Forcing Scientists Into The Public Square | QUEST Community Science Blog – KQED.
A blog post by Barry Starr, who I know from the Stanford at the Tech program, about getting scientists to do more outreach. He talks about why he thinks its important for scientists to get involved in outreach, and why their incentives need to be changed in order for more of them to actually do so.
It’s true, not only are most scientists not very good at outreach, but if they do too much they get stigmatized as attention-seekers…and it does take away from their time and work in lab, which is ultimately what their funding and career progression is based on. While I applaud funding sources for requiring some sort of outreach, it’s their responsibility to make sure that it’s not just a token effort.
The Stanford at the Tech program was a great experience in science outreach, and one that I think would benefit all graduate students. But the truth is the students that I know who will probably become really prominent faculty are also the least likely to do anything that would take away from their time in lab – research keeps you busy, and you have to prioritize your interests. It’s not a coincidence that many people who I know from the program are at least considering careers outside of academia.
But scientists not only may have no interest in outreach themselves, but can also crack the whip on any graduate students or post-docs with misguided notions that there might be better things to do than spend 24/7 in the lab…I was very fortunate in that my graduate advisor was very supportive of my interest in outreach and exploring careers outside of academia, and in fact without his suggestions I would have had a lot more trouble getting started in science writing. But I certainly know friends/classmates whose professor was not supportive at all, or actively dissuaded or tried to force them to not spend time with outreach programs, so as to maximize their time in lab.
I can see having to find a balance between research and other interests, but ultimately such professors must realize that the whole setup that keeps them going wouldn’t exist without public interest in science. It’s not just funding, though of course a lot of research funding comes from taxpayers. If at some point science is deemed unimportant by the public and the government (thankfully that doesn’t seem to be the case in the present administration), I don’t think there’d be quite as much research going on, especially outside of industry. So it’s important to show people what science is, and why it’s important, and I agree with Barry that scientists (whether graduate students or professors) do have a responsibility to get involved in outreach.