The rise of the scientist
“The scientific team advised us minute-by-minute, playing a crucial role in the government's decisions,” said Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades. This has to date resulted in the successful suppression of the COVID-19 outbreak on the island. Post-COVID-19, we will see more scientific teams advising governments and businesses on a variety of matters.
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There are many important topics that have a direct impact on our lives and are therefore often at the forefront of public debate on TV, Radio, and Social Media. Examples include the potential health risks of 5G, Climate Change, Autism and Vaccines, the safety of GM foods, the Economic risks of Brexit, and of course how to react to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scientists like myself have voiced our views, concerns, and insights about issues like the ones above and many others. Despite this, research in 2017 has found that scientists, academics, and researchers are underrepresented in giving written and oral evidence to decision making committees. Not only that, but scientific opinions and advice have often been downplayed as unpopular or unrealistic and have thus been ignored. The risk of prioritizing misinformation or populism over scientific advice is highly dangerous.
It's only a model
Some complain that "models are just models". Well, there is this model that predicts that if you jump through the window you will be attracted by the ground with a force inversely proportional to the height of your floor. Would you ignore Gravity and jump? It's just a model. Hopefully not.
You have to be knocking on an open door if they are to listen
COVID-19 may open this door. More scientific advisors will sit on management boards, be invited on public talk shows, and be consulted by governments. This is all good news! It's good for scientists whose research and inquisitive brains will be put to good use. It's good for businesses who are now scrambling to deal with the new post-COVID norm. It's good for the economy as governments will take a science-backed approach when introducing new measures in mitigating the imminent COVID-19 recession. It's good for the consumer who in the past few weeks has been panic-buying toilet rolls and pasta. And it's good for society as we recover from social distancing and the loss of loved ones.
The rise of the Scientific Advisor
Science communication has never been as important and as popular. So here are a few fundamental and simple tips:
Don't dumb it down
Don't generalize
Don't use aggressive language
All the above decrease trustworthiness and credibility
Establish yourself as an expert
Start with Why? Why should we care / Why act now / Why not that other thing?
Give solid but simple examples
Provide a realistic and logical action plan
Be open to suggestions and discussions
All the above increases trustworthiness and credibility and are more likely to be followed.
For additional resources about science communication, please see Reading Materials section at the end.
There is no room for facts when our minds are filled with fear
It is therefore important to debunk myths and not to be ignorant about the world.
While there is much to be fearful of and much to be optimistic about, it is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is going to be one of the defining moments of our generation. No one will ever forget it and its effects will be felt by people and economies for years to come.
Sadly, these after-effects will disproportionately hit low-income and minority workers in poor and rich countries alike. This means that policymakers will need to make sure that, as countries open up, the recovery doesn’t make inequality even worse than it already is. Scientists can help with that. Not only in designing new policies and more robust and autonomous systems and smarter cities but also in healing and upskilling societies as a whole.
Read the LinkedIn article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rise-scientist-orestis-georgiou/
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Reading Materials:
On science communication
Brown University Science Center’s Quick Guide to Science Communication pdf
Recommended practices for science communication with policymakers pdf
Van, Dam Frans, Bakker Liesbeth De, and Jensen Eric Allen, eds. Science Communication: An Introduction. Vol. 1. World Scientific, 2020.
Fischhoff, Baruch. Communicating risks and benefits: An evidence-based user's guide. Government Printing Office, 2012.
Farrell, Justin, Kathryn McConnell, and Robert Brulle. "Evidence-based strategies to combat scientific misinformation." Nature Climate Change 9.3 (2019): 191-195.
On COVID-19
Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team Report pdf
Open Covid19 Initiative link
The Coronavirus in America: The Year Ahead link
How the Pandemic Will End link
31 questions and answers by Bill Gates about COVID-19 link