Entangled, Superimposed, Threatened: Science Communication in the Age of Uncertainty
- Keynote (Ω)
Miriam Meckel | University of St.Gallen
How can science still be communicated in today’s world—one in which attention is polarized, trust is eroding, and the foundations of scientific freedom are increasingly under pressure? From political attacks on the integrity of research to severe funding cuts and a growing fear of public discourse, the conditions for science communication have become more difficult.
To address this, we can no longer treat science as an isolated authority in the pursuit of truth. Instead, we must understand it as a complex, context-dependent, and often contradictory system. In doing so, quantum physics—a notoriously difficult-to-communicate field—offers a helpful metaphor: particles can exist in multiple states at once (superposition) and remain invisibly connected across space (entanglement).
The communication of scientific knowledge depends on embracing this ambiguity. It must tolerate apparent contradictions—between humility and visibility, between facts and narratives, between relevance and reduction. Today, science communication can no longer aim merely to inform. It must build connections, tolerate ambivalence, and enable new forms of public engagement.
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Miriam Meckel
Miriam Meckel is Professor of Communication Management at the University of St. Gallen and Director at the Institute for Media and Communication Management. She is also co-founder and Executive Chairwoman of ada Learning GmbH. Previously, she served as Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of WirtschaftsWoche (2014–2019), and as State Secretary and Government Spokesperson in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Meckel has held visiting professorships at institutions including Neuchâtel, Harvard, Vienna, New York, and Singapore. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the TX Group. Her academic work focuses on the communicative, social, and economic effects of new technologies, and she has received numerous awards, including the Ernst Schneider Prize for Innovation in Media and the State Order of North Rhine-Westphalia. In 2023, together with Léa Steinacker, she published the bestseller Everything Everywhere at Once – How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Our World and What We Can Gain from It.
