Taking Science to the Streets

Abstract

Soapbox Science is a world-wide, grass-roots approach to bringing the science done by women to people on the streets, especially those who wouldn’t otherwise have come across science in their daily lives. Large proportions of the public only hear about science passively via TV(1) and think that scientists are poor communicators(2). On top of this, many opportunities to engage with scientists face-to-face are elitist, non-inclusive and don’t reach those people in urban areas who do not have the time, inclination or funds to visit science festivals, museums or events(3). Soapbox Scientists are real-life scientists, who are at the cutting-edge of scientific research. They stand on soapboxes in busy streets and talk directly to the passers-by, with no middle man, no powerpoint slide, no amphitheatre, just their passion for the natural world and some cool props! 2017 also saw the start of our new Art & Science events, which encourage collaboration between artists and scientists in order to come up with new, innovative ways of presenting research to the public. Allowing people to question, heckle, probe and be inspired by top environmental researchers, as well as showing them that scientists are relatable and trustworthy, is essential for empowering the public with a knowledge base on which they can form opinions on conservation issues in the media, and act based on sound science and reliable recommendations.

(1) NERC- Public Insight Research. (2017). (2) Castell et al. BIS 2, (2014). (3) Office of Science and Technology (2000).