Researchers and practitioners widely appreciate the need for improved efforts in public engagement with science: to promote science literacy; to strengthen trust in scientific institutions; to usher in science-informed policies and practices; and to improve the responsiveness of scientific research to public interest. Academic scientists are also increasingly called upon to engage in public outreach, including finding employment in public-facing careers.
Elements in Public Engagement with Science is an interdisciplinary exploration of academic research and professional expertise related to interfaces between science and the public. Its aim is to make accessible to a broader audience of academics and public engagement professionals (1) specialized knowledge bearing on public engagement with science, and (2) ground-breaking research in areas of public engagement with science. Public engagement with science is an umbrella term that includes science communication, formal and informal science education, community participation in scientific research, science policy, and any other interfaces between science and the public. This series anticipates that treating these topics alongside one another in an interdisciplinary forum will advance both theory and practice of public engagement with science.
For more information on the series, please watch this video.
Angela Potochnik (
Melissa Jacquart (jacquama@ucmail.uc.edu) is an Assistant Professor of philosophy and Curriculum & Pedagogy Director for the Center for Public Engagement with Science at the University of Cincinnati. Her research focuses on epistemological issues in the philosophy of science, philosophy of astrophysics, feminist philosophy, philosophy and education, and public engagement with science. She is a 2022-2023 Whiting Public Engagement Fellow.
Kelly Joyce (kaj68@drexel.edu) is a professor in the Department of Sociology and the Center for Science, Technology and Society at Drexel University. Her research and teaching focusses on the political, cultural, and organizational dimensions of clinical medicine, social dimensions of technological innovation, and technology, science, and aging. She is a Member of the Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility, American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is an Associate Editor for the journal Social and Behavioral Sciences; an Editorial Advisory Board member for Advances in Medical Sociology
Kostas Kampourakis (Kostas.Kampourakis@unige.ch) is a researcher in the Section of Biology at the University of Geneva. He is the author and editor of many books about evolution, genetics, philosophy, and the history of science. He is the editor of the Press book series Understanding Life, and author of a couple of books in the series. He is a former Editor-in-Chief of the journal Science and Education, and the founding editor of the Springer book series Science: Philosophy, History and Education, and Contributions from Biology Educational Research.
Luisa Massarani (luisa.massarani8@gmail.com) is regional coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean for SciDev.net. SciDev.Net is a leading source of reliable and authoritative news, views, and analysis about science and technology for global development. Massarani is responsible for managing the independent collaborators of SciDev.Net and other key people and organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as writing journalistic articles. She also coordinates meetings, workshops and other training events on science and scientific journalism dissemination. Massarani is a scientific journalist, with a PhD in science communication, and has published several scientific articles and books. She is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Rae Ostman (rostman@asu.edu) is a research professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University, co-director of the Center for Innovation in Informal STEM Learning, and director of the National Informal STEM Education Network (NISE Net). Ostman has broad experience in STEM engagement, including planning, developing, implementing, and studying learning experiences in partnership with diverse organizations such as museums.
Shobita Parthasarathy (shobita@umich.edu) is a professor of public policy and director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program in the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the comparative and international politics and policy related to science and technology. She is interested in how to develop innovation, and innovation policy, to better achieve public interest and social justice goals. She is the author of multiple articles and two books: Building Genetic Medicine: Breast Cancer, Technology, and the Comparative Politics of Health Care (MIT Press), which influenced the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court case challenging the patentability of human genes; and Patent Politics: Life Forms, Markets, and the Public Interest in the United States and Europe (University of Chicago Press) which won the Robert K. Merton Prize from the American Sociological Association. Her recent research projects center on the politics of inclusive innovation in international development, with a focus on India, and the development and governance of diagnostic testing for COVID-19, comparing the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, and South Korea. Parthasarathy also directs the Technology Assessment Project, which recently published a report on the use of facial recognition technology in schools.
Dione Rossiter (rossiter@berkeley.edu) is the Executive Director for Science at Cal at the University of California, Berkeley, a program that shares the excitement and relevance of research with public audiences through lectures, street fairs, festivals, and more. Science at Cal also works with scientists across campus to build sustainable and impactful science outreach collaborations with community and campus partners. As a Science Communication, Engagement, and Outreach Specialist, Dee has previously worked with non-profits, universities, government offices, and for-profit businesses to improve their science engagement efforts; this includes creating new and/or improving existing science communication, marketing, education, diversity, and outreach initiatives. Dee’s previous positions include: Scientific Programs and Outreach Manager at the Carnegie Institution for Science, and the Director of the Mass Media Fellowship at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.