Brazilian Science Research Articles

Measuring Brazilian science diplomacy: what do international students think of Brazil?

Most of the scholarship programs come from developed countries. However, more recently the literature has analyzed international scholarship programs in developing countries, such as the case of Brazil’s PEC-PG and PEC-G. In this paper we aim at answering a simple yet important question: how have PEC-PG and PEC-G been affecting international students and researchers’ perception about Brazil? Therefore, the main objective of this research is to verify the impact of PEC-PG and PEC-G (independent variable) on the perception of foreign students (dependent variable). We conducted a survey by sending an invitation to the e-mail to 65,493 students and professors through SurveyMonkey. We aim at contributing to the literature by measuring how effective these programs have been in boosting Brazil’s image abroad. Taking into account that PECs are a consistent Brazilian program dating back to 1960’s, we expected to find international students’ positive views regarding Brazil. Students and researchers’ positive views would be the expected result of a successful scientific diplomacy policy. We consider that international scholarship programs are scientific diplomacy’s tools, in other words, ways of exercising power through the influence on perception. Our results, however, showed that the majority of respondents have a negative image of Brazil.

Beyond data labor: sowing synthesis science in the Global South

Synthesis science is an emergent research field for harmonizing different data, concepts, and theories to create new insights and endorse novel approaches. Here we provide a brief general overview of synthesis science, emphasize the geographically biased location of synthesis centers一particularly their paucity in the Global South一and highlight the pioneering role of the Synthesis Center on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (SinBiose, CNPq) concerning transdisciplinary aspirations in the Global South. Working with the ecosystem service dimension requires breaking discipline boundaries to approach society, stakeholders, and decision-makers, which SinBiose fosters and is rarely found elsewhere. This article features a “Brazilian experience” of synthesis science through the perception of SinBiose’s postdoctoral researchers, which have a central role in the workflow as the only professionals dedicated exclusively to the projects. As a conclusion, we present recommendations for improving the support for postdoctoral researchers and arguments for a continued funding of synthesis science in Brazil.

Productivity and impact of the Unisinos’ Postgraduate Program in Biology and the consequences of its interruption for Brazilian science

On 22 July 2022, the Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (Unisinos), a private institution and community university in southern Brazil, announced the interruption of 12 of its postgraduate programmes, including the Postgraduate Program of Biology (PPG Biologia), whose professors founded the journal, Neotropical Biology and Conservation. We conducted a bibliometric analysis of papers published by PPG Biologia in the past 20 years to assess its impact on biological research at a national level. The number of publications and citations increased constantly over the years, with publications growing exponentially. Although most collaborations with other research programmes occurred inside Brazil, a significant number of studies were co-authored by researchers from other countries from at least four continents. The main research lines focused on biological sciences, ecology, sociology, education, environmental sciences and genetics. Despite being affected by the decrease in research funding and the reduction of personnel, PPG Biologia kept its high impact score according to the national evaluation, above that of most programmes in private universities and similar to public ones. With a team of renowned researchers working on different and sometimes unique research lines, the interruption of PPG Biologia will harm the progress of biological research and conservation across the Neotropical realm.

Social Sciences in Brazil: From a Broad Interdisciplinarity to a Restricted Interdisciplinarity

In this work, we will analyze how the transition from an expanded conception of social sciences to a more restricted notion of social sciences, centered on the disciplines of anthropology, political science, and sociology, took place in Brazil. In the first part of this article, we will contextualize the creation process of the first undergraduate courses of social sciences in Brazil in the 1930s, as well as their transformations over time; in the second part, we will carry out an analysis of the social sciences programs existing in Brazil, starting from the courses that are currently in operation and grant master’s and/or doctoral degrees in this area. Finally, we demonstrate how the creation of the national graduate system between the 1960s and 1970s was essential to consolidate this institutional arrangement and the creation of the National Association for Research and Graduate Studies in Social Sciences in the 1970s.

One biologist, one million deaths

The article discusses the multiple forms of expertise articulated by a specific kind of digital influencer - online science communicators - during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Our case study focuses on the performance of Atila Iamarino, a PhD in Microbiology that achieved an unprecedented public recognition after predicting, in a YouTube live transmission, that more than a million people could die in the country due to the coronavirus. Assuming the relational and networked dimension of expertise, the article discusses how Atila combined and interchanged academic, affective, and sociotechnical abilities in his performances on social media and on other (media) institutions during a public health crisis marked by the lack of coordination and the political instrumentalization of science by the Brazilian federal government. The case study is based on a systematic observation of Atila’s accounts on YouTube and Twitter, and on additional material published from March to August 2020. In the conclusions, based on how the Brazilian science influencer managed his visibility, alliances, and scientific background during the radical uncertainty period, we highlight how the expertise was built based on conditions of possibility that emerged in Brazil during the pandemic, which reveals contemporary tensions between science, politics, media, and other epistemic institutions.

