I’m still afraid for my science – 2017 Edition

2017 Update: How many times will I need to update this post? In the five years since my original post, things have gone worse, way worse. When will the American public understand that we used to be a superpower **only** because our scientific and technological prowess? How the ***k do people think that a flourishing economy be sustained in the abs nce of proper scientific knowledge and its applications? I’m still afraid, more afraid than ever. This s not politics, people, this is survival… Wake up, people!!!!!!

2016 update: I published the original version of this post nearly five years ago, in the week when Neil Armstrong died. If anything, what I had to say then is more relevant than ever. I have updated this post accordingly. Also, if you want to know why do I bother writing about science, go here…

Please let me know what you think!

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This week we celebrate the life and mourn the loss of Neil Armstrong.  As many have well said (first and foremost himself) his achievement was truly a testament to our spirit of exploration together with our fascination with our universe. We went to the moon and back because of those feelings, even though the government’s motivation was really political.  however, in all honesty, I do not care if the motivation was political.  We went to the MOON!

Space exploration did not stop there though.  We went to the Moon a couple more times, sent space probes out there like Pioneer, Voyager, Viking, Spirit & Opportunity, and more recently Curiosity, which are are worthy representatives of our species.  These and many others have provided invaluable data and magnificent images that inspire and feed our imagination and sense of wonder.

But we are not there ourselves.

I am not going to discuss the relative merits of manned vs unmmaned space exploration.  They both have their value, but after the epic Apollo missions, we have relied on our mechanical surrogates for way too long.  We need to correct that.  Sure, we were up there with the space shuttle and we are still there at the international space station. As great as the space shuttle era was, that was not truly space exploration.  It was wonderful that at least we were there though, and I salute all the astronauts that flew on those missions; a lot of good science was done there.  Moreover, I (as well as many others) am especially grateful to those who lost their lives in the last Challenger and Columbia missions, as well as to all others who gave their lives for the dream.

That said, I have a strong feeling that if we ask any astronaut, past, present or hopeful, they would be more than willing to go further.  They want to “be there“.  In a way I am partly relieved that the private sector has taken the proverbial torch and is working to rekindle our true exploration of space, but I really think that this is not enough.  We need to complement this with a public effort. This fact is not only relevant to space exploration, it is relevant to science in general!

Here’s the thing, one of the reasons why I am afraid for my science is that VERY few politicians have even a rudimentary knowledge of science and technology.  That scares me because in one way or another science is intimately involved with societal issues.

Right now, we are in the craziest election year that I have ever experienced, and I haven’t heard much about science and technology from either side. The current political climate reminds me of the slogan of the “Alien vs Predator” movie: “Whoever wins… we lose”.

(Note added in 2017: I clearly underestimated the danger…)

There are many examples of scientific issues that are deeply misunderstood by politicians, and by a large segment of the general population. These range from fundamental concepts all the way to rather immediate issues that need to be solved **now**… I am sure that you know what I am talking about.

For example, I am sure that you  heard about the unfortunate (and I am being kind) comments of a politician about such a sensitive issue as rape.  This is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg.  I do not think I have to tell you all the possible ramifications of this kind of thinking in terms of people’s health.

The scary feeling comes from the realization that for the most part, politicians with decision power know next to nothing about the possible consequences of their choices as far as science is concerned.  This is not only sad, it is dangerous; science may be the key to our survival (yes,  I am using boldface on purpose…).

The good news is that we can all help.  How?  A very simple way to start is by nurturing and supporting true education.  Maybe I am idealistic, but I think that in this way we can create a new kind future politician, with at the very least a healthy respect for nature and the desire to understand it.

By the way, may we get a president like the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau? Pretty please???? Why? Lookie here! And even though some people rightly pointed out that he did not get things exactly right, at the very least it is self-evident that he takes the time to become educated in scientific issues. This article is right. We should expect more of our own politicians… Note added in2017: (Don’t tell me to move to Canada; we deserve good things here too).

In that vein, I am also afraid for my science because sadly, we live in a culture where for the most part, knowledge and education are not valued properly.  We need all kinds of people.  This is the nature of society.  However, expertise is a rather undervalued concept lately. Here’s what I think of this issue.

Moreover, in many cases, people tend to overemphasize (is this a word?) on “…how fast can I finish my degree?”  I am a scientist, but I am also an educator.  Every day I see people despair when they see themselves working for 4 years to get a college degree and even more for graduate or professional schools.  My response to that way of thinking is invariably is:

Guess what? The next ten years of your life will come and go.  You do not have to do anything about it; in fact, you cannot do anything about it! In ten years you will either say “I wish I did it” or “I am happy I did it”. End of story.

Barring financial problems, health situations, or truly real issues, everything else is an excuse.  Is science hard?  Why yes, yes it is, but if you are truly interested you’ll find a way to make it work. This does not only apply to science by the way; this is true for any discipline or trade.

I know that I am in preaching mode now; please bear with me…

I am also afraid for my science because we also live in a society that for the most part, uses the terms “geek” and “nerd” pejoratively (now, this IS a word; I checked).  Why on the good earth are things this way?  Sure, people make fun of geeks and nerds, but:

**You want one of those to perform surgery on you if you ever get apendicitis…

**You want one of those to know very well her physics and math so she can properly design the airplane that you fly in…

**You want one of those to make the medicines that you take…

**You want one of those to properly design the car that you drive…

**You even want one of those to come up with the telephone (I mean, smartphone) that you play with…

**You will also need a bunch of those to go to, say, the moon.

And we’re back to topic.

No one is entitled to success.  Even past achievements do not entitle us to it. Success comes from hard work and commitment; period.  If we want to harvest the fruits of exploration we need to work for it.  We want to feel pride on who we are, no question about that, and again, for that to happen we need to work for it. Recently, we were treated with the successful landing of the Curiosity rover.  That was great, but to me, the greatest thing was to see the scientists and engineers at mission control.  Their enthusiasm was highly contagious!

I want more of that.  We need more of that.

Can you imagine how would we feel when we land on Mars ourselves, when we see a human crew land on the planet that sparked the imagination of so many people?  Even better, even after the initial excitement wears off, the practical benefits of this endeavor keep coming.  We all know how the space program contributed to our daily lives. I do not have to tell you.

I am also afraid for my science because history has told us once and again what happens to societies that shun knowledge. French revolution, anyone?

I don’t want to be afraid anymore.

In a perfect world, all nations would cooperate for this goal, but we do not live in a perfect world. Now that’s what scares me the most.

Now, we really need a lot of nerds to fix our world, don’t you think?

Picture credit: NASA

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