UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Richard Alley has a message for scientists: It’s time to revamp the message.
In a keynote address to scientists and educators at the 2018 American Meteorological Society Conference, Alley said people may be losing their appreciation for the good they get from science, and it’s up to the scientific community to change that.
In a talk titled “Transforming Communication in the Environment Sciences: Some Thoughts from a Reluctant Participant,” the Evan Pugh University Professor and world-renowned geoscientist said scientists have a winning message, one that leads to better, healthier lives, economic gains and a cleaner environment.
But, he said, researchers are failing to fully articulate these gains to the public.
Take a 2017 poll from the Pew Research Center, which found that higher education no longer has bipartisan support. About 58 percent of Republican or Republican-leaning citizens say colleges have a negative effect on the country. About 19 percent of Democrats feel the same.
Alley gave the smartphone as a science success story. Without science and engineering, he said, it’s just sand, oil and rocks.
“They are absolutely essential for our day-to-day living,” Alley said. “Where did we get them? They came from public-private partnerships, build on university research with domestic and military applications … and I’m not convinced that all of our fellow citizens have that loaded anymore.”