Project

The Public Face of Science

Energy & Environment
Science & Technology
Back to projects
Public Face of Science

The Public Face of Science project was dedicated to exploring the complex and evolving relationship between scientists and the public. This multi-year project engaged the expertise of a broad range of leaders in communication, law, humanities, the arts, journalism, public affairs, and the physical, social, and life sciences.

Featured publication

The Public Face of Science in America: Priorities for the Future

The Academy’s multi-year Public Face of Science initiative concludes with recommendations for improving connections between the public and science. The goals and findings of this initiative are increasingly urgent as the world faces COVID-19.
Overview

The Academy undertook the Public Face of Science initiative to explore and improve the connection between science and society in America. The project produced a trio of publications to respond to three core inquiries:

The COVID-19 crisis made the work exceptionally timely. A statement about the implications of COVID-19 and this project - issued by Richard A. Meserve, the Chair of this project, and Academy president David Oxtoby - highlights the inextricable connection between understanding science and ensuring a society’s well-being and, even, survival.

Additional publications from the project highlight public science perspectives around the world, advice for managing science during crisis, and an issue of Daedalus (the journal of the Academy) dedicated to science and the law.

The research and recommendations of the project are rooted in the recognition that improving science communication and engagement will strengthen the complex and evolving relationship between scientists and society, which is more important than ever. The Chair and Steering Committee benefited from a broad array of experts who participated in workshops and discussion groups at the beginning of the initiative and whose input guided the work.

People

People

Steering Group Chair
Steering Group

Emilio Bizzi

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Institute Professor
Academy Member

Geoffrey Cowan

USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
University Professor of Communication and Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership
Academy Member

Rush D. Holt

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Kenneth Prewitt

Columbia University
Carnegie Professor of Public Affairs and Vice-President for Global Centers
Academy Member

Samuel Osiah Thier

Massachusetts General Hospital
Professor of Medicine and Health Care Policy, Emeritus
Academy Member
Show More People Show Less
Publications

Publications

Report |
FEB 2019

Encountering Science in America

This data-rich report highlights the range and diversity of opportunities for science-centered activities – from aquariums and zoos and science festivals to entertainment and news and social media – and provides insight into why people engage.
Project
The Public Face of Science
Science & Technology
Show More Publications
Report |
FEB 2018

Perceptions of Science in America

Amid increasing concern over the extent to which the public values scientific evidence, this report offers an in-depth examination of the current state of trust in science among Americans.
Project
The Public Face of Science
Science & Technology
Show Less
News & Updates

News & Updates
Bulletin
|

Earning Trust in a COVID-19 Vaccine: Insights from the Public Face of Science Initiative

In August 2020, the Public Face of Science initiative published its final report, The Public Face of Science in America: Priorities for the Future, which outlines recommendations for strengthening the relationship between science and society. The first two reports released by the project, Perceptions of Science in America (2018) and Encountering Science in America (2019), show the heterogeneity of current attitudes toward science and the great breadth of experiences that can influence those attitudes. The final report takes a multifaceted approach and identifies three high-level areas for change that can, over the long term, shape attitudes toward science and people’s experiences with it.
In the News
|

Science communication is key to problem-solving, experts say

Civic science literacy is key to our democracy, and the current science literacy of American citizens is a concern to many scientists and scientific leaders. An Academy event on “Communicating Science in an Age of Disbelief in Experts” shed light on the growing gap between the scientific community and civilians.
Source
Iowa State Daily
Show More News & Updates
In the News
|

Breaking Down Silos Between Science Engagement Professionals

Erica Kimmerling, former Hellman Fellow for Science and Technology Policy at the American Academy, explores how to break down silos between science engagement professionals, citing the Academy report on Encountering Science in America.
Source
Association of Science and Technology Centers
Bulletin
|

New Academy Report on Science During Crisis: Why Does it Matter?

