The Science Communication Institute (SCI, formerly the National Science Communication Institute) is a 501c3 nonprofit public charity. Our mission is to help improve science collaboration, discovery, education and public policy by reforming the communication culture inside science.
Science does a poor job of communicating internally. Scientists write mostly for journals that very few people ever read, researchers don’t share their data often enough, science efforts don’t spend money on coordinated public relations efforts, and more. As a result, science doesn’t discover as much as it might, and opportunities for discovery are being lost. This is true in every field from medical research to alternative energy research to pure science. STEM education is also a continual challenge, at least in part due to these communications issues, and the public’s understanding of science is anemic.
SCI is working to help science achieve its full potential by improving science communication tools, policies and practices. This is easier said than done. The culture of communication in science is deeply engrained and the product of hundreds of years of evolution. SCI uses a project-based approach to affect change, developing and managing a variety of science communication projects.
The return on investment for improving science communication will benefit science and society for generations, resulting in more efficient research funding, better science, faster discovery and innovation, and better science education and science policy.
SCI’s board has varied in size over the years between five and 15 members. Board members serve terms of two years minimum. Our current board members have been with SCI since our founding in 2011:
Glenn Hampson, MPA, is the founder and executive director of the Science Communication Institute and program director of the Open Scholarship Initiative (OSI, an SCI project). Hampson has served as a senior project manager for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, communications director for the University of Washington, president of Castle Pacific Publishing Company, managing editor and webmaster for the World Bank Group, associate editor for the Riverside Publishing Company, and a field representative for the US Congress. Hampson holds degrees in public administration, history and astronomy, serves on several boards, and has authored several books. He lives in Seattle with his wife and son where he coaches youth baseball and volunteers in schools and community.
Science Communication Institute
2320 N 137th Street
Seattle, WA 98133 USA
Email: [email protected]
