UCANR Scientist Publishes Guide to Science Communication
Tim Hammerich
News Reporter
When it comes down to it, many of the problems we face in our work and even personal life are often problems in communication. This is certainly true in agriculture when it comes to trying to clearly communicate the science behind how food is produced. In a new book called “Getting to the Heart of Science Communication”, UC Ag and Natural Resources Scientist Faith Kearns provides guidance on how to communicate science in a way that not just informs, but connects.
Kearns… “One of the main things that I'm trying to overturn is the idea that science communication is simply about providing information and getting really good at sort of performing the presentation of information. And instead to think about how we relate to other people. Which gets into a whole sort of other set of skills that have much more to do with listening, working with conflict, understanding trauma. And I certainly think when it comes to issues like drought, understanding how people feel about these issues is a part of the communication landscape that we tend to overlook.”
Kearns, whose work focuses on water, wildfire, and climate change, says there aren’t many other books on the market written by science communication practitioners. Her book “Getting to the Heart of Science Communication” is now available wherever books are sold.