tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post6020543383208864195..comments2024-03-27T14:50:47.345-04:00Comments on <center>Sandwalk</center>: Communicating ScienceLarry Moranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05756598746605455848noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-33961320876581496292012-07-09T17:46:47.982-04:002012-07-09T17:46:47.982-04:00Hi,
I met you after the talk too. I am another on...Hi,<br /><br />I met you after the talk too. I am another one of the 'official bloggers' for the conference. I am a PhD student from the UK and I also blog and edit a science magazine for my university. I think one of the main points that came out of this session was that Paul Berg believed that scientists should not be interacting on social media, twitter and blogging being the prime examples, as they are all forms of self-promotion. I summarised the session here, http://ausm.org.uk/eb2012-blog/effectively-communicating-your-science/ for those that are interested in reading more.<br /><br />It was also clear that the science journalists are using social media to find their stories, so the presence of scientists on those networks is vital. Being present allows scientists to take part in the conversations, and share their views with the public and science journalists. <br /><br />I, I must admit have had mixed success when talking to journalists about stories I felt were misleading. However, times are changing and the more scientists take part in the conversation and question when things are incorrect can only help the situation.Heather Doranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01743182952112081912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-88933907020225368822012-05-04T07:52:12.858-04:002012-05-04T07:52:12.858-04:00hi thanks for provide the Microscopes information....hi thanks for provide the Microscopes information.Microscopeshttp://www.microscopesales.co.uk/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-85275443485925379802012-04-30T18:57:06.772-04:002012-04-30T18:57:06.772-04:00How is the mutation of cancer cells and their subs...How is the mutation of cancer cells and their subsequent resistance to therapy different from the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria ?<br /><br />Is it valid to assume that a single host is a "population" from the point of view of a cancer cell ?<br /><br />And in the case of Tasmanian Devils, Devil facial tumour disease (DFTD) is an aggressive non-viral transmissible parasitic cancer so the population is potentially more than a single body.steve oberskinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-73551914818750643582012-04-30T16:02:26.367-04:002012-04-30T16:02:26.367-04:00For a potential solution (compromise) see thisFor a potential solution (compromise) see <a href="http://phylogenomics.blogspot.com/2012/04/twisted-tree-of-life-award-13-press.html" rel="nofollow">this</a>Claudiu Bandeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04987489537796352657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-40316558358299310162012-04-30T11:31:41.791-04:002012-04-30T11:31:41.791-04:00Cancer cells do not evolve [What Is Evolution] but...Cancer cells do not evolve [<a href="http://sandwalk.blogspot.ca/2007/01/what-is-evolution.html" rel="nofollow">What Is Evolution</a>] but I take your point.<br /><br />I was referring to the fact that 99.99% of the scientific literature on evolution has no direct relationship to the well-being of humans or the development of any technology that's going to make lots of money.Larry Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05756598746605455848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-41734487772504089732012-04-30T11:26:22.318-04:002012-04-30T11:26:22.318-04:00And your point is?
Just because you seek publicit...And your point is?<br /><br />Just because you seek publicity and promote yourself doesn't mean you do bad science.Larry Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05756598746605455848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-76917579606130998272012-04-30T10:04:21.915-04:002012-04-30T10:04:21.915-04:00But Prof. Moran, Abbie Smith over at the ERV blog ...But Prof. Moran, Abbie Smith over at the ERV blog thinks that Craig Venter is the cat's meow and that his human genome rival, Francis Collins, is a bum.SLCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-71419459796045438152012-04-27T07:30:42.673-04:002012-04-27T07:30:42.673-04:00cool things in biology that have no applications (...<i>cool things in biology that have no applications (like evolution)</i><br /><br />Got to be tongue-in-cheek, right? Been reading some fascinating stuff on cancer and the ability of cancers to evolve as being a prime reason various therapies haven't been able to make more of a dent.<br /><br />If you mean knowledge of subjects like evolution has got inestimable intrinsic value beyond any practical measures of "How can this help us in our daily lives?", yep, I agree with you.<br /><br />Another nice side benefit is that learning of the proper sort helps get people thinking.<br /><br /><i>Think Craig Venter or Felice Wolfe-Simon.</i><br /><br />I think this is "inside baseball." As a member of the general public, Venter only impinges on my radar through the ordinary news channels as someone relatively well-known working on that fascinating genetics stuff. Overall I'd say his relative fame has a positive effect on public mindshare about interesting topics. I freely admit I have no idea who Felice Wolfe-Simon is.Judnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-31544123969765313382012-04-26T16:40:53.606-04:002012-04-26T16:40:53.606-04:00Let's assume, for the moment that all science ...Let's assume, for the moment that all science is paid for by the general public. (We know that's not true because a lot of science is supported by the private sector and various foundations.) <br /><br />The question before us is why should governments support science? I think it's because knowledge is valuable and it's better to be knowledgeable than ignorant. That's why I'm quite happy if my tax dollars go to support research on ancient Greek history, archeology, theories of music, plate tectonics, and gamma ray bursts.