Elf Eldridge - What I've tried, what worked, what failed and why
Channel: NZ Skeptics
Date: 29/01/2014

Frequently both scientists and sceptics bemoan the lack of general science knowledge in the public, and for good reason. When people medicate themselves or their loved ones based on faulty assumption or beliefs the results can be dire - yet simply telling people what they believe is wrong is the surest way to make the situation worse. How then can we go about altering public perception and uptake of evidence-based knowledge? How can we educate people to discern between good and bad quality information?

Elf has been thinking and experimenting around these idea within the Wellington community for the last couple of years, with a few successes and an even larger number of failed projects to his name. Elf will discuss what he has attempted and why, share some of the lessons he has learned and the stories of the good, the bad and the ugly of science communication in Wellington. Finally he will mention where evidence based research suggests we should be heading if we hope to permanently change public perceptions about the value of science and scepticism.