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What the Public thinks it "knows" about Science
What the Public thinks it "knows" about Science
It's interesting that every survey that's been done has shown that members of the public have great regard for science but the problem is that large percentages of the public have no idea what is and isn't science. ‘Science’ as it is thought of popularly bears little resemblance to ‘Science’ as it is known intimately by those who live it from day to day.
You might have also seen the Star Wars-style gun battle - in which the heroes can dive away from a laser beam after it is fired. These fictional explorers routinely travel faster than light - crossing interstellar distances in a matter of days! There is no air in space to carry sound waves, yet spaceships routinely blow up with a thunderous roar or make a 'whoosh' sound like an express train when they pass
Popular culture has deemed that our DNA is our destiny - ignoring the complex interplay of genes and the environment. No genetics textbook can hope to compete with Jurassic Park! The biological implausibility of manufacturing dinosaurs using DNA from fossilized dinosaur blood is glossed over quickly and casually.
Popular culture probably does more than formal science education to shape most people's understanding of science. It is more pervasive, more eye-catching, and (with rare exceptions) more memorable. We are about complaining on the scientific inaccuracies in popular culture, but about inability of the public to recognize when a dramatic license is being taken with the laws of nature.
People need a better grasp of basic science.
People need a better grasp of basic science.
One humorous consequence of such beliefs about science is that either the laws of the universe will be found to conform to human needs or it will be made to conform to human needs. :)
Vision
Vision
Developing Critical Scientific Literacy
Developing Critical Scientific Literacy
The expectation for science literacy is to prepare ourselves to be able to engage intelligently in public discourse and debate about matters of scientific and technological concern. You may not need to know all the details of a science issue but need to know enough science to be able to participate fully as citizens and to understand alternative positions on those issues. Even though one doesn’t need to know the details of every scientific conundrum, one needs an awareness of what is and isn't science! You need at least a familiarity and comfort with science to tackle many of the activities and issues of modern life.
Science and technology are embedded so very much in everyday life. The knowledge and ability to detect “bad science” are requirements for both the scientist and the citizen. Scientists must make critical judgments about their own work and that of their peers, and the scientist and the citizen alike must make evaluative judgments about the validity of science-related media reports and their implications for people’s own lives and society.
Being a critical consumer of science and the products of engineering, whether as a lay citizen or a practicing scientist or an engineer, also requires the ability to read or view reports about science in the press or on the Internet and to recognize the salient science, identify sources of error and methodological flaws, and distinguish observations from inferences, arguments from explanations, and claims from evidence
When you grow into adults it is OK to have forgotten the details of DNA; it's not ok to not understand what science is about! Understanding the nature of science is even more important than mastering its details.
If you ask successful scientists what brought them into science, every one of them says a teacher. There is not one established scientist who does not credit (or blame) a teacher for his or her career choice. Most established scientists had either a research experience or a problem-solving experience early on in their education—a sort of eureka moment when we realized that science is fun. And the truth is, science is fun. At Millennium you will see for yourself that it is fun.
Science Teaching and Learning Methods
Science Teaching and Learning Methods
"At Millennium the science education in the classroom closely reflects science and engineering in practice. The goal is to help you think, act and reason like scientists and engineers. All along we'll maintain a presence of productive struggle for you as a part of doing science"
"At Millennium the science education in the classroom closely reflects science and engineering in practice. The goal is to help you think, act and reason like scientists and engineers. All along we'll maintain a presence of productive struggle for you as a part of doing science"
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