PCAST Urges Science Agencies to Step Up Public Engagement

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology is urging the White House to “issue a clarion call” to federal agencies to make science and technology communication and public engagement into a “core component of their mission and strategy.”

In a letter sent to President Biden on Aug. 29, the council explains that, because of public concerns about the “societal impacts and ethical implications” of discoveries and innovations, it is necessary to strive harder to incorporate scientific understanding and community values into public policy.

In addition, while the council suggests there is generally high public trust that scientists will act in the public’s best interest, it also points to “low levels of institutional trust among certain groups: marginalized racial and ethnic communities, people with less education and lower income, and younger people.”

To support agencies’ public engagement efforts, the council further recommends creating an office that can offer expertise in areas such as “the use of social science-informed techniques for participatory engagement and cutting-edge digital technologies.”

Separate from its letter, PCAST is meeting on Friday to discuss recent advances in the social sciences.