Of Misers, Google, and Technology: Audiences’ Use of New Information Environments to Make Sense of New Technologies

Wednesday, February 10, 2010
1:30-3:00PM
2320 Girvetz Hall
Speaker: 
Dominique Brossard

Dr. Brossard is an associate professor in the department of Life Sciences Communication, with affiliations in Global Studies and the Holtz Center for Science and Technology Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She is also leader of the Societal Implications of Nanotechnology group at the NSF-funded Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center. She teaches courses in strategic communication theory and research with a special emphasis on science and risk communication.

Her timely talk discussed how audiences make sense of complex information related to new technologies such as nanotechnology. As news audiences increasingly turn to online sources for their information about science and technology, it is critical to have a systematic understanding of what online audiences search for and what content they are likely to encounter. Professor Brossard discussed implications for the future of science communication and public engagement in science.