Weather and climate disasters – along with natural hazards, such as earthquakes, public health crises, and human-caused contaminant spills – threaten human lives and pose challenges to relief efforts, to the restoration of ecosystems, and to the rebuilding of communities. Science plays an important role in response and recovery and can contribute immensely to disaster prevention.
In the News
|

Science and Tech in an Age of Anxiety

A new study from the Academy's project on the Public Face of Science analyzes public optimism and reservations about science and technology across 54 countries and 81,000 people.
Source
Medium
In the News
|

Science during crisis

"Science During Crisis" coauthors Rita Colwell and Gary Machlis show how science plays a critical role in responding to crises, informing and guiding decisions governing disaster response and recovery.
Source
Science
An aerial view of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy to the New Jersey coast taken during a search and rescue mission.
Press Release
|

Science During Crisis: New Report with Recommendations

In the latest publication from the Academy's Public Face of Science initiative, coauthors Rita Colwell and Gary Machlis offer insights and recommendations to increase the role of scientists in times of disaster that will result in better individual and institutional decisions.
Bulletin
|

Dædalus Explores Science & the Legal System

Courts have long called upon experts making scientific claims to inform legal proceedings. As the range of scientific knowledge has expanded, so too have questions and challenges about the role and basis of claims of scientific expertise. For instance, how should courts respond when scientific experts do not agree?
Bulletin
|

The Public Face of Science

Perceptions of Science in America offers an in-depth examination of the current state of trust in science among Americans. The data paint a picture of a heterogeneous public whose perceptions are dependent on context and values. The report underscores the need for additional studies on the influences on attitudes toward science, as well as how those attitudes impact both personal decisions and public support for evidence-based policy.
In the News
|

The Complex Relationship Between Science and the Public

Irving Wladawsky-Berger looks at each of the sections in "Perceptions of Science in America": an overview of the general perceptions of science, demographic influences on these views, and a detailed look at three controversial science topics.
Source
The Wall Street Journal
In the News
|

The question of trust in science requires many answers

A new report on a survey by the American Academy seeks to begin a process of informing academics on how to respond to anti-intellectual trends. Its key finding is that any attempt to lump together the doubters of science on the many important subjects will impair an effective response.
Source
University World News
Bulletin
|

Communicating Science in an Age of Disbelief in Experts

On May 18, 2017, the American Academy, in partnership with the Carnegie Institution for Science, hosted a meeting at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C., on “Communicating Science in an Age of Disbelief in Experts.”
Bulletin
|

Communicating Science through Art

On December 12, 2016, at the Century Association in New York, the Academy hosted the Morton L. Mandel Public Lecture on “Communicating Science through Art” with Diane Ackerman and Alan Alda. This program served as the Academy’s 2048th Stated Meeting and included an introduction by Geneva Overholser.
Bulletin
|

Communicating Scientific Facts in an Age of Uncertainty

As the Academy continues to look at issues related to public perceptions of risk, uncertainty, and scientific research through its Public Face of Science initiative, it partnered with the University of Chicago to organize a public symposium on “Communicating Scientific Facts in an Age of Uncertainty.” The symposium featured presentations by Olufunmilayo I. Olopade and Arthur Lupia.
Show Less
Events

Events
Feb 28, 2022

Night at the Museums

Featuring Scott Vernon Edwards, Jon McVey Erlandson, Matt Friedman, Douglas E. Soltis, Pamela S. Soltis, Victoria L. Sork, and David W. Oxtoby
Online
Show More Events
Sep 16, 2020

Earning Trust in the Age of the Pandemic

Featuring David W. Oxtoby, Victor J. Dzau, Francis Sellers Collins, Evelynn M. Hammonds, Seth Mnookin, Monica Schoch-Spana, and Erica Palma Kimmerling
Online
The South African Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory No. 15, Vaccine department.
Jan 29, 2019

Trust in Science: Vaccines

Featuring Jeffrey Baker, Elena Conis, Robert M. Hauser, and Erica Palma Kimmerling
Philadelphia, PA
DNA sequencing gel
Oct 29, 2018

Science & the Legal System

Featuring Shari Seidman Diamond, Richard Owen Lempert, Jed S. Rakoff, Nancy Gertner, and David S. Tatel
Washington, D.C.
Show Less
Project Information

The Public Face of Science project is funded in part by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Rita Allen Foundation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Project Date
-
Back to projects