Bruce Lewenstein has received the inaugural Award for the Advancement of Science Communication as a Professional Field from the International Network on Public Communication of Science & Technology (PCST). He is being recognized for outstanding contributions to the development of science communication as a field. The award was announced May 29 at the PCST Conference in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Lewenstein, a professor in the Departments of Science and Technology Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and of Communication in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is an authority on public communication of science and technology.
The prize recognizes Lewenstein’s significant contributions to research and professional development. Two of his articles, co-authored with former post-doc Ayelet Baram-Tsabari in 2017 and 2022, create the first systematic theoretical foundation for what science communicators need to know. Lewenstein has published widely cited articles across science communication, notably on citizen science and models of science communication, as well as on media coverage of emerging technologies.
In addition to his research on science communication, Lewenstein has done much to build the network of institutions and people needed to advance the profession, with a particular international focus. Since 2015, he has given more than 130 talks in 20 countries, and at Cornell he has hosted visiting scholars and practitioners from many countries. He has worked with numerous scientific organizations to raise the profile of science communication as a fundamental component of the scientific enterprise.
“My work deliberately seeks to link research and practice, reflecting my commitment to making public communication of science and technology a profession that matters in the world,” Lewenstein said. “I’m deeply honored to be the first recipient of this new award, and especially for the messages from former students thanking me for inspiring them. As the current attacks on reliable knowledge and scientific institutions suggest, the field needs to continue developing in both fundamental understanding and in best practices for how to help people better understand all the complexities of science and its intertwining with the rest of society.”
Although the award focuses on contributions from the past 10 years, Lewenstein has been instrumental in the field much longer. Lewenstein helped found the PCST Network in 1989. He set up the network’s listserv in the mid-1990s and served as the network’s first webmaster. He was a member of the network’s governing committee from 1994 to 2006.
Teaching science communication at Cornell since 1987, Lewenstein has built the skills of many science journalists and communicators around the globe, said Diogo Lopes de Oliveira, who did a post-doc with Lewenstein in 2019-2021. “In all my tasks related to science communication, I try to think what Bruce would do.”
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