How Researchers Can Contribute to Fostering Democracy. An exploration diving into the challenge of interdisciplinary research communication.
Waitlist
Be among the first to find out when more outputs from this exploration are getting released! We have many exciting things planned (see formats).
Description
There is a lot to do! Let’s get started, fellow Early Career Researchers!
Climate crisis, social contract, sustainable economies, emerging diseases, poverty, … – we are facing complex challenges that demand new solutions or the translation of existing solutions into practice. They challenge us to leave behind one-dimensional patterns of thinking and practices in science, politics, and society.
As early career researchers, we are the ones who want to shape change and be part of the solutions.
What part of the solution to our complex challenges should and can science be? How can we, as early career researchers, contribute to a solution-oriented discourse in society grounded in diverse and sometimes contradictory evidence to replace a polarising culture war and shift the societal perspective to the numerous opportunities of forward-looking change?
Over the course of nine engaging sessions led by distinguished experts, we delved into the complex challenges of scholarly communication at the intersection of science, politics, and society. Together, we critically examined the role of scientists in shaping our democracies.
Since the series concluded, we’ve been working diligently make our learnings from the series accessible to as many people as possible through various formats.
Formats
Lecture Recordings and Summaries
We recorded all sessions, and these videos are currently under review. Soon, they will be available alongside concise summaries of each lecture.
Program
| Topic | Date | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| The concept of democracy – and structural, epistemological, and historical challenges of communication | 16th January 7pm CET | Caesar Atuire Ethics Lead for the MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine, Philosopher and Health Ethicist, University of Oxford |
| Scientists in society – exploring the concept “scientist” | 25th January 4.30pm CET | Trish Greenhalgh Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences and Course Director for the MSc in Translational Health Sciences, University of Oxford |
| The messiness of communicating in public spaces – A roadmap for scientists? | 30th January 1pm CET | Neil Johnson Professor of Physics, The George Washington University Claire Wardle Professor of the Practice of Health Services, Policy and Practice, Brown University |
| How will AI influence science communication? | 6th February 6pm CET | Jeanette Hofmann Head of Research Group Politics of Digitalization, WZB Berlin Social Science Center Mirko Bischofberger Expert in Science and Communication & Lecturer at EPFL |
| Public engagement – an indirect path: Can journalists cover science accurately? | 13th February 6pm CET | Mia Malan Editor in Chief, Executive Director at Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism |
| Public engagement – a direct path: Evidence-shaping citizens – democratising research? | 20th February 6pm CET | Joana Bezerra Lecturer and engaged researcher at Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) Division Theodore Duxbury Quality Assurance Pharmacist (DPhil) at Universal Healthcare |
| Evidence-based policy?! When researchers speak to politicians | 27th February 6pm CET | Luis Alberto Rodriguez Former Director of the Direction of National Planning of Colombia Toby Wardman Head of Communications at SAPEA, the Scientific Advice Mechanism of the EU |
| SKILLS workshop: science communication | 5th March 6pm CET | René Oosthuizen Senior lecturer at Rhodes University Community Engagement (RUCE) Division |
| Are scientists the better politicians? | 12th March 6pm CET | André Bächtiger Professor of Political Theory at the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Stuttgart |
Resources on Innovative Research Organization
Throughout the series, we learned about several inspiring groups and initiatives that embrace open science and have pioneered innovative approaches to science communication. Valuable examples to learn from, which we plan to highlight on this website.
Written Outputs
The series sparked deep discussions, irritation, questions, optimism, and plenty of motivation. We are currently consolidating our notes to create two key outputs:
- A comprehensive essay exploring the formats, objectives, and challenges of science communication.
- A concise collection of pledges designed to guide early-career researchers in becoming future leaders in Open Science communication.
Organisers
This project is organised by a group of early career researchers from the Student Network for Open Science, the Rhodes Scholar Group for Open Science, and the Master of Public Policy at the University of Oxford.
