Does Science Have a Brand?

Science is not a company or a product, but nonetheless it has a brand – a set of commonly-held perceptions of the field, its workers (scientists) and its place in American society. 

When someone involved in the sciences thinks about the word, what comes to mind?  They probably have a complex set of reactions but a generally positive view associated with advances in understanding, improvement in the human condition, and a method of discovering and describing new insights into how the world (and beyond) works.

Now consider what comes to mind for the average American when they hear the word, science. They tend to feel positively about science as a force that can improve our lives, but as a subject, it is described as boring, hard to understand, remote from their daily lives, and something their children do not need to know much of to be successful.

Consider that despite the existence of tens of thousands of well-run science enrichment programs in this country, science test scores, the number of students taking high-level science courses and other critical indices of program success continue to slide.

Why? We believe it is because common culture – TV, films and other mass media communications vehicles -- persist in portraying scientists as socially inept, brainy, white males in white lab coats. They are depicted as geniuses who can make our lives better, but are not shown as being “like you and me.”  If youngsters cannot identify with scientists, they are very unlikely to want to emulate them.