Feedback from the 8th European Bioanalysis Forum Young Scientist Symposium.

After 2 years of COVID-19 restrictions, the 8th Young Scientist Symposium was organized again as a face-to-face meeting covering a broad array of scientific presentations. As in the previous editions, the meeting was organized by young scientists for young scientists under the umbrella of the European Bioanalysis Forum and in collaboration with academia. The traditional Science Café was again included as an interactive round table session. This year, the main focus was on the challenges of communication. New for the 8th edition was a session connecting the young scientists with more seasoned experts in an effort to bridge talent and experience. In this article, we share the feedback of the scientific sessions and the Science Café held at the symposium.

Health Disparities in Access to Nonpharmacologic Therapies in an Urban Community.

OBJECTIVE: The overuse of prescription opioids for chronic pain is recognized as a public health crisis. Yet, poor access to nonpharmacologic treatments is the norm in low-income, racially and ethnically diverse patients with chronic pain. The main objective of this study was to understand how chronic pain impacts low-income individuals with chronic pain and their communities from multiple perspectives. DESIGN: This was a qualitative study using a Science Café methodology. SETTING: The Science Café event was held at an urban community center in Boston, MA. SUBJECTS: Inclusion criteria included the following: having the ability to attend the event, being at least 18 years of age or older, and participating in English. METHODS: Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires and audio or video recordings of two focus groups. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed with SAS 9.3 and NVivo 10. RESULTS: Thirty participants attended the Science Café event. The average age was 45 years, 77% reported as female, 42% identified as black, and 19% as Hispanic. Participants identified themselves as either patients (46%) or providers (54%) to the chronic pain community. Our forum revealed three major themes: (1) nonpharmacologic options for chronic pain management are warranted, (2) larger sociodemographic and contextual factors influence management of chronic pain, and (3) both patients and providers value the patient-provider relationship and acknowledge the need for better communication for patients with chronic pain. CONCLUSIONS: Future research should consider identifying and addressing disparities in access to nonpharmacologic treatments for chronic pain in relation to underlying social determinants of health, particularly for racially and ethnically diverse patients.

The Benefits of a Real-Time Web-Based Response System for Enhancing Engaged Learning in Classrooms and Public Science Events.

Large introduction to neuroscience classes and small science cafés have the same goal: bridging the gap between the presenter and the audience to convey the information while being engaging. Early classroom response systems became the cornerstone of flipped and engaged learning. These "clickers" helped turn lectures into dialogues, allowing the presenter to become a facilitator rather than a "sage on the stage." Rapid technological developments, especially the increase of computing power opened up new opportunities, moving these systems from a clicker device onto cellphones and laptops. This allowed students to use their own devices, and instructors to use new question types, such as clicking on a picture or ranking concepts. A variety of question types makes the learning environment more engaging, allows better examples for creative and critical thinking, and facilitates assessment. Online access makes these response systems scalable, bringing the strength of formative assessments and surveys to public science communication events, neuroscience journal clubs and distance learning. In addition to the new opportunities, online polling systems also create new challenges for the presenters. For example, allowing mobile devices in the classroom can be distracting. Here, a web-based, real-time response system called Poll Everywhere was compared to iClickers, highlighting the benefits and the pitfalls of both systems. In conclusion, the authors observe that the benefits of web-based response systems outweigh the challenges, and this form of digital pedagogy can help create a rich dialogue with the audience in large classrooms as well as in public science events.

Nanotechnology in Dutch science cafés: Public risk perceptions contextualised.

Understanding public perceptions of and attitudes to nanotechnology is important in order to understand and facilitate processes of dialogue and public participation. This research quantitatively analysed risk perceptions and attitudes of Dutch science café participants (n = 233) and compared these with members of the Dutch public (n = 378) who had not attended a café but were interested in science and technology as well. A qualitative analysis of the meetings contextualised and enriched the quantitative findings. Both groups shared similar key attitudes and were positive about nanotechnology while the Dutch café participants were even more positive about nanotechnology than the group of non-participants. The perception that nanotechnology would lead to risk applications was only predictive of attitudes for the non-participants. The qualitative analysis showed that café participants and speakers considered discussion of the risks, benefits and related issues important. Further research could investigate how science cafés can play a role in the science-society debate.