Empowering Scientists to Inform Policy: George Mason Researcher Leads New Civic Science Initiative
As the need for evidence-based policymaking grows, so does the importance of scientists being able to clearly communicate their research to decision-makers. K.L. Akerlof, associate professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason University, has received funding from the Rita Allen Foundation to lead a national initiative titled, “Training Researchers to Communicate Science for Policy as a Key Dimension of Civic Science.” The project aims to equip researchers with the tools and training needed to engage effectively in the policymaking process.
“The research community in the United States is realizing right now how important it is to communicate science for policy and to engage decision-makers,” Akerlof said . “But these skills aren’t something that is typically taught in graduate school. The Rita Allen Foundation is working to make training in this type of civic science more easily accessible to researchers, for which we are really grateful.”
As part of a project funded by the Rita Allen Foundation, Akerlof will develop an open-access textbook, “Communicating Science for Policy: A Guide for Engaging Decisionmakers,” and associated online training materials with an international team of co-authors. In partnership with the National Science Policy Network and U.S. co-authors Tepring Piquado, Henriette Canino, and Erin Heath, Akerlof is holding aseries of online training workshops on communicating science for policy in June and July for which more than 1,200 researchers have already enrolled.
The Rita Allen Foundation funding is supporting the collaborative effort of 15 international co-authors to establish communicating science for policy as a new subfield of science communication and a key dimension of civic science, including through a workshop and publications.
