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First published online September 3, 2009; doi:10.3732/ajb.0900041 American Journal of Botany 96: 1767-1778 (2009) © 2009 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

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What’s next for science communication? Promising directions and lingering distractions¹

² School of Communication, American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20016 USA ³ Department of Life Sciences Communication, Hiram Smith Hall, 1545 Observatory Drive, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin USA 53706-1215

ABSTRACT

In this essay, we review research from the social sciences on how the public makes sense of and participates in societal decisions about science and technology. We specifically highlight the role of the media and public communication in this process, challenging the still dominant assumption that science literacy is both the problem and the solution to societal conflicts. After reviewing the cases of evolution, climate change, food biotechnology, and nanotechnology, we offer a set of detailed recommendations for improved public engagement efforts on the part of scientists and their organizations. We emphasize the need for science communication initiatives that are guided by careful formative research; that span a diversity of media platforms and audiences; and that facilitate conversations with the public that recognize, respect, and incorporate differences in knowledge, values, perspectives, and goals.

Key Words: informal learning • popular science • public engagement • science and society • science communication • science literacy • science policy

Received for publication 3 February 2009. Accepted for publication 26 June 2009.

FOOTNOTES

¹ The authors thank two anonymous reviewers for their detailed comments on an earlier version of this article.

⁴ Author for correspondence (e-mail: nisbet{at}american.edu)

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