Communities for Science: A Study in Creating Social Spaces for Scientific Discussion

摘要

With science illiteracy an increasingly problematic obstacle to public, social discussions on science based policy, academic relevance, and funding of scientific research, there is also an increasing importance to programs that can foster understanding of scientific concepts, methods, and knowledge within the general public. Political polarization has a significant effect on public acceptance of knowledge gained through scientific inquiry, particularly in fields of climate and medical science. In recent years, public and social media reporting on scientific discoveries are generally slanted to please the expectations of the viewership, or titled in such a way as to incite an emotional response. Space exploration research and space science is often seen by self-defined "fiscally conservative" populations as potentially interesting but irrelevant to the advancement of social needs. However, initial data did not indicate strong emotional or political ties to aerospace related research or space exploration, thus making the subject of aerospace science an ideal focal point for attracting public discourse. The effort to find and cultivate creative solutions to engage those people who do not see the importance or understand the process of scientific inquiry was given titled the 'Communities for Science' project, with the goal fostering public understanding and enthusiasm for the sciences by creating social and community spaces for open communication between scientists and the public. A secondary goal of the 'Communities for Science' project was to promote science based community outreach, and pursue a framework by which other communities can do the same. In Phase One, it was found that a significant challenge in this endeavor was directly engaging with those who either have no interest in discussing the sciences or hold a deep distrust for experts in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. It was also found that participants in the project would consistently refocus discussions to those areas of the sciences that were seen as both publically controversial and personally relevant. Using knowledge gained from surveys, classroom discussions, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews, a plan was developed for finding and supporting community intermediaries to assist in engaging their social circles, and the preliminary results are reported.