Strategic Place-Making and Public Scientific Outreach in the American Chemical Society's National Historic Chemical Landmarks Program. Issue 3 (June 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mann, Benjamin W.; Krall, Madison A.; Parks, Melissa M.; Krebs, Emily; Maison, Kourtney; Jensen, Robin E.
• Is Part Of: Science communication. Volume 43:Issue 3(2021)
• Page Start: 336
• Page End: 357
• Publication Date: 2021-06
• Subjects: place-making -- public science -- rhetoric of science -- science communication; Social sciences -- Periodicals; Knowledge, Sociology of -- Periodicals; Communication in science -- Periodicals; Communication of technical information -- Periodicals; Communication in medicine -- Periodicals; Information scientifique -- Périodiques; Information technique -- Périodiques; Communication en sciences sociales -- Périodiques; Communication en médecine -- Périodiques; 300.14
• DOI: 10.1177/10755470211006685
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1075-5470

Abstract

This article investigates place-making—a process involving appeals to embodiment, materiality, and spatial arrangement—as a means for building communicative relationships between technical scientific communities and lay publics. Drawing from discourses related to the National Historic Chemical Landmark Program's 89 landmarks, we illustrate how the National Historic Chemical Landmark Program builds different types of relationships with nonexperts via the utilization of place as (a) narrative framing device, (b) proprietor, and (c) gatekeeper. These findings reveal the ways in which specific strategic place-making gestures can support more or less public engagement in the processes of scientific work and outreach.