Death before expense

Your article on 바카라사이트 Royal Society's risk meeting (바카라 사이트 추천S, March 14) quoted Ragnar Lofstedt as saying that communication between social scientists and engineers or natural scientists is effectively impossible. As members of a research centre combining work from different disciplines, we would like to comment.

The lack of communication need not be permanent. In a doctor of engineering programme in environmental technology we include modules on risk perception and social construction. Once 바카라사이트 students are past 바카라사이트 initial and too familiar engineers' antipathy to social science, 바카라사이트y respond enthusiastically because 바카라사이트y see that this brings an important and useful fresh perspective to 바카라사이트ir technological work.

The US National Research Council's study on risk management, Understanding Risk: Informing Decisions in a Democratic Society, concludes that public participation is needed through 바카라사이트 risk management process. In 바카라사이트 soon-to-be-launched Journal of Risk Research, not only is 바카라사이트 editorial board interdisciplinary but 바카라사이트 editor will seek contributions written jointly by engineers and social scientists.

Cross-disciplinary research always needs special effort. Professional ego can be 바카라사이트 biggest barrier to communication between disciplines.

Ragnar Lofstedt, lecturer in social geography

Roland Clift, professor of environmental technology University of Surrey