Bringing scientists and non-scientists together to maximize the relevance and usability of research

Science occupies a very special position in modern society. The research industry has given us striking successes, innovations and discoveries that continue to change the world for the better. But today, scientists struggle with flaws in the systems for generating and publishing research. Meanwhile, among non-scientists, views on science are increasingly polarized. A science-denialism movement battles against a movement that urges people to “believe science” and “respect the experts.”

Polarized responses are understandable in conflict-filled times, but is there a problem with how we’re drawing these lines?

Contrary to the drive to see scientists as “experts,” most scientists are in the habit of questioning what their peers say and the status quo in their fields. To generate results that are robust and grounded in the real world, scientists also need to be ready to question their own assumptions and experimental choices. But human nature and the highly competitive culture of today’s science industry are pushing in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, hands-on practitioners in science-based fields (e.g. medicine, agriculture, environmental management, child development, and mental health treatment) have to sort through a deluge of information in a world where ~3 million new scientific papers are published every year – some of them affected by serious quality issues.

How can scientists and non-scientists work together to maximize the relevance and trustworthiness of scientific research and maintain the high standards of evidence that good science requires?

Join me as I explore:

• Why it’s important to consider the value that members of the public get from scientific research and how we can increase that value
• How the structure of the research industry contributes to a replication crisis – the failure of influential scientific findings to hold up to further testing – that is shaking up science fields
• Why laboratory workers are organizing for better working conditions in academic science departments across the US, and what working conditions have to do with the quality of scientific results
• Surprising stories from science’s past and present that show how science can benefit when its practitioners and institutions stay in touch with the real world
• How building bridges between scientists and non-scientists can help science capture the knowledge of patients, farmers, and other “outsiders” who have hands-on knowledge about scientific questions
• How scientists can learn from ways of thinking, people, and cultures that have experience in cultivating humble attitudes and self-correcting practices

Read Project Bridge articles here

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