I AM pleased to announce that the Malaysian Biotechnology Information Centre (Mabic) and The Petri Dish have launched a home-grown science communication module to train local researchers and Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (Stem) practitioners.
For long we have been reliant on foreign experts in this area and it is time to change this. Science communication is a combination of art and science.
Approaches in science communication are driven by empirical findings about public perception, concerns, fear, knowledge and trust among others – but the delivery has to be laced with art and
creativity.
creativity.
Due to the hybridisation narrative to ensure local sensitivities, culture, priorities, public perception, relevance and social norms are taken into account when developing and framing messages that are
intended for a broad-spectrum audience.
intended for a broad-spectrum audience.
Basically, it is about reaching out both to the hearts and minds of the audience. It requires a delicate balance of logic, empathy, credibility as well as hard facts and figures.
Armed with years of experience in this field, we at Mabic and The Petri Dish felt the need for such a “narrative” which could help translate the intricate complexities of science and its jargon using art’s light and deft expressions.
In May last year, our team set off to Singapore to train a group of education researchers. Then we collaborated with University Malaya’s UMXccelerate (UMX) and trained a group of researchers and PhD students.
The outcome was so encouraging. None of them have written a popular science article before and I am so proud that their first attempt merits space in The Petri Dish.
Risk communication is a branch of science communication and we conducted a workshop for scientists and regulators handling GMOs and biosafety regulations.
This was organised by the Department of Biosafety under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Our hope at The Petri Dish is to have a pool of scientists who are able to engage with Malaysian society to bring science home – to make it a part and parcel of the citizenry’s DNA.
Only when we achieve this, can the culture of innovation flourish and give rise to the creation of techno- and bioentrepreneurs in the country. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I say, science communication is one of the key elements to take Stem off the ground; see more students in this area; better science policies and regulations and their implementation; and finally, the creation of jobs in these fields.
Am I singing the same old tune from the broken record? I sound like it. But I will continue to sing this song till science and society are intertwined in Malaysia, and till science becomes an inherent part of the Malaysian culture.
My dream is for all universities and research institutes to have trained science communicators to support scientists in their public engagement.
This position has to be entrenched into the system. That will be the day, when we can say we are serious about science enculturation.
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