Science Cheerleader

Go ahead. Let it go. Unload the memories of telling your mom: “Why do I have to study this stuff? I’m never going to use it!”  Forget the dated science textbooks with the tea-stained pages and that huge, impossible-to-memorize elements chart Mr. Priestly showcased at the front of the room.  

It’s time to start with a clean slate.  Let’s begin here, on this page, together.

Science is something every single person deserves to experience in its most fascinating forms. Unfortunately, it often becomes entangled in politics, trapped in the net our complicated education “system,” or dissed entirely by the media (our conduit to world events).

As a first step on our journey of reintroducing ourselves to science, I am providing two excellent essays from authors who are far more articulate than I am. (Don’t worry, they are short articles.)

This one appeared last week in The New York Times. It’s written by Brian Greene, founder of the World Science Festival. It is a terrific reminder of what science meant to us, as young children–before we started school–and what it should mean to us today, as adult citizens. So logical, so simple and so very hopeful.

This article digs a bit deeper. It appears in the current issue of Liberal Education (don’t let those words scare you off). The author, James Trefil, provides a concise, critical review of how science is wrongly taught in schools and he suggests a better way forward. Note his emphasis on people like us–citizens who could be more engaged in science policy discussions but aren’t, in part because they/we lack a basic foundation of a few science facts.  I am planning to interview Trefil so we can figure out what it is we, as adult citizens, need to learn, but didn’t learn in school.  And how this new-found grasp of basic science can enrich our lives.

It’s been quite a week for science. Some of the greatest minds in science shared their visions and concerns for the future of mankind at the World Science Summit yesterday at Columbia University in NY.

(I squirreled my way into the “invitation only” event and managed to insert myself into fascinating conversations: “Quasors and String Theory, uh, yeah, I [pause] got it,  but how can we provide more meaningful opportunities for citizens to voice their opinions, concerns, hopes and fears about science?” More on that wild experience, later!)

After NYC Mayor Bloomberg opened the Summit (did anyone know he majored in engineering in college?), actor Alan Alda took the stage to help announce the winners of the $1 million Kavli Prize. Here’s the report I wrote for Discover Magazine. 

All of that took place in just the first hour of the day-long Summit. Stay tuned for more.

Cheers!

…and, together, we kick off the World Science Festival, this morning at Columbia University during a world-class Science Summit. Really, no joke! I’m included among the “125 leaders from science, business, government, media, and academia who will explore how today’s scientific discoveries will shape tomorrow.” (Columbia’s homepage news.)

(I did have to squirrel my way into this invitation. Finally, the old cheerleading uniform came in handy.)

“The 21st century will be shaped by science,” said Brian Greene, co-founder of the World Science Festival and professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University. “From the enormous challenges we face and opportunities we have available, science will be the critical driver. To make informed decisions, we need a general public that is not put off by science; rather, the public needs to be excited by science and prepared to engage with its implications for the future.”

The Festival seeks to transform the public perception of science by producing high caliber, entertaining and thought-provoking programs–for five days throughout New York City–that make science exciting, accessible, compelling, and inspirational. That’s Brian’s stated goal for the World Science Festival. A terrific goal and one we should all support.  

I hope I have an opportunity to share some thoughts with Brian and the 123 other leaders in the room. Engaging the public in science is critical and helps us make better decisions, particularly when it comes to science policy decisions. But we need authentic opportunities to inject our values and opinions into important discussions of science and science policy.  Let the public, us, displace the lobbyists. Scientists and policy makers can and should do more to trust the public’s desire and capacity to participate in real science activities and discussions. I’ll bring the empirical data with me just in case they don’t believe me.

Speaking of trust, if they haven’t already yanked the mic from my hands, I might suggest that we need more reasons to trust science in spite of the recent abuses by government and industry–and some scientists–covered in this book which I’ve read, and this new one I have yet to read, among many other publications. Depressing stuff, really.

Let’s move back to the happier, more optimistic approach, shall we? The World Science Festival!

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If you will be in or around New York City, May 28-June 1, head on over to the first annual World Science Festival. The Big Apple is about to amplify the best of science while entertaining thousands in an effort to shed light on how scientific discovery and innovation shape modern life. The event is the brainchild of physicist Brian Green (aka Prince of String Theory) and spearheaded by the World Science Festival Foundation. It promises to feature the who’s who of pop science figures.

Great mission statement: To cultivate and sustain a general public informed by the content of science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future. 

So, go get engaged! And they’re looking for some volunteers. (Free T-shirts!)

If you go, be sure to post your comments here so we can share your reviews with other sciencecheerleader.com visitors.