Media and Public Engagement for Societal Impact: Getting the Word Out about Human Factors and Ergonomics

Abstract

Societal impact refers to the influence of research on economic, environmental, cultural, and social outcomes that extend beyond the scientific sphere. In 2018, the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society launched the Societal Impact Committee to mindfully identify societal issues in which HF/E could contribute to beneficial impact while also advancing science and practice. This panel will consider the role of media and public engagement in facilitating this broad endeavor. Panelists will discuss their experiences, strategies, and lessons learned pertaining to connecting with the media and public via outreach, journalism, museums, and more.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Andre

Durksen

Volman

M. L.

(2017). Museums as avenues of learning for children: A decade of research. Learning Environments Research, 20(1), 47-76.

Barel-Ben David

Garty

E. S.

Baram-Tsabari

. (2020). Can scientists fill the science journalism void? Online public engagement with science stories authored by scientists. PLoS ONE, 15(1), e0222250.

Bornmann

(2013). What is societal impact of research and how can it be assessed? A literature survey. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 64(2), 217-233.

Bornmann

(2014). Do altmetrics point to broader impact of research? An overview of benefits and disadvantages of altmetrics. Journal of Infometrics, 8(4), 895-903.

Bornmann

Haunschild

Adams

(2019). Do altmetrics assess societal impact in a comparable way to case studies? An empirical test of the convergent validity of altmetrics based on data from the UK research excellence framework (REF). Journal of Infometrics, 13(1), 325-340.

Brossard

Nisbet

M. C.

(2007). Deference to scientific authority among a low information public: Understanding U.S. opinion on agricultural biotechnology. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 19(1), 24-52.

Chiou

E. K.

Wooldridge

A. R.

Price

Mosqueda

Roscoe

R. D.

(2017). The HFES Diversity Committee: Challenges and opportunities for involvement. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 2017 Annual Meeting, 61(1), 498-500.

Esposito

(2018, September 2018). 10 ways to support self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved from: https://health.usnews.com/health-care/patient-advice/slideshows/10-ways-to-support-self-sufficiency-for-people-with-disabilities

Falk

(2004). The director’s cut: Toward an improved understanding of learning from museums. Science Education, 88(S1), S83-S96.

10.

Garner

J. K.

Kaplan

Pugh

(2016). Museums as contexts for transformative experiences and identity development. Journal of Museum Education, 41(4), 341-352.

11.

Gordon

(2018b, September 7). Heavy backpacks can hurt kids— here’s how to send them back to school safely. Popular Science. Retrieved from: https://www.popsci.com/choose-wear-ergonomic-backpack/

12.

Gordon

(2018a, August 20). How to sit ergonomically without expensive equipment. Popular Science. Retrieved from: https://www.popsci.com/sit-ergonomically/

13.

Heid

(2015, August 31). Your kid’s gigantic backpack is a health risk. Time. Retrieved from: https://time.com/4017521/back-to-school-kids-health-backpacks/

14.

Joly

Gaunand

Colinet

Larédo

Lemarié

Matt

(2015). ASIRPA: A comprehensive theory-based approach to assessing the societal impacts of a research organization. Research Evaluation, 24(4), 440-453.

15.

Koncius

(2012, August 22). Kids computer chairs. The Washington Post. Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home-garden/kids-computer-chairs/2012/08/21/3ed7c2aa-d69a-11e1-a0cc-8954acd5f90c_story.html

16.

Liang

L. Y.

Yeo

S. K.

Scheufele

D. A.

Brossard

Xenos

Nealey

Corley

E. A.

(2014). Building buzz: (Scientists) communicating science in new media environments. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 9(4), 772-791.

17.

Mensing

(2010). Rethinking [again] the future of journalism education. Journalism Studies, 11(4), 511-523.

18.

Mitchell

(2017, June 20). Doug Mitchell: ‘Our service is to the people.’ Current. Retrieved from: https://current.org/2017/06/doug-mitchell-our-service-is-to-the-people/

19.

Mitchell

(2018, December 19). NPR project grows radio stars. Radio Television Digital News Association. Retrieved from: https://www.rtdna.org/article/npr_project_grows_the_radio_stars

20.

Ozanne

J. L.

Davis

Murray

J. B.

Grier

Benmecheddal

Downey

… Veer

(2017). Assessing the societal impact of research: The relational engagement approach. Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 36(1), 1-14.

21.

Peters

H. P.

Dunwoody

Allgaier

Brossard

(2014). Public communication of science 2.0. EMBO Reports, 15(7), 749-753.

22.

Robinson-Garcia

van Leeuwen

T. N.

Ràfols

(2018). Using altmetrics for contexualized mapping of societal impact: From hits to networks. Science and Public Policy, 45(6), 815-826.

23.

Roscoe

R. D.

Chiou

E. K.

Wooldridge

A. R.

(Eds.) (2019). Advancing diversity, inclusion, and social justice through human systems engineering. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

24.

Simpson

J. C.

(2016, June 13). Digital disabilities—text neck, cellphone elbow—are painful and growing. The Washington Post. Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/digital-disabilities–text-neck-cellphone-elbow–are-painful-and-growing/2016/06/13/df070c7c-0afd-11e6-a6b6-2e6de3695b0e_story.html

25.

Sinatra

G. M.

Hofer

B. K.

(2016). Public understanding of science: Policy and educational implications. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(2), 245-253.

26.

Sinatra

G. M.

Kienhues

Hofer

B. K.

(2014). Addressing challenges to public understanding of science: Epistemic cognition, motivated reasoning, and conceptual change. Educational Psychologist, 49(2), 123-138.

27.

L. Y.

Akin

Brossard

Scheufele

D. A.

Xenos

M. A.

(2015). Science news consumption patterns and their implications for public understanding of science. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 92(3), 597-616.

28.

Takahashi

Tandoc

E. C

Jr. . (2016). Media sources, credibility, and perceptions of science: Learning about how people learn about science. Public Understanding of Science, 25(6), 674-690.

29.

Wooldridge

A. R.

Benda

Smith-Jackson

T. L.

Nguyen

Gomes

Valdez

Wesley

D. B.

Stonewall

(2019, October). HFE in diversity, inclusion, and social justice: A practical primer. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 2019 Annual Meeting, 63(1), 636-639.

30.

Wooldridge

A. R.

Nguyen

Valdez

Montague

Milner

M. N.

Dorneich

M. C.

Roscoe

R. D.

(2018). Human factors and ergonomics in diversity, inclusion, and social justice research. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 2018 Annual Meeting, 62(1), 447-449.