Equity in science education and disseminations: lessons learned during
COVID-19 pandemics
Abstract
Scientific activities including university classes, wet lab research
activities, fieldwork, and seminars/conferences have been cancelled in
response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemics. While the public health
priority was to contain and mitigate the outbreak, the science sector
swiftly adopted technologies to stay connected and continue the
scientific activities as much as possible. Creativity, ingenuity, and
resilience abound in the science community manifested in successful
examples of truly global activities such as seminar series and
conferences. While these platforms were initially concerned with
maintaining the continuum of science education and dissemination, they
attracted participants beyond the boundaries of their respective
institutions and countries and thereby increased the equity. While the
communities and countries are easing the societal restrictions and the
scientific community returns to on-site work, it is important to learn
the lessons and ensure equity in science education and dissemination
moving forward.