Help promote enhanced perception and understanding of science and engineering join efforts to make scientific advancements readily accessible and comprehensible to the public in order to increase interest and involvement in these areas.

• The public image of science plays a distinct role in forming attitudes toward STEM education and reform. By emphasizing STEM disciplines as integral to all aspects of daily life, the value of enhanced STEM education can be clearly linked to a significant body of potential future accomplishments, making the need for reform persuasive and apparent.
• Research indicates that scientists can play a significant role in changing the perception of scientists and engineers. Surveys indicate that the public identifies scientists, science teachers and doctors as the most effective spokespeople for science.
  • Scientists taking an active and public role to convey accurate scientific knowledge can positively impact public perception of scientists and engineers and help to build further interest in the field.
  • Figure 8: Public Interest in Spokespeople for Science (Taken from: Coalition of Scientific Socieities. (2007). “You Say You Want an Evolution? A Role for Scientists in Science Education”. )
• Research indicates that the public holds a number of engrained perceptions about what is required of the fields of science and engineering. Spokespeople from the fields can work to correct or enhance these images in order to promote interest in the field and develop the future STEM professional pipeline.
  • The field of engineering in particular is generally appreciated as one that is difficult and requires a strong basis of math and science. It is also respected as a field that requires creativity and has the potential to positively impact daily life.
    • A study conducted by BBMG and Global Strategy Group entitled “Because Dreams Need Doing; New Messages for Enhancing Public Understanding of Engineering” tested the possibility of employing favorable phrases to describe the engineering field in order to enhance public understanding and opinion. The study recommends the following actions for conveying a positive image of engineering:  don’t avoid the necessity of math in engineering careers, show individual engineers in order to present different model examples, tell specific stories of accomplishments, utilize new visuals, and treat the task of communicating to teenagers differently.
      • Baranowski, M., and Delorey, J. BBMG and Global Strategy Group. “Because Dreams Need Doing; New Messages for Enhancing Public Understanding of Engineering.” Final Report. February 2007.
• Several coalitions and organizations are working to enhance the public image of scientific disciplines and increase public appreciation of the value of these fields.
  • Scientists and engineers can join the efforts by becoming a member of a coalition or organization such as:
    • COPUS (The Coalition of Public Understanding of Science): the goal of COPUS is to contribute to a greater understanding of the nature of science and its value to society as an essential step to re-establish the nation’s role in the global scientific enterprise. The coalition’s work aims to engage the general public in dynamic ways that will make science more accessible, personally meaningful, and locally relevant.
      • For further information, refer to: http://www.copusproject.org/.
    • Coalition of Scientific Societies: formed in response to the challenges to the teaching of evolutionary science and related subjects, 17 scientific societies, representing the physical, chemical, biological, and social sciences and science teachers communities, established an unprecedented coalition to explore opportunities for collective understanding and action. The coalition recognizes the harm challenges to the teaching of evolutionary science pose to science education and, ultimately, to the foundation on which scientific advancement is based.
      • For further information, refer to: http://opa.faseb.org/pages/PolicyIssues/sciencecoalition.htm.
    • STEM Education Coalition: the STEM Education Coalition works aggressively to raise awareness in Congress, the Administration, and other organizations about the critical role that STEM education plays in enabling the U.S. to remain the economic and technological leader of the global marketplace of the 21st century. The Coalition advocates for strengthening of STEM-related programs for educators and students and increased federal investments in STEM education.
      • For further information, refer to: http://www.stemedcoalition.org/Default.aspx.
    • Science Cafes: science cafes are informal venues where scientists can educate the public about their scientific research, enjoy thought-provoking discussion in a casual venue, find out what public reaction is to your research, share your enthusiasm for science, represent your institution and help achieve its outreach goals, practice your communication skills in a relaxed setting. These outlets represent an opportunity for scientists to bring their work outside the lab environment and demonstrate the nature of scientific research to the public, encouraging a more informed public perspective of what scientists and engineers accomplish.
      • For further information, refer to: http://www.sciencecafes.org/presenters.html.