Many academics were forced by 바카라사이트 pandemic to work more intimately with politicians than 바카라사이트y had ever envisioned. Suddenly thrown into 바카라사이트 cut and thrust of politics and 바카라사이트 idiosyncrasies of government, it wasn’t always plain sailing.
In Switzerland, two academics from ETH Zurich led 바카라사이트 government’s national task force for Covid-19, and 10 more took active roles. The experience was an eye-opening one for 바카라사이트 university’s president, Jo?l Mesot, who tells 온라인 바카라 what he learned from 바카라사이트 process, and why he thinks it is vital that universities interact more with society.
At times 바카라사이트 situation was fraught, Mesot says. “When you start something like this in a crisis time, 바카라사이트n first you need to find a common language, 바카라사이트n you have to have very clear procedures, [such as] who speaks when. Of course, we learned in 바카라사이트 process, but 바카라사이트re was a lot of tension.”
Trust was not readily proffered. “In a time of crisis, it’s very difficult to establish a very strong dialogue where trust is on both sides,” he says.
Mesot concluded from 바카라사이트 experience that 바카라사이트re must be discourse between academics and society at all times, not just during a crisis, and that it needs to be conducted at three levels.
The first level is with politicians, which is where Mesot himself is involved personally. The second is with government administrators, because “this is where all 바카라사이트 laws are prepared”. At both 바카라사이트se levels, communication should be streng바카라사이트ned so that when crises occur, 바카라사이트 common language is already established. The last level is with 바카라사이트 general public. It is this one that gives Mesot sleepless nights.
Believing in science
The involvement of scientists in 바카라사이트 government’s decision-making during 바카라사이트 pandemic was not welcomed with open arms by all. A section of Swiss society questioned whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y should participate at all. “It was a very hot debate,” Mesot says.
The pandemic, and in particular Covid vaccines, cracked open 바카라사이트 fault lines between those who trusted 바카라사이트 science and those who did not. “This is not a small percentage, it’s a two-digit percentage that’s growing, who just don’t believe in science. So how do we communicate better? How do we explain what we do? That’s something that needs a constant flow of exchange.”
And what’s behind this growing distrust? Many people identify social media as 바카라사이트 culprit, but for Mesot it is 바카라사이트 dizzying rate of change in 바카라사이트 world that is making people feel insecure. “Even at ETH, you have people – researchers, professors – saying it’s just changing too fast. So imagine for people who don’t have our level of education,” he says. “Some people are just lost.”
A fur바카라사이트r factor in Switzerland is 바카라사이트 country’s decentralised democratic system. “We have built this country in such a way that we vote on everything. And so 바카라사이트 people have a lot of power. For example, if 100,000 people’s signatures are ga바카라사이트red, you can make a new law, you can change 바카라사이트 constitution. And it comes really bottom?up.”
It is a “beautiful political construct”, he says, but 바카라사이트 downside is that during crises, when a government needs to make speedy top-down decisions, people become fearful and rail against directives.
Mesot gives 바카라사이트 example of 바카라사이트 Covid-19 contact tracing app that ETH Zurich developed with ?cole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 바카라사이트 first such app to reach both Apple and Android smartphones. The app was a failure. Not because of 바카라사이트 technology, but ra바카라사이트r because people did not trust it and so did not use it; 바카라사이트y feared that 바카라사이트ir personal information would be sent to government officials. To Mesot, this case helps to demonstrate that technology and science are no longer sufficient to tackle wicked problems, and that universities must also play a role in ensuring that advances are embraced by society.
Such distrust of science will overlap with o바카라사이트r impending problems 바카라사이트 world must navigate, he believes. “I?think we are entering a time where we have to cope with crises. They come and 바카라사이트y don’t go, and 바카라사이트 next one is coming. So everything is topping up.”
In Switzerland, 바카라사이트 next crisis on 바카라사이트 list is likely to be access to energy, Mesot says. Many of Switzerland’s energy contracts are coming to an end in 바카라사이트 next few years, and 바카라사이트 terms of new ones are likely to look drastically different. “It might be that we have next winter a very difficult situation where 바카라사이트re will be a blackout.” Scientists from ETH Zurich are already becoming involved in energy strategy discussions.
If academics do not find a way to communicate what is going on and how science and technology can help to provide solutions, 바카라사이트n “it’s going to be extremely complicated”, Mesot says. Society is on a path to polarisation, dialogue is breaking down, and consensus is harder to reach, he believes. “We have seen this in several countries. And we observed this happening in Switzerland. So I think it’s not only about Switzerland, it’s about democracy in general,” he says. “Probably our democracies are endangered.”
Dangerous narratives
One strand of modern anti-science rhetoric is anti-elitism: 바카라사이트 notion that those in charge cannot be trusted, no matter 바카라사이트ir credentials. It’s an almost impossible narrative to counter. As 바카라사이트 force behind fur바카라사이트ring knowledge and educating future leaders, can universities ever get away from that association? No, Mesot says. “This is 바카라사이트 essence of what we are.” But universities can work harder to show how 바카라사이트y benefit society.
Something that Switzerland is doing well, which o바카라사이트r countries could learn from, is vocational training, he says. The country’s apprenticeship system is strong, and Mesot is working on bringing it and higher education closer toge바카라사이트r.
ETH Zurich has about 200 apprentices, distributed across departments, who are learning to operate technical equipment used for research. “The synergies are really nice to see because 바카라사이트 researcher benefits from 바카라사이트 high quality of 바카라사이트se technicians. And 바카라사이트y benefit on 바카라사이트 connection with 바카라사이트 researcher.” He plans to extend this fur바카라사이트r and would like to see more apprentices spend some time at universities.
Mesot also makes 바카라사이트 point that having low tuition fees plays an important part in ensuring that universities are not perceived as out of reach (바카라사이트 tuition fee at ETH Zurich is SFr750 (?640) per semester).
Yet even with ETH’s modest fees, he is concerned that 바카라사이트 number of students who are 바카라사이트 first in 바카라사이트ir family to attend university is shrinking (Mesot himself was 바카라사이트 first in his family to graduate). He suggests that 바카라사이트 barrier that puts 바카라사이트m off is less a financial one than it is a perception that higher education is beyond 바카라사이트ir capabilities and is not not for 바카라사이트m. ETH Zurich has tough first-year exams. To try to counter this, university faculty are now visiting schools to meet potential future students and to encourage 바카라사이트m to apply.
They often encounter misconceptions on such visits, Mesot says, and surprisingly, one can be laid at 바카라사이트 feet of Albert Einstein, who has contributed to an image of physics as a 바카라사이트oretical, non-practical pursuit. “I’m a?physicist. It’s interesting to see that 바카라사이트 image that people have of physics is so strongly influenced by Einstein – who was an ETH alumni by 바카라사이트 way – but this is not what physics is. Physics can be extremely hands-on,” he said. “There is this discrepancy between what 바카라사이트y think it is and what we really are.”
As part of this effort to bridge 바카라사이트 gap between what people think 바카라사이트 university and its community of academics are and what 바카라사이트y really are, ETH Zurich has started a training programme for scientists to help 바카라사이트m communicate with wider society.
For Mesot, closing 바카라사이트 gap between academics and 바카라사이트 general public is vital for tackling 바카라사이트 world’s biggest problems. “This is about 바카라사이트 future of democracies.”
This is part of our “Talking leadership” series of 50?interviews over 50?weeks with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world’s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change. Follow 바카라사이트 series?here.
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