You all will agree to me when I say scientific studies leave us dazed and confused. Don’t you think so? I mean not all of us are from a scientific background and thus we need a proper detailed study of the research they do and on the basis of which scientific news is created. Why is the suicide rate climbing in the United States even as more people are seeking treatment for depression and anxiety? How can people who frequently attend church be twice as likely to believe in ghosts? What is it that makes a large fraction of students believe it is acceptable to resort to violence in order to prevent a person from speaking? These complex studies have to be explained in a proper manner to the readers. Clay Routledge, a behavioural scientist has a skill of explaining complex topics to his fellow scientists as he does to the farmer or mechanic in Idaho with no scientific training. Routledge works matters in order to create a society with informed people.
“That matters, because in order to help create an informed and enlightened society, scientists and scholars must be adept at sharing the knowledge they generate through their research. Having their jargon-filled studies sit in academic journals collecting dust benefits no one. There’s an information-hungry public out there and giving them access to the knowledge that universities generate is important,” says David DeSteno.
DavidDeSteno is a Psychology professor at the Northeastern University and he with his fellow psychology professor Lisa Feldman Barrett offer workshops that helps scientists like Routledge communicate complex information to laypeople. The professors said they are doing this work pro bono, not only because they believe it helps society, but also because it keeps agencies that fund research enterprises informed about the work scientists are doing.
“In psychology, there’s a growing interest in sharing scientific knowledge with the public. And, the timing could not be better,” said Barrett, a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology. “At this particular moment in time, it’s very hard to be a full participant in civic life without having a working knowledge of science. In order to make your vote count you have to know something about how science works and about findings related to climate change or depression or how to invest your money.”
Priyanka Rawat