The role of citizen science in public engagement with socio-scientific debates

Human societies face many challenges for which scientific knowledge is essential to gain a broader and in-depth understanding of the problems and possible solutions and alternatives. However, fake news, anti-science claims and misinformation unbalance much-needed public debates on socio-scientific issues. Conversely, failure to convey a clear and transparent message about science can also contribute to the emergence or growth of controversies. There is no simple solution to such a complex problem, but the introduction of collaborative and participatory approaches to research, as a way of involving the public in the production of scientific knowledge, can be a powerful strategy for promoting trust in science, while integrating a critical view on research work. We recently proposed a new concept, engaged citizen social science, which aims to provide a theoretical framework for deeper engagement of citizens with science. This concept is being tested in a HE-funded project that integrates social sciences and humanities in the development of a new biosensor technology. Biotechnology is a hot topic in socio-scientific debates, involving issues such as control, risks, access to data, democratisation of science or governance. By engaging in structured conversations with different publics, we are mapping these and other cultural and social perceptions, exploring dimensions of representation (ideas and cultural meanings about the technology) and identity (who the public is considering knowledge, proximity to the technology, and scientific information consumption). The results of these social dialogues influence the project's research agenda and the production of the communication outputs, thus also having the potential to influence scientific policies in this area. Here we present the preliminary results of this mapping and discuss our findings in relation to our dialogical strategy. Keywords: engaged citizen social science, biosensors, public engagement with science, cultural and social perceptions.