I have been traveling a lot and haven't had time to post. One of my stops was New York where I got to take in the Broadway production of Mary Poppins. It is different than the movie, although many of the same themes are present. One little addition I noticed is Michael, the son, had a small telescope and an interest in astronomy. At one point George (the father) says, "I used to love astronomy when I was his age...until Ms. Andrews (his nanny) beat it out of me".
And there is a heapin' pile of truth there. The way science is taught in school, portrayed by the media, and even talked about in everyday life pretty much beats the love of science out of people. When I tell people I majored in physics and work at an observatory, I get all kinds of, "You must be really smart" or "Science is just so hard" comments. People say this around their children without thinking who soak up these messages that science is something they can't do. We really do our best to beat the love of science out of people.
I remember the old Carl Sagan quote, "We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology." This is truly a recipe for disaster. The lack of understanding of the scientific process and principles taints debates on many important issues including global warming, stem cell research, genetic engineering, evolution, environmental issues, net neutrality, autism, cancer clusters, and a whole host of other issues. Misinformation is so readily available on the internet and most people are poorly equipped to evaluate the claims and counter claims.
In the end, after Mary Poppins sets everything right, the family goes outside and looks at the stars. George spies a shooting star and asks Michael for his telescope to look at it. Of course, you don't use a telescope to see a shooting star, but its really Mary Poppins flying away leaving the happy family so I will forgive this little breach of protocol. May more of us follow George's footsteps and rediscover our childhood love of science.Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.
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2 comments:
Go science! I love figuring out how stuff works. I had a chemistry set as a kid, and then bought additional beakers and flasks, etc. from the old Gary's Hobby Shop. I think an interest in science is less of a stigma today than it was in the past. I know we have the nerd stereotype, but people like Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking have made it cooler to be a scientist.
As for the internet, it's the wild west out here. The information, misinformation, and disinformation is overwhelming. At the same time, I don't know that you could ever teach common sense to some people. They are the same ones who believe that "you can't say it on television if it isn't true."
You help to kindle it in us too hale, thanks.
Orbs, don't forget about Bill Nye, the science guy.
I had a really cute science teacher that I had a crush on in 9th grade. That helped too... ;>
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