Restoring Trust in Science in an Age of Doubt
Transforming the way scientists engage with the public will save science from losing funds and create new job openings, said scientist Paul Sutter in his speech at the Museum of Science in Boston on Wednesday.
“The only way we get more long-term positions and fundamental research is with a lot more money and in order to get that funding we have to gain more trust within the public because it is the public that is influencing the policymakers that are influencing funding decisions. So we have to complete that circle,” Sutter said in a comment after his speech.
Sutter calls on his fellow colleagues to lose their sense of superiority. “Speak from the heart. Speak as a human. Don’t speak as a scientist speaking to a non-scientist. We already have that. We call them classrooms.” The NASA advisor encourages scientists to simplify concepts and avoid jargon. “You deserve to have science communicated to you in a way that you can appreciate and understand and that you can continue supporting,” Sutter said.
Sutter points to alarming statistics that confirm his belief that the relationship between scientists and society is broken. As of October 2023, only 57% of Americans trust in science compared to 74% in 2020, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center. In the promotion of his book Rescuing Science. Restoring Trust In An Age Of Doubt, Sutter identifies fraud as one of the main causes of this drop in numbers.
“Publish or Perish.”
Sutter explains that students pursuing advanced science degrees face immense pressure to publish dozens of papers leading to inaccuracies and students faking results just to be able to keep up. “Some scientific research is stupid because the point of it is not to advance human knowledge. The point is to crank out another paper and you create the conditions where fraud can persist and grow like black mold,” Sutter said.
He also insists on transparency with students who anticipate securing a high-paying job immediately after college. “For every 10 Science PhDs that we produce every single year, there is one open faculty position. We are outproducing scientists by a factor of 10.”
A sampling of audience members suggested they resonated with Sutter. “Getting a job coming out of college proved to be way harder than expected,” engineer Phil Schreibman said. Among the audience of about 30 people sat James Monroe, the director of programming at the museum, who is convinced that Sutter’s book “is going to ruffle some feathers for sure, but in a good way.” The director added, “It is a conversation that is really timely for our institution right now.”
Sutter is aware of the uproar his new book is causing and encourages his fellow scientists to hold themselves accountable and take on a new perspective. “Science is a beautiful and powerful way, but it is just one strand in the tapestry of human exploration of this weird and wonderful universe that we find ourselves in. There are so many beautiful ways to explore the universe.” Sutter demands the industry transition into interactions with the public that are honest and humble.
“Respect is earned. Trust is earned. You cannot demand respect. You cannot demand trust.”
Without Communication Majors The Battle Against Climate Change Might Be Lost
In the battle against climate change, the frontline warriors include not only individuals with STEM backgrounds but also those pursuing majors in communication who can bridge the gap between science and the public, according to an alumni panel at Emerson College on Monday.
The panel on the navigation of government and sustainability met to discuss the importance of promoting sustainability in the media. All of the panelists agree that without effective communication, the fight against climate change may already be lost.
“The people who are doing communication work are just as important as the engineer who is putting up the solar panel or the wind turbine. The technology is there. The policy needs to be there too,” Craig Gilvarg, director of communication for one of America’s major offshore wind farms, said. He strongly believes that the public’s support of renewable energy sources depends on effective explanation.
“I have worked with some of the smartest people I could possibly imagine, so far beyond me in terms of their technical knowledge and expertise, but for the life of them, they could not explain what they were doing to a single normal stakeholder operating at a basic level of information,” Gilvarg said.
Not only does persuading key decision makers matter, but also convincing those who remain skeptical of climate change to make them a part of a more sustainable future. Gilvarg advocates for an optimistic approach in the media showing that climate change is not a hopeless battle and highlighting the tools we have to combat climate change.
“We had just got video today from our videographer and the first turbine spinning out there. They are beautiful and majestic and provide clean energy and that kind of imagery gives people hope,” Gilvarg said.
Freelance Reporter and Political Communication Instructor Nico Emack offers a different solution by tailoring his stories to an angle that he believes conservative opponents of climate change will want to consume and agree with. Highlighting geopolitical concerns, Emack published stories on Russia and China pursuing military bases in the Arctic drilling oil and natural resources.
“The ice is melting. It is opening up new trades, opening up new military opportunities. It is opening up opportunities for our enemies to get stronger. Now, that is an argument for climate change that a conservative audience can get behind.”
Instead of counting on hope, Emack asks his students only one question when reporting on sustainability: “How can I frame it in a way that actually speaks to the audience that I am trying to convince?“
The panel encouraged the about 40 students who attended to keep pursuing degrees in communication and policy making as climate change becomes more relevant. Training the ability to give a speech, to interview, and to write concisely is just as important in becoming a policymaker as is scientific knowledge, Pranit Chand, intern at the United Nations Development Programme, said.
“We need as a country, as a state and as a city to have the right policies in place to take on this huge generational challenge,” Gilvarg agreed.