Abstract
Nutrition, health, and food scientists and others charged with reaching out with credible science information have known for some time that they are in an uphill battle for the hearts and minds of the public. Especially, with the escalating noise of Web communications and ever-more-immediately available information of all kinds, it has become increasingly difficult for scientists to be heard and understood above the electronic din. For 2 days in May 2012, the National Academies of Science, through its Sackler Colloquium series, held a conference to explore the "Science of Science Communications" and more specifically to explore why the public often fails to respond to science-based calls to action. This article summarizes for nutrition communicators the Colloquium's major themes.