The Science of Science Communication II Summary of a Colloquium (2014) / Chapter Skim
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3 Creating Collaborations for Communication
3 Creating Collaborations for Communication
Pages 75-102
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From page 75... ...
Each of the breakout groups was to begin with presentations from content experts, communication scientists, and communication practitioners. Over the course of the day, the groups would then devise an action plan for science communication in each of their topic areas to be presented to colloquium participants in a final plenary session.
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From page 76... ...
These requests for information and the data generated by these requests could be studied by social scientists to improve the effectiveness of public communications about climate change. For example, what explicit and implicit messages is the public receiving?
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From page 77... ...
The high relevance of climate science to society creates strong incentives for such changes. One measure of success would be more public voices validating and endorsing climate science.
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From page 78... ...
The levels of skepticism among the public about global warming are not an accident, Leiserowitz continued. They have been substantially affected by media stories that pit a climate scientist against someone contesting the science and by what he called "a massive disinformation campaign by vested interests who are perfectly happy with the status quo." This disinformation campaign has borrowed heavily from a similar campaign that sought to convince Americans that the medical profession had not reached a consensus that smoking harms human health.
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From page 79... ...
roles in shaping public understandings and the political will to take action. Fluctuating Concern Nick Pidgeon, professor of environmental psychology and director of the Understanding Risk Research Group at Cardiff University in Wales, noted that concern over global warming has fluctuated over the past quarter century, with a high in the United States in 2001, according to polling from Gallup.
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From page 80... ...
The third and final issue involves whether scientists should remain in their laboratories or emerge to become science communicators. Are they more likely to retain public trust if they limit themselves to describing the state of the science, or is there room for more engaged advocacy?
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From page 81... ...
According to surveys, more than half of television weather forecasters want to talk about climate change, and some have already done so with great success. They may only be able to give the subject 30 seconds, but even that amount of time can convey the five messages mentioned by Leiserowitz.
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From page 82... ...
Audience research is also becoming more sophisticated, so that the prior conceptions of the audiences served by a local media market soon will become better known to broadcast meteorologists. This will enable specific audiences to be targeted, from the doubtful who mistrust scientific information to the alarmed who want to know what they can do to make a difference.
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From page 83... ...
Such stories counter the hopelessness some people feel, create social support for behavior change, and demonstrate that humans can change the planet in beneficial as well as harmful ways. WORKING GROUP ON EVOLUTION REPORT OF THE BREAKOUT GROUP ON EVOLUTION Reporting during the final plenary session for the breakout group on evolution, Robert Pennock, professor at Michigan State University, and Ann Reid of the National Academies observed that a strong consensus on the importance of teaching evolution in K-12 schools and in colleges and universities has emerged in recent years.
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From page 84... ...
For example, supporters of evolution should refer to "scientists" rather than "Darwinists," to "evolutionary biology" rather than "Darwinism," and to "evolutionary science" rather than "evolutionary theory." Similarly, academic freedom entails the responsibility to teach science and not religion in science classes, and the central issue in science education is not fairness but integrity. In this way, scientists can respond to creationists with a framing that shifts the terms of the debate while also incorporating the values of science.
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From page 85... ...
A Formula for Effective Public Communication According to Edward Maibach, director of the Center for Climate Change Information at George Mason University, effective public com
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From page 86... ...
We don't have a lot of Carl Sagans in America today." Science communications need to reflect this formula of simple clear messages repeated often by a variety of trusted sources. In the book cience, Evolution, and Creationism (NAS/IOM, 2008)
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From page 87... ...
Journalism may not be as powerful in shaping public opinions as popular television shows or movies, but it still can reach large numbers of people. Journalists help shape the public agenda and what people talk about on a daily basis.
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From page 88... ...
As Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, said, this is "an extraordinarily toxic view which is hurting science literacy in this country." It also is demonstrably wrong. Many different theological positions exist, including the idea that God used evolution to achieve his plan, which is mainstream Christian theology.
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From page 89... ...
Around the core are frontier areas of science where research is occurring; these areas are typically the ones covered by reporters. Finally, on the edges are fringe ideas such as intelligent design creationism.
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From page 90... ...
WORKING GROUP ON OBESITY AND NUTRITION REPORT OF THE BREAKOUT GROUP ON NUTRITION Reporting during the final plenary session for the breakout group on nanotechnology, Christine Wallace, president of Catalysis LLC, pointed to a long history of well-meaning nutrition education and awareness programs. Yet understanding of how to create change in this area remains elusive.
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From page 91... ...
"We can't just ban food." Nutrition messages have to help people decide what to eat every day, and there is a great deal of nuance in those decisions. For example, research on food labels shows that they do not lead to consumption of fewer calories.
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From page 92... ...
But he soon realized that the press coverage generated by his releases were not changing behaviors. Instead, his research had to be designed to be compelling, memorable, and clear.
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From page 93... ...
The how-to is what they need to know. "That's where we can really empower people." Both journalists and scientists have to begin by paying closer attention to how they translate science, with the goal of fostering public understanding.
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From page 94... ...
"That's why we're all here." Overcoming Complexity The complexity of obesity and nutrition messaging is daunting, breakout group participants agreed during the discussion session. Change is needed on many levels simultaneously, with shared responsibility among journalists, policy makers, and scientists.
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From page 95... ...
Also, changing one behavior does not necessarily leave others intact. Many people compensate for exercise or healthier eating by practicing unhealthier habits in another part of their life, requiring that nutrition science investigate how those behaviors balance out.
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From page 96... ...
Effective approaches then could be leveraged through communication technologies to reach much wider audiences. In this way, the community of practice could cumulatively improve science communications, building on current expertise and past efforts.
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From page 97... ...
Engaging Scientists in Public Communication Scientists tend to have low levels of public engagement, said Elizabeth Corley, the Lincoln Professor of Public Policy, Ethics, and Emerging Technologies at Arizona State University, and many scientists do not engage in public communication at all. In a recent AAAS survey of scientists across all disciplines, 93 percent rarely or never wrote about their results in a blog, only 3 percent talked frequently to reporters about their research, and just 39 percent talked with nonscientists.
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From page 98... ...
Building Trust Nanotechnology is no different than other sciences when it comes to communication, said Julia Moore, the former director of legislative and public affairs at NSF who now works with the emerging issues team at the Pew Charitable Trusts. Many areas of science involve policy stakes, cultural values, risk values, and variation in public perception.
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From page 99... ...
Testing will allow for better regulation and potentially remove some of the fears and negative perceptions around nanotechnology in consumer markets. Levels of Public Engagement Audience and panel members discussed how best to navigate the assumptions that the public forms about nanotechnology and what level of education is most effective.
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From page 100... ...
Institutions need to provide media training so the majority of scientists can be comfortable talking about their work to different audiences. CLOSING REMARKS In his closing remarks at The Science of Science Communication II colloquium, AAAS CEO Alan Leshner began by observing that the motivation for public engagement needs to be empowerment, not manipulation.
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From page 101... ...
CREATING COLLABORATIONS FOR COMMUNICATION / 101 in interacting with the public. The scientific community needs to encourage and support these efforts.
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