Student Finding: State Legislators Want to Interact with Scientists

hollydogHollie Smith and colleagues made surprising findings when they examined where Maine state legislators get routine science information and how they use it. Her team discovered that media coverage seems to drive science-related bills presented at the State Legislature. Researchers also found and that exposure to these science topics led legislators to want more personal interaction with scientists themselves.

The recent doctoral graduate of the Sustainability Solutions Initiative (SSI) at UMaine’s Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions (Mitchell Center) and member of the center’s Knowledge to Action Collaborative examined the intersections of science, media, and policy, looking closely at how state policymakers viewed and used news about science research.

The findings were illuminating.

“I applied my work to the area of alternative energy development and regulation, working to understand the role of both media and politics,” said Smith. “I surveyed and interviewed Maine state legislators about how they view and use science in their decision-making. We found that most turned to the media as a source for information, but wanted more interpersonal interaction with actual scientists. ”

Smith and colleagues also found that bills presented by state legislators tended to closely relate to recent media topics. They built a media archive of all alternative energy press coverage published between 1995 and 2012. They ran statistical tests to see what types of media were used most often, as well as what other social factors the media coverage was related to. They then ran tests on this data along with a database of all the bills presented to the state legislature during that same time frame.

“We found there was a significant relationship between media coverage and bills presented to the legislature. What we took away was that how something is talked about in the media does matter and creates a space in which different groups can lobby for power on environmental and political issues,” Smith said.

She said her experience working with the Mitchell Center led her to seek a career in interdisciplinary research that works toward real life solutions.

“It was a good learning experience. It opened my eyes to new disciplines, methodologies, and toolkits. I learned how hard interdisciplinary work can be and will be taking those lessons with me as I start new projects,” Smith said.

Smith’s graduate advisors were Laura Lindenfeld, Associate Professor, Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center & Communication & Journalism, and Linda Silka, Fellow, Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions.

The Utah native is now an Assistant Professor at the University of Rhode Island’s Harrington School of Communication & Media. She’s teaching media and public relations courses, and continuing to do interdisciplinary research.