Access to science defined as a 'continuum'

"To benefit from scientific progress, ordinary people need to take part in scientific research and decision-making themselves, a United States specialist on the human right to science told a UN seminar in Geneva, Switzerland, earlier this month (3-4 October). Jessica Wyndham from the American Association for the Advancement of Science spoke at the event on the right to benefit from scientific progress and its applications. Her recent work analysing what access to science means may feed into the UN process to define and promote the 'human right to science'. Science participation helps create informed, empowered citizens, Wyndham told the seminar. Participation in science can include taking part in scientific activities as a researcher or a subject. This requires overcoming discrimination based on gender, disabilities or poverty for instance, as well as involving vulnerable populations in the framing of research questions and the dissemination of findings, Wyndham said. Participation can also include citizens' involvement in science-based decisions. These can be individual choices, such as whether to vaccinate a child, or policy choices, such as government funding priorities. For example, Denmark's government has held several 'consensus conferences' to promote public debate on policy issues such as air pollution and genetic engineering ..."