Social participation in science museums: A concept under construction

AbstractThe term social participation is widely used and has various meanings in different contexts. This article aims to enhance the understanding of social participation in science museums. The research was conducted using a cultural‐historical perspective in six steps: (1) survey to identify the meanings attributed to the term social participation and actions considered participatory in Brazilian science museums; (2) content analysis with coding; (3) literature review on social participation meanings; (4) analysis and revision of categories; (5) survey for educators from Brazilian science museums to validate the dimensions emerged in the first survey; (6) final analysis: synthesis of the dimensions of social participation and proposal of a model. As a result, we recognized five dimensions that contribute to the concept of social participation in science museums: “access”—removing barriers to participation that promote social exclusion; “identity and diversity”—creating a multicultural space that examines and redefines oppressive and unequal relationships; “co‐creation and authorship”—fostering different forms of collaboration with audiences; “interaction and dialogue”—expanding opportunities for interaction with exhibitions; “exercise of citizenship”—empowering the audiences to participate in social change. Although these dimensions provide insights into social participation in science museums, limitations exist. These dimensions can contribute to developing museum practices that dialogue with communities and strengthen social participation in science museums.

The future of Brazilian science.

The election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (‘Lula’) as president of Brazil on 30 October 2022 marked the end of the populist Bolsonaro era. In this Feature, five Brazilian scientists discuss their hopes and expectations for the new presidency and its scientific policies.

Coverage and Correlations Between Open Citations in Crossref and Readership in Mendeley: Different Fields of Brazilian Science

Coverage and Correlations Between Open Citations in Crossref and Readership in Mendeley: Different Fields of Brazilian Science

Professor Ivo M. Raimundo Jr., a researcher concerned about the current state of science in Brazil, kindly granted BrJAC an interview

Ivo M. Raimundo Jr. holds a degree in chemistry (1983), a master’s degree in chemistry (1989), and a doctorate in analytical chemistry (1995), all from the Institute of Chemistry, University of Campinas (IQ-Unicamp), Brazil. He carried out postdoctoral studies at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), Manchester, England (1997/98), and the University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA (2017). He is currently Associate Professor at the Department of Analytical Chemistry at IQ - Unicamp. He was Associate Director (2006–2009) and Director (2009–2015) of the Pluridisciplinary Center for Chemical, Biological and Agricultural Research (CPQBA) at Unicamp, Secretary of the Brazilian Chemical Society, Campinas Regional (2020-2022) and is currently its treasurer. He has served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society since 2019. Prof. Raimundo Jr has experience in instrumentation and automation in analytical chemistry, working mainly in the following areas: optical (nano)sensors, microfabrication of analytical systems, and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS).

Opportunities and Barriers for Citizen Science Growth in Brazil: Reflections from the First Workshop of the Brazilian Citizen Science Network

Citizen science networks can provide support and visibility to existing initiatives. Although citizen science is a growing practice in Brazil, several challenges still exist. A network can play an important role in overcoming these challenges, helping with the exchange of knowledge between initiatives or raising funding, for example. The Brazilian Citizen Science Network was created to advance citizen science in the country. The launch took place in March 2021 at a two-day online workshop focused on topics such as financial sustainability, technology, data quality, inter- and transdisciplinary infrastructure, engagement, and good practices. Based on the contents of the presentations and comments during the event, the authors of this report held follow-up meetings to identify favourable and unfavourable factors that can foster or constrain citizen science in Brazil. Afterwards, an open letter expressing these factors was produced and shared with the network members to register the status of challenges and opportunities we have discussed so far, to be used as a guide for future actions. This report provides an overview of the workshop. Despite depicting a local perspective, the challenges and opportunities discussed during the workshop and summarised in this report may also apply to fostering citizen science in other countries or establishing global practices. We consider that the Brazilian Citizen Science Network can play an important role in promoting the establishment of collaborative actions across the country.

