Public Engagement & Philosophy of Science

Public engagement with science involves more than simply scientists explaining scientific facts to the public. Approaches to public engagement must address complex issues like trust in science, political polarization, and understanding science's methods and social structure. 

This interdisciplinary workshop brings together academics and practitioners to further theoretical and practical resources for public outreach and engagement about science. The aim is to (1) develop connections between philosophy of science and other disciplines with expertise in public engagement and (2) identify and help develop distinctive roles for philosophers of science in the interdisciplinary project of engaging the public with science. Workshop themes include:
(1)  Science communication: public-facing events, writing, and social media
(2)  Science education: engaging with students and educators about science
(3)  Informal science education: science encounters for all ages in settings such as museums, zoos, and libraries
(4)  Scientific work with communities: research with public participation, such as citizen science and community-based research.

Workshop Program: The first two days of the workshop will consist in morning and early-afternoon lectures from experts from outside philosophy on each of these topics, followed by interactive breakout sessions in the late afternoon on each topic. The third day will focus on future directions for public engagement within philosophy of science. This will include working group sessions on each of the four conference themes focused on the prospects for philosophy of science contributions to these activities. Each working group will develop a reference for philosophers of science beginning work in public engagement.

Registration: Registration is free but required so that we know how many people to plan for; please register by April 30. Register here. 

For more information, please see workshop website: https://ucengagingscience.org/workshop. 

Contact Melissa Jacquart at [email protected] with any questions. 

This is a project of the University of Cincinnati Center for Public Engagement with Science, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and cosponsored by the University of Cincinnati Taft Research Center, Department of Philosophy, and College of Arts and Sciences. Pending final grant approval, we hope to provide some travel funding support to those interested in attending the workshop.