The Blog

As someone who loves TED and communicating complex messages in easy to undestand terms, I’m baffled by the lack of communication that goes on in the scientific community.

In my opinion, the ‘Ivory Tower’ metaphor for research institutions like universities more than adequately describes the current state of science in our society. However, as we have seen with the Climate Change debate in Australia, theres a crucial need for the communication of complex scientific facts in simple terms.

Scientists face the up-hill battle of having to explain highly technical ideas in easy-to-understand language; while denying politicians are able to present rhetorical arguments to undermine the credibility of their findings and research

A recent article in The Australian featured one scientist who had taken up the opportunity provided by social media to promote his research. University of Sydney’s Simon Chapman hit the nail on the head when he said:

”I just can’t see the point of doing research if no one is going to read it”.

Not only did this effectively communicate his work directly with those who were affected by it, but it also increased sales of his publications.

Dr. Chapman was able to tap into the appreciation that most people have for learning more about scientific discoveries. A recent survey of university students showed that a majority of people (an average of 56%) value scientific understanding, and appreciate that having it is empowering. Similarly, an average of 61% agreed that good science was highly valued in Australia.

In my opinion, the appreciation for scientific knowledge and understanding is present in society. However, the channels of communication that the public pay attention to are under-utilised by scientists.

The simplest and most effective way to increase communuation is to engage and utilize the social media channels that the public uses frequently such as online blogs, videos and podcasts. While new initiatives such as TED have helped to increase interest and understanding of scientific ideas, there is still a long way to go.

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