Enabling Deliberative Science Communication among Science Faculty, non-Science Faculty, and Students

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving curricula in science education through the implementation of course modules in science communication to the general public. This project will engage students in the practice of science communication in layman's terms and help them become facilitators for deliberation of science between scientists and the general public. The COVID-19 pandemic has given cause for the reemergence of mistrust of the science establishment by various communities with potentially devastating consequences to public health. The Tuskegee study (1932-1972) where an effective treatment for syphilis was withheld from Black men is often cited. Communications training of scientists, while extensive, is often limited to the dissemination of findings to other scientists and entails skillsets quite different from those needed to communicate with the lay public. Furthermore, racial and cultural gaps often present additional barriers to generating trust when a majority establishment seeks to communicate with minority communities. Scientists at Xavier University of Louisiana, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), are well-poised to bridge to minority communities based on their deep history of community involvement and the institution being the top producer of African American students who complete medical school. Effective translation of science into public policy requires two-way communication between lay audiences and scientists. Inculcating the practice of science communication starting with undergraduate courses can be beneficial for developing effective science communication skills. Teaching this process to undergraduates can be the beginning of a two-way communication that will lead to improved science communication skills and public understanding of science.

This project has four objectives. (1) Train faculty in developing skills to communicate science at a level that a general audience can understand through deliberative pedagogy workshops. Incorporating formal communication-in-context training to STEM and non-STEM faculty will provide the solution for bridging the gap in scientific communication to the public. (2) Faculty will be awarded mini-grants to modify/develop course modules in core courses to include deliberative pedagogy on science communication to the general public. These course improvements will ensure that students receive critical communication skills throughout their curriculum. (3) Train a cohort of undergraduate students as facilitators and moderators of deliberative democracy meetings on matters of science. The trained student facilitators will conduct two meetings on science deliberation within the university in the fall and spring semesters every year. (4) Students and faculty who have received training in science communication to the public will engage the community on science matters that impact the local community through newsletters, blogs, student presentations, and meetings thereby assisting the public in informed decision making. Given the mistrust in science among minorities, training minority students to become agents of science to communicate to the public will go a long way in fostering trust in the minority community. The activities outlined in this project will provide our university with a system of two-way communication between science agents and the public that can be used by students and faculty to effectively communicate science with the public. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.