Annenberg Public Policy Center Director Kathleen Hall Jamieson will serve as a member of the steering committee for a new initiative of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences on the Public Face of Science. The project will examine public attitudes surrounding science and help identify areas for improvement and further study for scientists, scholars, and others.
The communication landscape is rapidly changing with the evolution of the Internet and social media, affecting the relationship between scientists and the public. The Public Face of Science initiative will explore this relationship by looking at how science is portrayed in the media, the factors influencing public confidence in science, and the impact of science on public policy.
American Academy President Jonathan F. Fanton noted in a news release: “Since its founding in 1780, in the spirit of sharing useful knowledge, the American Academy has facilitated the dissemination of insights from science and medicine. As an important next step in that tradition, the Public Face of Science project will examine closely the factors that build the public’s confidence in science, and the appropriate application of scientific knowledge in the public sphere.”
Members of the committee come from backgrounds in communication, journalism, law, public affairs, and the sciences. In addition to Jamieson, some of the other members include Geoffrey Cowan, communication professor at the University of Southern California and president of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands; Richard Meserve, a physicist, lawyer and member of the American Academy’s Council and Trust; Geneva Overholser, a senior fellow at the Democracy Fund and former director of the USC Annenberg School of Journalism; Temple University psychology professor Nora Newcombe; Pew Charitable Trusts president and CEO Rebecca Rimel; and American Association for the Advancement of Science CEO Rush Holt.
In October, the Annenberg Public Policy Center hosted an American Academy round table discussion on the Public Face of Research. A follow-up session on Science and the Legal System is planned for March 2016 at APPC.
For more information, click here for the full release from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
