Role of Learned Societies in Communicating Science

Abstract

Examination of the scientific society movement in the developed world shows the predominance of three key constructs that account for their effectiveness and dynamism – civic activism by the scientific community, pursuit of scholarship through science communication, and entrepreneurship. Some examples of these learned societies in different regions of the world are explored with a view towards identifying some best practices. It is shown that leveraging on the brick-and-mortar model for the establishing of scientific academies and scientific societies is not a particularly prudent option for countries in the developing world. The “invisible college” model represents a more effective model for the setting up of such learned societies in the shortest possible time. It is argued that the institutional framework provided by scientific academies and scientific societies affords immense scope for realizing the multidimensional facets of science communication in tandem with other efforts.