Science, Technology and Society Priority Group

Brigitte Nerlich stood next to the Large Hadron Collider      

Case study Making science public

Science, publics and participation

Director: Professor Brigitte Nerlich

Deputy Director: Dr Sujatha Raman                                                   

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How can (and should) science be made more public?

A five-year research programme funded by the Leverhulme Trust (2012-2017) exploring the challenges involved in making science more public; how attempts to do so are changing the relationship between science, politics and publics, and asking about the normative implications for problems relating to political legitimacy, scientific authority and democratic participation. 

The programme consists of nine projects led by researchers from across the University of Nottingham, as well as the University of Sheffield and the University of Warwick.

Watch videos from the MSP launch event

 

“Until now there has been no systematic attempt to study the challenges of making science more public and the consequences for the relationship between science and politics”, said Professor Nerlich. 

 

 

 

Highlights

Climategate, Nuttgate, opposition to GM crops, the MMR and BSE health scares: over the last 30 years high profile political crises surrounding the integrity of research, the status of expert advice and governance of new technologies have challenged the authority of science; increased tensions in the relationship between government and science; and tested public trust in scientific research. In principle, a solution is to make the practice, use and assessment of science more public, open, transparent and democratic. However, this also poses major challenges to science, politics and public participation.

The overall aim of the programme is to answer the following research questions:

  • What is meant by making science more public, open or transparent?
  • Who are ‘the public’ and how are they constituted?
  • What might ‘public science’ mean for the authority and independence of science and the capacity of publics to engage with science?
  • What are the political implications of making science more public and how does this relate to issues of legitimacy and transparency in politics and policy making?

The research team is collaborating with colleagues across The University of Nottingham — in Engineering, Biomolecular Sciences, Pharmacy, Computer Sciences and Physics — and beyond. The programme focuses on three main topics: food, agriculture and animals; energy and environment; and health and social policy.

Prior to the start of the programme on 1 May 2012, we:

  • Launched a programme website
  • Launched a programme related blog, which has tackled issues such as knowledge and society, hype and trust, science and uncertainty, science and magic and many more

Internal Expertise

This programme of research involves a cross-disciplinary team of experts:

The University of Nottingham:

  • Professor Brigitte Nerlich (Sociology and Social Policy) has expertise in linguistics and the social and cultural study of scientific controversies
  • Dr Sujatha Raman (Sociology and Social Policy) has significant expertise in researching the science-politics interface from the perspective of Science and Technology Studies
  • Professor Vivien Lowndes (Politics and International Relations) is an expert in politics and public policy, with a special interest in citizen participation
  • Professor Saul Becker (Sociology and Social Policy) has extensive experience and expertise in quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods and evaluation research, including the development of psychometric instruments for young and adult carers
  • Professor John Holmwood (Sociology and Social Policy), whose research addresses the challenge of global social inquiry and the role of pragmatism in the construction of public sociology
  • Dr Alison Mohr (Sociology and Social Policy) researches governance approaches and tools for opening up innovation process to public scrutiny and debate
  • Dr Susanne Seymour (Geography) has expertise in the study of environmental governance and sustainable agriculture
  • Dr Carol Morris (Geography) is an environmental geographer with a range of research interests focused upon the natural environment-society interface
  • Dr Kate Millar (Biosciences) is a specialist in bioethics with interests in the relation between animals and humans
  • Dr Pru Hobson-West (Veterinary Medicine and Science), whose research focuses on (animal) welfare, ethics and society

External Expertise

The University of Sheffield: 

  • Professor Paul Martin (Sociological Studies) studies the ethical, legal and social issues associated with emerging medical biotechnologies, and the commercialisation of biotechnology and expectation dynamics in medical innovation

The University of Warwick:

  • Dr Alexander Smith (Sociology) is an expert in the study of the interface of politics, religion and science, especially in the USA.

Scale of research

The Making Science Public programme of research, which encompasses nine projects, will last for 5 year and has a budget of £1.66m, with additional support by the University for PhD studentships, some of the salary costs of the programme manager, and support for visiting fellowships and workshops.

Impact

This programme of research critically assesses the assumption that making the practice, use and assessment of science more public, open, transparent and democratic inevitably leads to better public understanding and appreciation of science and to better science policy. It argues that this is not as straightforward as it seems. Improving science policy and public understanding of science can only be achieved once the complexities of ‘making science public’ are properly understood. 

Funding

The programme of research is funded by a £1.6 million grant from The Leverhulme Trust, with additional funding from the University of Nottingham's Research and Knowledge Transfer Board and the Science, Technology and Society Priority Group.

 

 

Contact

Professor Brigitte Nerlich
 
 
 
 

Science, Technology and Society Priority Group

Law and Social Sciences Building
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

email: andrew.gibson@nottingham.ac.uk