For Maximum Impact, Put Science in Context
By: Samantha Green, Wiley
Bringing Science to the People
We often hear that knowledge itself is power, and maybe because of this aphorism, access to knowledge is not balanced across the world. But the potential of knowledge and science to offer solutions to some of the world’s most complex problems is limitless. Scientific thought gives us freedom and agency because with the tools of inquiry, experimentation, and analysis we have the power to question the world around us.
And yet, attitudes toward science and scholarship constantly shift all around the world, and in countries like the United States, are becoming increasingly dismissive.
Some skepticism around science comes from how we encounter it in our everyday life. We expect science to have constant breakthroughs, rather than understanding it as a long-term process through which each new finding builds on the body of knowledge before it.
Part of the disconnect stems from how isolated science can seem. People talk about the “ivory tower” and an academic community that hoards information and doesn’t engage outside their community. The March for Science is just one example of that ivory tower breaking down. Science happens everywhere.
The challenge lies in communicating effectively: how can we make sure that science is shared effectively, with the right level of context and accessibility? How can we integrate research into our lives so that we can all have a greater understanding of its impact, and maybe gain the knowledge and power we need to make changes in our communities?
This is why we want to provide free access to a collection of research articles that provide context, background, and insights for the Vote for Science program. Each month, featuring themes ranging from the environment, to space, to democracy, we will provide access to some of the research surrounding these topics, demonstrating the impact of science on contemporary issues. We all understand information more clearly when we can see how it impacts us: our lives, the lives of those we love, and the
community in which we live.
Read Up On Science
As scientific and scholarly publishers, we take very seriously our obligation to bring scientific discovery to the widest possible audience. We firmly believe that research needs to be communicated not just within the research community, but to practitioners and the general public.
For our first month of partnership with the March for Science and the Vote for Science program, we curated a small collection of articles on the environment, specifically environmental justice and the impact the environment has on our society and economy (and vice versa).
Some of these articles talk about how environmental justice needs to consider more than just inequalities in environmental risk, and others examine how political representation links with environmental policy implementation that impacts different communities in different ways. Others explore forest fires and resilience, the future of fisheries, air pollution, and natural disasters — all emphasizing the impact science has on various communities around the world.
It is also important to have a working knowledge of the trends shaping climate discussions, from temperature statistics and various opinions on clean air. We wanted to explore the connections between science and industry, through electric cars, how drones can support environmental science, and the emerging world of microplastics.
And finally, we wanted to talk education and action: from how climate change is taught in U.S. high schools, to how to impact pro-environment behavior, and how standing up for science can make a difference.
These articles are just the tip of an iceberg of decades’ worth of global research on the environment. We hope they help you engage in conversations about science and the environment. We hope they give you knowledge and power alike, and we are excited continue to support Vote for Science in future months with more research.
Samantha Green, Marketing Manager, Society Marketing Strategy
Samantha has worked at Wiley for six years, during which time she has held a variety of roles across marketing and communications. In her current role, she creates content for Wiley’s partners and communities that demonstrates the impact of research and develops programs that support Wiley’s scientific and scholarly society partners as they advocate for the impact of their communities and the research they publish.
