Why Scientists and Scholars Should Communicate Through the Media, Despite the Risks-"At Risk U: the Past, Present & Future of Academic Freedom" Lecture Series

Attend a lecture in the Mellon Foundation Sawyer Seminar "At Risk U: The Past, Present, & Future of Academic Freedom" lecture series with Laura Helmuth (Slate, Scientific American, Washington Post). Why Scientists and Scholars Should Communicate Through the Media, Despite the Risks Universities, public health organizations, federal science agencies, and publishers have become targets of political forces that are threatened by the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge.

New restrictions on funding, collaborations, and inclusion are disrupting crucial research and limiting who is allowed to pursue it. The power imbalance is severe right now, and individuals and institutions are at risk of losing grants, students, jobs, and opportunities.

The way out is to build support for academic freedom, long-term research, honest assessments of history, and life-saving public health policies. Experts who share their knowledge with journalists or communicate directly through mass media face risks but can make a difference.

We’ll cover best practices, practical advice, and possible outcomes of doing so, and how people in different fields of expertise can support one another’s overlapping missions. About the Speaker Laura Helmuth is a journalist, freelance editor, writer, and consultant who formerly served as editor in chief of Scientific American, where you can still read her many features.

She previously worked as an editor for the Washington Post, National Geographic, Slate, Smithsonian and Science. A former president of the National Association of Science Writers, Helmuth is currently a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s standing committee on advancing science communication and an advisory board member for SciLine and The Transmitter.

She has a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience from the University of California, Berkeley, and recently won a Friend of Darwin Award from the National Center for Science Education. Her current writing can also be found at Slate and The Last Word on Nothing.