Engaged Science: Strategies, Opportunities, and Benefits

Science is increasingly intertwined with an array of pressing societal issues, from environmental and public health concerns to major national security threats. Meanwhile, scientists remain one of the most trusted groups of professionals and are looked to as both sources of inspiration for society's collective curiosity and effective messengers of useful technical information. While traditional scientific training has not emphasized the skills needed to coherently translate nuanced scientific research to audiences beyond one's inner academic circle, today's scientists (and, prominently, scientists-in-training) are increasingly seeking out ways to engage with such broader audiences and apply their skills to real-world problems. Here, we emphasize that a more holistic approach to training today's scientists is urgently needed.

To this end, we will discuss engagement strategies and opportunities for scientists across scales (e.g. at the individual, lab group, department/university, and cross-institutional levels), highlighting both existing opportunities and areas where improved capacity for science engagement is warranted. We argue that efforts to enhance and harmonize existing efforts would have multi-faceted benefits, with greater opportunities for science-society dialogues, enhanced equity and inclusivity in such dialogues, and broader professional opportunities for early-career scientists. This work stems from our personal experiences as trainees in a cross-institutional science engagement program, the Science Sentinels fellowship, organized by COMPASS and the Union of Concerned Scientists. While weacknowledge that development of effective scientific engagement skills requires interest, effort, and resources, we argue that development of skills for effective public engagement is a worthwhile element of scientific training that enables unique, rewarding, and multifaceted professional opportunities.