🚀 go-pugleaf

Friday, April 18, 1 - 3 pm (arrive by 12:45 pm)
Public & Free
(*) Easy Prior Registration by April 17 (*)

Matthew Nisbet, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, School of Communication,
American University

National Science Foundation, Room 375 (*)
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA

Sponsored by the National Capital Area Skeptics WWW.NCAS.ORG

Over the coming decades, as society faces major collective choices on
issues such as climate change, biomedical research, and
nanotechnology, scientists and their organizations will need to work
together with the public to formulate effective policies and to
resolve disputes. A major challenge for scientists will be to craft
communication efforts that are sensitive to how diverse audiences
process messages, but also to the way science is portrayed across
types of media. In these efforts, scientists should adopt a language
that emphasizes shared values and has broad appeal, avoiding the
pitfall of seeming to condescend to fellow citizens or alienating them
by attacking their beliefs. Part of this process includes "framing" an
issue in ways that remain true to the science but that make the issue
more personally meaningful, thereby potentially sparking greater
interest or acceptance.

Matthew C. Nisbet, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor in the School of
Communication at American University. As a social scientist he studies
the nature and impacts of strategic communication in policy debates.
His current work focuses on scientific and environmental
controversies, examining the interactions between experts,
journalists, and various publics. In this research, Nisbet examines
how news coverage reflects and shapes policy, how strategists try to
mold public opinion, and how citizens make sense of controversies.

NSF is one block south of the Ballston-Marymount University metro stop
on the Orange Line. For most drivers, Route 66 to Fairfax Dr. to
Stuart Dr is the easiest route. Parking is available in the Ballston
Common mall, in the NSF building, and at other area parking lots and
garages. Metered parking is also available on the surrounding streets.

(*) Easy Prior Registration For This Event

Non-NSF employees must register in advance for a guest badge for this
event. By April 17, send an email to ncas-april18@ncas.org (or call
301 587-3827) giving the first and last name of each attendee and
optionally their organizational affiliation for their guest badge. We
will try to accommodate walk-in registration arriving before 12:45 pm
but priority will be given to those with prior registrations arriving
by 12:45 pm.

Enter the NSF building at the corner of 9th St. N and N Stuart Streets
by 12:45 pm and show a photo ID to pickup your guest badge; then
proceed past security to Room 375 for seating by 1 pm