A bold mission to transform how we see science | Katherine Mathieson | The British Science Association

Research Comms

Last week I met up with one of the most influential figures in British science and science communication, Katherine Mathieson, Chief Executive of the British Science Association. The British Science Association is an organisation that plays a prominent role on the science scene over here in the UK. It's been around for almost 200 years now, since it was founded in 1831 as the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Its focus back then was on the communication of science amongst scientists but since then it’s evolved considerably and now it’s a far more outward looking organisation that seeks to engage the public with science through a variety of programmes, such as British Science Week and the British Science Festival, as well as public engagement campaigns both offline and digital.

I had a fascinating conversation with Katherine at BSA's headquarters in London. As you’d imagine, given her role, she's a passionate advocate of the importance of public engagement with science, so we spoke about why it matters and about the critical role that diversity has to play in science communication. We also chatted about public debates around emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, how digital media can be used to reach under-served audiences and we also spoke a lot about the BSA’s ambitious new mission to transform the relationship that millions of people in the UK have with science over the next couple of years.

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