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Public engagement with science – new perspective, new approach Noah Feinstein (Click name for speaker's biography) When does science become important to people, and what do they do when it does? Why do some people become deeply interested in a science-related topic while others do not? What can educators learn from studying the role of science in everyday life? This talk describes a new model for understanding how and why people engage with science. Although it has broader implications, the model is empirically grounded in a six-month longitudinal study of parents with young autistic children. Autism is common, complex and controversial: most of the “big picture” questions about cause and treatment are still unanswered. In this context, parents must struggle to understand what it is that makes their children different and how to obtain the best available autism services. Their questions and concerns are specific to autism, but the nature of their engagement with science offers insight into how and why people think about topics as diverse as climate change and genetically modified foods. The choices that parents make at the intersection of trust, understanding and raw need can reveal much about the meaning of science in their lives and the lives of others.
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