Jon D. Miller | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Political scientist, political psychologist, academic and author |
Academic background | |
Education | A.B., Government M.A., Political Science PhD, Political Science |
Alma mater | Ohio University University of Chicago Northwestern University |
Academic work | |
Institutions | Chicago State University Northern Illinois University Northwestern University Michigan State University University of Michigan |
Jon D. Miller (born December 9,1941) is an American political scientist,political psychologist,academic,and author. He is a research scientist emeritus at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan and the School of Education. [1] He also serves as the director of the Longitudinal Study of American Life and the International Center for the Advancement of Scientific Literacy at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. [2]
Miller is best known for his analysis of the public understanding of science and technology. Among his authored works are publications in academic journals,including Science , Daedalus , Public Understanding of Science ,Space Policy,and Longitudinal and Life Course Studies [3] as well as books such as The American People and Science Policy:The Role of Public Attitudes in the Policy Process [4] and Public Perceptions of Science and Technology:A Comparative Study of the European Union,the United States,Japan,and Canada. [5]
Miller is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. [6]
Miller graduated from Ohio University in 1963 with a B.A. in Government,earned a M.S. from the University of Chicago in 1965 in political science,and graduated from Northwestern University in 1970 with his PhD in political science. [1]
Miller began his academic career in 1970 by joining the Chicago State University,where he served as Director of Research Services and as an assistant professor of political science from 1970 to 1974. Miller was appointed Associate Dean of the Graduate School (Research) and as a professor of political science at Northern Illinois University from 1974 to 1999. Following this,he held an appointment as a professor in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Preventive Medicine at Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University between 1999 and 2006. Between 2006 and 2010,he served as the John A. Hannah Professor of Integrative Studies at Michigan University. He is a research scientist emeritus at the Social Research and the School of Education at the University of Michigan. [1]
From 1991 to 2000,he assumed the roles of vice president at the Chicago Academy of Sciences and Director of the International Center for the Advancement of Scientific Literacy at the Northern Illinois University. Between 1999 and 2006,he held an appointment as director of the Center of Biomedical Communication in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. He serves as the director of the Longitudinal Study of American Life and the International Center for the Advancement of Scientific Literacy at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. [2]
Miller pioneered the definition and measurement of scientific literacy. He has published four books,32 chapters in collected works,54 articles in refereed journals,and 35 research reports. He served as the principal investigator of research initiatives,including a National Aeronautics and Space Administration cooperative agreement to explore the potential for enhancing scientific literacy and lifelong through a just-in-time dissemination process. He has authored numerous publications spanning the areas of civic scientific literacy and just-in-time information acquisition systems including books and articles in peer-reviewed journals. [3]
Miller's book The American People and Science Policy:The Role of Public Attitudes in the Policy Process assessed the structure and effectiveness of public involvement in shaping science policy within the United States. The book also presented a structured approach to crafting public policies. [4] In his book titled Public Perceptions of Science and Technology:A Comparative Study of the European Union,the United States,Japan,and Canada,he performed the a systematic analysis of how the public perceives and understands science in Europe,Japan,the United States,and Canada,concentrating on creating indicators to investigate the connection between interest in scientific matters,comprehension of scientific concepts,and attitudes toward science and technology. [5] Furthermore,his book Biomedical Communications:Purpose,Audience,and Strategies underscored the importance of researchers,journalists,and policymakers effectively conveying their discoveries to prevent misunderstandings and confusion. The book also explored avenues for gathering biomedical policy information,discussed approaches to educate consumers,and presented strategies for enhancing communication in the realm of biomedicine. [7]
Miller's work has focused on quantifying and examining civic scientific literacy (CSL) in the United States and other advanced societies over the past 40 years. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] Drawing upon Benjamin Shen's conceptual groundwork,he developed metrics to assess civic scientific literacy. His work in this area is widely cited. [3]
Miller's work has illustrated that approximately one in three citizens in the 20th and 21st centuries finds it possible to comprehend and effectively engage with a small number of public policy issues. [5] [7] [12] [13] Drawing on Gabriel Almond's groundwork in foreign policy,he broadened the application of the concept of issue salience and specialization to the realm of science and technology policy. In doing so,he introduced a framework for defining and assessing the informed and engaged segment of the population with regard to science and technology policy matters. He further argued that while it's impractical to make every citizen scientifically literate,it's crucial for those who are involved in science and technology policy to possess scientific literacy. [5] [7] [14]
In his early research,Miller and his team conducted the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY),tracking 4,100 students from 7th and 10th grades in 1987 until ages 45–48 in 2020,contributing to understanding the U.S. scientific and technological workforce. In collaboration with Camilla Benbow,he broadened the scope of STEM to encompass medicine and its allied scientific disciplines,introducing the term STEMM. Recognizing that science and medicine are becoming more intertwined,he and Benbow documented that many high school students initially aspire to be doctors but opt for careers as biological or biochemistry scientists during their college years. [15] [16]
