Why Science Communication?

What Is Science Communication?

Science communication is a field of public responsibility that aims to ensure that scientific knowledge produced at universities does not remain confined to academic circles, but is shared with society in an open, clear, and interactive manner.

For the Akdeniz University Science Communication Office, science communication means making research visible in plain language, establishing direct contact between scientists and society, strengthening scientific literacy, and positioning the university as a natural source of knowledge for the public.

Science Communication Directive.pdf

As seen in formats such as Science Café, this approach also involves taking science beyond academic walls and creating inclusive environments where everyone can ask questions, participate in discussions, and think together. In this sense, science communication is not merely about transferring information, but about building a culture of thinking together with society.

In short, science communication is an institutional activity that ensures the knowledge produced by the university is:

• - understandable,
• - accessible,
• - presented in a reliable manner, and
• - circulated through mutual interaction with society.
•  

Why Science Communication?

Today, universities are not only institutions that produce knowledge, but also public actors with a responsibility to share that knowledge with society. Science communication enables this responsibility to be fulfilled in a visible and sustainable way.

From the perspective of the Akdeniz University Science Communication Office, science communication is a fundamental tool for effectively communicating university research to the public, making academic knowledge understandable and accessible, and strengthening scientific literacy. This approach is explicitly included among the objectives defined in the directive.

Science communication also reduces the distance between society and science. As emphasized in the Science Café approach, people often struggle to relate scientific knowledge to everyday life; science communication, by moving science beyond the academic sphere, opens up a space where everyone can ask questions, participate, and think.

For these reasons, science communication:

• - ensures that the knowledge produced by the university resonates within society,
• - strengthens trust in and interest in science,
• - makes the university a more accessible and understandable institution, and
• - supports a sense of public responsibility among academics and students.

In this respect, science communication is not merely a promotional activity, but a natural part of the university’s societal role.