Gene technologies offer great potential for the environment, but also lead to serious concerns. This talk draws on 8 years of research and multiple large study to presents an overview of what New Zealanders think of the possible use of the use of gene tech for environmental purposes. This includes a segmentation study of public on psychometric parameters, the effect of frames in shaping the discussion, and the outcome of a national dialogue to inform incoming policy changes.

About the Speaker

Associate Professor Fabien Medvecky is a science communication academic whose work bridges philosophy (PhD) and economics (PGDip), bringing these disciplines together to explore how knowledge, particularly scientific knowledge, is shared, shaped, and contested between experts and non-experts. His research focuses on social epistemology and the ethics of science communication.

Fabien sees science communication as inherently interdisciplinary, and perhaps even transdisciplinary, drawing from a wide range of fields to understand how science fits into society. He has worked in both Australia and New Zealand and collaborates with researchers around the world.

He is currently the Secretary of PCST, the global network for the Public Communication of Science and Technology, and previously served as President of the Science Communicators’ Association of New Zealand (2016 to 2018).

Banner Image by Celia Mendes Photography via Flickr