CORVALLIS, Ore. - Why are some citizens in developed countries such as the United States less trusting of science, expert scientific consensus and government? Why are they, instead, prioritizing their ideological values? At the February 10 Science Pub Corvallis, Erika Wolters and Brent Steel, professors in the OSU School of Public Policy, will examine these questions.
Wolters and Steel will explore how proponents of scientific findings and the scientists responsible for conducting and communicating research to decision makers are encountering direct challenges to scientific consensus.
They will use examples from high-stakes policy debates centered on hot-button controversies such as climate change, GMO foods, immunization, stem cell research, abstinence-only education and birth control. Their research identifies ways in which liberals and conservatives have both contested issues of science when consensus diverges from their ideological and value positions. Possible approaches for overcoming the ideology-science divide in policy will also be discussed.
Science Pub is free and open to the public and will begin at 6 p.m. at the Old World Deli, 341 SW 2nd St. in downtown Corvallis. Registration is required and can be done online
