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Society’s Response: Assessment of the Performance of the “Caminhos Geológicos” (“Geological Paths”) Project, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Abstract

Public understanding of science projects faces the challenge of breaking away from the complex language used in scientific work in order to make knowledge accessible to everyone. The Caminhos Geológicos Project (Geological Paths) seeks to make the geology of the State of Rio de Janeiro understood by the lay public, mainly by means of interpretive panels located in places of touristic interest, with the final intention of promoting the geoconservation of these sites. In an attempt to evaluate the visitors’ level of understanding of the panels, a questionnaire was used in six localities, aiming to identify user profile and their perception about the project and the content of the panels. The results obtained by an opinion poll conducted in 2008 allow us to argue that the project has managed to achieve its goals. The study identified the need for reducing the amount of text and modifying the structure of the panels in order to reduce the need for maintenance. The visitors also showed interest in obtaining additional information, which suggests the use of brochures, guides, and other media. High school teachers have recognized the educational value of the panels, taking their students to the signs so they could study geology. Communication between project and society was established, although it is still necessary to deepen the research universe in qualitative and quantitative terms.

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Acknowledgments

The opinion poll of this paper was supported by FAPERJ (E-26/110.052/2007). The authors are grateful to Mônica Ribeiro Gonçalves, Diogo Fortes Silva and Vitor Nascimento for their part in fieldwork and to Eliane Guedes and Ismar Carvalho for the suggestions to the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DRM-RJ–Serviço Geológico do Estado do Rio de Janeiro and Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geologia da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro–UFRJ, Rua Marechal Deodoro, 351-Centro, 24030-060, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Kátia Leite Mansur

  2. Departamento de Geografia Física, UERJ–Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524-Sala 4015 Bloco D–Maracanã, 20550-900, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Antonio Soares da Silva

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  1. Kátia Leite Mansur
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  2. Antonio Soares da Silva
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Correspondence to Kátia Leite Mansur.

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Mansur, K.L., da Silva, A.S. Society’s Response: Assessment of the Performance of the “Caminhos Geológicos” (“Geological Paths”) Project, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Geoheritage 3, 27–39 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-010-0029-2

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