Biotext

Can science communication transform society?

Learning gives you creativity
Creativity leads to thinking
Thinking provides knowledge
Knowledge makes you great

These were the words of former president of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, as he opened the PCST-2010 conference in New Delhi (see my previous post). And his words were enthusiastically repeated line by line by the audience of predominantly Indian science communicators, including many students who had come to hear this hero of the Indian science community speak.

Dr Kalam was president of India from 2002 to 2007 and was apparently a very popular ‘people’s president’. He is also highly respected in India as a scientist and engineer, which is rather unusual among world leaders (or any political leaders, come to that). While his involvement in India’s nuclear weapons program may be seen by some as controversial, he is widely respected and loved for his work to promote knowledge transfer for improvement of the common good, such as in health care and agriculture.

Building on the title of the conference (‘Science communication without frontiers’) and the premise that one of the main purposes of science (after understanding nature) is to improve the quality of life, he explained that it is not knowledge alone that makes you great, but knowledge that is directed towards the common good. And good science communication can transform society by helping citizens understand the role of science and how it can help them in their daily lives. This was an inspiring reminder that, as ‘science information consultants’, the work we do is important!

Read more about this interesting man here.