Happy New Year and welcome to this new "on-line journal" which will be a collection of essays. It will be sort of a continuation of thoughts from my book, "Don't Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style." In the essays, which will be roughly twice a week, I will be making reference to parts of the book from time to time.
More like this
As of yesterday, readers had made an astonishing 3,878 individual ratings of the essays in the Blogger SAT Challenge. The average rating was 2.76, compared to 2.9 from the expert judges.
Accoring to Aubrea Wagner, the 17 year old winner of the Christian World View essay contest in which students were asked to write an essay on the following theme:
Remember yesterday when I said that only one essay scored a six on the Blogger SAT Ch
Yes, yes, I know Darwin Day was Februrary 12th. Nevertheless, the Alliance for Science is sponsoring an essay contest in Darwin's honor and, if you're a high school student you can still celebrate by writing an essay.
No comments allowed....
Well, he doesn't really call it a blog....
Of course, there are days that I wish I didn't have comments allowed either....
(I will have to harass him about allowing comments!)
I finished Randy Olson's book in two sittings, as fast as I could, not able to put it down. He's a successful artist and terrific communicator... something I hope to be. So his comments are startling and vivid because I've been experiencing similar barriers, walls and big fat NOs much like he did.
Randy assumed (as I have) that science organizations would be receptive to his project. He could see that they need to reach out and communicate to the public. And certainly wouldn't they have education and outreach programs in place to do this?
I've been very discouraged at the same negative response I've received just as he was. It's even more surprising when
I find that not much else is in place for public outreach.
With the data and discoveries coming fast in furious in the next two years from sequencing, science needs good artists and communicators like us to bridge, translate and talk it up to everyone.
I don't expect to change minds or make any headway, but at least I know that one artist got through the maze. Maybe there's room for one or two more.
Lynn, I expect you to change minds.