Better science communication, better trust in science | Joan Leach | TEDxCanberraSalon

Why is trusting in science so difficult? The COVID-19 epidemic has once again brought competing expertise and multiple scientific interpretations into public discussion. Should we wear masks? Why? Will there be a vaccine? When?

To build trust in science, we need researchers, scientists and scientific institutions to show that they are trustworthy. This is trickier than we might think. It means that science needs to engage more fully with communities, their goals and ambitions, and even acknowledge that there's expertise within communities and outside of the formal scientific system. The challenge is how to do this well - and thankfully, decades of lessons from science communication comes to the rescue. Professor Joan Leach is Director of the Australian National Centre for Public Awareness of Science at The Australian National University. She is also the Chair of the National Committee for History and Philosophy of Science at the Australian Academy of Science, and a former President of Australian Science Communicators.

Her research centres on public engagement with science, medicine and technology. Professor Leach has won numerous academic awards for her research and community engagement. While remaining transfixed by science, she advocates for better science communication that critically examines the social impacts of science, technology and biomedicine. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx