Workshop: Public Engagement with Science and Philosophy of Science

Workshop: Public Engagement with Science and Philosophy of Science

Organized by the University of Cincinnati Center for Public Engagement with Science

sponsored by the National Science Foundation (PI: Melissa Jacquart; co-PI: Angela Potochnik), cosponsored by the UC Taft Research Center, Philosophy Department, and College of Arts and Sciences, and by the Philosophy of Science Association

Online: April 30, May 7, May 14

Website: https://ucengagingscience.org/workshop/

Registration is free and open until April 23: http://bit.ly/pews-workshop

Contact [email protected] with any questions.

About: 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 develop theoretical and practical resources for public outreach and engagement about science. The aims are 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. The workshop’s themes are science communication, formal and informal science education, and scientific work with communities. 

Logistics: This workshop will take place entirely online and will consist of both asynchronous and synchronous content.   

• Asynchronous content: Keynote talks will be delivered as asynchronous pre-recorded talks and will be made available to registrants in early April.   

• Synchronous content: Live workshop content (see below) will take place online in Zoom. To facilitate both asynchronous and synchronous discussions, the workshop will also have a Slack Community. Access to the workshop’s Slack Community and Zoom links will be made available to registrants in early April.   

• Post Workshop Content: All asynchronous keynote talks and most synchronous content will be recorded and posted online at the conclusion of the workshop on the Center for Public Engagement with Science YouTube page.

Day 1:  Friday, April 30 Science Communication | Formal Science Education

11:30 – 12:30 pm EST Science Communication Keynotes Q&A 
12:45 – 2:00 pm EST Science Communication Panel Discussion

2:15 – 2:45 pm EST Networking Groups [highly interactive session] 
3:00 – 4:00 pm EST Formal Science Education Keynotes Q&A

4:15 – 5:30 pm EST Formal Science Education Activity [highly interactive session] 

Day 2:  Friday, May 7 Informal Science Education (ISE) | Scientific Work with Communities

11:30 – 12:30 pm EST ISE Keynotes Q&A
12:45 – 2:00 pm EST ISE Activity [highly interactive session] 
2:15 – 2:45 pm EST Networking Groups [highly interactive session] 
3:00 – 4:00 pm EST Scientific Work with Communities Keynotes Q&A 
4:15 – 5:30 pm EST Scientific Work with Communities Panel Discussion 

Day 3:  Friday, May 14 Philosophy of Science & Public Engagement with Science

The workshop’s third day is intended primarily for philosophers of science. The goal is to have extended discussions about how to expand the discipline of philosophy of science’s participation in public engagement with science. This will include working group sessions on philosophy of science’s prospective contributions to each of the four conference themes, as well as discussion about how to address the challenges facing philosophers of science working on public engagement with science.  

12:00 – 1:30 pm EST Topic-Specific Working Group Discussions 
Participant may join one of the four breakout sessions: (1) Science Communication; (2) K-12 Science Education; (3) Informal Science; (4) Scientific Work with Communities 

2:30 – 3:30 pm EST Disciplinary Transformation Working Group Discussions 
Participant may join one of the four breakout sessions: (1) Institutional Structures for Public Engagement with Science; (2) Graduate Student Training in Public Engagement with Science; (3) Disciplinary Recognition for Public Engagement with Science. 

3:30 – 4:00 pm EST Group Reports and Concluding Remarks

The University of Cincinnati Center for Public Engagement of Science is holding an online workshop about public engagement with science on April 30, May 7, and May 14. Public engagement with science addresses 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 develop theoretical and practical resources for public outreach and engagement about science. The workshop’s themes are science communication, formal and informal science education, and scientific work with communities. Registration is free and open until April 23. 

For more details, schedule and registration please visit https://ucengagingscience.org/workshop/.