Scientists and the public: the experiences and attitudes of a selected group of PUSactive UK scienti

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Scientists and the public the experiences and
attitudes of a selected group of PUS-active UK
scientists

• Gillian Pearson
• The Oxford Trust

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Practical difficulties

• No recognised definition of what constitutes PUS
  activity
• No easy access to data indicating which UK
  scientists are involved in PUS activity

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The survey

• Sent to 223 PUS-active scientists
• 66 response rate
• PPARC, EPSRC, BBSRC, COPUS, BA/Royal Society
  Millennium grant holders
• 83 male 17 female
• Current status
• Undergrad 0.5
• Post grad 3
• Lecturer 35
• HOD/Prof 59
• Retired 1.5

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The experiences and attitudes of a selected group
of PUS-active UK scientists

• How did they first get involved?
• What do they choose to do?
• What audiences do they target?
• What do they want to achieve?
• What personal benefits do they get?
• What problems have they encountered?

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Stage in career when first took part
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What made them first take part?
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What do they do?
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What audience do they target?
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Why target particular audiences?

• Enthusiasm of young people
• Future scientists
• Better able to communicate with adults
• Widest impact with general public
• Recruitment
• Ease of access
• Reactive to requests

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What do they hope to achieve?

• Interest, awareness, excitement 52
• Understanding of science 24
• Appreciation of research process 6
• Culture change 6
• More scientists 9
• Personal/professional benefits 7

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Have their views on the public changed?

• Yes 42
• 47 more interested than expected
• 24 more knowledgeable than expected
• 29 less knowledgeable than expected

• No 50
• only 2 negative
• most felt that public were interested in science
  and keen to learn

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Why get involved?

• Desire to improve PUS 30
• Enjoyment 24
• The buzz of performing 22
• Sense of duty 10
• Part of the job 5
• Recruitment 2

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What do they get out of it?

• Benefits
• Enjoyment 74
• Ideas/contacts 21
• Communication
• skills 14
• Promotion/money 9
• Recognition 8
• Other 13
• None 23

• Problems
• Time 43
• Money 16
• Other colleagues 14
• No recogn/reward 10
• The audience 9
• Practical issues 9
• Communication 8
• None 26

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Are their efforts recognised?

• Yes 53
• No 43
• Mixed 4

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Attitudes of colleagues
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What changes would they make to current practice?

• Formal recognition RAE 28
• Increased funding 20
• Media involvement 14
• Co-ordination/networking 12
• School science 12
• None 7
• No idea/ no comment 27

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Commonly held beliefs

• According to scientific tradition scientists
  taking part in PUS should follow certain rules
  take part in PUS only when their productive
  research life is over, stick strictly to one area
  of expertise, act only to improve the public
  image of science especially where funding may
  result, and avoid extremes of opinion. A
  scientist should establish a reputation as a
  credible researcher before embarking upon PUS
  activity and even then be prepared to risk the
  scorn of his peers.
• Rae Goodell,1977, The Visible Scientists
  (BostonLittle,Brown)

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Conclusions

• These scientists are not driven to take part in
  PUS activity primarily out of a sense of duty
• They believe that their own research, however
  seemingly abstruse, is a fruitful area for PUS
  activity
• The results suggest that it is not essential to
  wait until an academic career is established
  before taking part in PUS
• There is less resistance from colleagues than
  might generally be thought
• The most common problem cited is lack of time
• A move towards a system where PUS activity is
  given formal recognition is suggested