Previous issues of Australian University Science magazine have emphasised the role of university science in creating knowledge and innovative solutions. A key challenge for the future will be fostering genuine, evidence-based dialogue about the pressing issues confronting our world.
There are no clear answers for how Australia should best navigate climate change, artificial intelligence and our myriad other challenges – but data alone doesn’t build the trust needed to change minds and hearts. Our universities must rethink how science is communicated, who gets to speak and who is heard.
“Public trust in science is essential for empowering our communities and governments to make evidence-based decisions, to ensure the outcomes of scientific research are accepted and embraced by end-users, and to foster the social license of scientists to operate in public institutions,” says Melissa Brown, executive dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Queensland and immediate past president of the ACDS.
For this purpose, trust in science remains “moderately high” globally, according to a study published in Nature Human Behaviour last year.“
Whilst it was good to see that globally, and particularly in Australia, trust in scientists is moderately high [3.6 globally, 3.9 Australia, on a 5 point scale], this also suggests that there is room for improvement,” says Brown.
Professor Joan Leach, Deputy Vice Chancellor at the Australian National University (ANU) and past director of the Centre for Public Awareness of Science, believes democratising the way we communicate science can be part of the solution.
This approach allows information to flow freely and fairly, encouraging participation from all voices and perspectives. While industry voices are important, Leach says balancing that with a strong government-funded R&D sector is vital.
“People follow the money,” she explains. “If what people see is industries calling the shots because they’re paying the dollar, then we have a problem.“
We’re still very much in ‘telling people about science’ mode. We need to flip that and ask people instead. If you listen to people, they also want research on the environment… and new forms of energy,” Leach says. “People are quite engaged.”
Not about us without us
If listening is key to building trust and moving forward together, who should we be listening to? The diversity of voices at the table is vital. We need to move past a “business as usual” Western science mindset.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, Mātauranga Māori knowledge systems are core to every science degree at the University of Waikato.
Professor Margaret Barbour, Dean Te Aka Mātuatua – School of Science, says co-learning develops students’ ability to think critically and embrace multiple points of view.
“Being creative in the way we’re asking questions, and the kind of questions we’re asking, is always going to expand our knowledge system for the better,” Barbour says.
In Australia, similar lessons are being learned, with universities recognising the need to listen and learn from Indigenous ecological, astronomical, and medicinal perspectives.
The ANU, Macquarie University, UniSA and Murdoch University, for example, offer co-designed units in Indigenous Science. The ACDS has also helped to develop a suite of resources to improve the cultural competency of Australia’s educators. These are all steps towards encouraging participation from a range of people and perspectives.
What’s next?
University science has the opportunity to listen and learn from a broad range of different views to build trust, even beyond the addition of Indigenous perspectives.
There are many ways this may play out. “It’s okay to hold more than one knowledge system in your head at one time,” Barbour says. “We need to be able to say: ‘You will be listened to. Your response and your point of view is important, and we’ll be taking that forward together’.”
Writers: Cristy Burne and Jasmine Fellows
First published in Australian University Science Issue 14
Image: Supplied, Takver from Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0
