Science and society: the art of reaching the public and policymakers

Scientists are experts at producing knowledge, but they are rarely trained to communicate it to those outside of their fields. This may have detrimental consequences for funding. Ultimately, since research is funded by the public, it is essential that the public be informed of what the research yields. The art of informing the public about research outcomes consists of two parts: (1) explaining results accurately, despite their potential complexity, and (2) finding suitable outlets in public media. This latter issue will be the focus of our discussion. How can scientists successfully reach out to media professionals if they wish to share exciting results? What is the benefit of networking in this context and how can this be done most efficiently and effectively? Academia is demanding, so “selling intriguing results” to a broad audience can easily take a backseat. But, even when scientists share results that have no obvious immediate economic benefit, they can influence policymakers to provide funding. This will be discussed with the audience after short expert inputs from different disciplines.