Over the past twenty years,Miller and his research group have concentrated their efforts on the rise of just-in-time information acquisition systems within the fields of health and science. The fundamental assertion made by his team is that the dominance of print and broadcast systems,which inherently operate in a single direction,is reaching its conclusion. In current landscape,individuals increasingly seek information on topics that matter to them from sources they trust when they need or want that information. This transition is facilitated by the growth of the Internet and the widespread availability of smartphones and smaller computing devices. [17]
Miller and his colleagues have conducted studies on the rise of on-demand information gathering in fields such as health,science,space,and infectious diseases like influenza and Covid. They have predicted that just-in-time information retrieval systems will dominate the 21st century,with artificial intelligence systems playing a pivotal role in expanding and improving this method of information access and communication. [7] [17] [18]
Miller's work is characterized by recurring themes that are encapsulated in two datasets,which are available for secondary analysis through the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). The 33-year longitudinal study,now referred to as the Longitudinal Study of American Life (LSAY-LSAL),conducted active data collection in its final decade with support from the National Science Foundation,the National Institute on Aging,and NASA. [19]
A second time-series dataset comprises national cross-sectional data for the United States from 1957 to 2020. The initial 1957 dataset was commissioned by the National Association of Science Writers. It was conducted in the summer of 1957 by the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan. Notably,this study took place just two months before the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik and represents the sole national U.S. dataset related to science that predates this event. Over several decades,Miller undertook efforts to replicate and expand upon this research,ultimately concluding in 2020. [20] [21]
Miller contributed to the World Values Survey,which was initiated in 1980 by Ronald Inglehart. The survey examines human values and related behaviors,conducting surveys every five years in over 90 countries. He and Inglehart led the seventh U.S. wave,which took place in 2016–17. Since 2021,he is the chair of the scientific advisory committee of the World Values Survey Association. [22]
Miller married Betty (Liz) Dauw in 1973. They have two children:Jon Matthew (born 1975) and Katherine J. (born 1978). Jon Matthew is the Douglas Richstone Collegiate Professor of Astronomy at the University of Michigan. [23] Katherine is the Vice President for Intellectual Property and Legal for Outpace Bio. [24]
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists,defending scientific freedom,encouraging scientific responsibility,and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the betterment of all humanity. AAAS was the first permanent organization established to promote science and engineering nationally and to represent the interests of American researchers from across all scientific fields. It is the world's largest general scientific society,with over 120,000 members,and is the publisher of the well-known scientific journal Science.
Science policy is concerned with the allocation of resources for the conduct of science towards the goal of best serving the public interest. Topics include the funding of science,the careers of scientists,and the translation of scientific discoveries into technological innovation to promote commercial product development,competitiveness,economic growth and economic development. Science policy focuses on knowledge production and role of knowledge networks,collaborations,and the complex distributions of expertise,equipment,and know-how. Understanding the processes and organizational context of generating novel and innovative science and engineering ideas is a core concern of science policy. Science policy topics include weapons development,health care and environmental monitoring.
Philip Ernest Converse was an American political scientist. He was a professor in political science and sociology at the University of Michigan who conducted research on public opinion,survey research,and quantitative social science.
Credibility comprises the objective and subjective components of the believability of a source or message. Credibility is deemed essential in many fields to establish expertise. It plays a crucial role in journalism,teaching,science,medicine,business leadership,and social media.
Public awareness of science (PAS) is everything relating to the awareness,attitudes,behaviors,opinions,and activities that comprise the relations between the general public or lay society as a whole to scientific knowledge and organization. This concept is also known as public understanding of science (PUS),or more recently,public engagement with science and technology (PEST). It is a comparatively new approach to the task of exploring the multitude of relations and linkages science,technology,and innovation have among the general public. While early work in the discipline focused on increasing or augmenting the public's knowledge of scientific topics,in line with the information deficit model of science communication,the deficit model has largely been abandoned by science communication researchers. Instead,there is an increasing emphasis on understanding how the public chooses to use scientific knowledge and on the development of interfaces to mediate between expert and lay understandings of an issue. Newer frameworks of communicating science include the dialogue and the participation models. The dialogue model aims to create spaces for conversations between scientists and non-scientists to occur while the participation model aims to include non-scientists in the process of science.
Civic engagement or civic participation is any individual or group activity addressing issues of public concern. Civic engagement includes communities working together or individuals working alone in both political and non-political actions to protect public values or make a change in a community. The goal of civic engagement is to address public concerns and promote the quality of the community.
Public engagement or public participation is a concept that has recently been used to describe "the practice of involving members of the public in the agenda-setting,decision-making,and policy-forming activities of organizations/institutions responsible for policy development." It is focused on the participatory actions of the public to aid in policy making based in their values.
