Transcript And the answer is…….. Lasers work by focusing sound waves.

Public Scientific Literacy:
A Different Kind of Communication Skill
Linda D. Strausbaugh
Professor Emerita of Genetics and Genomics
Member, UConn Institute for Systems Genomics
Director, 2002-2013, UConn’s PSM in Applied Genomics
Member, NPSMA Board of Directors, 2015-2018
[email protected]
Prepared for the NPSMA Newsletter
Last revised summer 2015
Scientific Literacy
Scientific literacy is the capacity to use
scientific knowledge, to identify questions and
to draw evidence-based conclusions in order
to understand and help make decisions about
the natural world and the changes made to it
through human activity.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (2003:132–33)
Information and illustrations in this workshop presentation are taken from the latest
study, Science and Engineering Indicators 2014.
Assessing American’s Knowledge
since 1979
 Biennial survey of knowledge and attitudes
toward science (General Social Survey).
 Proper design of a scientific study
 Views about whether pseudoscientific belief
systems, such as astrology, could be considered
scientific.
 Understanding of probability
 Understanding of basic constructs
Why Public Literacy/Communication?
• Important for PSM graduates:
• Career success in heterogeneous teams
• Science Ambassadors (public policy & public education)
• Workshop as calibration for our students:
• What does the public know about science?
• How does the public learn this information?
Because the public
is interested…
Yet they don’t
understand
what
scientists do
or how they
do it…
Most Americans see
scientists and engineers
as “dedicated people
who work for the good
of humanity.”
As PSM graduates, you are
members of a group the
public trusts and you should
take opportunities to help
educate.
Science and Engineering Indicators
Factual Knowledge Section
 Short list of factual questions
 Physical sciences & biological sciences
 % of respondents who knew the correct
answer
 Comparative data: time, gender, age,
international
The Workshop






Create groups (4-10 members) & ask each to select
names for the team.
Provide questions & ask teams to identify the
question most US respondents answered correctly.
After a few minutes, ask the team “spokesperson” to
provide the group’s choice.
Reveal whether any teams have the correct answer
for that round, award points.
If there is a correct response, conduct a brief
discussion of how students think the public knows
this bit of factual information.
Repeat for the next round.
1. The center of the Earth is very hot.
2. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from
earlier species of animals.
3. The continents on which we live have been moving their
locations for millions of years & will continue to move in
the future.
4. Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go
around the Earth?
5. Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria.
6. All radioactivity is man-made.
7. Electrons are smaller than atoms.
8. Lasers work by focusing sound waves.
9. The father’s genes decide whether the baby is a boy or a girl.
10. The universe began with a huge explosion.
And the answer is……
The center of the Earth is very hot. (True)
84%
How do you think that the public comes to know
this information?
1. The center of the Earth is very hot.
2. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from
earlier species of animals.
3. The continents on which we live have been moving their
locations for millions of years & will continue to move in
the future.
4. Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go
around the Earth?
5. Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria.
6. All radioactivity is man-made.
7. Electrons are smaller than atoms.
8. Lasers work by focusing sound waves.
9. The father’s genes decide whether the baby is a boy or a girl.
10. The universe began with a huge explosion.
And the correct answer is……
The continents on which we live have been
moving their locations for millions of years
and will continue to move in the future. (True)
83%
How do you think that the public comes to know
this information?
1. The center of the Earth is very hot.
2. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from
earlier species of animals.
3. The continents on which we live have been moving their
locations for millions of years & will continue to move in
the future.
4. Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go
around the Earth?
5. Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria.
6. All radioactivity is man-made.
7. Electrons are smaller than atoms.
8. Lasers work by focusing sound waves.
9. The father’s genes decide whether the baby is a boy or a girl.
10. The universe began with a huge explosion.
And the answer is…….
Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the
Sun go around the Earth? (Earth around Sun)
74%
How do you think that the public comes to know
this information?
There was a follow-up question….
Asked only of those who knew that the Earth
went around the Sun:
How long does it take for the Earth to go
around the Sun?
What percentage of respondents to the survey do
you think answered correctly “one year”?
1. The center of the Earth is very hot.
2. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from
earlier species of animals.
3. The continents on which we live have been moving their
locations for millions of years & will continue to move in
the future.
4. Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go
around the Earth?
5. Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria.
6. All radioactivity is man-made.
7. Electrons are smaller than atoms.
8. Lasers work by focusing sound waves.
9. The father’s genes decide whether the baby is a boy or a girl.
10. The universe began with a huge explosion.
And the answer is……
All radioactivity is man-made. (False) 72%
How do you think the public learns this?
1. The center of the Earth is very hot.
2. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from
earlier species of animals.
3. The continents on which we live have been moving their
locations for millions of years & will continue to move in
the future.
4. Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go
around the Earth?
5. Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria.
6. All radioactivity is man-made.
7. Electrons are smaller than atoms.
8. Lasers work by focusing sound waves.
9. The father’s genes decide whether the baby is a boy or a girl.
10. The universe began with a huge explosion.
And the answer is……
It is the father’s gene that decides whether the
baby is a boy or a girl. (True)
63%
How do you think the public learns this?
1. The center of the Earth is very hot.
2. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from
earlier species of animals.
3. The continents on which we live have been moving their
locations for millions of years & will continue to move in
the future.
4. Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go
around the Earth?
5. Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria.
6. All radioactivity is man-made.
7. Electrons are smaller than atoms.
8. Lasers work by focusing sound waves.
9. The father’s genes decide whether the baby is a boy or a girl.
10. The universe began with a huge explosion.
And the answer is……
Electrons are smaller than atoms. (True)
53%
How do you think the public learns this?
1. The center of the Earth is very hot.
2. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from
earlier species of animals.
3. The continents on which we live have been moving their
locations for millions of years & will continue to move in
the future.
4. Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go
around the Earth?
5. Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria.
6. All radioactivity is man-made.
7. Electrons are smaller than atoms.
8. Lasers work by focusing sound waves.
9. The father’s genes decide whether the baby is a boy or a girl.
10. The universe began with a huge explosion.
And the answer is……..
Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria. (False)
51%
How do you think the public
comes to know this?
1. The center of the Earth is very hot.
2. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from
earlier species of animals.
3. The continents on which we live have been moving their
locations for millions of years & will continue to move in
the future.
4. Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go
around the Earth?
5. Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria.
6. All radioactivity is man-made.
7. Electrons are smaller than atoms.
8. Lasers work by focusing sound waves.
9. The father’s genes decide whether the baby is a boy or a girl.
10. The universe began with a huge explosion.
And the answer is……..
Human beings, as we know them today,
developed from earlier species of animals. (True)
48%
How do you think the public
comes to know this?
Scientific theories versus
natural world facts……
 48% identified as true: “human beings, as we know
them today, developed from earlier species of animals”
(compare to 70% Europeans, 76% Japanese)
• Increased to 72% with the preface “according to
the theory of evolution.”
1. The center of the Earth is very hot.
2. Human beings, as we know them today, developed from
earlier species of animals.
3. The continents on which we live have been moving their
locations for millions of years & will continue to move in
the future.
4. Does the Earth go around the Sun, or does the Sun go
around the Earth?
5. Antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria.
6. All radioactivity is man-made.
7. Electrons are smaller than atoms.
8. Lasers work by focusing sound waves.
9. The father’s genes decide whether the baby is a boy or a girl.
10. The universe began with a huge explosion.
And the answer is……..
Lasers work by focusing sound waves. (False)
47%
How do you think the public
comes to know this?
And the answer is……..
The universe began with a huge explosion. (True)
39%
How do you think the public
comes to know this?
Scientific theories versus
natural world facts……
 39% of respondents said that “the universe began with
a huge explosion”
• Increased to 60% with the preface “according to
astronomers.”
Some generalizations…..
•5.8 correct answers similar to
prior surveys.
•Men perform better on
questions in physical sciences.
•About the same as Europe,
better than other nations.
Gender matters, mostly on physical
science topics.
Education matters.
Science and mathematics courses in
college matter.
Knowledge & Attitudes
depend on availability
of S&T news….
Do students
know how to
evaluate
sources?
63% of
online
respondents
read
newspapers.
Can our
graduates
write an
effective
letter to the
editor about
science?
“Exposure and attention to S&T
can make residents more informed,
shape attitudes, and help them make
decisions that are better for
themselves, their families, and their
communities.”