Comment by johan_larson

That's a big ask. Scholars tend to be rewarded for their contributions to advancing the field itself, not for improving relations with outsiders. Heck, these people can barely be bothered to deal with undergrads, never mind the general public. And really, they have little to gain from doing so. The general citizenry doesn't judge research output (publishing), and they don't directly provide the means of carrying it out (funding), so any attention directed their way is basically a waste for working scholars.