Together with colleagues from Northwestern University, the American Indian Center of Chicago and the Menominee tribe of Wisconsin, UW researchers recently published new findings on the impact of cultural orientations on science communication.
“We argue that science communication – for example, words, photographs and illustrations – necessarily makes use of artifacts, both physical and conceptual, and these artifacts commonly reflect the cultural orientations and assumptions of their creators,” the authors write.
One example of this phenomenon is the depiction of nature in media such as children’s picture books. “There are profound implications not only for perceiving the issue but studying it, forming policy, or forging adaption for our collective futures,” said Megan Bang, a UW assistant professor of educational psychology.