Science needs to fire its PR agent...

[Susan Gerbic]

Phil Plait writes about this on his Skeptologist blog this week and I think this commencement speech deserves discussing... I'm including the link to the video as well as the transcript of the speech itself. Lets have it...

http://skepticblog.org/2010/06/02/w...-science-before-we-started-doing-it/#comments


Commencement Address Transcript
May 12, 2010
Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
Doctoral and Master’s Commencement Ceremony
Eric Schulze, PhD Candidate and Student Speaker:
“How often have we all been introduced to a partner’s parents, or been chatting with
a person at a bar and he or she inevitably asks, “So what do you do for a living?” And as a
scientist, I can tell you as we stumble through explaining endosymbiotic theory, DNA
replication, and multiple regression analysis, we inevitably are met with a bored and
confused look from the person staring back at us.
Now we know that science is not boring. We are the few and the proud who got giddy
when viral capsid formation was taught in freshman biology. Some may say we are a
“special” breed. In the quest for those rare “Ah Ha” moments, we have led lives some may
compare to Gollum from Lord of the Rings: Always hidden away in our caves called labs,
forgetting to eat meals or bathe; and for that matter, forgetting what it is like to interact with
other humans. Oh and who could forget mid‐day napping on the cold hard slab we call a lab
bench.
Now, as we all step back out into the light of society we really need to cull from the
valuable teachings of our mentors to survive. Without them we might never have raised an
eyebrow to a suspicious medical claim made in the news or had the insight to create the next
cancer‐fighting therapy. It is for this and much else that I must thank my mentor Dr. Qi‐Long
Ying, and I ask my classmates to join me in thanking our mentors for creating the scientists
we are today.
However, in crafting this address, I found myself thinking not about what I was
taught, but what I was not taught throughout my life as a student of science. Allow me to
explain:
You see, in my opinion, science needs to fire its PR agent. We’re in Hollywood, so this
seems appropriate right? We live in a time where the role of science and the scientist in the
public sphere is diminishing. Why is that? Only two generations ago, to be a scientist, even
one that worked for the government, was considered patriotic and noble, a position that
people gladly looked up to. Now, the role of the scientist in the media is relegated to people
that can give good sound bytes or happen to be wearing a lab coat.
I hope you all here change this mentality. And I believe that, in large part this aspect
can change if we change the misconceptions about what science is certainly not.
So I have compiled a short list of the things I was never taught about Science. Think of
this as a new Science “Press kit.” Only in LA right?
1. To borrow from an eminent cosmologist and teacher Phil Plait, “Without imagination
and creativity, Science is a dictionary.” Why was this not said on Day 1 of every
science class we have ever taken? Better put I think: The bold‐faced words you see in
your textbook are not there to consternate young freshman, but rather as an ode
those scientists bold enough to see and describe which had not been observed prior.
I cannot think of a human endeavor that culls from more creative, imaginative,
and right‐brained skills as science. Think about it. Each one of you sitting here has
acquired the skills needed to create symphonies, (mathematics); to visualize the
inner workings of cells, biochemical pathways, or the patterns inherent to disease
spreading (the visual arts); and the ability to effectively communicate your
discoveries, not just to scientists, but the world and its future inhabitants by using
skills cultivated by literature and poetry. Science has made you a walking toolbox
of education. You are here because you are able to dip into a skillset that few are
willing to develop.
2. Science is the most anti‐scientific process you will ever perform. Remember, safe
ideas are not rewarded with Nobel prizes. You need to come up with a creative, often
simple, yet counterintuitive, idea that can be tested in a rigorous, methodical, and
repeatable manner. The idea is often crazy, and seemingly illogical at first. However,
after some careful reasoning, and a scientifically‐sound experiment, the answer can
be accepted or nullified by your findings. Ideas themselves need not be scientifically
acceptable at their inception, but your methods to test them must be.
3. Science is not just a method, but rather a transformative way in which to think. And
this is one I wish I had learned earliest. Science derives from the Greek root “Scire”
meaning ‘to know, to distinguish and separate.” And not the kind of ‘I know how to
cook pancakes.’ I mean the kind of knowing that says ‘I know not only why pancakes
exist, but how they are created, and I think I have figured out a better way of
explaining why they are so delicious.’
And like the bell that cannot be un‐rung, you begin to see the world as it is. And then you
begin to question. And you revel in your inquisitiveness. You delight in your lack of
knowledge about the world around you because you know that no matter how much you
learn, there will always be more to the story. And you have a chance to be the first to
discover it, to help others understand it. You realize that you are both wildly insignificant in
this universe and important simultaneously because you are but one amazing localized
collection of carbon, a momentary decrease in entropy in a cosmic ocean. And yet we as
graduates of professional science are able to understand this concept. And it inspires us. And
as we move into the next chapter of our lives, we will continue to search out knowledge, and
explore our world through the majestic world of science.
Congratulations to all the graduates!
Thank you all very much.”

 

[Harpyja]

3. Science is not just a method, but rather a transformative way in which to think. And this is one I wish I had learned earliest. Science derives from the Greek root “Scire-” meaning ‘to know, to distinguish and separate.” And not the kind of ‘I know how to cook pancakes.’ I mean the kind of knowing that says ‘I know not only why pancakes exist, but how they are created, and I think I have figured out a better way of explaining why they are so delicious.’

Of course science is "just" a method. It's a method of thinking.

I would go one step further. Using scientific method, we can not only explain why things are the way they are, but alter them. It's not only a matter of "explaining why they are so delicious," but thinking; based on what I know, perhaps if we add this or remove this, pancakes will taste even more delicious. Then, we preform the experiment and collect data to see whether our method worked or not. There are practical applications to this other than building a better pancake. We can build better technology, help extend our lives and create beautiful, glorious things.

That's what people seem to miss. We all use something like the scientific method in our daily lives to learn and create. We use science.