Public Engagement with Science

Summary

Public engagement with science is an important element in the making of the relationship between science and society. Together with public education and public dialogue, it provides a conceptual framework and set of practices for scientific and societal actors to interact in mutually beneficial exchanges. Public engagement is often associated with the collaboration of scientists, policymakers, and publics in knowledge production and science governance, with public consultations and collaborative research projects among its most mobilized operational forms. However, limiting public engagement to these configurations creates tensions in two main ways. First, by narrowing the goals of engagement to deliberation, trust-building, and education, and leaving aims such as personal empowerment out of the scope. Second, by treating the public as a homogeneous group, often composed of already interested and socially privileged members, and failing to include underserved publics. Debates on how to expand the scope of engagement, enhancing institutional responsibility, and including diverse publics is central for the development of transformative public engagement with science. Considering alternative engagements alongside its formalized forms can contribute to a richer understanding of individuals’ distance from science, and inviting diverse ways of knowing in the conversations on science can help shape science outcomes in responsible and innovative ways. This entry addresses these issues and aims at being a resource for students, researchers, and practitioners in need of an overview of some of the core issues and debates of public engagement with science.