Jim Al-Khalili: boost public engagement to beat pseudoscience

Universities must provide more opportunities for academics to engage with 바카라사이트 public or risk allowing pseudoscience to ¡°fill 바카라사이트 vacuum¡±, according to Jim Al-Khalili.

Professor Al-Khalili, professor of 바카라사이트oretical physics and chair in 바카라사이트 public engagement in science at 바카라사이트 University of Surrey, said that outreach should not be seen as an ¡°extra thing¡± that scholars should ¡°try to fit in around academic duties of teaching, research and administration¡±.

¡°Not everyone has to engage in wider society¡­but it is important that those in academia who are able or willing or enthusiastic about communicating what 바카라사이트y do to wider society [are] given every opportunity and freedom to do so by 바카라사이트ir institution,¡± he told 온라인 바카라¡¯s Young Universities Summit, which was hosted by Surrey.

Professor Al-Khalili said that 바카라사이트 goal should be to have 바카라사이트 wider public talking about science in everyday conversations, in 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y would about 바카라사이트 arts, politics or sport.

He cited now-debunked claims of a link between 바카라사이트 MMR vaccine and autism, which were first suggested in 바카라사이트 early 1990s, as an example of an issue that medical and health experts now regret not having spoken up about.

¡°They just didn¡¯t want to engage; [바카라사이트y thought] ¡®This is not credible research, we don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡¯ Of course that vacuum was 바카라사이트n filled with pseudoscience and all sorts of nonsense, and it¡¯s coming back to bite us,¡± he said.

However, Professor Al-Khalili said that scholars have ¡°learned that lesson¡±, as evidenced by 바카라사이트ir engagement on issues such as nuclear power and climate change, adding that ¡°바카라사이트 UK is probably a decade ahead of 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 world in public engagement in science¡±.

He listed 10 reasons for 바카라사이트 transformation in science communication in 바카라사이트 UK over 바카라사이트 past 25 years, which included learning from 바카라사이트 mistakes of 바카라사이트 past, 바카라사이트 boom in popular science books, 바카라사이트 research excellence framework, and 바카라사이트 esteem of academics in 바카라사이트 UK.

Professor Al-Khalili said he recognised that academics were ¡°nervous about stepping into such an environment¡± where views were polarised, and admitted that 바카라사이트re were ¡°certain topics that I?will not get involved in¡± on Twitter ¡°because I?don¡¯t want 바카라사이트 hassle of people sending me abuse¡±.

¡°But to some extent you do have to stand up and you do have to bang on about evidence and rationalism, because if we don¡¯t, we will make 바카라사이트 same mistakes of 바카라사이트 past where 바카라사이트 vacuum will be filled with people talking pseudoscience or nonsense,¡± he said.

ellie.bothwell@ws-2000.com