Science Communication

How can scientists make their expertise heard over the din of misinformation? It’s a good question—and our science communication experts have answers.


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Latest Science Communication Posts

Did My Tea Leaves Reveal the Supreme Court’s Upcoming Gerrymandering Ruling?

, Kendall Science Fellow

May 25, 2018 9:59 AM EDT

This morning, I stirred my green tea vigorously to see if it would reveal the Supreme Court’s opinion on two partisan gerrymandering cases that are soon to be released. The tea spilled, I scalded my lap, then wondered why any Decent American Patriot would sip tea while the nation awaits a decision of such historic significance. I then made a cup of coffee and resolved to give up fortune telling.  So I won’t try and predict where the Court will come down on the constitutionality of partisan gerrymandering. However, I will offer some guideposts to help interested parties (see what I did there) understand the significance of the decision when it comes.

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Science on Wheels: Meeting a Scientist Right in Your Hometown

Arianna Soldati, Ph.D. Candidate, , UCS

April 20, 2018 4:16 PM EDT

I moved to Columbia, Missouri, home of the University of Missouri (Mizzou), five years ago, and I was impressed with the amount of science engagement activities available to the public. Any time of any day of the week there appeared to be something going on: Saturday Morning Science, Science Café on Monday nights, and Science on Tap on Tuesday evenings. An incredible variety of settings to pick and choose from, from auditoriums to cafés to breweries. Topics to satisfy all interests, from chemistry to astronomy to biology. Professors, grad students, undergrads—they were all involved in outreach. I couldn’t believe what a big role science played in the state. Read more >

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Stories, Improv, and What Science Can Learn From Comedy

Rod Lammers and Michael Somers, , UCS

April 12, 2018 3:59 PM EDT

Can you name a scientist? If your response was no, you are not alone. Eighty one percent of Americans cannot name a living scientist, according to a 2017 poll that was conducted by Research America. As scientists, it is our responsibility to reach out to the public and talk to people about what we do, why it is important, and how it connects to their lives. We are not trained to make those connections and do public outreach, but luckily there are increasingly more opportunities to learn. Read more >

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The World’s Population Hasn’t Grown Exponentially for at Least Half a Century

, scientific adviser, Climate and Energy

April 9, 2018 11:54 AM EDT

Recently I was looking at some data about world food production on the excellent Our World in Data site, and I discovered something very simple, but very surprising about the world’s population. We often hear (and I used to teach) about the threat of an exponentially growing population and the pressure it is supposed to be putting on our food supply and the natural resources that sustain it (land, water, nutrients, etc). But I found that the global population isn’t growing exponentially, and hasn’t been for at least half a century.

It has actually been growing in a simpler way than exponentially—in a straight line.

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Photo credit: Alina Chan, Future of Research

Empowering Early Career Scientists to Engage in Science Advocacy, Policy and Communication

Dr. Adriana Bankston, , UCS

April 5, 2018 12:41 PM EDT

As a member of and an advocate for the early career scientist community, I strongly believe that we are the future of science. We need to engage in activities that allow us to use our voice for the greater good, and we must do this through multiple avenues. Adapting to the changing landscape of the scientific enterprise requires integrating professional development activities into the training of early career scientists, in order to create “whole scientists.” This culture shift will enable us to utilize valuable skills acquired during our training to benefit society.

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