The Munich Science Communication Lab (MSCL) is an institution serving Munich and the global community by developing and providing evidence-based, theory-informed, and ethical guidance for communication that enhances public discourse and participation in relation to the many facets of Planetary Health.
In the long term, going beyond its initial focus on Planetary Health, the MSCL aims to develop, pilot, and share effective tools and approaches for science communication around wicked problems.
Goals of the MSCL
To establish the MSCL as a brand for transdisciplinary science communication research bringing together people and knowledge, and stimulating reflection in Munich, Germany, and internationally, drawing on the strengths of a reliable network of experts and institutions
- To be a catalyst for conversation and reflection among leading science communication experts (researchers and practitioners) and stakeholders in the planetary health discourse.
- To be the go-to partner for communication, dissemination, and outreach of planetary health initiatives.
- To promote the use of social science and communications science methods in the planetary health field.
To conduct science communication research at the interface of science and society, addressing both fundamental and applied questions and problems in science communication related to wicked problems.
- To conduct novel research on a) framing planetary health, b) communicating wicked problems, and c) the mutual benefits model of science communication.
- To integrate knowledge from the research fields of communication about science, environment, health, politics, and through digital media.
- To promote interdisciplinary exchange between the humanities, social sciences, health, and natural sciences.
To offer easy-to-implement evaluation guidance and set standards for good evaluation practice.
- To develop an ‘evaluation framework’ for experiments in science communication to be shared with other organizations in the field.
- To amass and formulate tested and scalable formats for activities in science communication, in relation to planetary health and other wicked problems.
- To create formats to increase science communication competence in the community in Munich and beyond.