Historically public opinion has upheld science as a worthy mechanism for identifying truth, and the public has relied on the scientific community to inform policymakers and the public on issues of scientific importance for decades. Uncertainty of science's objectivity—from inside and outside the scientific community—could threaten to destabilize the cultural authority of science and its position within public policy. This meeting considered the trends in public opinion of science, examined potential sources of mistrust, and considered the ways in which cross-sector collaboration between government, universities, and industry may improve public trust in science and scientific institutions.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS (view video)
Shawn Otto, Co-founder of ScienceDebate.org and author of The War on Science
MEASURING PUBLIC TRUST IN SCIENCE
Cary Funk, Associate Director of Research at Pew Research Center
EXAMINING PUBLIC MISTRUST AND THE POLARIZATION OF SCIENCE
Dan Kahan, Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Law and Professor of Psychology at Yale Law School
Gordon Gauchat, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION WITH FACILITATORS
Toby Smith, Vice President for Policy at the Associate of American Universities
David Rejeski, Director of the Technology, Innovation, and the Environment Program at the Environmental Law Institute
David Goldston, Director of Government Affairs at the Natural Resources Defense Council
Rachel Levinson, Executive Director of National Research Initiatives at Arizona State University
SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AND NEW MEDIA
Rick Borchelt, Director of Communications and Public Affairs at the Office of Science, U.S. Department of Energy
Susan Matthews, Senior Science Editor at Slate
Joe Palca, Science Correspondent at National Public Radio
ORGANIZING SCIENCE TO REGAIN TRUST IN TODAY'S POLITICAL CLIMATE
Dan Sarewitz, Co-Director of the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes and Professor of Science and Society at the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University
BACK TO BASICS: THE ROLE OF SCIENCE IN SOCIETY
Arati Prabhakar, Former Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency