity. I was willing to understand it, and I slowly entered through this process." In 2015, an accidental teaching experience brought Yongchun Zheng into contact with the writing of popular science articles, and he became a popular science expert step by step. "After publishing a book, he later registered a blog and had more opportunities to do more things, thus opening up a whole new world."

　　Today, when China has become a strong voice of the times, there are few "online celebrity" scientists like Yongchun Zheng, and it is still controversial whether popular science is the responsibility of researchers.

　　In recent years, a number of investigations and analyses on the participation of scientific researchers in popular science have drawn similar conclusions — — High recognition, strong will and weak mobility. Why can’t researchers who are most suitable for popular science let go?

　　Researcher Wang Yongdong, director of the Science Communication Center of Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, told the reporter that there are two main reasons why researchers are absent from popular science work: first, objectively speaking, popular science takes up the time and energy of researchers, but it doesn’t count in the assessment, such as awarding prizes, evaluating professional titles, and there is neither corresponding post setting nor corresponding incentive mechanism. After all, in scientific research units, everyone pays more attention to projects, papers, impact factors, talent hats, etc.

　　Secondly, subjectively speaking, most researchers feel that science popularization work does not need too deep professional knowledge; At the same time, I am worried that science popularization needs to use the achievements of others, resulting in intellectual property disputes. I feel that it is better to concentrate on writing my own paper than to spend time doing unfamiliar science popularization work.

　　The researchers interviewed agreed that in the current scientific research and talent evaluation system, most of the popular science contributions are nameless, unprofitable and thankless. Under the guidance of such a "baton", the collective cognition of attaching importance to scientific research and neglecting popular science has gradually formed.

　　"On the cultural level, although there is only one word difference between scientific research and popular science, they are completely different. The scientific research culture is inward, and it pursues recognition in academic circles and professional circles. The culture of popular science is extroverted, and it pursues public recognition." Yongchun Zheng said.

　　Scientific researchers can’t do "one size fits all" in doing popular science.

　　Since the existing "baton" ignores popular science, will the enthusiasm of researchers be high if the contribution of popular science is increased in the scientific research evaluation system?

　　The reporter learned that in recent years, the state has introduced relevant policies to encourage popular science. For example, "Several Opinions on Opening Scientific Research Institutions and Universities to the Society to Carry out Popular Science Activities" clearly puts forward the suggestion that the performance evaluation method of scientific communication should be regarded as an important basis for the evaluation of scientific researchers’ professional titles and post appointment. However, there are no substantive operating rules and hard rules, which leads to the failure to implement the policy.

　　In the interview, the reporter also found that researchers have different opinions on the proposal of establishing a rigid system for popular science assessment.

　　"I used to think that researchers should be encouraged to do popular science, or some institutionalized incentive mechanisms should be established, but now I feel more and more that we can’t generalize." Yongchun Zheng said that the main business of scientific researchers is scientific research. Doing popular science not only requires scientific research background, wide knowledge and willingness to share, but also takes a lot of time and energy to accumulate experience, which is not suitable for everyone.

　　Zhou Zhonghe, an academician of the China Academy of Sciences and a researcher at the Institute of vertebrate paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, once said at the 27th National Symposium on Science Popularization Theory that administration is a double-edged sword, and it is impossible to make a one-size-fits-all policy. For example, science popularization should be regarded as the assessment index for all scientific researchers.

　　Shen Qi suggested that a research group, a laboratory and a research institute can be quantitatively assessed, forcing the heads of teams and units to pay attention to popular science work.

　　Zhou Zhonghe said, encouragement is necessary, but it is more important to make researchers feel that it is beneficial to do it from the heart. At the same time, the scientific community will recognize the behavior of this profession and will not think that scientific researchers are "doing nothing" when doing popular science.

　　Luo Jingjia, dean of the Frontier Research Institute of Climate and Application in Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, has been working abroad for a long time. He told reporters that foreign scientists are very happy to share their scientific research progress and related scientific knowledge. "Isn’t writing papers a kind of popular science? It’s just a popular science for professionals. Since you can share it with insiders, why don’t you bother to spread science to the public? "

　　Luo Jingjia said that different languages need to be translated, and different disciplines are interlaced like mountains. Scientists in other fields are also members of the public and need popular science. Once this kind of cognitive and popular science culture is formed, there is no need for a system to make it hard.

　　The system of popular science should be established as soon as possible.

　　Lack of funds for popular science is the most common voice heard by reporters in interviews. So, do scientific research units have special funds for popular science work?

　　Among the 120 research institutes of Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, China Academy of Sciences, the scientific communication index is in the forefront. It is said that the institute should invest a lot in people and property to achieve such achievements. Wang Yongdong told reporters that the institute is very supportive of science communication, and the budget of the Science Communication Center alone this year has reached nearly 7.8 million yuan. Expenditure expenses include editing and publishing expenses of several professional magazines, purchasing expenses of library documents and materials, specimen maintenance expenses, operation expenses of Nanjing Paleontology Museum and personnel expenses. The annual income, including financial allocation, is very limited. After making ends meet, the institute will have to subsidize more than 3 million yuan, which is very stressful for a research institute that mainly carries out basic research.

　　At the same time, the scientists in the institute are also very enthusiastic about popular science work. "On May 18 this year, we hired more than 20 researchers in the institute as the first batch of science communication experts." Wang Yongdong said that this group of science communication experts actively participated in the writing of the exhibition outline and exhibition board explanations, the design of booths and exhibits, video shooting, and popular science lectures and activities.

　　Yongchun Zheng suggested that the state should establish a system of popular science as soon as possible, and subsidize popular science as it does scientific research, such as setting up a popular science fund, a popular science talent plan, and awards for popular science achievements. "Researchers can get project funding and national awards, and they can also be recognized by their peers, so they will naturally be willing to join them." Yongchun Zheng said.

　　Wang Yongdong also believes that the state can set up science communication projects in the Natural Science Foundation, and science communication awards can also be set up among the three major science and technology awards.

　　At the same time, respondents generally believe that popular science training and personnel training must be taken seriously. "After doing science popularization and science education, I found that this person is studying high-energy physics, and that person is studying applied mathematics and analytical chemistry. Does anyone study science? We need someone who can connect different disciplines and be compatible, and give these talents the overall scientific nourishment from the perspective of future talent training. " Yongchun Zheng said.

　　Wang Yongdong suggested that the science communication course should be set up as a compulsory course in science and engineering majors in universities, so that students can master the expressive ability of difficult content and the essentials and methods of integrating media communication. Only when they take up their jobs in the future can the results be clearly described and disseminated, so that the whole society and the general public can understand, understand and use them.