Communicating Science...During a Pandemic

it has never been more apparent

just how important science communication

is than during the covid19 pandemic

where experts in virology public health

and epidemiology

have been providing regular commentary

to the public

today i’d like to share with you some of

what i have learned

about communicating science during a

pandemic

not only for those that might want to

get involved but also for anyone that

has seen a scientist on the news

and wondered why we do it

i’ve attended a couple of communication

courses over the years

and one thing that has always bothered

me is that we’re told to focus our talk

to a specific audience

am i talking to fellow scientists or to

the general public

but why can’t it be both science is

universal

and everybody deserves to understand it

the whole world has been watching as the

research around covid19 evolves

and i think we can all agree that there

hasn’t been such

constant media coverage of a topic than

there has about this pandemic people are

watching as science plays out in real

time

in a public forum and while that

presents opportunities to learn

and to discuss and debate ideas it has

also contributed to the rise

in science denialism and conspiracy

theories

if we recognize science communication

for the powerful tool it is

and encourage and train future

scientists in how to discuss their work

with their community

we could affect real change and see a

return

to the public’s trust in science

pandemics are nothing new they have

occurred

throughout history and with them there

have

always been people that have sought to

discredit scientists

but the pandemic we are currently living

through is the first to occur

in the age of tick tock a quote from the

irish writer jonathan swift

is falsehood flies and the truth comes

limping after it

one look at a facebook or twitter

timeline shows just how true this is

false information and fake news are more

likely to go viral on social

media and once they do it is almost

impossible to undo all of that damage

interestingly ted actually have

guidelines for what you can talk about

on this famous red dot

i couldn’t stand here and discuss

unproven pseudoscience

to whoever may be watching but hugely

influential people

and even world leaders or ex-leaders can

say whatever they like

knowing that their tweets will go viral

and that a lot of people will listen

so how do we counter the misinformation

that is out there

the answer is actually pretty simple

scientists need to talk to people we

need to engage with the media

with the public with policy makers and

politicians

and with scientists that hold opposing

views

to our own before 2020

i was researching how respiratory

viruses make us sick

i do a little bit of science outreach on

the side taking part in science

festivals

and going to schools trying to convince

kids that they should study viruses

and that it might actually come in

useful someday

then in february i received my first

media request

they asked me to comment on a new

respiratory virus

causing a few cases of pneumonia in

china

i turned this down i didn’t think i was

old enough

or had enough experience and i worried

that people wouldn’t take me seriously

because i didn’t have professor in front

of my name

but after further consideration and some

very insistent journalists

i realized that i shouldn’t treat this

any differently

to the science outreach i was used to

doing sure

the audience might be slightly older but

the goal is the same

to communicate science in a way that can

be easily understood

over the past year i’ve taken part in

hundreds of media appearances

and believe me it can be tough sometimes

i just want to go back to tweeting

about the great british bake off and

what my current favorite song from the

hamilton soundtrack

is this time

we’re talking about a pandemic but next

time

it might be an earthquake or a black

hole or a return to discussing climate

change

and we need people that can comment on

any eventuality

and for those future experts i’d like to

share a few of the things that i’ve

learned about

communicating science that i wish i knew

at the start of 2020

number one get involved take part in

local initiatives like festivals

and career days contact your institution

or company press office

or communications team and tell them

you’re willing to comment

on certain topics and be active on

social media let people see what it is

like to do your job

number two it always takes more time

than you think

do not underestimate the time commitment

that public engagement takes

not only to do the event or interview

but also to prepare for it

which brings me to number three always

be prepared

ask the producer or reporter or host or

chair

or whoever is running the event what the

topic is

and if they have a list of possible

questions make sure you know your facts

and find out if you’ll be appearing

alongside anyone else

and google them know their standpoint on

an issue

number four you can never be completely

prepared but that is okay

it is okay not to know something in fact

it’s a good thing when you’re honest

about it

and number five it is okay to say no

i find this one quite tough i struggle

to say no when someone asks me for

a favor but if it is something you do

not feel confident doing

say no and maybe suggest a colleague

and remember science outreach is a skill

it takes training and practice

not only that but it isn’t really part

of our job description

very few scientific jobs have time set

aside

to allow for public engagement this is

something that we have to balance

alongside our other work commitments

while still trying to maintain that

mythical work-life balance

thankfully attitudes are starting to

change

research institutes and funding bodies

are recognizing the importance

of the public trust in science because

science

alone cannot solve a public health

crisis like covid19

for the public to trust in science again

we need experts that are able to

translate science

into language that is easier to

understand

science needs to move with the times we

need experts that are relatable

and representative to act as translators

for those who haven’t learned to speak

the language of science

the rest of that jonathan swift quote

that i mentioned earlier

is actually when men come to be

undeceived

it is too late like a physician

who has found an infallible medicine

after the patient is dead

let’s not wait too long to realize that

communication

is one of the greatest tools we have to

tackle

this and any future pandemics

you