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Science Denial: Lessons and Solutions
Friday, November 2, 2018
The New York Academy of Sciences, 7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich St Fl 40, New York
The outright repudiation of scientific facts is a longstanding, global phenomenon, and the negative consequences are vast for science, public health, global conservation, and beyond.
There is no single way to categorize those who deny science, complicating efforts to overcome science denial. It arises in all strata of education and political ideology, with diverse motivations. Importantly, it is frequently not a dismissal of all science (e.g., someone might accept climate change, but reject vaccines). Having increased scientific knowledge is only marginally protective against science denial, and at times can lead to increased polarization.
In response to this complex and pressing global challenge, this event will gather the world's leading communications, political science, psychology, and behavior researchers with historians, public health officials, and science outreach experts for a 1-day symposium to delve into the history and cultural motivations of, challenges presented by, and future solutions to science denial.
Livestream
The panel discussions and keynote lecture for this event will be available via Livestream, watch them here.
Registration
Member
By 10/03/2018
$90
After 10/03/2018
$110
Onsite
$130
Nonmember Academia, Faculty, etc.
By 10/03/2018
$110
After 10/03/2018
$135
Onsite
$155
Nonmember Corporate, Other
By 10/03/2018
$140
After 10/03/2018
$170
Onsite
$195
Nonmember Not for Profit
By 10/03/2018
$110
After 10/03/2018
$135
Onsite
$155
Nonmember Student, Undergrad, Grad, Fellow
By 10/03/2018
$60
After 10/03/2018
$75
Onsite
$95
Member Student, Post-Doc, Fellow
By 10/03/2018
$40
After 10/03/2018
$50
Onsite
$65
Keynote Speaker
Moderators & Panelists
Hoosen Coovadia, MD, MBBS,
University of KwaZulu-Natal
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Liz Neeley, MA,
The Story Collider
The Story Collider
Matthew Nisbet, PhD, Northeastern University
David Scheer, MS,
Scheer & Company, Inc.
Scheer & Company, Inc.
Jerry Taylor,
Niskanen Center
Niskanen Center
Organizers
David Scheer, MS,
Scheer & Company, Inc.
Scheer & Company, Inc.
Silver
Bronze
Academy Friend
Additional Supporter
Promotional Partners
Friday
November 02, 2018
8:00 AM
Registration and Breakfast
9:00 AM
Welcoming Remarks
Session I: The History of Science Denial and its Consequences for Global Health
9:15 AM
Panel Discussion
Speakers
Moderator: Sheldon Krimsky, PhD
Tufts University
Arthur Caplan, PhD
NYU School of Medicine
Elena Conis, PhD
University of California, Berkeley
David Rosner, PhD, MPH
Columbia University
David Scheer, MS
Scheer & Company, Inc.
Nancy Tomes, PhD
Stony Brook University
10:15 AM
Audience Q&A
10:30 AM
Networking Coffee Break
Session II: Understanding the Spread of Science Denial
11:00 AM
Panel Discussion
Speakers
Moderator: Timothy Caulfield, LLB, LLM
University of Alberta
Cornelia Betsch, PhD
Universität Erfurt
Michael Dahlstrom, PhD
Iowa State University
Kelly M. Greenhill, PhD
Tufts University; Harvard University
Miriam Metzger, PhD
University of California, Santa Barbara
Matthew Nisbet, PhD
Northeastern University
12:00 PM
Audience Q&A
12:15 PM
Networking Luncheon
1:30 PM
Keynote Lecture: Denial or Distrust? On Not Solving the Wrong Problem
Speaker
Sheila Jasanoff, PhD, JD
Harvard Kennedy School
+ Abstract
“Science denial” is a flat term for a complex reality. It implies that science is a single thing, a storehouse of truths that no one should deny. When denial persists, the recommended solution is better communication, so people will hear and understand the facts that scientists have discovered. Yet, scientific controversies tell a more complicated story. Skepticism toward particular scientific facts rarely corresponds to a wholesale rejection of science. Nor is ignorance necessarily the cause of rejection. Instead, refusal to accept a scientific consensus may reflect doubts about scientists’ motivations, their ways of working, or the purposes and benefits of their research. To realign public beliefs with established facts, we need more than an insistence on the facts themselves. We need to rebuild trust in science — a difficult task in a time of political polarization and loss of confidence in experts and institutions. Answers may lie in recognizing that science, like democracy, involves reason and engagement, not merely a search for truth and facts.
Session III: Overcoming Science Denial: Studying the Successes and Failures
2:10 PM
Panel Discussion
Speakers
Moderator: Richard G. Marlink¸ MD
Rutgers Global Health Institute
Allan M. Brandt¸ PhD
Harvard University
Hoosen Coovadia, MD
University of KwaZulu-Natal; University of the Witwatersrand
Amanda Dempsey, MD, PhD, MPH
University of Colorado, Denver
Cathy Techtmann, MS
University of Wisconsin-Extension
3:10 PM
Audience Q&A
3:25 PM
Networking Coffee Break
Session IV: Elevating Science in Public Policy and Public Discourse
3:55 PM
Panel Discussion
Speakers
Moderator: Tiffany Lohwater
AAAS – American Association for the Advancement of Science
Dominique Brossard, PhD
University of Wisconsin-Madison; Morgridge Institute for Research
Tamar Haspel
The Washington Post
Liz Neeley, MA
The Story Collider
Jerry Taylor
Niskanen Center
4:55 PM
Audience Q&A
5:10 PM
Closing Remarks
5:20 PM