December 6, 2023
The 2023 Symposium explores the ethics of how we communicate scientific findings to serve the public and decision-makers as threats to trust in science continue to mount. At what point does it become an ethical responsibility to share information? How do values and biases impact the way we communicate? Where has scientific information gotten politicized? And what does integrity in scientific research and communication look like in 2023? We discuss where science has been useful in public policy decisions, where it hasn't, and where we need to rethink our communication strategy to be truly effective.
Revisit all of this year's terrific panels and keynotes.
In our opening keynote, Heather Douglas shares what it means to consider the role of social and ethical values in science and the responsibility of science communicators. Heather is a philosopher of science best known for her work on the role of social and ethical values in science and science policy, the relationship between science and democracy, and science communication. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Michigan State University and author of The Rightful Place of Science: Science, Values, and Democracy.
Our closing keynote with Faith Kearns, author of Getting to the Heart of Science Communication, will discuss relationships and best practices when communicating controversial or high-stakes science topics. Faith is a scientist and science communication practitioner who writes and talks about water, wildfire, climate change, and people. She is the Director of Research Communications for the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative with Arizona State University's Global Futures Lab.
Our panel of experts discuss frameworks for thinking about ethics in science and cross-cultural communication, tensions within the scientific community and decision-making, and the role of building public trust and engagement. Moderator Flora Lichtman (Science Communicator) talked with panelists Maya Goldenberg (Professor of Philosophy, University of Guelph), Fabien Medvecky (Senior Lecturer, University of Otago), and Mónica Feliú Mójer (Director of Communications and Science Outreach, Ciencia Puerto Rico).
Our panel of experts discuss real-life scenarios and lessons learned on the challenges in communicating science in society – what has been successful, what has fallen short, and where we are headed. Moderator Aimee Pugh Bernard (CU AMC Basic Sciences Departments Science Communication Program) talked with panelists Evan Thornburg (Health Equity Officer, Department of Public Health, City of Philadelphia), Joe Wertz (Climate & Environmental Editor, Colorado Public Radio News), and Dr. Heidi Steltzer (Professor of Environment and Sustainability and Biology, Fort Lewis College).
In a live panel discussion at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, our panelists bring a diverse array of examples and perspectives on issues that feel close to home but also are reflective of our society when it comes to ethical decision-making. Featuring opening remarks from Congressman Joe Neguse (Colorado’s 2nd District, U.S. House of Representatives), and a panel discussion with Roger Pielke, Jr (Science Writer and Professor, University of Colorado Boulder), Beth Rudden (CEO and Chairwoman, Bast AI), and Dominick Moreno (Deputy Chief of Staff, City and County of Denver).
Here are 12 big ideas from this year’s discussions on the future of science communication.
Download nowA curated list of resources about the ethics of science communication recommended by this year's speakers and panelists.
SLIDE PRESENTATION
The Ethics of Science Communication in Democracies. Heather Douglas shares the slides from her keynote address. It argues for an ethics of science communication grounded in bases for the trustworthiness of science, including the presence of expertise, engagement with an expert community, and shared values.
ARTICLES
Advancing inclusion through culturally relevant science communication: a perspective from Puerto Rico. Mónica Feliú Mójer reviews the progress towards inclusion, equity, and justice and discusses how culturally relevant science communication activities are part of a broad movement seeking to change the culture, research, and practice of science communication.
Fairness in Knowing: Science Communication and Epistemic Justice. This paper by Fabien Medvecky presents an overview of issues related to epistemic justice for science communication, and argues that there are two quite distinct ways in which science communicators can be just (or unjust) in the way they distribute knowledge.
Humility: The Key Ethical Consideration at the Intersection of Science Communication and Trust. Dr. Nicole Kelp shares and elaborates on critical takeaways from this year's symposium.
Public Misunderstanding of Science? Reframing the Problem of Vaccine Hesitancy. Maya J. Goldenberg reinterprets vaccine hesitancy to be a problem of public mistrust of scientific experts and institutions and invites new corrective measures.
Public Trust in Science. Maya J. Goldenberg examines the two-way relationship between scientists and the public by considering the role of trust in science, both within scientific communities and between science and the public, where and how public mistrust arises, and what can be done to improve public trust in science.
Science Communicators Strategize How to Demystify Science. Check out this recap of key takeaways from our afternoon panel moderated by Aimee Bernard.
