Sustainable Infrastructures for Life Science Communication Workshop Summary (2014) / Chapter Skim
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6 Pathways and Destinations
6 Pathways and Destinations
Pages 39-50
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From page 39... ...
Brooke Smith How can we use existing public engagement initiatives -- and the lessons learned from such efforts -- to build a life science communication infrastructure? How can we fund the infrastructure and ensure its sustainability?
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From page 40... ...
On the second day of the workshop, John Burris of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund provided a brief history of science communication funding sources. Participants then discussed current funding for public engagement and possible means of funding a sustainable life sciences communication infrastructure.
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Public communication of scientific findings is important to the missions of federal agencies, continued Koizumi, because it can benefit society by, for example, changing people's health behavior. But the current level of federal investment in science communication is not clear because it is not a separate item in the budget, said Koizumi.
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. Brooke Smith of COMPASS asked workshop participants to consider this question: If you had unlimited resources to invest in life science communication and engagement activities, what three things would you invest in?
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Coins, d notecards, and pens used in the brainstorming and moc resource ck allocation activity led by Brooke Smith of COMPASS. a B o across the country or across the wo s orld -- especially in schools -- to engage the pu y o ublic in scienc Adam Fagan of the Genetics Society of America suggest finding a wa to hold ce.
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From page 44... ...
Without adequate STEM education, he continued, science communications will have no audience. Although Borchelt agreed that a lack of communications training is the biggest barrier to public communication by scientists, he expressed the concern that the people to whom scientists are communicating are coming from a system that has shortchanged them in terms of science understanding.
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ng n ch wrote down responses to Brooke Smith's question: "If yo had unlimite s ou ed resources to invest in life science commu o s unication and engagement e activities, what three thing would you in w gs nvest in? " hange results fro and cannot occur without experience an training in Cultural ch om, t t, nd comm munication and engagement, noted Schatz.
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From page 46... ...
Lee argued, however, that the current culture in the life sciences undervalues engagement; the culture barrier is getting higher rather than lower. Doing More with Less Two of the ideas receiving the most coins in the coin allocation activity -- communications training for scientists and boundary organizations -- are directly related to COMPASS's work, said Smith.
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From page 47... ...
A Focus on Issues Rosenberg suggested the use of an issue-based focus to build the infrastructure, rather than trying, from the beginning, to create a broader infrastructure. Specifically, he explained, we could create meaningful communication activities around well-defined societal issues, using a working-group model, an extension model, or by going through
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From page 48... ...
The Cooperative Extension model is not without problems, but it is a model of communication, Rosenberg said, and it's direct to the public. Maybe some elements of extension should be used as a model for a life science communication infrastructure, especially considering that it has been sustainably funded, he suggested.
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From page 49... ...
for public engagement. By the close of the workshop, observed Smith, only the following goals were articulated: "science is cool," improved STEM education, improved quality of life, improved jobs and workforce, science literacy, improved health, and specific goals (e.g., conservation)
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From page 50... ...
We need to encoura our respecti s age ive comm munities to coal lesce around th effort. For no she suggest that the rou ndtable and his ow, ted other interested parties should cont tinue to commu unicate, connec with each oth and meet ct her, until " "our communit of practice ar ty round science engagement" re e eaches "a point where we t can reeally think abou the collective infrastructure." ut e
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