%0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %E Snow, Catherine E. %E Dibner, Kenne A. %T Science Literacy: Concepts, Contexts, and Consequences %@ 978-0-309-44756-0 %D 2016 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/23595/science-literacy-concepts-contexts-and-consequences %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/23595/science-literacy-concepts-contexts-and-consequences %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Education %P 166 %X Science is a way of knowing about the world. At once a process, a product, and an institution, science enables people to both engage in the construction of new knowledge as well as use information to achieve desired ends. Access to science—whether using knowledge or creating it—necessitates some level of familiarity with the enterprise and practice of science: we refer to this as science literacy. Science literacy is desirable not only for individuals, but also for the health and well- being of communities and society. More than just basic knowledge of science facts, contemporary definitions of science literacy have expanded to include understandings of scientific processes and practices, familiarity with how science and scientists work, a capacity to weigh and evaluate the products of science, and an ability to engage in civic decisions about the value of science. Although science literacy has traditionally been seen as the responsibility of individuals, individuals are nested within communities that are nested within societies—and, as a result, individual science literacy is limited or enhanced by the circumstances of that nesting. Science Literacy studies the role of science literacy in public support of science. This report synthesizes the available research literature on science literacy, makes recommendations on the need to improve the understanding of science and scientific research in the United States, and considers the relationship between scientific literacy and support for and use of science and research. %0 Book %A National Academy of Sciences %E Olson, Steve %T The Science of Science Communication III: Inspiring Novel Collaborations and Building Capacity: Proceedings of a Colloquium %@ 978-0-309-46858-9 %D 2018 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24958/the-science-of-science-communication-iii-inspiring-novel-collaborations-and %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/24958/the-science-of-science-communication-iii-inspiring-novel-collaborations-and %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Policy for Science and Technology %P 118 %X Successful scientists must be effective communicators within their professions. Without those skills, they could not write papers and funding proposals, give talks and field questions, or teach classes and mentor students. However, communicating with audiences outside their profession - people who may not share scientists' interests, technical background, cultural assumptions, and modes of expression - presents different challenges and requires additional skills. Communication about science in political or social settings differs from discourse within a scientific discipline. Not only are scientists just one of many stakeholders vying for access to the public agenda, but the political debates surrounding science and its applications may sometimes confront scientists with unfamiliar and uncomfortable discussions involving religious values, partisan interests, and even the trustworthiness of science. The Science of Science Communication III: Inspiring Novel Collaborations and Building Capacity summarizes the presentations and discussions from a Sackler Colloquium convened in November 2017. This event used Communicating Science Effectively as a framework for examining how one might apply its lessons to research and practice. It considered opportunities for creating and applying the science along with the barriers to doing so, such as the incentive systems in academic institutions and the perils of communicating science in polarized environments. Special attention was given to the organization and infrastructure necessary for building capacity in science communication. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %E Pandya, Rajul %E Dibner, Kenne Ann %T Learning Through Citizen Science: Enhancing Opportunities by Design %@ 978-0-309-47916-5 %D 2018 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25183/learning-through-citizen-science-enhancing-opportunities-by-design %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25183/learning-through-citizen-science-enhancing-opportunities-by-design %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Education %P 204 %X In the last twenty years, citizen science has blossomed as a way to engage a broad range of individuals in doing science. Citizen science projects focus on, but are not limited to, nonscientists participating in the processes of scientific research, with the intended goal of advancing and using scientific knowledge. A rich range of projects extend this focus in myriad directions, and the boundaries of citizen science as a field are not clearly delineated. Citizen science involves a growing community of professional practitioners, participants, and stakeholders, and a thriving collection of projects. While citizen science is often recognized for its potential to engage the public in science, it is also uniquely positioned to support and extend participants' learning in science. Contemporary understandings of science learning continue to advance. Indeed, modern theories of learning recognize that science learning is complex and multifaceted. Learning is affected by factors that are individual, social, cultural, and institutional, and learning occurs in virtually any context and at every age. Current understandings of science learning also suggest that science learning extends well beyond content knowledge in a domain to include understanding of the nature and methods of science. Learning Through Citizen Science: Enhancing Opportunities by Design discusses the potential of citizen science to support science learning and identifies promising practices and programs that exemplify the promising practices. This report also lays out a research agenda that can fill gaps in the current understanding of how citizen science can support science learning and enhance science education. %0 Book %T The Science of Science Communication II: Summary of a Colloquium %@ 978-0-309-29200-9 %D 2014 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18478/the-science-of-science-communication-ii-summary-of-a-colloquium %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18478/the-science-of-science-communication-ii-summary-of-a-colloquium %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Policy for Science and Technology %P 138 %X Successful scientists must be effective communicators within their professions. Without those skills, they could not write papers and funding proposals, give talks and field questions, or teach classes and mentor students. However, communicating with audiences outside their profession - people who may not share scientists' interests, technical background, cultural assumptions, and modes of expression - presents different challenges and requires additional skills. Communication about science in political or social settings differs from discourse within a scientific discipline. Not only are scientists just one of many stakeholders vying for access to the public agenda, but the political debates surrounding science and its applications may sometimes confront scientists with unfamiliar and uncomfortable discussions involving religious values, partisan interests, and even the trustworthiness of science. The Science of Science Communication II is the summary of a Sackler Colloquium convened in September 2013 At this event, leading social, behavioral, and decision scientists, other scientists, and communication practitioners shared current research that can improve the communication of science to lay audiences. In the Sackler Colloquia tradition, the meeting also allowed social and natural scientists to identify new opportunities to collaborate and advance their own research, while improving public engagement with science. Speakers provided evidence-based guidance on how to listen to others so as to identify their information needs, ways of thinking about the world, and the cultural stereotypes regarding scientists. They delved deeply into the incentive systems that shape what scientists study and how they report their work, the subtle changes in framing that can influence how messages are interpreted, the complex channels that determine how messages flow, and the potential politicization of scientific evidence. %0 Book %A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine %E Resnick, Helaine E. %E Sawyer, Keegan %E Huddleston, Nancy %T Trust and Confidence at the Interfaces of the Life Sciences and Society: Does the Public Trust Science? A Workshop Summary %@ 978-0-309-37792-8 %D 2015 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/21798/trust-and-confidence-at-the-interfaces-of-the-life-sciences-and-society %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/21798/trust-and-confidence-at-the-interfaces-of-the-life-sciences-and-society %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Biology and Life Sciences %K Education %K Behavioral and Social Sciences %P 66 %X Does the public trust science? Scientists? Scientific organizations? What roles do trust and the lack of trust play in public debates about how science can be used to address such societal concerns as childhood vaccination, cancer screening, and a warming planet? What could happen if social trust in science or scientists faded? These types of questions led the Roundtable on Public Interfaces of the Life Sciences of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to convene a 2-day workshop on May 5-6, 2015 on public trust in science. This report explores empirical evidence on public opinion and attitudes toward life sciences as they relate to societal issues, whether and how contentious debate about select life science topics mediates trust, and the roles that scientists, business, media, community groups, and other stakeholders play in creating and maintaining public confidence in life sciences. Does the Public Trust Science? Trust and Confidence at the Interfaces of the Life Sciences and Society highlights research on the elements of trust and how to build, mend, or maintain trust; and examine best practices in the context of scientist engagement with lay audiences around social issues.