1. Dominique Brossard, Professor and Chair
@brossardd
Department of Life Sciences Communication
University of Wisconsin-Madison
UW-Madison Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC)
Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies
Center for Global Studies
AAAA 2015 Annual Meeting, San Jose, CA, February 15, 2015
Scientists and Social Media:
Challenges and Opportunities
2. This Talk: An Overview
• Who are AAAS members ?
• Who uses social media for public engagement?
Surveying R1 university researchers
• Does it pay off to engage? A study among highly
cited nanotech-related scientists
3. AAAS members
• 39% are 64+ years old; 71% male
• Compared to NSF (2013) “Characteristics of
Scientists and Engineers in the USA”
– Over representation of biological sciences
– Under representation of social sciences
• Membership open to a broad range of professions
sharing an interest in science
4. Another Approach: Surveying an R1 University
(2) Number of scientists with doctorates in Biological, Physical, and Social Sciences (from NSF (2013) "Characteristics of Scientists and
Engineers in the United States: 2008")
(1) AAAS members demographics (from Pew Research Center/AAAS (2015) "How Scientists Engage the Public")
5. This Talk: An Overview
• Who are AAAS members ?
• Who uses social media for public engagement?
Surveying R1 university researchers
• Does it pay off to engage? A study among highly
cited nanotech-related scientists
10. 25% of researchers see the value of social media to
engage with interested lay audiences
11. This Talk: An Overview
• Who are AAAS members ?
• Who uses social media for public engagement?
Surveying R1 university researchers
• Does it pay off to engage? A study among highly
cited nanotech-related scientists
12. Are Online Buzz and Academic Impact Related?
Liang, X., Su, L. Y.-F., Yeo, S. K., Scheufele, D. A., Brossard, D., Xenos, M., Nealey, P., & Corley,
E.A. Building buzz: (Scientists) communicating science in new media environments. Journalism and Mass
Communication Quarterly
PREDICTING h-INDEX
14. • Change in the cultural outlook toward public communication
among researchers
• From an academic visibility standpoint, it is not whether
scientists should engage with (social) media to communicate
their research, but how to do so
• There are many scientific communities, that can be very
diverse in their uses and attitudes toward social media
• There is no “Scientists versus The Public”
Take-home points
30% said they had been engaged in more than five media contacts in the past 3 years
39% reported one to five contacts.
No statistical significant differences between countries