Proposed mapping and evaluation model of sustainable development goals in graduate programs in environmental sciences in Brazil

PurposeThis paper aim to propose a methodological mapping approach for the evaluation of dissertations and theses of graduate programs in the area of environmental sciences in Brazil in relation to the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs).Design/methodology/approachThe research is characterized as exploratory with qualitative/quantitative approach. The proposed model was developed as a computational algorithm with a pilot being adopted as a professional master in national network for teaching in environmental sciences (ProfCiAmb) comprising associated courses from nine Brazilian public universities. 230 dissertations completed between 2018 and 2020 were analyzed.FindingsA total of 266 correlations were identified between the texts and descriptors of each SDG. Correlation values between 0.100 (minimum value – Vmin) and 0.464 (maximum value – Vmax) were observed. SDG 4 – Quality Education (Vmax = 0.399) and SDG 6 – Drinking Water and Sanitation (Vmax = 0.464) were those with the highest correlation values, followed by SDG 3 – Health and Well-Being (Vmax = 0.299) and SDG 17 – Partnerships and Means of Implementation (Vmax = 0.249).Practical implicationsThe construction of the computational algorithm provided consistent quantitative analyses with potential to contribute to the improvement of the multidimensional evaluation of graduate studies, as well as to support public policies related to teaching and research and strategic planning of the programs.Originality/valueThe relevance of this study lies in the creation of a model that involves the creation of metrics and tools regarding the impact of graduate studies on society.

Obituary: Erney Felicio Plessmann de Camargo

Erney Felicio Plessmann de Camargo, Professor Emeritus at the Universidade de São Paulo , a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and honorary member of the National Academy of Medicine has passed. When Professor Erney took over Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico he revolutionized the agency, instituting many procedures that were fundamental to move Brazilian science forward. Despite the lack of appropriate funding, he managed to oversee an outstanding growth of scientific productivity in Brazil. Erney was [...]

Measuring the research funding landscape: a case study of BRICS nations

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine the funding ratio of BRICS nations in various research areas. The leading funding institutions that support research in the developing world have also been researched. Design/methodology/approach This study involves the funding acknowledgment analysis of the data retrieved from the “Clarivate Analytics' InCites database” under “22 specific research areas” to determine whether the publication was funded. Findings This study shows that China achieves the highest funding ratio of 88.6%, followed by Brazil (73.74%), Russia (72.93%) and South Africa (70.94%). However, India has the lowest funding ratio of 58.2%. For the subject areas, the highest funding ratio is by microbiology in Russia (86.6%), India (84.3%) and China (96.9%) and space science in Brazil (93.7%) and South Africa (94.82%). However, economics and business achieves the lowest funding ratio in Brazil (38.6%), India (20.1%) and South Africa (30.24%). Moreover, the regional funding agencies are the leading research sponsors in the BRICS nations. Practical implications This study implies increasing the funding ratio across various research areas, including arts, humanities and social sciences. The nations, particularly India, also need to gear up sponsoring the research to improve the funding ratio for scientific development, bringing overall good. Originality/value This study efforts to show the status of countries and research subjects in terms of funding ratio and reveals the prominent funders working toward scientific growth.

Relations Between Gender and Science-Technology in Brazilian Science Teaching: What do Researches Say?

Through discourses constructed in historical, cultural and social contexts, women face difficulties regarding the insertion, permanence and ascension in the scientific-technological career. In this context, we aim to understand and analyze what is shown in research on gender issues and Science-Technology (ST) in science education in Brazil. To do so, we present a qualitative research, a state of the art, which had as corpus of analysis theses and dissertations present in the repository of the Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology. Methodologically, we used the Textual Discourse Analysis, from which three categories emerged, namely: (1) The discourse of women's non-belonging in ST (2) The (in)visibility of female models who did/do ST and (3) Scientist-mothers and the multiplied workdays. We realize that the feminine gender faces stereotypes and prejudices that end up influencing its inclusion and path in ST. In the search for making ST visible and showing it as a possible career for the female gender, family, school, teachers, and the promotion of public policies of support and incentive are some of the essential means for this.

Relations Between Gender and Science-Technology in Brazilian Science Teaching: What do Researches Say?

