1998, celebrating oceans in Lisbon Expo‘98: World exhibitions and science communication

Abstract

International exhibitions have been considered important in the history of science and technology due to their multiple impacts on society (Rosell, 2015). They were stages for inventions, architectural styles and techniques, scientific discoveries, and engineering feats, which attracted millions of people from different regions of the world, thus stimulating the dialogue between scientists and audiences (Matos et al., 2012; Rosell, 2015). This short essay starts with an overview of the history of international exhibitions and then focuses on the Expo ‘98 (Lisbon, Portugal) to reflect on this exhibition’s implications for the public understanding of science in Portugal.