In this Sustainable Energy Seminar, Dietram Scheufele, Professor of Life Sciences Communication, will discuss communication lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic as it applies to science communication more broadly in an environment of misinformation and political polarization.

Abstract: COVID-19 has put science in a tricky spot. The good news is that scientific expertise is back in high demand. But there are also serious challenges for science when it has the public’s ear: How can we correct misinformation that we know to be wrong with science that we are not quite sure will turn out to be right?  And how can science meaningfully inform public policy in a world of popularism and partisan politics? The answer lies in what science does best: using data to solve problems. What do we know from decades of social science about messages that resonate with different audiences? Why do all of us interpret facts in ways that align with our pre-existing beliefs and values? And what lessons can social science provide for better communicating science in our new COVID world?

Registration is required for this online seminar through WebEx Events. Click here to register for this and all other seminars as part of the Sustainable Energy Seminar series.