Public Perception of science

TCIM MINI PROJECT

The Public Perception of Science

WHY ?

Public Perception of science should always be important. Scientists can be at the forefront of the conversation but small ripples can lead to a massive wave.

I decided to start the comversation here as a life science student and health enthusiast figuring out her scientific journey.

I want to grow into a scientific career, whatever that looks like, thinking about the people I hope to help.

WHAT ?

This is my first mini-project and over the course of 6 weeks, I ran a poll over three weeks that gained 149 responses. This webpage is a representation of the thoughts people had.

5 Videos, A blog post series and most importantly an on-going conversation.

The videos that didn't make it here can be found on IGTV

What has Covid-19 made people more aware of?

There were so many areas of science brought up. As expected Virology, Vaccines and Epidemiology were the most mentioned. Many other fields came up, but you'll have to watch the video to find out.

Understanding the Covid-19 Infodemic

We are living in an age where information is incredibly accesible. It is so easy to spread fake information or get overwhelmed by the vast amount of sometimes opposing opinions. This video explores the famous "whatsapp aunties", scaremongering in the media and everything inbetween. I also talk through how to filter information.

Are scientists to be trusted?

Anti-Vaccers, Drug Scandals...

A common theme in the answers was science being held accountable for the wrong doings. This video highlights well known scandals such as : Tuskagee Syphylis scandal, Thalidomide drug scandal and the use of HeLa cells.

It also touches upon wider issues such as contraceptives and the most recent Rabies vaccine scandal in China.

Science has a long way to go and that starts with owing up to malpractices as well as adressing diversity issues across the board ( but that is a conversation for another day).

ONE YEAR ON... ANOTHER SURVEY

This video describes the results of my second survey exploring public perception of science. In the video I discuss what has been learnt a year on from COVID-19 and how scientists, science communicators and the public can better engage with each other.

Final Thoughts

I had intended to end this project with final words from respondants and how I feel, but as I planned the page I realised the conversation hasn't ended. The world may be returning to some form of normalcy but trust is something that needs to be built. For that to happen there needs to be room for open and changing conversation.

So for my final thoughts... I want to continue to share all the things I learn along the way. Navigating my way through an industry that hasn't been kind but at the same time has my heart and has a huge community of people willling to change and "science the right way"

Welcome to a new blog series -> TCIM Conversations