مجله ترویج علم
سال پنجم شماره 7 (پاییز و زمستان 1393)

The popularization of science is a term that has become prevalent in recent decades and its goal is to develop science and scientific insight. The national documents emphasize on achieving a top position in the region over the next few years. Undoubtedly, achieving this important goal requires tools and institutionalization of thinking and scientific insight in the society and this goal will not be achieved but during a process referred to as the process of popularization of sciences. This process results in the application of science in society. This article investigates and identifies the role of science and life houses as a link for popularization of science with the aim of institutionalization of the process of popularization of science. House of science and life is a popular, voluntary association and a subsidiary of district community center with the partnership of Tehran Municipality and the head of the district is responsible to establish and launch volunteer training centers through using the material and spiritual capabilities of citizens.In this study, we seek to answer this question; what is the role of civil associations for popularization of science including houses of science and life in popularization of science? Do these centers well function? This study is descriptive and analytical. Houses of science and life can function as a link between science and society. To do this, institutional relationship of these houses with the scientific associations are necessary to create a scientific culture in the society.

In the postmodern era, cultural economy plays an important role in economic evelopment of cities across the world. The considerable role of cultural economy factors in economic revolution plans of cities verifies this claim. This is why in the 21th century, attracting elites and creative capabilities are the most important tools by which cities achieve economic growth and development.This study is a descriptive-analytical research in which the newest methods of content analysis have been used. The most important factors that have been studied at the present study include the role of cultural economics in exploring the cities, theoretical history of creative class, the concept of creative class theory and creative city, the elements of creative city theory, the elements of creative city, opponents and critics’ viewpoints about creative class theory, and the characteristics of two operational examples or creative cities including Melbourne and Toronto.The results of this study revealed that attracting elites results in creativity, innovation, and economic development of cities. Finally, this results in cultural exploring of cities. The focus of creative city theory is issues such as technology and competency. In today’s competitive world, the cities with more diversity will be able to attract elites. This means that the cities with open cultural and multi-national climate can attract more elites and then develop and improve their economic conditions.

Science journalism at any point in the history has never been so important as today. People in the world are encountered different challenging issues. the potential impacts of GM crops; the mysterious die-off of bees; individualized medical treatment via genomics; climate disruption; the prospect of bringing extinct species back to life. Meanwhile, there is no independent and evidence-based information. Historically, most people rely on the media and these media present packages of information for large numbers of readers/ listeners/viewers. In this way, people inadvertently encounter science information almost as they watch TV news, read the morning newspaper or a front page of a magazine in the news stand. While that is still prevalent in many countries, today’s citizens rely increasingly on searching information in the internet. Science journalists are also active in the internet by blogging and placing stories in a variety of web-only outlets. But finding good information requires effort on the part of the individual searcher, an effort that the typical individual rarely makes. Chapter 1 of this paper discusses these conundrums and what they bring for the future of science journalism. It first tracks the historical evolution of the field, then moves to the characteristics of modern science journalists and their media outlets. It ends by returning to the challenges that lie ahead.

Procrastination is defined as a tendency to avoid activities, assigning the task ahead and using apologies to justify the delay in carrying out the activity. Procrastination is a bad and upsetting behavior that leads to unpleasant consequences such as anxiety, depression and reduced confidence. We can not justify delay in doing work because of the notion of better doing. Postponing doing work gradually becomes a habitual behavior and causes the person blames herself/himself. This article attempts to study this phenomenon that is almost pervasive, moreover it provides extended definition of procrastination and explains related and influencing factors onit, and also its purpose is to study the relationship between procrastination and self-steam.

Nowadays, it is very common to use digital tools in daily activities especially young people benefit from it so much. This issue has two aspects for the designers of museum facilities. Digital tools are very attractive because of their fascinating motion pictures and especially visual effects. The digital tools make unlimited opportunities for us as designers of science centers/museums to show the audiences the invisible aspects of the nature or an industry (for example inside an atom or an atomic reactor and so on). But this is the good side of digital tools, on the other side frequent use of these facilities at homes can lead to lack of interest in audiences to visit these science centers and hence decreases the function of science centers/museums. In this paper, some basic rules for designing a digital tool for science centers/ museums have been investigated and then as a case study a mechatronic tool is designed for a science center.

Futures Studies is a trans-cultural and trans-discipline knowledge which is seeking possible futures and creating the desired futures. It is an interesting field for all because of introducing techniques to realise human pereferable visions. Futures Studies is now a field of science and art of creating the futures. Most countries are learning the foundations and then customize it on the basis of their values and social cultures. They attempt to preempt future events in order to play an interactive or proactive role in controlling the futures. In fact, they will not surprise of occurring social changes and large events in the futures by futures studies. In this paper, we attempt to introduce the fundamental concepts of futures studies as a promotive subject and encourage scientist to apply forward thinking in planning and solving the social problems.

The use of organizational excellence models is very effective in performance assessment of organizations to identify their strengths and weaknesses or the organization’s quality achievements and better performance, Organizational Excellence is a function of certain conditions; culture, internal and external environments, the characteristics of human resources, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and the threats that organizations are involved in. Accordingly, Organizational Excellence and transcendence detect, identify, develop and extend the success of an organization. In this paper, three models of organizational excellence, Deming Excellence Model (TQM), Malcolm Baldrige Excellence Model and European Foundation Quality Management (EFQM) are described. The question that arises is that which model should be used by organizations to assess their excellence with regard to their circumstances and the assessor mastery of the model.