Lessons In Hubris And Humility Can Help Science Serve The Public

Forbes

06-04-2025

Scientific research and related advances are cornerstones for our way of life. Virtually every convenience, medication, or technology emerged from basic science research, technological developments, and even surprises along the way. However, many people do not fully appreciate how academic inquiry, research, and scholarship are embedded within their daily lives. In some cases, there is skepticism of the scientific enterpise itself. As the scientific research enterprise faces headwinds, I argue that a little introspection and humility are needed to improve science translation.
A 2020 paper that I co-authored with an anthropologist and civil engineer provides a pathway for this discussion. In that paper, entitled 'From hubris to humility: Transcending original sin in managing hydroclimatic risk,' my colleagues Don Nelson (lead author), Brian Bledsoe and I argued that extreme weather events like flooding, drought, and hurricanes present growing risks to our water infrastructure and societal well-being. Hurricane Helene (2024), the Texas Winter Storm (2021), and extreme rainfall-related water supply disruptions in Jackson, Mississippi are case studies in the convergence of hydrometeorological extremes, risk and resilience.
A White House Executive Order issued in March stated, 'This order empowers State, local, and individual preparedness and injects common sense into infrastructure prioritization and strategic investments through risk-informed decisions that make our infrastructure, communities, and economy resilient to global and dynamic threats and hazards.' Dr. Nelson and colleagues argued that effective risk management will require scholarly and application stakeholders to move beyond hubris and approach 21st Century challenges with humility.
Essentially the point is that strategies must evolve beyond historical approaches not suited for contemporary events. Dr. Brian Bledsoe is the director of the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems at the University of Georgia. He often talks about urban stormwater design being hampered by past assumptions of 'stationarity.' Unfortunately, the rainstorms of 1970 are different than the ones of today. Bledsoe is also a part of a consortium seeking to employ nature-based solutions to environmental stressors. Such innovations are not constrained by the 'hubris' of traditional engineered training and methods.
So why does any of this matter to scientific translation and the ivory tower ecosystem?
Big challenges require multiple perspectives
The grand challenges facing society have components that cross several disciplines. Hurricane Helene is a tragic exemplar. This storm is what a recent National Academies report called a compound and cascading disaster that included flooding, wind damage, mudslides, power loss, communication challenges, misinformation, disinformation, agricultural losses, economic stress, transportation disruption, emergency response, and a public health crisis. Such complexity is similar to what we face with things measles cases or coronavirus pandemic. Siloed disciplinary expertise will not be sufficient.
Never in my wildest dreams as a young graduate student at Florida State University did I envision publishing a scholarly paper with an anthropologist and a civil engineer. However, the moment warranted it. I collaborate frequently with them on multidisciplinary problems embedded within our ivory tower setting but relevant to society. In recent years, my scholarship has also been applied to the public health community. For example, a group of us recently reviewed the current knowledge space related to extreme heat and fetal health.
The Currency Of Success In The Ivory Tower Must Evolve
I once said that if experts are not willing to engage beyond the ivory tower, then people with agendas, misinformation, and disinformation will happily fill the void left behind. Studies continue to reveal that most Americans get information about science from general news sources, which includes social media and the Internet. A report from the National Science Foundation stated, 'That pattern of attention to general news outlets or social media content, which are often unmoderated by a professional science editor, is notable because that content typically differs substantively from content offered by specialized science information venues.' Here's where institutional hubris comes into the picture.
The currency for scholars is the peer-reviewed literature, academic conferences, sprawling 200-page reports, and long-books. For the most part, the public is not consuming these sources, which leads to openings for blogs, grey literature, You Tube videos, and Tik Tok to inform them in accesible ways. The hubris is rooted in past perceptions that serious scholars do not engage in media interviews, social media posts, or all of that 'extra stuff' called broader engagement. In an essay written for the National Academy of Engineering, I tried to shatter that narrative. I argued, '…. Science popularization should not be considered as inferior to or detracting from traditional scientific research. Rather, science popularization is necessary to move us forward. Grand and wicked challenges in science and engineering require sound, public-facing expertise.'
There are many barriers to moving this forward. First, many scholars are trained to be, well, scholars. There is very little attention paid to providing graduate students with media training, social media strategies, or science communication approaches. In 2016, I wrote an article laying out 9 tips for communicating science to the public. Exposing such information to the next generation of scientists is a start.
Additionally, the incentive structure is still very much tied to 'publish or perish," maintaining robust funding to support students, labs, and equipment, and the opinions of peer references. Don't misunderstand what I am saying here. Those things are very important for establishing the integrity and credibility of scholarship. However, the tent needs to be expanded to incentivize (not discourage) scholars to share their insights and innovations more broadly rather than burying them in journals. Maddie Khaw, writing in The Chronicle of Higher Education, recently spoke to scientists who acknowledged the need to be more intentionally about public engagement to win back trust. Yes, highly cited journal publications are important, but only 30 people may read it. Let's amplify the value of that scholarship being mentioned in a popular media outlet read by a 1 million people, including key stakeholders.
Humility and Co-Production Of Knowledge
Dr. Amanda Townley is Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education. I value her perspective so reached out to her on this topic. She wrote, 'If we want a scientifically-literate public we have to embrace our place in that as much, if not more than we do our place in the sciences.' This is an important point because I often frame my own translation activities from the perspective of my family or the random person at the mall. Townley went on to say, 'We are social learners and the great disservice of the scientific system as we know it is that we have disconnected ourselves from the people we most want to learn from us.'
A persistent problem that well-meaning academics, principal investigators, and scientists have with translational work is 'savior complex." Steeped in our academic 'bubbles,' we often believe our ideas and solutions are exactly what the community, business, or individual needs. However, hubris appears again. We don't ask them. Co-production of knowledge is a humble way to engage. During my time as Deputy Project Scientist for NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement Mission, we held a workshop of potential users of this novel dataset. We were excited because we knew the potential value of what the satellite mission had to offer farmers, water resource managers, and other stakeholders. However, we quickly learned after listening to them that there was a significant barrier to usage. They did not have the capacity to manage large scientific data formats. They wanted the data in simple GIS-ready formats. Humility in science translation looks more like initial engagement, listening, lessening mistrust, and developing solutions together.
To be clear, many scholars do get it. Dr. J. Derrick Lemons is a professor and head of the Department of Religion at the University of Georgia. He also serves as the director of the Center for Theologically Engaged Anthropology. He told me, 'One of the most powerful duties a scholar can perform is to become a learner first.' Professor Lemons believes scholars must immerse themselves in the culture they hope to influence with humility and understanding. He added, 'As a Chinese wisdom reminds us: 'Go to the people, live among them, learn from them, start with what they know, build on what they have."
The inertia of hubris within our systems is persistent. It is a very large ship that will not turn easily. However, the barriers and opportunities facing the research enterprise are a lighthouse in a foggy harbor. They are beacons for all of the tugboats to help with the turn now before it is too late.