Further, the current political climate in the United States underscores the importance of creating a public that feels connected to and better understands science. Funding for science is always a concern. My guess is that millions of people across the United States have participated in a research project at some point or another (remember those Psychology 101 research participant pool requirements?). Imagine how much more invested in science the public would be if they felt more connected to that research and invested in the findings - if they could take pride in their central role in scientific discoveries, and more explicitly recognize how they benefit from research findings.
