Science Cheerleader on CBS 3. Now we’re talkin’.

By | August 27, 2009 | Brain Makeover, Citizen Science, Events, In the News, Science Education, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Thanks to ace reporter Nicole Brewer at CBS 3 in Philadelphia for putting this TV news feature together. In it, she talks about our efforts here on Science Cheerleader, to increase science literacy and raise the ranks of citizen scientists. GOOOOO Science! (Here’s a companion web feature.)

  • http://www.AlchemEDU.org Paul Shin

    “Education could be entertaining!”- who knew? ;-{)

    It’s so great to see your work starting to pay off big time! Our citizens are starting to wake up and marvel at science! Keep up the great work Darlene!

  • http://www.AlchemEDU.org Paul Shin

    “Education could be entertaining!”- who knew? ;-{)

    It’s so great to see your work starting to pay off big time! Our citizens are starting to wake up and marvel at science! Keep up the great work Darlene!

  • http://www.AlchemEDU.org Paul Shin

    I would like to recommend a new way of thinking about knowledge. I think that Sir Francis Bacon was wrong and that knowledge is not power on many levels. I can elaborate more later, but more correctly, knowledge is not power, it’s how one uses knowledge- that’s power. Knowledge is just information/data. The use of knowledge or its application is where power resides. Furthermore, the ethical use of knowledge determines “good science” versus “bad science”! As a non-science example, but germane nonetheless, why was Martha Stewart sent to jail? It wasn’t because she was told by her high up buddy at Imclone the night before that the stock was going to tank. It was because she used this datum and took advantage of it. Here it wasn’t the knowledge, but the (unethical) action that led to her incarceration. I hope you understand the importance of this distinction as it provides a clearer understanding of some of the problems we face in the public understanding of science and the whole scientific literacy issue. Many folks understand more science than they give themselves credit for, but they don’t know how to use what they know- and that is one of the many real tragedies we are trying to deal with and handle. All this is IMHO of course, but I hope you agree!

  • http://www.AlchemEDU.org Paul Shin

    I would like to recommend a new way of thinking about knowledge. I think that Sir Francis Bacon was wrong and that knowledge is not power on many levels. I can elaborate more later, but more correctly, knowledge is not power, it’s how one uses knowledge- that’s power. Knowledge is just information/data. The use of knowledge or its application is where power resides. Furthermore, the ethical use of knowledge determines “good science” versus “bad science”! As a non-science example, but germane nonetheless, why was Martha Stewart sent to jail? It wasn’t because she was told by her high up buddy at Imclone the night before that the stock was going to tank. It was because she used this datum and took advantage of it. Here it wasn’t the knowledge, but the (unethical) action that led to her incarceration. I hope you understand the importance of this distinction as it provides a clearer understanding of some of the problems we face in the public understanding of science and the whole scientific literacy issue. Many folks understand more science than they give themselves credit for, but they don’t know how to use what they know- and that is one of the many real tragedies we are trying to deal with and handle. All this is IMHO of course, but I hope you agree!