So what is "The Science of Things?" Well, it depends on the science, and it depends on the thing.
I'm hoping to use this space to bring up some happenings in the science world that I find of unique interest (i.e., very cool). Also, I hope to bring out issues about science education and literacy for attention.
I think that adults have less attention for science in our fast-paced world. This leads to a society with less aptitude for science, less knowledge of science, and a basic ignorance of science. I think that the general population really does not have a grasp on “how science is done.”
Adults ignore the science pages in their newspaper (if their newspaper still has one), the science section on their internet news sites, and the science story on the evening news. Or science is given as a sound bite: This drug causes cancer, this food is bad for you, this food is good for you, too much coffee is bad, coffee is good, scientists found a treatment for baldness that works in mice.......
What does a mouse have anything to do with me? And why do I have to stop drinking coffee? I really like coffee.
Maybe our general discontent begins in our education system, and how science is taught in schools. Possibly most people think of it as a mass of facts they have to memorize. Granted, there is some of that, but at its most basic, science is the observation of our surrounding world. Observation should be encouraged. A simple hike in the woods can open the door to questions that could fill thousands of Ph.D. theses. All that is required is curiosity—simple questions that start with “Why…” or “How…”
Well, I’m curious. I’m also a scientist. And I don’t think that we communicate very well with non-scientists. We have trouble sharing our own work and interests as well as the scientific process to people who don’t think about it on a daily basis. This separation leads to mistrust, doubt, and allegations of lack of respect for non-scientists.
How do scientists “do science?” It’s a process—a way of thought, deductive reasoning, and observation.
So, this blog. I want to point out some happenings in science that are of interest to me. It is my blog after all. I also want to shed some light on the scientific process. How is science done? What is the process of deduction, and how to design a simple experiment? To use a common phrase, it’s not rocket science. It’s really basic logic. And last but not least in this evolving blog experiment, I want to explore issues of science literacy and science education. After all, the current generation must educate the next. The next generation should be at least as prepared as I was (and frankly, I’m pretty satisfied with my public school education as a whole).
And finally, science is FUN. There is a lot of coolness out there, and a science geek/nerd like me should be able to point some of it out to you. If I simply manage to describe something that makes you go, “Hmmm. Wow…” then my experiment is a success.
Finally, bear with me. I want the audience for this blog to be scientists and non-scientists. I will try to maintain a balance that will be of interest to both.
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Toward better science communication
CURRENT MOON
Some cool links to check out.
About Me
- Lisa Gorski
- I have a Ph.D. in Microbiology. I'm curious. I'm also a scientist. And I don't think that we communicate very well with non-scientists. We have trouble sharing our own work and interests as well as the scientific process to people who don't think about it on a daily basis. This separation leads to mistrust, doubt, and allegations of lack of respect for non-scientists. Here's to better communication.
5 comments:
So - How do we get people to ask questions? To me, the initial spark is missing; since we HAVE to learn it, we don't need to ask the questions. The question is everything when we are younger, but school doesn't teach us how to ask them. Journalism tells us there are only certain questions worth asking. Religion denies that certain questions exist. And the endless rounds of testing that have become the American schooling experience render questions redundant. The question is, what is the question?
This is going to be a very interesting blog!
Hi
I am not a scientist!
I am a medical doctor and more imporstantly Dr. Gorski's brother. All here is looking great and I will follow with bated breath. And as for asking questions we all have tons of those and sometimes just putting yourself in the shoes of others will give us the ability to communicate better with EVERYBODY
Way Cool
Da problem wit youze science guys is yiz tink ya know everyting about how ta know everyting. Da rest a us can't unnertstand a ting you say cuz ya talk wit all kindza fancy words and metric and alla dat. Yiz gotta learn how ta talk right so's even my dumb cousints can figger out what yiz are sayin. So da first ting ya oughtta write about is, whatchamacallit, epistemology. How duz a scientist know what he knows and what iz his wayya knowin it? And how's dat different den say, a lawyer's way a knowin tings. Try dat on fer size, heyna? God bless ya, Lisa, yer so smart yer makin us coal crackers proud.
Even scientists have "less time" for science, because we are dealing with more complex areas of knowledge today. Scientists must specialize, and so must lay people (it's easy to forget that scientists are lay people, too, in areas for which they have no expertise!).
What's more important: That people have a detailed and scientific understanding of how a car works or an understanding of how the world's increasing demand for oil is causing environmental and security problems?
I think that American culture is more responsible than anything else for the level of ignorance or incompetence that seems to be all too common. When too many people have it too easy for too long, many get lazy and apathetic. Tom Friedman talks about this in his (overlong) book The World Is Flat. While the young people of China and India appreciate their entertainment idols, their real idols are those who accomplish much in their fields of expertise. Studies of kids have shown that peer pressure exerts more influence than anything else.
And of course Americans tend to spend a lot of time with their distractions. I've been around a lot of kids in the past quarter century, and I still cringe when I see families that routinely allow their kids to play video games for hours on end on school nights and on sunny weekend days - notwithstanding the recent study which found that surgeons who are more adept at video games tend also to be better surgeons. :-) I've been generally impressed with public school science teachers, so I'm not inclined to point any fingers at them.
Long live your blog!
P.S. Drinking three cups of coffee per day is associated with a reduced rate of Parkinson's. So drink up, that is, until the next study comes out!
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