Statement of Purpose for CoSTEP
From 2016, I spent one year taking a program at Hokkaido University to study science communication. It is called CoSTEP (Communication in Science & Technology Education & Research Program). Through lectures and practical training, this program allows you to stand at the threshold of mastering science communication.
(Details can be found here: http://costep.open-ed.hokudai.ac.jp/costep/)
When applying for CoSTEP, I compiled a statement of purpose and a short essay on issues in science communication. This in itself was the beginning of my science communication journey, and I believe it served to guide the one-year program in my own way.
(At the time, I felt torn between the worlds of science and culture when I discovered a student recruitment poster for CoSTEP in front of the library. It struck a chord. Feeling a sense of destiny, I remember rushing into the library immediately after seeing the poster to apply, and staying up all night to finish writing the essay that same day.)
There are some things I think about differently now, and I am not sure if this will be useful to others, but I am publishing the full text of my statement of purpose from that time below, with the hope of connecting with anyone who might find it resonant. The content is from around April 2016.
Statement of Purpose
The reason I want to study in the Hokkaido University Science and Technology Communicator Training Program is that I want to create something that draws people who are not interested in science into the world of science. And I thought that if I could study at CoSTEP, I would be able to learn and hone the necessary skills to do so.
This idea was formed while participating in a CoSTEP workshop ("From the Window of a Future Car: Thinking about the Pros and Cons of Autonomous Vehicle Development through a Dialogue between Four People") and talking about science communication and CoSTEP with people involved in CoSTEP's activities.
Therefore, I wanted to learn the following things at CoSTEP. One is how to write easy-to-understand texts dealing with science and technology. Another is how to effectively arrange text with diagrams, photos, and illustrations.
By utilizing these, I want to create something attractive that is easy for people who are not interested in science to pick up. And I want to share the worldview and way of thinking of science with various people through concrete subjects. Specifically, I would like to visit laboratories while I am a student at Hokkaido University, and publish articles online that convey the way of thinking in science, accompanied by illustrations. I want to include illustrations for those who might find it difficult to take an interest in text alone.
Issues in Science Communication
The issue with science communication as I see it is that it is difficult to incorporate people who are not originally interested in science into the communication.
Among those who are interested in science, many have likely been exposed to it since they were children. Also, I suspect that many of the people who participate in science-related workshops and the like were already interested in science to begin with. As long as science communication is based on science, a certain level of interest in science is a prerequisite for participation. People who are not originally interested in science find it difficult to participate in science communication.
What a person takes an interest in and what they accept into their world to live by is something they are free to decide for themselves. Therefore, one could argue that people who are not interested in science should be left as they are. However, today, science and technology are advancing at a tremendous speed and are being utilized extensively. In such an era, it is necessary for all people to have the opportunity to encounter and learn about the scientific way of thinking. This is because science provides knowledge that can play a major role in determining a person's life. By knowing the fundamental ideas and worldview behind it, it becomes easier to access and understand the knowledge and information that science provides.
Now, I believe this problem can be solved by creating some kind of breakthrough trigger for people who are not interested in science to participate in science communication. I want to work on creating this trigger. In other words, I want to play the role of calling out to passersby from a little further away from the gate to the world of science. As a preliminary step to participating in science communication, I will answer simple questions about science. What are scientists thinking about when they engage in science? What is the basic attitude of science? I would like to share these things by compiling them into articles with illustrations through concrete subjects and publishing them.
How about now?
That is the statement of purpose for CoSTEP and the issues in science communication that I was thinking about in 2016.
I am still continuing my science communication activities, but I must ask myself: are my guidelines solid? The time has come to reflect.