Talking Science

A cademics across the nation, many of whom were previously reluctant to become public advocates for research, voiced their collective support for science at the March for Science on Earth Day and the People's Climate March last weekend. Now, many are asking, what's next' How can they continue to advocate for and communicate the relevance of their work to the public, political representatives and the news media? This month, UC San Diego's Divisions of Biological and Physical Sciences will launch a Research Communications program designed to address that need. Funded by a two-year, $225,000 grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the new effort seeks to improve the ability of faculty members, postdoctoral fellows and other researchers on campus to communicate their work to the public. 'Scientists are great at making discoveries, but less great at explaining in plain language how their discoveries can benefit current and future generations,' said Bill McGinnis, dean of the Division of Biological Sciences. 'There's a serious and increasing gap in understanding the value that basic science brings to solving the great challenges facing Earth and humanity.' 'In an age in which there are significant doubts among certain portions of society about the value of science and scientific discovery, it's vitally important that today's research scientists find better ways to communicate to the public the value of new discoveries in science,' said Jeffrey Remmel, a professor of mathematics and the program's principal investigator.