Several individuals with a connection to ASTC and the broader science engagement field have been named to the Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine:
James “Jamie” Bell (ASTC) has served as Project Director and Principal Investigator of the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) since 2010. Prior to CAISE, Jamie served in a variety of leadership roles at informal STEM learning organizations, including museums and science centers.
Anthony Dudo serves as associate professor in the Moody College of Communication and the program director of science communication in the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to graduate school, Anthony worked in strategic communication for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. He is the coauthor of the recently-published book Strategic Science Communication: A Guide to Setting the Right Objectives for More Effective Public Engagement.
Mónica Feliú-Mójer is Director of Communications and Science Outreach for Ciencia Puerto Rico and Director of Inclusive Science Communication and Engagement for the Science Communication Lab. She delivered the opening keynote on “Science communication and storytelling to make science more equitable and inclusive” at the ASTC Virtual 2020 Annual Conference. Dr. Feliú-Mójer served on the CAISE Research and Practice Task Force.
Rajul “Raj” Pandya is Vice President of Community Science at the American Geophysical Union where he focuses on how the sciences can be more participatory, how inclusivity contributes to innovation and relevance, and how the sciences can be allies in advancing justice. Raj has been a close partner to ASTC including through his leadership of the Thriving Earth Exchange.
Sara Yeo is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and director of the STEM Ambassador Program and a faculty affiliate with the Global Change and Sustainability Center and Environmental Humanities program at the University of Utah. She served as dialogue moderator and discussion catalyst for the Alan J. Friedman Science Center Dialogues at the ASTC Virtual 2020 Annual Conference. Dr. Yeo served on the CAISE Research and Practice Task Force.
These new committee members will serve three-year terms and will join current committee members in continuing the committee’s work to foster increased collaboration between researchers and practitioners and providing leadership to help advance the field of science communication in ways that are equitable, inclusive, and evidence-based.
The standing committee—which is co-chaired by Kirsten Ellenbogen, President and CEO of Great Lakes Science Center and former member of the Board of Directors and Secretary of ASTC, and Dietram Scheufele, Taylor-Bascom Chair in Science Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Madison—works to:
- expand collaborations between researchers and practitioners to build the evidence base and advance the use of research to address real-world challenges of communicators and communities
- increase institutional and systemic supports for evidence-based science communication and engagement with diverse communities to their benefit;
- build the capacity of individuals and organizations to communicate science effectively across a range of professional science communication roles; and,
- lead the field toward equitable solutions to science communication challenges.