<br /> <br />None of these things are going to cure cancer or lead to a faster iPad but I still want the public to appreciate why they are valuable things to support.<br /><br />The science writers were telling us that the general public has a misconception about supporting research. They often think that that only reason for spending tax dollars on basic research is because it will lead to an improvement in their lives and stimulate "innovation" (i.e. patents and profit).<br /><br />The science writers want us to cater to that misconception because that's how they (science writers) make money. Scientists would like to correct—or at least challenge—that misconception by telling the general public about cool things in biology that have no applications (like evolution).<br /><br />This sets up a conflict between the goals of basic scientists and science writers. I've been to several meetings with science writers and my general impression is that many of them actually believe in the same myths as the general public. That's why they often say that effective science communication requires telling people what they want to hear.<br /><br />If you look at the Huffington Post you can see that there are some articles about real science that don't even mention applications. Those article are written by scientists, not by science jounralists.Larry Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05756598746605455848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-785766745612094672012-04-26T16:20:14.150-04:002012-04-26T16:20:14.150-04:00No, but that's an excellent example of what I&...No, but that's an excellent example of what I'm talking about. I'm not convinced that science journalists know more about how to effectively communicate science than scientists themselves.Larry Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05756598746605455848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-34153729075260015402012-04-26T15:42:14.892-04:002012-04-26T15:42:14.892-04:00Berg's comment was in response to a request fr...Berg's comment was in response to a request from Cara Santa Maria who wants to make more videos about scientists. She thinks the general public wants to hear about their personal lives, family, hobbies etc. She wants to make science more "human" because that will attract people to science.<br /><br />Nobody is saying that you can't be proud of the work you did. It's only self promotion when your personality becomes more important than the science. Think Craig Venter or Felice Wolfe-Simon.Larry Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05756598746605455848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-90436122671151844832012-04-25T20:50:30.996-04:002012-04-25T20:50:30.996-04:00That prompted a comment from Paul Berg who says th...<i>That prompted a comment from Paul Berg who says that self-promotion is not dignified</i><br /><br />Easy for a Nobel laureate to say. Many of us working scientists actually do have to promote ourselves.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-71673613574986529572012-04-25T17:01:29.196-04:002012-04-25T17:01:29.196-04:00I would be very interested to hear more about your...I would be very interested to hear more about your impressions from the science education part of the conference. I've been stalking your blog for awhile now, and though I enjoy all of it, it's the education (especially biochemistry) that I take away most from. Thanks, Caroline.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-12595517003680912352012-04-24T19:14:44.140-04:002012-04-24T19:14:44.140-04:00"Most of you won't be interested in the s..."Most of you won't be interested in the sessions I've been attending . . .They're mostly about science education."<br /><br />I'm interested because I'm interested in education. Even though my main area of interest is literature, that doesn't mean I'm not interested in science. However, bad journalism affects everyone; journalists who do not communicate effectively do a disservice to all areas of education, not just science. education.Veronica Abbasshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07037599323472646996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-50919511814722374592012-04-24T17:38:29.200-04:002012-04-24T17:38:29.200-04:00Just curious but was Prof. Moran's favorite sc...Just curious but was Prof. Moran's favorite science writer Chris Mooney present? End snark.SLCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-3155541756008204122012-04-24T14:23:17.381-04:002012-04-24T14:23:17.381-04:00These discussions seem to always get back to the s...These discussions seem to always get back to the same points ...<br /><br />Scientist: How a we improve science journalism?<br /><br />Journalist: Less science! More sensation!<br /><br />Scientist: We were asking for <i>improvements</i> ...khmshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10441198743192830692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-62933582613934888422012-04-24T13:13:07.714-04:002012-04-24T13:13:07.714-04:00Apparently they only way we can communicate scienc...<i>Apparently they only way we can communicate science is to convince the general public that there's something in it for them.</i><br /><br />Hell, yes. As it should be. The general public is paying for it all and wants to spend wisely. <br /><br /><i>And no, we won't let you review our work before it's published</i><br /><br />An easy solution: refuse an interview if the condition of preview cannot be met.DKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148773.post-91143272111566768882012-04-24T12:47:17.525-04:002012-04-24T12:47:17.525-04:00Instead of a reporter on the 'science' bea...Instead of a reporter on the 'science' beat at Hufpo, why not have, as a guest speaker, oh, I don't know, Larry Moran!<br />It seems like the only consistently good science reporting out there is done when scientists start up a blog to talk about their research. Maybe that's just the way it has to go, in a way, scientists can't really complain about the bad job journalists are doing, because the journalists are doing the scientists job for them.Schenckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10802843636373254323noreply@blogger.com