Are Americans Turning Against Science?
Date
There are no future occurrences of this event.
Location
Tickets
A Zócalo/Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Event
Moderated by Usha Lee McFarling, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Science Journalist
Scientists have demonstrated that climate change is real, but polls show that 30 percent of Americans disagree. Scientists have shown that genetically modified foods pose no threat, but, according to one survey, half the country sees such foods as dangerous. And despite scientific assurances about vaccine safety, the number of very young children who don’t get vaccinated has quadrupled in the past two decades. Why are so many Americans ignoring—or rejecting—broad scientific consensus on these and other questions? Can skepticism about scientists be blamed entirely on the internet, the media, or ideological polarization among both conservatives and liberals—or do scientific institutions themselves bear some responsibility? And what are the broader consequences of this decline in belief in science as our society becomes ever more dependent on technology and discovery? Caltech historian of science and co-author of Merchants of Doubt Erik Conway, UCLA sociologist Jeffrey Guhin, and Cary Funk, director of science and society research at Pew Research Center, visit Zócalo to explore Americans’ changing attitudes towards science.
Schedule:
6:30pm: Registration check-in opens
7:15pm: Doors open for seating
7:30pm: Program begins followed by Audience Q&A
8:30pm: Reception
9:30pm: Program Concludes
Cost:
FREE to the public with advance RSVP
PARKING
Parking is available for $12 in the Natural History Museum’s Car Park on Exposition Blvd. and Bill Robertson Lane. There is limited parking available, including a limited amount of ADA spots available for Guests with visible ADA placards. If the Car Park is full, additional parking is available at the Expo Park Parking Structure for $15 (Cash Only). Entrances for the Expo Park Parking Structure are off of Martin Luther King Blvd. or Figueroa Blvd and 39th Street.
Reservation Policy for Free Programs:
For Museum programs that are free of charge, it is our policy to overbook. Ticket does not guarantee entry. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend arriving early. Unclaimed tickets will be released at the check-in booth prior to the program start time.
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