Why is science important?

i-baa18d742b20347e0760b4711842a5fc-CC_Oberazzi_Flickr.png

Some time back film-maker Alom Shaha asked me to contribute to a project he was working on entitled Why is Science Important?. I'm pleased to see that the finished film is now complete, featuring such luminaries as Adam-Hart Davis, Professor Robin Weiss, Prof. Marcus du Sautoy, A.C. Grayling and Susan Blackmore, and skipping from Antarctic survey to rocket lab to fusion reactor. You can watch the film in individual clips here, or as a single half-hour film here. You can also contribute your thoughts as to why science is important by leaving a message here.

More like this

tags: Alom Shaha, why is science important, streaming video In this streaming video, Physics teacher and film-maker Alom Shaha sets out to uncover a genuinely satisfying answer to his students' most common question: why is science important? This film was made with funding from the Wellcome Trust,…
Graham Steel attended the Science Blogging Conference last week - but only virtually! He has been a strong proponent of Open Access, frequent commenter on PLoS ONE articles, a patient advocate and, more recently, a blogger on his own. Welcome to A Blog Around The Clock. Would you, please, tell my…
I have a whole pile of science-y book reviews on two of my older blogs, here and here. Both of those blogs have now been largely superseded by or merged into this one. So I'm going to be slowly moving the relevant reviews over here. I'll mostly be doing the posts one or two per weekend and I'll…
Last April, I received this nice letter from Mark Mathis. Hello Mr. Myers, My name is Mark Mathis. I am a Producer for Rampant Films. We are currently in production of the documentary film, "Crossroads: The Intersection of Science and Religion." At your convenience I would like to discuss our…

Nice film. Congratulations. I am an Applied Physics Professor, and most of my students don't ask the question of why science is important. What this video reminds me though is that we all should continue to ask ourselves, as it will bring purpose to all of our studies and research. As a father of a 3 year old, it won't be long before I need to ispire in much the way you do.

Whenever I start doubting what I'm doing in school (biology major), I just start thinking about friends and family that have struggled with debilitating diseases, whether they won or lost. That is all the motivation I need to keep at it.