When a proposed policy has the backing of scientific evidence, it may boost the likelihood that activists will get involved with the issue. However, references to scientific evidence seem to dampen the activism of scientific experts, according to researchers.
To help researchers improve their science communications, the Institutes of Energy and the Environment and the Science Communication Program in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications will host "Communicating Science in a Post-Truth World," a plenary session featuring four national journalists. The session will take place at 4 p.m. Oct. 17 in 233 HUB-Robeson Center.
Health communicators often struggle with crafting persuasive health communication messages to encourage people to take preventative measures, like using sunscreen to prevent skin cancer, or schedule a flu shot. Researchers suggest that adding hopeful messages — along with fear or threat-based messages — can both raise awareness and encourage action.
People who read on computer devices have a difficult time comprehending science articles. This offers insights both into how the brain processes information while reading on electronic devices, as well as how to improve science text books.
Drawing from the fields of communication, psychology and political science, Erik Nisbet, associate professor of communication, environmental policy and political science at Ohio State, will deliver a lecture titled “The Partisan Brain: The Science of Communication about Controversial Science” at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 2 in Foster Auditorium of Paterno Library.
A panel discussion on science and philosophy will feature New York Times Bestselling Author Sam Kean, author of "The Disappearing Spoon" and "The Violinist’s Thumb"; Penn State Philosopher Emily Grosholz; and Penn State Professor of Geography Robert Crane, whose research focuses on modeling weather systems. The panel will help explore questions at the roots of science, philosophy, and human growth and achievement.
Journalists recently told an audience of faculty, students and University communicators about the importance of close communication between scientists and reporters in order to create meaningful news articles that educate the public, part of a science communication training workshop held Oct. 4 at University Park.
A panel discussion on science communications and making research relevant in the media, featuring national journalists, will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4, in Pike Auditorium (22 Biobehavioral Health Building).
Jim Steenburgh, professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Utah and a Penn State alumnus, will give the 2017 Lattman Visiting Scholar of Science and Society Lecture. His talk, titled “Communicating Science in the 21st Century: Personal and Political Challenges and Opportunities,” will be held from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Oct. 6 in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum on the ground floor of Deike Building.
Jessica Myrick was a multimedia journalist for the public radio/TV station in Bloomington, Indiana, when she gained an intense interest in how people responded to her stories. She began auditing communications courses at nearby Indiana University to get a perspective on how readers and viewers reacted to news stories. That’s when it clicked.
An article demonstrating how political framing can affect attitudes toward science issues, by two Penn State faculty members and an alumna of the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, was recognized as the “Article of the Year” by Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk, a division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.
Communicating scientific discoveries to the general public and informing public policy is a science itself. Through research and collaboration, Penn State’s Science Communication Program is building on past research and developing novel programs that can help scientists more effectively spread the news of their work.
In order to help faculty members and researchers improve their science communication skills, the Institutes of Energy and the Environment is offering training through COMPASS, an organization that was founded to help scientists share their knowledge in a way that effectively communicates their message to the general public but doesn’t compromise the accuracy of the science. The training takes place on Oct. 4–6 and is open to Penn State faculty and graduate students. There is no cost to attend.
Jeff Conlin likes to find clarity in everything he does. So when he began his doctoral work in Penn State’s College of Communications last year, studying the role of strategic communication in social and environmental issues was a natural fit.
Geosciences doctoral student Claire Cleveland is leveraging the support from a highly competitive National Science Foundation fellowship to create more science-based outreach opportunities geared toward the general public.
