This week’s TL;DR Shorts episode features Mariette DiChristina, Dean of the College of Communication at Boston University, and former Editor-in-Chief of Scientific American, talking about the role of civic science in building trust in research.
Mariette reminds us of the role of communications in trust in research, something she touched on in a previous TL;DR Shorts episode. Mariette extends the idea from dissemination into true engagement – a two-way listening and learning process where communities impacted by science can themselves be involved in the creation and development of novel research.
Also known as public engagement and patient and public involvement (PPI), civic science takes an interdisciplinary approach to integrate scientific research with community engagement and even participation, in order to more appropriately and impactfully overcome societal challenges. It does this through the democratisation of knowledge production by involving impacted communities in the scientific process and ensures that research best reflects the public’s actual needs and values. Civic science emphasises collaboration between scientists, policymakers, and the public to co-create solutions that are scientifically sound and socially relevant. This goes some way to enhancing and improving the transparency, accountability, and impact of scientific research, while also scaffolding a more informed and engaged society.
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