Location: Friday, April 5: Gatton Business and Economics Classroom Building 191 (8:30AM-5:30PM) Saturday, April 6: Remote (8:30AM-1:15PM: Note that a Zoom link will be sent to remote registrants on April 4)
Topic: Using storytelling to make science more accessible to lay audiences.
Join us April 5th (face to face) and April 6th (virtual) for the first Science an Storytelling Symposium!
This symposium explores how storytelling can help scientists address problems such as public distrust and denialism, declining science literacy levels, and low levels of public engagement. Public attitudes towards COVID mandates and policymakers’ sluggish responses to climate research are obvious (and dangerous) examples of science denialism. Misunderstanding basic concepts such as what a hypothesis is or what data reported in the news means also puts people at risk. Science literacy has been linked to enhanced critical thinking skills. Scholars such as Rita Charon argue that the act of listening to or telling a story can help forge deeper connections between speakers and audiences. In educational settings, stories help listeners remember and engage with information.
We believe that sharing experiences with storytelling across disciplines will help participants develop valuable strategies for engaging audiences and combatting misinformation.
Subtopics
The symposium organizers invite students, teachers, scholars, and experts to address how they use storytelling
- in science classrooms
- How do you use storytelling to teach about science? What are the limits of this strategy?
- How can we make science classes more interactive? Can storytelling play a role in this pedagogical approach?
- for public outreach
- How can combining storytelling and science combat misinformation?
- Can it help reduce vaccine refusal or science denialism?
- For field or extension agents?
- In museums or other curated spaces?
- Training field workers, social scientists, NGO volunteers, etc.
- in healthcare settings
- Using narratives (and/or visual art) in public spaces and clinical contexts.
- to describe scientific research to academic audiences
- In articles or publications?
- To conduct research or write grants?
- To deliver papers and press releases?
- to inform or persuade policymakers about science-based topics
- How public testimonies about evidence-informed problems affect policy?
- with images to convey scientific information
Enquiries:
For any inquiries regarding the symposium, please contact: K.Rogers-Carpenter@uky.edu
We look forward to seeing you at Science and Storytelling
Sincerely,
Katherine Rogers-Carpenter