Creating common ground: The 17th international conference of the Public Communication of Science and Technology Network

Founded in 1989, the two-yearly PCST (Public Communication of Science and Technology Network) conference has established itself as the most influential international conference in the field of science and technology communication. The conference serves as a platform for practitioners, educators, policymakers and scholars to explore the evolving relationship between science and society.

The 17th PCST conference took place from 11 to 14 April 2023 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands; a series of online programmes held from 3 April to 5 April preceded the onsite conference. PCST 2023 attracted more than 700 delegates from across the globe and featured 16 pre-conference workshops, seven plenary sessions and 11 parallel sessions, making it the largest conference in the history of the network. Furthermore, the event provided a valuable opportunity for attendees to engage face to face following the previous conference, PCST 2018, held in Dunedin, New Zealand.

Conference overview: Combining theory with practice

The PCST Network aims to advance both the theory and practice of science communication, and this objective was fully realized at the PCST 2023 conference.

First, the conference was organized by a Dutch consortium comprising science communication professionals from both practical and research backgrounds.

Second, the conference encompassed more than 20 formats, from individual paper presentations to round-table discussions, problem-solving workshops and performances. One of the highlights of PCST 2023 was the integration of audiovisual art with science communication. For instance, during the lunch session, viewers were engaged with an interactive animation called ‘ROBIN’, which presented a scientific dilemma in a narrative format.

Third, regarding content, approximately one-third of the presentations focused on the practice of science communication, as indicated in the Book of Abstracts (PCST, 2023). Participants shared the achievements and experiences of various innovative science communication projects through case analysis. Some notable projects discussed included ‘Borrow a Researcher’ (a scalable science engagement activity), ‘CitizAir’ (a visualization project for real-time air-quality data), and ‘Glitzern & Denken’ (a science variety show). Additionally, public engagement, informal science education, citizen science and the science of science communication were major topics of discussion. The interview method and content analysis were widely applied in exploring these subjects. Some studies also adopted a comparative approach, comparing the views and attitudes of different groups towards scientific issues to identify influential factors.

Fourth, the conference attracted attendees from various organizations, including schools, governments, non-governmental organizations, businesses, media outlets and hospitals. This diverse participation provided a panoramic perspective and a wealth of knowledge for the conference. About half of the delegates came from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, Germany and the United States. Among developing countries, South Africa and China had a notable presence, ranking 6th and 7th, respectively. Eight Chinese delegates from three institutions in China's mainland (Soochow University, the University of Science and Technology of China, and the National Science Library of the Chinese Academy of Sciences) attended the main conference. These delegates delivered presentations and participated in round-table discussions on topics specific to science communication research in China. These topics included interactions between Chinese scientists and journalists, the construction of civil scientific literacy in China, the effects of occupational literacy on Chinese civil servants’ attitudes towards genetically modified organisms, the Chinese public's engagement with climate change, the information cues influencing the perceived credibility of deepfakes, and Chinese scientists’ perspectives on the mediatization of science.

Creating common ground: Values, openness, inclusiveness, collaboration and expertise

The theme of PCST 2023, ‘Creating common ground’, highlighted the importance of science communication in bridging gaps, fostering collaboration and promoting the co-creation of knowledge. However, achieving common ground in the real world is a challenge, as it requires stakeholders with conflicting perspectives to cultivate mutual trust and hold an open attitude towards engaging in meaningful dialogue and debate. To address this challenge, five sub-themes closely aligned with the ‘Creating common ground’ concept were put forward: values, openness, inclusiveness, collaboration and expertise, which form the acronym ‘VOICE’.

Values. On the one hand, the emerging field of the ‘science of science communication’ integrated established psychological and cognitive science approaches to revamp science communication. Several proposals explored how individual factors, such as values, influenced public perceptions of science and the challenges posed to science communication by deteriorating political and media environments. For instance, an experimental study investigated the motivated distrust of abortion science, revealing that the rejection of scientific consensus often stems from goal-oriented cognition rather than mere ignorance. This highlights the importance of effectively communicating with a public that has diverse cultural backgrounds and polarized beliefs. During a plenary session, Sonya Pemberton, an Emmy-winning science filmmaker, shared her insights on communicating science to international audiences.

On the other hand, within science and technology, various stakeholders with distinct values and interests collaborate. This diversity of perspectives raises questions about achieving scientific innovation that aligns with social values and meets societal expectations. The round-table discussion titled ‘Making values work for technological innovation’ explored this topic, highlighting the significance of values in technological development and showcasing two relevant projects.

