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Let’s Talk About ScienceOnline2012

We're looking forward to hosting Scio12 in January.

The Abstract crew is pretty excited that NC State is going to host the ScienceOnline2012 (Scio12) conference next January.

If you’re not familiar with ScienceOnline, it’s a gathering of researchers, bloggers, reporters, authors and students (I can think of some people who are all of the above) who are passionate about science. And they’re not just passionate about science research, but about communicating to the world about science. Frankly, we need more of that.

Research shows that only 28 percent of adults in the U.S. are scientifically literate enough to understand the Tuesday Science section of the New York Times. Scientific advances are becoming increasingly complex, and those advances present opportunities and risks that we – as a society – will have to deal with. And I’m not talking about things that will only affect scientists.

Genetically modified crops, nanotechnology, gene therapy, stem cell research, artificial intelligence and renewable energy technologies (amid much else) have the potential to touch all of our lives. A scientifically literate and informed society is essential to assure that we make wise decisions about how these advances can be used for the greater good.

By hosting Scio12, NC State hopes to help the conference grow. Any step that helps promote science communication is worth taking.

And if you’re imagining a room full of people sitting in neat rows listening to a speaker and taking notes, think again. As ScienceOnline co-founder Anton Zuiker puts it, the conference focuses on “finding creative ways to facilitate connections that lead to conversations, conversations that lead to networks, networks that support communities, all in the name of promoting science and our understanding of the worlds around us.”

Over the next 11 months, we’ll keep you posted as plans for the conference advance. In the interim, bookmark the countdown.