In a commencement speech in 2016, Atul Gawande told the crowd that science is a, "commitment to a systematic way of thinking, an allegiance to a way of building knowledge and explaining the universe through testing and factual observation." In the last ten years that understanding of science has become muddied for the public. Social media has helped fuel the rise of conspiracy theories built upon so-called alternative facts as people claiming to be experts spout anti-science ideas. Communicating scientific ideas was already difficult, but it’s become even more difficult in this environment. Science communication is the focus of this episode of Stats and Stories, with guest Ionica Smeets.

Ionica Smeets is, chair of the science communication and society research group at Leiden University. She’s also chair of the board of The National Centre of Expertise on Science and Society of The Netherlands. Her research lies in the gap between experts and the public when it comes to science communication, with special interest in the problems that occur when those groups communicate and what scientists can do about those problems. Smeets is the author of a number of journal articles on this topic and engaged in science communication for the public when she worked on a Dutch TV show about math. She’s also the co-creator of a children’s book called Maths and Life.