Science Communication: What, Why and How?

A tiny dot on the globe that occupies a significant territory in the scientific world map, celebrated its jubilee birthday this year: SG50! Featuring premier research institutes like A*STAR, top notch R&D’s and world-class scientists, biomedical sciences is one of the rapidly progressing sectors in Singapore. Science and technology development will be indispensable to achieving the country’s targets in the coming decades; it is thus imperative to have a more science-aware population to maximize its impact on Singapore’s economic growth. A variety of challenges and barriers possibly exist in science communication advancement among this diverse populace.

School being lowest in the hierarchy of science education, holds primary importance in dictating one’s inclination towards it. Grade driven learning at this stage strongly encourages memorization-disgorge practice ­­– a serious impediment in developing passion for science. Apart from teaching fundamentals, a grasp on approaches to real-world problem solving will be useful in building critical thinking abilities. Visual impressions like lab demonstrations, science museum visits; interactive sessions like debates, quizzes enhance one’s inquisitiveness. In essence, an overhaul of didactical culture with an aim to make students more curious and expand their imagination would go a long way in making school level science exciting.

Communication challenges lie on every rung of the scientific research ladder. My first encounter with potential biologist collaborators presented me with a challenge to explain my research interests in chemistry and cancer drug discovery to them. As a medicinal chemist, I appreciated being able to convey the essence of my project, as well as being able to comprehend the significance of their research. The ability to synthesize a unified picture of our technical expertise and interests helped us formulate specific research objectives, with potential applications in clinical settings. It was then that I realized the tremendous potential of scientific communication between researchers in interdisciplinary fields. With little practice or prior experience, graduate students are often faced with the formidable task of writing manuscripts and theses. Thus, considerable attention must be diverted towards honing verbal and composition skills through mandatory communication courses.

Issues like healthcare, food, fuel, climate change directly impact people’s quality of lives. For example, understanding prophylactic measures for dengue fever can prove to be useful in controlling its spread and lowering its incidence. As consumers, laypublic is often lured by ‘sugar-free’ labels on products like diet coke, often oblivious of the potential carcinogenic effects of its substitute aspartame. Knowledge about harmful outcomes of plastic usage and its recyclable substitutes would also contribute a great deal in protecting environment and wildlife. Popular science awareness among adults can be promoted using various platforms like magazines, events like scientifique café, science events apps and targeted public campaigns.

Science communication is a critical tool to bridge knowledge and information between researchers, industries, think tanks, and varying levels of audience. Apart from a sound science community and judicious policy makers, a well aware public will catalyse the course of country’s growth and development. Science communicators extending from teachers to researchers ought to take responsibility and play an effective role in making Singapore a more sustainable, robust and prosperous economy.