Science Communication for Transforming Scientific Knowledge into Life

There has always been a distance between scientists and thinkers and the public. Since ancient times, scientists and thinkers have positioned themselves above the public, even preferring to look down on them. The phrase “producing theory in an ivory tower” describes the distance of the scientist and thinker from the public, from the ordinary person. It is because of this distance that the productions of scientists and thinkers may not sufficiently transform into social benefit. Especially, it is known that most human-focused scientific knowledge does not reach the public, the ordinary person, and does not affect their lives. It is not easy for knowledge produced and intellectual production realized without empathy and interaction with the public to touch real life. It is also in vain to expect scientific knowledge that does not touch the life of society, the public, and the ordinary person to turn into social benefit.

Most of us witness how complex the language of scientific texts is. Sometimes I really wonder if scientists and intellectuals write in such a complex, incomprehensible way to hide knowledge. Moreover, how do they manage to do this? After all, being able to write so complexly and incomprehensibly in one's own mother tongue requires a special skill. It is not, of course. The real problem here is that the scientist and the intellectual do not care enough about the public and the ordinary person, look down on them, and adopt an arrogant attitude. However, a scientist and thinker does not value themselves by keeping the public deprived of knowledge. On the contrary, the scientist and thinker gains value as they reach the public and transfer scientific and intellectual value to them. What is essential is not the self-proclaimed value of the scientist and thinker, but the transfer of value to society and humanity. What is essential is the transformation of science into human and social value.

The Council of Higher Education has launched a very comprehensive project for the outputs of scientific and intellectual production to turn into social benefit, and they named it the Science Homeland Project (Bilim Vatan Projesi). The main purpose of the project, launched under the name Science Homeland, is to strengthen the university's interaction with society, to open campuses to the public, and to ensure that scientists and thinkers meet with the public. All universities have mobilized for science communication-focused studies to be actively carried out within the scope of the Science Homeland Project. The aim of the project is to ensure that the outputs of scientific production carried out in universities are transferred to society and transformed into social benefit.

Within the scope of the project, all universities are expected to establish a communication office within their own structures and effectively use the devices and tools that will facilitate the transfer of scientific knowledge produced within the university to the public. For this, it is important that the outputs of scientific production are transformed into a language, expression, and transfer form that the public and the ordinary person can understand, and that they are shared on various channels. In other words, it is planned to open campuses to the public with the science communication project.

Most of the work done in universities is kept in archives and does not go outside the campuses. However, scientific production gains value as it transforms into social benefit and adds value to human life. Knowledge stored in archives has no benefit other than bringing performance points to academics. For this reason, sharing the outputs of scientific production with society is important and valuable.

The scientist and thinker serves society and humanity. To provide qualified service, they must be in interaction with people and society. It is not possible for someone who is far from society and the public, and unaware of the reality in which the ordinary person lives, to produce useful scientific knowledge. Which problem in society and human life the produced scientific knowledge will solve, and what kind of value it will add to human and social life, is shaped depending on the awareness of its producer. The science communication project also aims to ensure the necessary communication and increase interaction between those engaged in science and thought and society.

The operation of the science communication project is based on the understanding of talking about science in every environment, everywhere, in every space, and at every opportunity. It is planned to transfer scientific outputs to life by placing them into ordinary narratives that develop within people's daily lives and making them part of daily discourse. For this, it is considered to talk about science everywhere and in every environment, such as in cafes, restaurants, parks, city squares, shopping malls, etc. For this, the scientist, academic, and university student should be encouraged to be among the public and integrated into ordinary lives. It is important to create suitable environments for those on campus and those outside the campus to mingle. Thus, in the first stage, the barriers that have lasted for thousands of years between the two segments will be removed. The next stage is to create a common language and a common form of narrative between the two segments. Instead of forcing the public to understand the prescription written by the physician, an effort should be made to write the prescription in a language that the public can understand.

It is important for the scientist to be in interaction with people from all walks of life. Scientists and thinkers are often in an arrogant attitude towards the ordinary, the public, and the street. There is no arrogance in science. Science is for the service of humanity. Then, one must leave arrogance and turn to empathy. Therefore, removing the barriers between the two segments and the mingling of the parties with each other will facilitate the transformation of scientific knowledge into life.

In the age we live in, the tools for information transmission and transfer are quite numerous and diverse. If the actors, devices, and tools of science are not sufficiently effective, other actors, devices, and tools are eager to fill the void. Producers of baseless knowledge and charlatans easily fill the void of scientific knowledge. This causes great harm to the process of development and improvement of society and humanity. For this reason, universities and all institutions and individuals producing scientific output must take action and make efforts to transform the outputs of scientific production into social contribution. Science communication is important in this sense. Creating awareness in the scientist is of great importance in terms of being conscious of the responsibility they have assumed towards the society, the world, and humanity in which they live.

As Üsküdar University, we aim to carry out the transfer of scientific knowledge to society on a more systematic and institutional basis by establishing a Science Communication Coordination Office. We are making great efforts to make the university's science-focused interaction with society as effective as possible through the transformation of knowledge produced within the university into social responsibility projects, collaborations with non-governmental organizations, and seminars, conferences, and symposiums organized for different social segments. In this sense, Üsküdar University continues to transform knowledge into life with its campuses located within the city, its media channels (ÜÜTV, ÜÜ Radio, ÜÜ News Agency, popular science-style periodicals, scientific journals, social media accounts, media shares, etc.), and its understanding that values interaction and communication with society.