RELATED STORY: New Report on Science Communication: Information Is Not Enough

In an effort to build knowledge about how to effectively communicate about science, particularly as it relates to controversial public issues, the National Research Council of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine has gathered a multidisciplinary committee to produce a consensus report on findings to date in the study of communication of contentious scientific topics. The report will also outline questions that should direct future research, ultimately with the goal to strengthen the role of science in crucial social decisions. The Rita Allen Foundation is supporting the committee’s work as well as a connected project by Climate Central, an independent organization of scientists and journalists researching and reporting on climate change, to apply the committee’s findings through original social science research. The committee is engaging with a variety of science communication practitioners and experts as it examines a wide range of factors that affect how science is perceived and used, including in the domains of psychology, culture, context, politics, communication tools and social issues.