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| Public Understanding of Science | |
|---|---|
| Name | Public Understanding of Science |
| Discipline | Science communication |
Public Understanding of Science is an interdisciplinary field examining how United Nations populations engage with, interpret, and use scientific information within societal contexts such as European Union policy debates, United Kingdom civic life, and United States public discourse. Scholars draw on methods and theories from researchers associated with institutions like the Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences, Max Planck Society, Smithsonian Institution, and Wellcome Trust to assess interactions among publics, scientists, and mediators such as the BBC, The New York Times, and The Guardian. Applied work often informs initiatives by organizations including UNESCO, World Health Organization, and national bodies such as National Institutes of Health and European Commission directorates.
The term describes practices linking actors including researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, Harvard University, and Stanford University with audiences reached via venues such as the Royal Institution, Smithsonian Institution, and Science Museum, London. Core concerns intersect with policy arenas like Paris Agreement negotiations, public debates triggered by publications in outlets such as Nature (journal), Science (journal), and reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Related topics span topics studied at centers like the Alan Turing Institute and programs funded by the Wellcome Trust and European Research Council.
Historical roots trace to figures and events including lectures by Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution, popular science writing by Isaac Asimov and Carl Sagan, and outreach linked to exhibitions such as the Great Exhibition. Twentieth-century developments involved institutions such as the British Broadcasting Corporation and movements like postwar expansions of the Smithsonian Institution, while policy shocks including the Chernobyl disaster, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill catalyzed changes in public engagement and trust. Academic consolidation occurred in departments at University College London, University of California, Berkeley, and the London School of Economics, influenced by scholars connected to awards such as the Kavli Prize.
Foundational models include the deficit model critiqued by scholars with ties to debates at Royal Society forums, alternatives such as dialogue and participatory models advocated in workshops at European Commission venues, and risk communication frameworks used by agencies like the World Health Organization and United States Environmental Protection Agency. Theorists draw on traditions from social studies of science influenced by authors linked to Science and Technology Studies programs at MIT, University of Edinburgh, and Harvard Kennedy School, and on communication theory appearing in journals such as Public Understanding of Science (journal).
Empirical surveys by organizations including Pew Research Center, Gallup, and national statistic agencies inform understanding of attitudes toward topics like climate change debated in contexts such as the Paris Agreement, vaccination controversies traced to episodes involving Wakefield-related coverage, and biotechnology policy influenced by events like releases involving CRISPR research at institutions such as University of California, San Francisco and Broad Institute. Public knowledge assessments often reference curricular standards from bodies like the National Science Teachers Association and evaluation frameworks used by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Media ecosystems comprising outlets like The New York Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, and broadcasters including the BBC shape narratives around discoveries from laboratories at CERN, clinical trials at Johns Hopkins University, and planetary missions by NASA and European Space Agency. Science literacy initiatives intersect with platforms such as YouTube, podcasts produced by media startups, and popular works by communicators including Neil deGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye, and Brian Cox. Social media episodes involving companies like Twitter and events such as misinformation spikes around the COVID-19 pandemic illustrate challenges for accurate communication.
Programs hosted by institutions such as the Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences, Smithsonian Institution, California Academy of Sciences, and university outreach offices at University of Cambridge and University of Tokyo run public lectures, citizen science projects like those coordinated through Zooniverse and museum exhibits at the Natural History Museum, London. Formal education links to curricula produced by agencies such as the National Science Foundation and teacher professional development supported by organizations like the National Science Teachers Association.
Trust dynamics influence regulatory decisions in arenas including biotechnology reviewed by agencies such as the European Medicines Agency and the Food and Drug Administration, climate policy under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and public health responses coordinated by World Health Organization and national ministries like the United States Department of Health and Human Services. High-profile controversies—court cases in jurisdictions like United States federal courts, environmental litigation involving companies such as ExxonMobil, and parliamentary inquiries convened by bodies like the House of Commons—shape public risk perceptions.
Critiques emerge from scholars associated with Science and Technology Studies programs at Lancaster University, University of Sussex, and Goldsmiths, University of London who question elitism, representativeness, and the persistence of deficit assumptions critiqued in debates held at venues like the Royal Society and reported by outlets including The Guardian. Additional challenges include confronting misinformation around events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, negotiating ethics linked to technologies developed at centers like the Broad Institute, and addressing inequalities highlighted in research by organizations such as UNESCO and the OECD.
Category:Science communication