Prof. John Besley
Prof. John Besley
Prof. Besley studies public opinion about science and scientists’ opinions about the public in the context of trying to help science communicators be more strategic. He wants to understand how views about decision-makers and decision processes affect perceptions of science and technology with potential health or environmental impacts. His research has touched on public perceptions of agricultural biotechnology (i.e., genetic engineering), energy technologies (i.e., nuclear energy), and nanotechnology.Dr. Besley has published more than 90 peer-reviewed journal articles, reports, and book chapters. He has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the United States Department of Agriculture, and a range of foundations. He is also an associate editor for Risk Analysis and a member of the editorial boards for Science Communication, Public Understanding of Science, Environmental Communication, and the Journal of Risk Research. Dr. Besley was made a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in 2018.
TALK ABSTRACT:
The scientific community would benefit if science communicators behaved more strategically when making communication choices. Doing so could increase the likelihood that the time and resources we put into communication advance the scientific enterprise.Being truly strategic in science communication likely means starting with the identification of clear, long-term, audience-specific behavioral goals. It should then involve using theory and evidence to prioritize intermediate communication objectives that have the best chance of achieving the identified goals, as well as communication tactics that have the best chance to achieve the prioritized objectives. Tools such as dialogue, storytelling, audience-analysis, and jargon-free communication are useful tactics, but they are not strategies, goals, or objectives. Similarly, increasing scientific knowledge and excitement are often key intermediate objectives but rarely the end-goal of communication.A first step to becoming a more strategic communicator is to understand (a) the difference between long-term behavioral goals and intermediate communication objectives, and (b) the range of communication objectives that communicators can choose. This talk will suggest just two main types of goals and a limited range of objectives that most science communicators need to consider. These two goals include changing either audience or communicator behavior, or legitimacy judgments. Potential communication objectives include evaluative beliefs about the natural world (i.e., scientific knowledge), other people (i.e., trustworthiness, social norms), and behaviors, as well as a range of discrete emotions and frames. Knowing more about goals and objectives enables nuanced, evidence-based, and creative discussions about the infinite range of tactical choices available to science communicators.The talk will be grounded in research conducted by the author and his colleagues over the last decade. This work includes personal interviews and quantitative surveys with scientists, as well as interviews of communication trainers, foundation leaders, fellowship-program managers, and others. The underlying ideas also originate in research about the social psychology of behavior change, trust and fairness. It also draws on thinking about strategic communication and organizational strategy. Two tensions that will be addressed throughout the talk include the ethics of behavior change, and the challenge of goal-setting for scientists focused on basic or discovery science.
Prof. John Besley
Prof. Prajval Shastri
Prof Prajval Shastri has been an astrophysicist for over thirty-five years. She got her PhD from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, and held post-doctoral research positions in the University of Texas at Austin, University of California at Berkeley and the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics before joining the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, where she was faculty for 23 years. In her research she specialises in the empirical investigation of giant black holes that are found in the centres of distant galaxies. She uses telescopes operating at radio, infrared, optical, ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma-ray frequencies to study these distant galaxies and their central black holes, and in particular, the consequences of jets launched from their environment at relativistic speeds and the impact on star-formation in their host galaxies. She has been a Fulbright Senior Fellow at Stanford University Senior Associate at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences-TIFR, a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, and is currently Adjunct Professor at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, Australia. She is extremely passionate about science outreach, believes that the cultivation of scientific thinking is for everyone, uses astrophysics as a vehicle to engage lay audiences of all ages with these questions, and has led several national campaigns in this context (Eyes on ISON the Comet 2013, Coppermoon Rising! 2018, Crescent Sun Campaign 2019). She is also deeply concerned about the gender disparity in the sciences. She was the country team leader of the delegation of Indian physicists to the International Conferences on Women in Physics and is a member of the Women in Physics Working Group of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics. She is the founder and past Chair of the Gender in Physics Working Group of the Indian Physics Association, and a member of the Working Group for Gender Equity of the Astronomical Society of India. In addition to her research publications, her published work includes popular articles on astrophysics, and on the subject of science and society.
