Partners in Science: Ideas for Engaging the Public

Evidence suggests that the American public is turning away from science. The US ranks 23rd in international tests of science literacy, only 70% of Americans can read and understand the science section of the NY Times, and US students are avoiding science and engineering majors – especially students from the fastest growing demographic groups. With respect to climate science, political affiliation has a stronger correlation with people's acceptance of the scientific consensus than their educational achievement.

Part of this disconnect is a consequence of our historic approach to science. The current social contract between science and society has been called the “loading dock” model of science because it assumes a linear, one-directional flow from scientific discovery to societal impact. With that model has come a set of values and practices (including highlighting and celebrating abstract and theoretical work, emphasizing communication between scientific peers ahead of communication with the public, and building educational systems that often filter people out of science) that have contributed to isolating scientists and the scientific enterprise from the rest of society.

In this time of economic insecurity and declining financial support for research, there is extra pressure to renegotiate the social contract between science and society. Simply put, society will not continue fund scientific activities that it perceives as irrelevant, exclusive, or beyond accountability.

A new model for science is already emerging – one that augments basic research with strategies for developing applications, facilitating communications, and engaging communities. The model is bi-directional: applications, communication, and community engagement in science work to support, guide, and enable basic research. It incorporates multiple scientific disciplines and integrates expertise beyond science. It blurs the boundaries between research and education by engaging community members, including students, as partners in every stage of the scientific process.

In this talk, I will highlight some examples of this new model of science—from a participatory project focusing on land loss in the Louisiana delta to an exploration of weather-disease relationships in Africa. By discussing those examples and highlighting participatory methods used in other disciplines, I will offer some suggestions to apply this model to meteorological and climatological issues and offer concrete strategies for scientists interested in more effectively engaging the public as partners in science.