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Has the public really had enough of experts? Too often, scientists seem to exist in a different reality to everyone else. This provokes the mindset that the work being done is irrelevant to the world, and diminishes the incredible breakthroughs that are being made on a day-to-day basis. This evening will take a look at the role scientists must play in dispelling these myths, to truly engage the public and again place value on truth in an era of ‘fake news’.
Science communication from within the Scott Polar Research Institute
Gareth Rees
(Senior Lecturer)
Gareth Rees is a senior lecturer at the University, specialising in studying dynamics in the Arctic. This talk will explore what he has learnt about how to successfully run public engagement programmes from within the Scott Polar Research Institute.
Experiments in Art & Science
Hélène Doerflinger
(Public Engagement Officer)
Public engagement involves conversations about science and research in unexpected places and surprising ways. The Gurdon Institute aims to foster exchange between our scientists and the public, inspire young people and enable the society to value and have confidence in science. I will discuss our new project developed in collaboration with Kettle’s Yards art gallery: Experiments in Art & Science.
The Importance of Communicating Research in a 'Post-Truth' World
Professor Giles Yeo
(Professor of Molecular Neuroendocrinology and programme leader at the MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit in Cambridge)
How does one tell an actual expert from a fake in this ‘post-truth’ era? If you are a ‘doctor’ claiming that vaccines cause autism, surely you know what you are talking about? The only way to combat this degradation of the value of truth, is to be, as academics, passionate about the truth. I will argue that communicating with the public should be part of a scientist's arsenal to tell the truth and call out untruths wherever possible.
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