TALK ABSTRACT:
Our Obligations while Crafting our Science Communication Practice:Lessons from Investigating Gender Inequity – Astronomy has begun to be acknowledged as a powerful vehicle that can enable moving towards a better, more equitable world. Concomitantly, however, it is clear from the evidence from across the globe, that the march of time alone will not address the gender gap in particular and the lack of diversity in general within astrophysics, because discrimination against the marginalised is entrenched in the astrophysics enterprise. It therefore becomes an obligation for science communicators to mould our outward sci-com practice, based on the causality pointed to by the evidence. It further becomes a responsibility to also become critical insiders and drive change within the profession. These ideas will be expanded upon with evidence and examples from the Indian context.
Prof. John Besley
Prof. Travis Rector
Prof Travis Rector is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Because the Arctic is warming at twice the rate of the world, Alaskans are experience the effects of climate change disproportionately. Much of his work is therefore focused on helping people understand the consequences of climate change, and what we can do about it. He is also the Chair of the American Astronomical Society’s Sustainability Committee and a member of its Strategic Planning committee. In these roles, he is working to help fellow astronomers become better educators and communicators about climate change, as well as inform about ways we can reduce the carbon footprint of our profession.
TALK ABSTRACT:
Simply put, climate change is currently the most important topic for science outreach. Humanity’s response, particularly in the next decade, has critical consequences for what the future will hold. Fortunately astronomy communicators are well positioned to make a difference. We are highly trusted. And we offer a unique and important perspective that can help people understand the problem as well as solutions. Introductory astronomy classes and our public outreach are an effective way to teach climate change because they reach large numbers of people and cover related topics.But we need to recognize that climate change communication is different than the other forms of outreach we do. Climate change is a difficult topic to teach because it spans a wide range of subject areas, from physics to psychology. It is also a controversial topic, meaning that simply knowing the science content is not enough to effectively teach it. In fact, it is now clear that understanding the science is not enough. People largely made decisions about climate change based upon their values and identity. They therefore need to understand how climate change affects things they care about.In my talk I will describe effective methods for teaching climate change in astronomy classes as well as present established strategies for engaging the public. I will also outline ways in which our profession can reduce our carbon footprint. To avoid the worst consequences of climate change, research indicates that humanity must reduce carbon emissions 50% by 2030, and nearly 100% by 2050. I will describe strategies being considered by the American Astronomical Society to meet that goal.
Prof. John Besley
Prof. Ewine van Dishoeck
Prof Ewine van Dishoeck is professor of molecular astrophysics at Leiden University, the Netherlands. The work of her group innovatively unites the world of chemistry with that of physics and astronomy. She has been heavily involved in planning major new telescopes, and has been fortunate to receive many awards, including the 2018 Kavli Prize for Astrophysics, as well as membership of several academies. As of 2018, Ewine serves as the President of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
TALK ABSTRACT:
IAU100: Celebrating a century of progress in astronomy:
In 2019, the International Astronomical Union (IAU), commemorated itsfoundation a century ago. This was an opportunity to celebrate more broadly the progress in astronomy over the past hundred years and what our field has brought to society, but also to look ahead and reflect critically on IAU’s role for decades to come. Looking back, scientific and technological progress in astronomy has been beyond anything imagined at the time the IAU was constituted in 1919. What will the next hundred years bring? How do we engage with other sciences, now that our field is becoming more multidisciplinary? How do we convince governments and agencies to continue funding the ever more powerfultelescopes and satellites? And how do we continue to inspire and involve people worldwide, from young to old, in our exciting adventure through space? This talk will present some highlights and lessons learned of IAU100 as well as a forward look on how the IAU is positioned to carry out its mission: to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects (including research, communication, education and development) through international cooperation.