What does it mean to “trust in science”? Which messages have we chosen to trust in the age of COVID-19? How have we sourced these messages, and how have evolving messages shaped the decisions we’ve made throughout the pandemic? Whom have we chosen as trusted advisers to deliver the messages upon which we rely? Since science evolves with new data and new results, what mixture of trust and skepticism is appropriate?

Join Boston University’s Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research (CEID, pronounced like “seed”) and The Aspen Institute Science & Society Program as we ask these questions. We will bring together four prominent science communicators and experts to explore:

• The “democratization of science” as it relates to choosing trusted messengers to lead our behavioral and policy decisions. If democratization is the golden standard for choosing political leaders we trust, how do we similarly choose the voices and leadership we will support, uplift, and trust while living through COVID-19?
• Implications of “state-sponsored disinformation” during a global pandemic
• The global interconnectedness of pandemics. How do our decisions affect those around us, especially the most vulnerable? How can we work collectively to overcome mistrust within communities that have been historically marginalized and excluded from scientific gains?

Read the full article about trust in scientific research at The Aspen Institute.