When working at a research institute like LLO, it is easy to be insulated by an academic bubble that provides extensive access to accredited publications, scientific journals, and a multitude of tools to interpret the complex information. From within, we become frustrated with the public’s growing skepticism toward science and the processes that guide it. Clouded by our privileges, we forget that the resources that inform our everyday life are inaccessible to most people, and often overlook the gap between our research and what the general public understands.
For many, scientific research is still viewed as white coats in sterile labs, something cryptic, existing outside their orbit. But stepping into LLO’s Research Laboratory Building, it is apparent that this is far from the truth. Our building is historical, bright, covered in house plants, art, and forever evolving. Our facility is not a barren laboratory, it’s an embodiment of our brilliant researchers and their passions. Fieldwork takes place on a refurbished fishing boat, or on a frozen lake in the woods. Data analysis happens in a classroom turned-shared-office or even a former storage area. LLO is a humble, comfortable hub for environmental science, a place of learning and community.
This misconception of modern science has created indifference and exhaustion. It’s easy to blame the news and social media, we are all seeing the consequences of excessive content consumption with the spread of misinformation and clickbait stories. But this challenge doesn't have to exclusively cultivate frustration, it can also create opportunity. With the inclusion of jobs like my own, communicators are playing a crucial role in a transition to science by bringing digestible science to the public’s algorithms, and reconnecting by rebuilding trust, curiosity, and support.
There are a few things to focus on to achieve this. First, researchers need to create unity by localizing their science. Using social media to promote authentic imagery and stories is almost easy at LLO. We study lakes around the world, but have a special focus on Lake Superior, the cornerstone of our community. Many of our posts highlight fieldwork, because the sites will look very familiar to community members. When we compose the research within the community’s daily lives, the science becomes familiar and comfortable. Similarly, we also feature the people behind the research, because they are active and important community members. It’s difficult to listen to strangers on the news, but it’s easy to listen to someone familiar, who you know has your best interest in mind because it’s also theirs.
Along with unity, it’s important to grow general credibility. On our social media you can see the behind the scenes of the science; researchers working in subzero temperatures on frozen lakes, or stuck on a boat in repair for a month. We also highlight the large, collaborative teams that put in many hours of rigorous work for each project, and the meticulous, lengthy processes behind every finding. By providing imagery of the work being done at LLO, we are building a research story in front of the viewers’ eyes. In doing so, viewers have the chance to gain confidence in LLO’s findings and become more open minded, fostering a greater appreciation for science as a whole.
It’s not enough to publish manuscripts anymore, science organizations need to establish themselves as a member of the community they exist within and social media is one of the tools that give them the opportunity to accomplish it. My hope is that communities realize that science is in everybody’s backyard and the hard-working researchers are their neighbors. That they realize they have an organization and information source they know and can trust, thus rebuilding the curiosity and support the academic community is seeking.
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