News item published on: 2021-10-07 09:09:00

Making Sense of Science: The Importance of Effective Science Communication to General Audiences

Thursday, November 4, 2-3 p.m.
Zoom

Panelists: Nancee Moes, Lecturer, Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, Stony Brook University
Dr. Shahid Karim, Professor, School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences
Dr. Will Evans, Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Nursing and Health Professions
Dr. Paul Strait, Associate Professor, School of Communication
Moderated by Josh Cromwell, Scholarly Communications Manager, University Libraries

One of the dominant issues highlighted during the current pandemic is the importance of communicating scientific discoveries effectively to the general public. Traditionally, faculty scientists can tend to view communicating research findings with colleagues as their top priority because of the connections to tenure, promotion, and obtaining research grants. But as recent events have demonstrated, even the best scientific research is limited in its usefulness if the public cannot understand and embrace it. So how can scientific findings be conveyed more effectively to general audiences? This panel will discuss some of the current challenges and will explore strategies for improving scientific communication across multiple disciplines, including the hard sciences, public health, and journalism/mass media. The panelists will also explore how more effective communication strategies can foster greater trust in scientific findings among the general public.

Register for this panel here. The Zoom link for this panel will be distributed to all registered attendees via email on the morning of November 4.