Data, Discourse, Dispute: Scientific Experts and the Public in the U.S. and Germany

Is science able to make such well-defined statements at all? How can nuanced expertise be communicated in general terms without being distorted? How can policy-makers handle this range of expertise which rarely provides easy answers? Insights to these and other questions will be addressed at a two-day conference on “Public Understanding and Public Engagement with Science.” Hosted by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), the conference will take place at the German Center for Research and Innovation (GCRI) from June 29 to July 1. Members of the media are invited  to a press conference with steering committee representatives Professors Rainer Bromme (University of Münster, Germany) and Susan R. Goldman (University of Illinois at Chicago) on June 28, 2011 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the GCRI, located at 871 UN Plaza on First Avenue, between 48th & 49th Streets, in New York, NY.

A panel discussion on “Data, Discourse, Dispute: Scientific Experts and the Public in the U.S. and Germany” will follow from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. For more information and the conference program, please visit the GCRI’s website www.GermanInnovation.org

The German Center for Research and Innovation provides information and support for the realization of cooperative and collaborative projects between North America and Germany. With the goal of enhancing communication on the critical challenges of the 21st century, GCRI hosts a wide range of events from lectures and exhibitions to workshops and science dinners. Opened in February 2010, GCRI was created as a cornerstone of the German government’s initiative to internationalize science and research and is one of five centers worldwide.