Meet A Scientist

The aim of Meet A Scientist events is to build one-on-one relationships between academic scientists and community members traditionally underserved by conventional outreach programs, with the intent to foster dialogue and trust between these groups. The overall goal of ESPA is to increase scientists’ involvement in public policy and engagement.

Small groups of scientists attend social gatherings intended for adults (e.g., bars, farmer’s markets). Attendees will wear t-shirts that read “I’m a Scientist, Ask Me About _____” (filled in with their research topic) to encourage strangers to initiate conversation. Each group will have a leader that is experienced in public engagement to facilitate, monitor, and document interactions. Unlike traditional lecture-based models of science communication, this initiative aims to facilitate dialogue and learning for both parties (scientists and community members). Post-outreach meetings will provide participants opportunities to share and reflect upon experiences.

In preparation for these outreach events, we organize a number of science communication and public engagement workshops to equip participants with tools and skills to effectively engage with diverse audiences. We currently host three workshops: Story of Self (using narrative to build trust), Know Us Project (using empathy to build relationships), and Improv for Communication, all hosted by qualified experts.

Two major impacts are expected to emerge from this initiative. First, lowering barriers to dialogue between lay audiences and academic researchers will set foundations for public scientific literacy and improve public attitudes toward academic research and researchers themselves. By fostering personal interactions between community members and academic researchers, this initiative will improve popular perceptions surrounding scientists and the public’s understanding of science. Second, one-on-one dialogue provides lay citizens with an environment to express diverse values, experiences, and opinions to scientific experts. Academic science traditionally occurs in an isolated environment and opportunities for meaningful engagement across demographics is rare. With this initiative, ESPA hopes to leave both scientists and lay citizens more comfortable engaging with each other and with a better understanding of others’ values, knowledge, and motivations.