I think that communicating science to (with?) the public is just about the most important thing scientists need to do today. They are already accomplished in their labs and, generally, within their scientific communities. But the public is neglected to some peril, since science funding and the cultural foundations of scientific effort comes from the broader public. Sagan understood that, and I think had a lot of fun doing science in a way that spoke beyond a small group of peer scientists.
Thanks for your comment, Mark. Sagan would definitely be on my dinner guest list. And you’re right - the public is very much ignored despite, at a minimum, indirectly funding work done. How much more buy-in could there be if we did a better job of engaging people in the process?
Thanks Ross! I will check that out. I often see your tweets and am curious to learn more about the science behind it, and how it weighs against other methods of energy production as we try to shift from fossil fuels. So I appreciate the link :)
Was glad to see Part 1 of your storytelling in science series' emphasis on connecting at a personal level. Storytelling is effective by connecting to people's values to avoid individuals rejecting new information that contradicts their standing beliefs.
The most surprising thing to me in science communication was the distrust of experts and the need to effectively speak to beliefs and values. As the post above states "Many Canadians attribute more importance to information from 'trusted sources' such as friends, celebrities, and social media than to subject matter experts." Very similar to what I've heard from organizations that promote vaccinations' approach to clarifying misinformation.
Bookmarking for breaks in the family get-together this weekend 😅 This is awesome. I’d love to see others’ examples, too. And your comment re: why the distrust in experts...smells like a good thing to explore here. I know Science Up First is trying to wrestle with the anti-vax/anti-science rhetoric due to this distrust of scientists...
Science was my favorite subject as a kid, but very few teachers took the time to reach out to the impoverished kids in my school district. I wish that I could take your work back in time. It's what I needed back in the 70's.
Love this.
Thanks Mark!
I think that communicating science to (with?) the public is just about the most important thing scientists need to do today. They are already accomplished in their labs and, generally, within their scientific communities. But the public is neglected to some peril, since science funding and the cultural foundations of scientific effort comes from the broader public. Sagan understood that, and I think had a lot of fun doing science in a way that spoke beyond a small group of peer scientists.
Thanks for this, Bryn.
Thanks for your comment, Mark. Sagan would definitely be on my dinner guest list. And you’re right - the public is very much ignored despite, at a minimum, indirectly funding work done. How much more buy-in could there be if we did a better job of engaging people in the process?
Great article Bryn, you may enjoy this post on sharing information in the energy sector: https://www.uottawa.ca/positive-energy/news/how-scientists-engineers-can-share-information-help-build-public-support-canadas-path-net-zero#
Thanks Ross! I will check that out. I often see your tweets and am curious to learn more about the science behind it, and how it weighs against other methods of energy production as we try to shift from fossil fuels. So I appreciate the link :)
Was glad to see Part 1 of your storytelling in science series' emphasis on connecting at a personal level. Storytelling is effective by connecting to people's values to avoid individuals rejecting new information that contradicts their standing beliefs.
The most surprising thing to me in science communication was the distrust of experts and the need to effectively speak to beliefs and values. As the post above states "Many Canadians attribute more importance to information from 'trusted sources' such as friends, celebrities, and social media than to subject matter experts." Very similar to what I've heard from organizations that promote vaccinations' approach to clarifying misinformation.
Applicable reads:
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1212740110
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0360-1
https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650211416646
Some great examples IMHO of connecting at a personal level in science communication:
https://youtu.be/Byh15KclD1A
16:00 of https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/barcodes/
Would love to see what what others think are great examples of storytelling in science communications in practice.
Bookmarking for breaks in the family get-together this weekend 😅 This is awesome. I’d love to see others’ examples, too. And your comment re: why the distrust in experts...smells like a good thing to explore here. I know Science Up First is trying to wrestle with the anti-vax/anti-science rhetoric due to this distrust of scientists...
Science was my favorite subject as a kid, but very few teachers took the time to reach out to the impoverished kids in my school district. I wish that I could take your work back in time. It's what I needed back in the 70's.
What a lovely comment. 🥰 Thank you for sharing!!