Science AMA Series: We’re Drs. Jessica Hellmann and Tessa Hill—two
scientists who talk to non-scientists about climate change. Ask us
anything!
Abstract
Hi reddit! We’re Drs. Jessica Hellmann and Tessa Hill and we are here to
talk to you about improving how scientists can talk with the public
about climate change. Climate scientists see firsthand the current and
potential impacts of climate change, and often feel compelled to share
these scenarios with the public and highlight the way their science
intersects with critical societal interests. Yet, even the most capable
science communicators can improve how they talk with non-scientists
about crucial social and scientific issues in ways that both capture
their complexity and move the dialogue forward. The science of scicomm
suggests it’s important to find common ground. There are promising
practices developing within scicomm, and many scientists have had
communication successes. We’re here to help you improve your scicomm
skills and share our stories from the field—Ask us anything! This AMA
is being facilitated as part of the AAAS Leshner Leadership Institute, a
fellowship program that helps foster scientists’ scicomm and public
engagement skills. Jessica Hellmann: I lead the Institute on the
Environment at the University of Minnesota. I study global change and
was among the first to propose and study new techniques for protecting
ecosystems and people from climate change. Tessa Hill: I am at UC Davis
and I study the impact of climate change on the ocean. I am experienced
in science communication, including working with teachers and engaging
stakeholders. I recently served on the West Coast Ocean Acidification
and Hypoxia Panel. For background: Sara K. Yeo’s 2015 paper, “Public
Engagement with and Communication of Science in a Web-2.0 Media
Environment” is an excellent literature review of the scicomm field as
it applies to social media. Perhaps nowhere are the insights she
collects more needed than when discussing climate change. We’ll be back
at 1 pm EST (10 am PST, 6 pm UTC) to answer your questions, ask us
anything! Mod note: Listen to NPR’s Joe Palca interview our AMA guests
recorded yesterday, (only 2 minutes 43 seconds)