Reaching out

Abstract

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, science is crucial to inform public policy. At the same time, mistrust of scientists and misinformation about scientific facts are rampant. Six scientists, actively involved in outreach, reflect on how to build a better understanding and trust of science.

Abstract

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, science is crucial to inform public policy. At the same time, mistrust of scientists and misinformation about scientific facts are rampant. Six scientists, actively involved in outreach, reflect on how to build a better understanding and trust of science.

The contributors

Katie Mack is a theoretical astrophysicist exploring a range of questions in cosmology, the study of the universe from beginning to end. She is currently an assistant professor of physics at North Carolina State University. Her first popular book, The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking), will be out in August. She can be found on Twitter as @AstroKatie.

Karl Kruszelnicki is a science generalist, with an enthusiastic public following in Australia. He has frontlined in multiple media for decades. He is writing his 46th book and does half a dozen science Q&A radio shows every week. He is a Fellow in the School of Physics at the University of Sydney. He has degrees in maths and physics, biomedical engineering, medicine and surgery. He can be found on Twitter as @doctorkarl.

Lisa Randall studies theoretical particle physics and cosmology at Harvard University. Her research connects theoretical insights to puzzles in our current understanding of the properties and interactions of matter. Additionally, she engages with the public through her popular science books, articles, lectures, and radio and TV appearances.

Jess Wade is an excitable scientist with an enthusiasm for equality. By day, she is based in the Department of Chemistry at Imperial College London, where she creates superthin films out of organic electronic materials that emit and absorb circularly polarized light. She spends her evenings editing Wikipedia, working to make the internet less sexist and racist. She can be found on Twitter as @jesswade.

Jim Al-Khalili, FRS, is a theoretical physicist, author and broadcaster. He holds a Distinguished Chair in physics at the University of Surrey, where he teaches and conducts his research in nuclear physics and open quantum systems. As well as his popular science writing, he is a regular presenter on TV and hosts the long-running BBC Radio 4 programme, The Life Scientific. His latest book, The World According to Physics, is out now. He can be found on Twitter as @jimalkhalili.

Vlatko Vedral is a professor of physics at Oxford and National University of Singapore working on quantum physics. He has received many awards for his work, including the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award and the World Scientific Medal and Prize, and was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Physics in 2017. He gives regular interviews to the media and has written articles for New Scientist, Scientific American and other major newspapers, as well as two popular science books.