Through discourses constructed in historical, cultural and social contexts, women face difficulties regarding the insertion, permanence and ascension in the scientific-technological career. In this context, we aim to understand and analyze what is shown in research on gender issues and Science-Technology (ST) in science education in Brazil. To do so, we present a qualitative research, a state of the art, which had as corpus of analysis theses and dissertations present in the repository of the Brazilian Institute of Information in Science and Technology. Methodologically, we used the Textual Discourse Analysis, from which three categories emerged, namely: (1) The discourse of women's non-belonging in ST (2) The (in)visibility of female models who did/do ST and (3) Scientist-mothers and the multiplied workdays. We realize that the feminine gender faces stereotypes and prejudices that end up influencing its inclusion and path in ST. In the search for making ST visible and showing it as a possible career for the female gender, family, school, teachers, and the promotion of public policies of support and incentive are some of the essential means for this.

The impact of Brazilian food science over the past two decades. A critical review and meta-analysis

Among the many research areas that have significantly leveraged science in Brazil over the last two decades, food science stood out as one of the most prominent subgroups in agricultural sciences. Studies involving chemistry, biochemistry, nutritional, physicochemical, biological, microbiological, safety, digestibility, preservation, bioactivity, toxicity, processing effects, regulations, authentication, and other properties of food emerged as critical topics and proved to be of great relevance along with other fields of science. Although most developed countries count on massive budgets and public investment in research, Brazil still faces considerable challenges in adequately funding studies in this vital area. However, despite low budgets and a few public policies to leverage the food science area, Brazil reached the fifth position amongst the most relevant worldwide and the most prominent Latin American country in the field over the past 20 years. This review critically discusses the advances and relevance of Brazilian food science research and its overall impact worldwide, highlighting the most researched topics, the higher-producing universities, investments in the field, and the challenges of continuing to grow.

The role of the Hauser-Davis Research Group - ChemBio: Environmental Studies at the Chemical-Biological Interface in furthering Brazilian Science within a One Health and conservationist context

This paper presents a brief history of the Hauser-Davis Research Group (HDRG), currently based at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), and its current mission, goals, and main research activities.

Tecnologias Digitais da Informação e Comunicação na Preservação da Memória e da Identidade Cultural de Comunidades Tradicionais

The present paper aimsto identify the use of Digital Technologies of Information and Communication –DTIC in the preservation of memory and cultural identity of traditional communities in the scientific productions of Information Science in Brazil. The methodology adopted is the Systematic Literature Review with qualitative approach, in which therewere researched journals indexed by the Reference Database of Journal Articles in Information Science (BRAPCI) published from 2016 to 2021. Therewere analyzed the journals which presented in the title, abstract and/or keywords themes about preservation of memory/identity related to the use of the DTIC/TIC and the traditional peoplesand communities of Brazil. The results point that therewere recovered few papersthat aretotally related to the preservation of memory, traditional communities and the use of DTIC/TIC. However, it was possible to note that the DTIC have been used with the purpose of preservation of memory in several contexts. Moreover, despite of the preservation of memory and cultural identity, the used DTIC still haveas a purpose the dissemination and visibility of these peoples, in order to require the due respect and the full exercise of their citizenship fromthe State and the Society.

Políticas públicas arquivísticas nas pesquisas dos programas de pós-graduação STRICTO SENSU EM Ciência da Informação do Brasil

This article aims to map the scientific production of stricto sensupostgraduate programs in Information Science in Brazil, in order to study archival public policies, the subject of an ongoing thesis. This is a quali-quantitative, exploratory and descriptive research carried out in two stages. In the first, 74 works were identified, throughsearches in the Catalog of Theses and Dissertations of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel(CAPES). In the second, using bibliographical research techniques, reflective readings were carried out to prepare a systematic literature review with the identified data. Of the 74 works, 46 were used in the research because they were produced in Information Science programs. From its analysis, it is concluded that there is agreement on the use of the terms archival policies and archival public policies as synonyms, as well as on the lack of archival public policies in Brazil, despite the legislation in the area. The works of José Maria Jardim are the most used references in discussions about archival policies and archival public policies, in the analyzed material.

Preditores de Riscos Associados ao Uso da Arma de Fogo: Uma Revisão de Escopo

Abstract The use of firearms is a complex issue which involves issues related to mental health and public policies. This scoping review aimed to analyze individual and social risk predictors for the use of firearms. Based on the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews - PRISMA-ScR, six databases were consulted and 605 studies, retrieved. After screening, 16 empirical studies were selected for this review. Individual predictors included psychiatric diagnosis, abusive use of alcohol, high anxiety, and use of psychiatric medication; whereas social ones, access to firearms, absence of laws restricting the possession of weapons, and war experiences. We find the need for further research on the subject, especially by Brazilian science, since 87.5% of the studies this review screened came from the United States.