Sources: Ikerbasque
Ikerbasque reflects on Social Responsibility in Science at UPV/EHU summer courses
Ikerbasque, the Basque Foundation for Scientific Research, has again participated in the University of the Basque Country - Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV-EHU)’s summer courses with a course analysing the role of scientists and journalists in transmitting scientific information and the importance of scientific education as a fundamental part of democracy. This initiative, which builds on last year’s success, is the Foundation’s first participation in UPV’s summer courses. It has again received strong public support; over one hundred people took part in all of sessions of this programme and audiences were extremely vocal, sharing their views with speakers.
Under the title ‘Science’s Social Responsibility,’ the course (held from 31 August to 2 September), united protagonists from contemporary science, such as Daniel Innerarity, philosopher, essayist and Ikerbasque researcher, Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, Biology professor and former rector of the UPV, Miguel Ángel Sierra Rodríguez, organic chemistry professor at the Complutense University, Gemma Revuelta, deputy director of the Observatory of Scientific Communication at the Pompeu Fabra University, Milagros Pérez Oliva, columnist and reader’s editor at ‘El Pais’, Itziar Nogeras, General Manager at the Elhuyar Foundation dedicated to the promotion of science in the Basque Country, and Malen Ruiz Elvira, El Pais journalist (editor of the ‘Futuro’ supplement) and 1987 winner of the CSIC award for Scientific Jounalism.
This summer, Ikerbasque decided to underline the need to mend the significant imbalance between the enormous scientific developments taking place and the general public’s lack of awareness about this issue. This distancing is seen not only in the lack of technical and scientific vocations among our young people, but also in the influence of common news about medical emergencies (e.g. Bird Flu) or food crises (the recent E.coli outbreak) on society.
In this way, Ikerbasque wanted to investigate the degree of scientist’s and journalist’s responsibility in correctly transmitting news to mass audiences in order to eliminate false beliefs and to create what Daniel Innerarity calls ‘a scientific citizenship’. In other words, to promote education in order to generate a critical mass that rejects news which lack of scientific bases and which knows and appreciates the contribution of researchers to both social and economic development.
Alongside the previously mentioned speakers, the course also involved the participation of Fernando Cossio Mora, President of Ikerbasque’s Executive Committee and UPV professor, and Begoña Ochoa, Basque Government Director of Political Science.