In this session Gabriela Frías-Villegas and students from UNAM will speak about their paper, Science communication as a human right (2024). The paper was published in a special JCOM edition focused on connecting science communication research and practice. The focus on Human Rights as an important motivation for Science Communication reminds us that good science communication should be a necessary and central aspect of national and international agendas, especially towards promoting more inclusive practices.
The paper presents insights from four practical science communication cases from different parts of Mexico in which the authors worked with vulnerable communities, including drug users, inhabitants of rural or indigenous communities, migrants, young people and many more. As these are situations that are prevalent to different extents within many regions of the globe, these insights can provide relevant places from which to open up conversations on how we can engage with vulnerable communities within our own contexts.
Gabriela Frías-Villegas has a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Communication of Science. She is a researcher at the Human Rights Program at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), where she works on CTS and Communication of Science Studies. She is a professor in the postgraduate Philosophy of Science program and the Science Faculty of the same institution. She is also an essayist and a science communicator.
In 2023, as part of the EU funded GlobalSCAPE project, two open access training workshops were created and delivered to a Global audience interested in Science Communication. The workshops covered Global Relevance in Science communication and Justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) in Science Communication.
Many of the attendees expressed a desire to continue the conversations started in these workshops and particularly valued the opportunity to talk directly with colleagues from across the globe. These Global SciComm meet ups have been set up to fulfil that desire.
Photo by Trust “Tru” Katsande on Unsplash
