Three key drivers of good messaging in a time of crisis: expertise, empathy and timing

Not since World War II have people across the globe been so united in fear as now, when the COVID-19 pandemic dominates headlines and daily realities. When people are scared, they look for expert advice which is relevant to their own situations. But this also means that people are constantly receiving information from many – and often conflicting – sources. They may feel overwhelmed by a deluge of data and opinions. Facing information overload, they may find it difficult to decide what to read, who to listen to and who to trust. Effective science communication during a pandemic, then, is literally a matter of life or death.

Science funding after Covid-19 will be ‘a balancing act’

Research funding in the post-Covid-19 world will be “a real balancing act” between producing strategically important evidence and keeping the science system able to respond to a wide range of needs, a leading South African scholar has said.

Addressing a webinar organised by the South African Young Academy of Science on 23 July to discuss post-pandemic African science, Johann Mouton from Stellenbosch University said there is a danger that policymakers will focus on short-term objectives when funding science.

CREST director acknowledged as one of SA’s science legends

“Scientific endeavour is all about the search for truth, even if we don’t reach it,” says CREST director Professor Johann Mouton in a profile about his academic journey. He is one of 62 eminent South African scientists featured in Legends of South African Science II, a publication by die Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).

The scientists featured in this edition were elected as ASSAf members between 1993 – 2000 and have, since then, served South African science as leaders in their respective fields. Each one has made a significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge in post-apartheid South Africa.