Making science communication, part of everyday life

By Ramana Annamraju

Astrophysicist Neal De Grasse Tyson can fill up stadiums, while a doctor can hardly convince a handful in a room, to sit down.

What Covid is exposing is the colossal failure of science communication at every level. It is disheartening to see that 6 out of 10 Americans do not trust Science or Medicine. In democratically run countries, the scientific enterprise is funded by the public. Science does not happen in a vacuum. It is intertwined with people, society at large, and its norms, cultures, and institutions. In 1945 at the end of World War II, the American public made a landmark pact called. “Science -Society Contract” with the government. That is related to public support of science.

Scientific institutions need support from all walks of life, which includes the fair participation of rural whites, inner-city African Americans, Native Americans, Latinos, and other underrepresented communities. It should not be limited to the upper echelons of society.

"Scientific Messengers" are as important as a message itself, if not more so. The scientific enterprise must look for new ways of communicating and expressing science and medicine, to every stakeholder. We should do that, without challenging someone’s faith or beliefs. Extending someone's faith to science is an art of storytelling. For a long time, I have struggled to communicate a counterintuitive idea of quantum physics to a general audience,.That an object can be in two places at the same time.

Eventually, I found a way to explain, without challenging their beliefs. If God can be in multiple places same time, then what is the big deal about an object, after all, it is God's creation, can be in two places same time?. 1+0=1 is a faith-based statement, so all the mathematical axioms are! We have created entire laws of the universe from faith-based statements. Bingo! Instead of outright dismissal of their belief system, I found a way to create, curiosity.

We have heard many stories about miracles in religions. Prophets were master communicators of those stories while keeping the underlying principle of compassion. On the other hand, science also does miracles but "science communication ", is really bad. it is a disaster on all fronts. Medicine in particular. mRNA vaccine is a true scientific wonder. The medical community failed to communicate that wonderment. Started lecturing from a pedestal with probable self-interests.

Scientific establishments both public and private should fund new ways of communication.. Promoting and funding the country and rap music artists who like and write/sing about science and medicine. Medical illustration videos by Yemini born science communicator. Hashem Al-Ghaili is another example.

Well, the last one is my startup, www.DailyWearForMedicine.com. Making science communication, part of everyday life. through regular T-shirts, Grocery bags Mugs .... Etc.

Let us exploit the best virtue of humans, that is curiosity. Let us create a science system for all and by all. A feeling of modern miracles is the extension of ancient ones is a beautiful feeling!

Show the Past and Win the Future!