Process of Science

Recently, I was going through old photos of my family to put together a slide show for my mom and dad's 50th wedding anniversary. I found this picture of me when I was at UC Santa Cruz working on my senior thesis at their marine lab. Two things occurred to me: 1. How great a school UCSC was to give an undergraduate space and equipment at their main reasearch lab to do the project, 2. This was where I really fell in love with how science works and the scientific method.

In regards to the first point, I really don't know how things are done now at universities, but in the early eighties the kind of access I had to lab space, equipment and expertice was amazing. My lab had everything I needed to keep my critters alive and happy. Just outside my window, Rocky the sea lion was being taught all manner of new things (she was on the cover of Newsweek in May, 1988 though I can't find the link to that article, there was an obituary for her here in 2004). Dolphin, elephant seal, squid and whale research was going on right next to my humble little sea stars. I was able to talk with the graduate students and profs who came in to do their research at the lab. My research, thanks to my advisers, John Pierce and Jim McClintock even got published. No wonder then, that I fell in love with the whole process.

Up until that point, I had been a science major because I was good at memorising lots of information and I liked the outdoor part of field studies. The actual science aspect of hypothesis, data analysis, etc. just seemed like paperwork to me. But the actual research, involving talking to really smart people (not just reading other published work) and doing the testing, seeing new leads and retesting got me into science at a far deeper level. This is where I found how powerful the scientific method really is as a philosophy of problem solving. This is where I try to take my students now when I teach.

Introduction

My buddy who is also a science teacher and a devout fundamentalist christian will laugh when he sees my title to this blog. I am the non-churchgoing social relativist. It is he that should have this title (but he would think it blasphemous and not use it anyway). But, as science teachers, we are apostles in way. Not in the sense of spreading faith, but indeed we do try and spread good news. Our good news is that we have logic and and a philosophy of thought (the scientific method) that anyone can learn and use.

My friend is always complaining of science teachers who try to use science education to dismiss spirituality and faith. He says that really they are just substituting their scientific beliefs for religion and trying to gain converts just as a major religion would. I think this is a bit harsh on us poor agnostic non churchgoers who don't quite have it all figured out yet like he has. But what he really means is that when you teach science if you get bogged down in the just facts and data you start to teach the principles as facts as well rather than using the data and facts to lead the student to the truth of the great principles and concepts of how the world works. Sometimes in the rush to make it through a curriculum we forget to present data as the clues that lead us to the grand theory. Also we sometimes forget to mention that there is quite a bit that still needs to be discovered and figured out. So by teaching science as a process (and an unfinished one at that), we are not using it to replace beliefs but as a tool for understanding.

In this science education is unique and always fascinating. First: keeping in mind that we don't know everything. I love it when a student can find an example or exception to a rule that proves the point or reveals a possible deeper mystery. Second: unlike many subjects in the humanities, there are some cold, hard indisputable facts and answers so students have to learn to use analysis and logic not just flowery prose to make a point. And, most importantly, the benefits of good science are all around us, so that it is easy to show students that learning to think like a scientist can make a difference.

So in reality we are apostles spreading the good news of a thought process that has changed our world (mostly for the better) and will change it again. Our students either will hear us and use the process of scientific thought with their beliefs to make reasoned choices about how science will shape the world or ignore it and allow others to make decisions for them.