Openness. According to the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, open science is an inclusive construct that aims to make multilingual scientific knowledge available, accessible and reusable for everyone. Open science aims to enhance scientific collaborations, facilitate information sharing and involve societal actors beyond the traditional scientific community in the knowledge creation, evaluation and communication processes (UNESCO, 2021). During the conference, participants engaged in discussions to explore how to realize open science and its contributions to the public interest. Above all, the results of studies on the social cognition of open science were presented. For example, one study analysed tweets containing hashtags related to open science, aiming to examine the evolutionary dynamics in public discussion. Moreover, participants reflected on the values and principles of open science. The insight talk ‘Opaque transparency: Open science and the crisis of trust’ critically examined the underlying motivations, expected outcomes and implications of such calls for transparency. Additionally, presenters proposed various strategies to promote open science. For instance, the ‘Living Labs’ project strived to transform classrooms into living labs, while the ‘Social Makerthons’ project sought to install more open and inclusive innovation ecosystems in cities and regions.

Inclusiveness. ‘Diversity and inclusiveness’ form one of the guiding principles for open science, meaning that we should embrace the wider public and knowledge holders beyond the traditional scientific community. Based on interviews, researchers identified ways in which public engagement will contribute to opening science to society. It was argued that interaction between academics and societal actors could better align scientific questions and societal needs, increase academic research quality, and ensure a relationship of trust between science and society. Furthermore, participants shared various innovative approaches and practices that make public participation an essential part of open science. Additionally, inclusiveness lies in reaching out to minorities or marginalized groups and engaging them. Hence, there was a round table focusing on the methodologies that enable young people's voices to be heard and counted on in a connected, collaborative society.

Collaboration. Centring on this sub-theme, participants demonstrated multiple levels of cooperation, including collaborations between scientists and journalists, artists and educators, among others, for the purpose of promoting effective communication of cutting-edge science. Collaborations between researchers and residents can focus on seeking sustainable solutions to long-term challenges such as energy transition and water-quality testing. Collaborations among research institutes, government agencies and other organizations can help develop and implement innovative science communication projects. Several workshops were designed to address practical obstacles in cooperation, providing ways to enhance relevant skills. For example, games were used to teach participants how to match motivation for interdisciplinary collaboration with their actual roles. Different ways of cooperation across boundaries were explored through experience sharing and interactive discussions.

Expertise. From public crises like the COVID-19 pandemic to controversial issues like climate change, the public is overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and opinions. In this context, attendees discussed the challenges faced by science communicators. For example, science used to have a monopoly on interpreting nature and society; however, nowadays, expertise is confronted with a crisis of trust. The reasons behind that fact were discussed in the sessions. Some argued that the proliferation of disinformation and conspiracy theories increases uncertainty, while others believed that the differences in perception between the public and experts result in barriers to risk communication. The competition between non-scientific and scientific knowledge erodes the authority of scientists’ discourse and affects the public perception of science. At the conference, indigenous knowledge, a non-scientific knowledge system, was given serious attention. Using a recent example of a public debate in New Zealand about whether Māori knowledge is science, one presentation questioned what knowledge is and who has the right to determine it. Further, participants discussed whether the parameters of what constitutes an ‘expert’ and ‘expertise’ may need to be widened.

To address these challenges and find common ground, it is essential to create opportunities for scientists to communicate with the public and establish relationships of trust. It was noted that scientists, as the ‘first servers’, should increase their visibility on social media and actively participate in social debates. Several sessions aimed to help scientists improve their science communication abilities through introducing ability-training courses and resource-sharing platforms. Further, scientists' experiences in leveraging new media, such as blogs, to construct expertise and engage in science communication was also covered.

Prospect: PCST 2025 and PCST 2027

The Scientific Committee is the governing body of the PCST Network and consists of 28 members. The election term is four years, and half of the members step down at each conference. The PCST President Jenny Metcalfe announced the new Scientific Committee members at the closing ceremony. PCST 2025 organizers introduced the upcoming conference, which will be held from 27 May to 29 May in Aberdeen, Scotland. The conference theme will be ‘Using science communication to effect positive change: Exploring transitions, traditions and tensions’. Additionally, the committee voted to grant Shanghai Jiao Tong University the right to host the 19th PCST conference in 2027. This will be the first time that China hosts the PCST biennial conference.