The need for researchers to escape the lab or the seminar room from time to time, and talk to the wider public about the work that they do, and why it matters, is now such an established feature of the academic landscape that it’s easy to forget how far and fast we’ve travelled.
From the paternalistic if well-intended talk of “public understanding” of science in the 1980s, through the bumps and scrapes of battles over GM foods, climate change, bees and badgers, we’ve reached a point where the diversity, volume and intensity of conversations between researchers and the public – at schools, festivals and in pubs; on blogs and twitter; on TV, radio and YouTube – is one of the standout strengths of UK science. The launch earlier this week of an open access database of almost 7000 case studies, developed by universities for the Research Excellence Framework, provides another treasure trove of examples of creative ways researchers are engaging new audiences and having an impact on the world.
Over the past decade, the UK has also become a testbed for novel and more structured approaches to public dialogue on science and technology. Back in 2004, one of the quietly radical initiatives in Gordon Brown’s 10-Year framework for science was the creation of the Sciencewise programme, to support public dialogue on policy issues involving science and technology.
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Read full, original article: Let’s keep talking: why public dialogue on science and technology matters more than ever
