Below is the summary from the NYU STEP page:
"Involvement of scientists in the policy-making process in the US, where they inform on matters related to science is well-established. However, scientists exert a lesser-known role on the international stage. There, scientists are instrumental in designing policies related to global development, and in establishing scientificpartnerships worldwide. These activities have been coined ‘science diplomacy’.Syllabus from 2016
Culture, thanks to its universal nature which surpasses political, religious, and ethnic differences, has been used for centuries to ease tensions between nations. In asimilar manner, science, which is intrinsically impartial and global, is becoming a powerful diplomatic tool. Science and culture havea capacity to unite people, rendering them ‘soft’, yet compelling powers . Scientists, in addition to acquiring problem-solving and critical thinking skills over the course of their training, develop a sense of ethics, integrity, and sensible judgment. All these skills prove essential in devising and implementing diplomatic solutions to solve tense situations.
The American Association for the Advancementof Science, AAAS, has defined three areas in which science and diplomacy intersect: (i) science to inform foreign policy decisions: science in diplomacy; (ii) promotion of international scientific collaborations: diplomacy for science; (iii) establishment of scientific cooperations to ease tensions between nations: science for diplomacy.
Despite the fact that science diplomacy is widely used, this field is close to unbeknownst to the general public and scientists alike. Some of the numerous successful examples in which science has helped alleviate international tensions on a large scale include, the building of the International Space Station following a decades-long Cold War, and CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research. Examples of a smaller scale include a collaboration between the US and China to build a synthetic yeast chromosome, and capacity-building agreements between the US and North Korea for scientific collaborations.
Within the US, the actors of science diplomacy can be found at three levels. National science policies define the direction in which science is headed in the US, but these policies also need to address science diplomacy efforts. Secondly, science diplomacy per se is strongly implemented by the US government and numerous NGOs as a complement to political diplomacy. Finally, science is used as a tool to address the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. These three sectors are complementary, interconnected and essential components of science diplomacy endeavors.
Scientists within public and private sectors alike participate widely in collaborative efforts both domestically and internationally, however, few think about the latter type of collaboration as a diplomatic tool. A cultural shift is essential in order for researchers to think about their work in a global context, and this shift will not happen without awareness-building efforts within the scientific community. This course aims to do just that. By bringing in experts that are actors in science diplomacy efforts, at the local, national, and international levels, pre- and postdoctoral fellows will be given a clear picture of the framework of science diplomacy, its various sectors, participating agencies, challenges and its future and potential for action. Additionally, fellows will learn about career options in the field, ways in which they can act as science diplomats, both while at their research institution, as well as in future endeavors. As a practical exercise, course participants will be asked to design a science diplomacy project, and devise strategies to implement it."
