College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
The Department of Life Sciences Communication (LSC) has been hard at work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Life Sciences Communication (LSC) has been hard at work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As universities look to welcome students back for another pandemic-era semester, they can turn to new insights from the National Academy of Sciences backed by research on how to effectively communicate about COVID-19. The guidelines encourage campuses to emphasize social solidarity, work with students to craft and share messages, to avoid amplifying misinformation — even to debunk …
Five years ago, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) published What We Know, an extensive report on how scientists view climate change and the possible actions to diminish its impact. Five years ago, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) published What We Know, an extensive report on how scientists …
Over the past 20 years, extreme weather, such as hurricanes and flooding, made devastating impacts worldwide. Over the past 20 years, extreme weather, such as hurricanes and flooding, made devastating impacts worldwide.
The following story was written by Brian Mattmiller of the Morgridge Institute for Research. It has been adapted and republished here. LSC professor Dietram Scheufele leads a panel and LSC chair Dominique Brossard serves as a panelist at an international workshop on genome editing security. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Life Sciences Communication participated …
Story by Ysabella Bhagroo. Ysabella is an undergraduate student majoring in LSC and the Department of Life Sciences Communication 2017-18 Lenore Landry Scholar. It’s the stuff of science fiction – artificially whitening clouds, injecting reflective particles into the stratosphere, seeding the oceans with iron – all to reverse the escalating consequences of climate change. With …
The following story was written by Caroline Schneider of CALS External Relations. It has been adapted and republished here. In early August 2017, an international team of scientists announced they had successfully edited the DNA of human embryos. As people process the political, moral, and regulatory issues of the technology — which nudges us closer to nonfiction …
Life Sciences Communication professor Dietram Scheufele served on the international committee examining the implications of human gene editing, and their report titled “Human Genome Editing: Science, Ethics, and Governance” was released today, February 14, 2017. Human gene editing is not a new concept, however, with the emergence of CRISPR-Cas9, scientists are able to alter genes more efficiently …
A popular course in the Department of Life Sciences Communication is LSC 625: Risk Communication taught by LSC chair, Dominique Brossard. The course teaches students how to talk about risk and explains the complexities of risk in the context of the other knowledge they have gained through LSC classes. “Many of the emerging topics in science …
Risk is a complex issue and it inundates every part of our lives. Some risk decisions are mundane. Is it more risky to fly or drive? How risky is it to eat raw fish in sushi? But when it comes to science and technology there are bigger questions to ask. What are the risks involved …