Inquiry-based learning is a form of active learning that starts by posing questions,problems or scenarios. It contrasts with traditional education,which generally relies on the teacher presenting facts and their knowledge about the subject. Inquiry-based learning is often assisted by a facilitator rather than a lecturer. Inquirers will identify and research issues and questions to develop knowledge or solutions. Inquiry-based learning includes problem-based learning,and is generally used in small-scale investigations and projects,as well as research. The inquiry-based instruction is principally very closely related to the development and practice of thinking and problem-solving skills.
Scientific literacy or science literacy encompasses written,numerical,and digital literacy as they pertain to understanding science,its methodology,observations,and theories. Scientific literacy is chiefly concerned with an understanding of the scientific method,units and methods of measurement,empiricism and understanding of statistics in particular correlations and qualitative versus quantitative observations and aggregate statistics,as well as a basic understanding of core scientific fields,such as physics,chemistry,biology,ecology,geology and computation.
Science communication encompasses a wide range of activities that connect science and society. Common goals of science communication include informing non-experts about scientific findings,raising the public awareness of and interest in science,influencing people's attitudes and behaviors,informing public policy,and engaging with diverse communities to address societal problems. The term "science communication" generally refers to settings in which audiences are not experts on the scientific topic being discussed (outreach),though some authors categorize expert-to-expert communication as a type of science communication. Examples of outreach include science journalism and health communication. Since science has political,moral,and legal implications,science communication can help bridge gaps between different stakeholders in public policy,industry,and civil society.
Cybermethodology is a newly emergent field that focuses on the creative development and use of computational and technological research methodologies for the analysis of next-generation data sources such as the Internet. The first formal academic program in Cybermethodology is being developed by the University of California,Los Angeles.
Agricultural literacy is a phrase being used by several universities to describe programs to promote the understanding and knowledge necessary to synthesize,analyze,and communicate basic information about agriculture with students,producers,consumers,and the public. These programs focus on assisting educators and others to effectively incorporate information about agriculture into subjects being taught or examined in public and private forums and to better understand the impact of agriculture on society.
Statistics education is the practice of teaching and learning of statistics,along with the associated scholarly research.
Rosina M. Bierbaum is currently the Roy F. Westin Chair in Natural Economics and Research Professor at the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy. She is also a professor and former dean at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment (SNRE). She was hired in October 2001,by then-University of Michigan President,Lee Bollinger. She is also the current Chair of The Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) that provides independent scientific and technical advice to the GEF on its policies,strategies,programs,and projects.
Arthur Lupia is an American political scientist. He is the Gerald R. Ford University Professor at the University of Michigan and Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation. Prior to joining NSF,he was Chairperson of the Board of the Center for Open Science and Chair of National Research Council's Roundtable on the Application of Behavioral and Social Science. His research concerns how information and institutions affect policy and politics,with a focus on how people make decisions when they lack information. He draws from multiple scientific and philosophical disciplines and uses multiple research methods. His topics of expertise include information processing,persuasion,strategic communication,and civic competence.
In studies of science communication,the information deficit model,also known as the deficit model or science literacy/knowledge deficit model,theorizes that scientific literacy can be improved with increased public engagement by the scientific community. As a result,the public may then be able to make more decisions that are science-informed. The model implies that communication should focus on improving the transfer of information from experts to non-experts.
Athena SWAN is an equality charter mark framework and accreditation scheme established and managed by the UK Equality Challenge Unit in 2005 that recognises and celebrates good practices in higher education and research institutions towards the advancement of gender equality:representation,progression and success.
Henry Eugene Brady is an American political scientist specializing in methodology and its application in a diverse array of political fields. He was Dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy at University of California,Berkeley from 2009–2021 and holds the Class of 1941 Monroe Deutsch Professor of Political Science and Public Policy. He was elected President of the American Political Science Association,2009–2010,giving a presidential address entitled "The Art of Political Science:Spatial Diagrams as Iconic and Revelatory." He has published academic works on diverse topics,co-authoring with colleagues at a variety of institutions and ranks,as well as many solo authored works. His principal areas of research are on political behavior in the United States,Canada,and the former Soviet Union,public policy and methodological work on scaling and dimensional analysis. When he became President of the American Political Science Association,a number of his colleagues and co-authors contributed to his presidential biography entitled "Henry Brady,Big Scientist," discussing his work and the fields to which he has contributed and has also shaped.
Nicholas Pyenson is a paleontologist and the curator of fossil marine mammals at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington,DC. He is the author of numerous popular science works including the book Spying on Whales:The Past,Present,and Future of Earth's Most Awesome Creatures.
Jeylan T. Mortimer is an American sociologist. She is Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota,where she founded the Life Course Center and served as its Director from 1986 to 2006.