Summer School: Dealing with hostility in science communication

As researchers, we are increasingly expected to demonstrate societal impact of our work. But going public can, in some cases, lead to unwelcome and aggressive reactions: verbal attacks, hate speech, trolling or even physical threats. Why should one go public if they are consistently being attacked and discredited as an expert? It is important that the voice of science is not silenced and that important work in areas such as climate change or gender studies can continue. 

This summer school is created for researchers from all career stages, all disciplines that engage in communication with non-academic audiences, either in broader public communication, science-policy advice, citizen science projects or else. The training was created by a group of professional science communicators and public engagement experts.