Sociology of Public Harassment Prevention Policies. This resource provides a framework for institutions to begin reviewing existing policies, practices, and resources in response to public harassment of academics and researchers. Written by Dr Zuleyka Zevallos, a Peruvian-Australian applied sociologist and author of The Other Sociologist blog.
The Ethics of Science Communication. In this article, Fabien Medvecky and Joan Leach discuss what is it that really makes communicating science a good, moral thing to do. And are there limits to the potential ‘goodness’ of science communication?
The importance of values for science. In this essay by Heather Douglas, she examines the implications of the need for values to inform scientific practice for public trust in science.
We could all do with a little reflexivity. Reflexivity refers to the examination of our identities, beliefs, motivations, and biases and how they influence what we do or think in a situation. For science communicators, this is a tool that can help us practice empathy and promote equity and belonging writes Andrea Isabel López in SciCommBites.
Who Do You Think You Are? When Marginality Meets Academic Microcelebrity. Tressie McMillan Cottom argues that interlocking structures of oppression contour neoliberal academic appeals for public scholarship.
BOOK PDF
The Rightful Place of Science: Science, Values, and Democracy. Download Heather Douglas' full book containing three edited lectures originally delivered in 2016.
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward An Undivided Life. Parker J. Palmer writes about welcoming the soul and weaving community in a wounded world.
An Ethics of Science Communication. Fabien Medvecky and Joan Leach present the first comprehensive set of principles for an ethics of science communication.
PODCASTS
Crisis to Comeback: Your Local Climate Action Podcast - Leadership of Service for a Thriving Colorado with Dr. Heidi Steltzer. Listen to this interview with Dr. Steltzer, Professor of Environment and Sustainability at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO, and founder of the Heidi Mountains Cooperative, a non-profit field station & retreat center in Cortez, CO that honors science and faith as ways of knowing.
Heather Douglas is a philosopher of science best known for her work on the role of social and ethical values in science and science policy, the relationship between science and democracy, and science communication. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Michigan State University and the author of dozens of articles and essays, several edited collections, The Rightful Place of Science: Science, Values, and Democracy (2021), and Science, Policy and the Value-Free Ideal (2009), an influential book on how values do and should influence science in the policy context. She is a fellow of the Institute for Science, Society, and Policy at the University of Ottawa, and in 2016, she was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Faith Kearns is a scientist and science communication practitioner who writes and talks about water, wildfire, climate change, and people. She is the Director of Research Communications for the Arizona Water Innovation Initiative with Arizona State University's Global Futures Lab. Her work has been published at New Republic, On Being, Bay Nature, and more. She is the author of the award-winning book Getting to the Heart of Science Communication: A Guide to Engagement (2021). Faith has developed science communication projects at the Ecological Society of America, served as an AAAS Science and Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of State, managed a wildfire research and outreach center at UC Berkeley, bridged science and policy advocacy efforts at the Pew Charitable Trusts, and led science communication efforts with the California Institute for Water Resources.
All times are Mountain Time
All sessions are virtual except where noted
Our opening keynote with Heather Douglas, author and professor, will share what it means to consider the role of social and ethical values in science and the responsibility of science communicators.
Join our panel of experts in discussing frameworks for thinking about ethics in science and cross-cultural communication, tensions within the scientific community and decision making, and the role in building public trust and engagement.
Join our panel of experts in discussing real-life scenarios and lessons learned on the challenges in communicating science in society – what has been successful, what has fallen short, and where we are headed.
Our closing keynote with Faith Kearns, author of Getting to the Heart of Science Communication, will discuss relationships and best practices when communicating controversial or high-stakes science topics.
Those that have donated $250 to the event will receive a special invitation to join George Sparks in a small-group conversation.
RSVP required.
RSVP required.
Join us for an in-person panel discussion bringing a diverse array of examples and perspectives on issues that feel close to home but also are reflective of our society when it comes to ethical decision-making.
Special Thanks to Symposium Sponsors
Joan Burleson & James M. Mulligan
Institute Symposium Steering Committee
Aimee Bernard Joan Burleson Nicole Delaney Kayla Dolan Mark Levine Tom Heister Jocelyn Hittle Nicole Kelp Kate Long |
Ben McConahey Supria Ranade Leonard Slosky Tom Thorpe Bethany Veo Dahvi Wilson George Sparks Kristan Uhlenbrock Tricia Waddell |