Tag: communication

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Environment Issues in Science Public Engagement Science Communication Science in the News

So is it too late?! Just ask David Suzuki…

On November 3rd, I witnessed one of the greatest examples of communicating science that I have ever seen. That evening, the University of British Columbia (UBC) was the lucky host to one of the most influential Canadians of our time: David Suzuki. He presented a lecture entitled “The Global Eco-crisis: Is it too late?”

 

David Suzuki, with a grayling from the Hart River, 2011. Photo by peelwatershed.

Who is David Suzuki?

If you have been living under a rock for the past few decades, you wouldn’t know that David Suzuki is one of the most well-known activists for reversing climate change, writing many books and hosting several TV shows on the subject. Most notably, he hosted the Canadian TV series, “The Nature of Things.” In 1990, David Suzuki co-founded the “David Suzuki Foundation,” a non-profit organization, which focuses on sustainability and climate change.

 

As David Suzuki braced the speaking podium, I prepared myself to be changed.

 

Humans are unique

David Suzuki began to trace the origin of humans from our common ancestors in Africa to today. What made   humans unique, he claimed, was their foresight. That is, our innate ability to predict or plan the future. He   explained that humans moved from Africa to eventually cover the world. Using our foresight, we exploited the resources of every location, only to move on when those resources were depleted.

 

Laws that we CAN change

Dr. Suzuki went on to describe the so-called “laws” that we have imposed on society today, specifically, a “law” called capitalism. But, he said, “laws” like capitalism aren’t really laws at all but they are “nuts!” because we can change them. With capitalism, economists rule the world and they just don’t give a “shit” about our environment and what we do to it. It is time that we change these laws and take control back from the economists. To do so, we have to take back our government and make it more representative. Vote.

 

Stop the excuses!

Moving on to current efforts being made, David Suzuki claimed that our government is full of excuses. As an example, he discussed the carbon tax. In Canada, we claimed that our businesses couldn’t survive a $15/ton carbon tax. But in Sweden, their business are doing just fine with a $120/ton carbon tax. It is time that we stop making excuses and get to work.

 

Never too late

Drop in the bucket. Photo by theilr.

 

Inspiring us, David Suzuki concluded that it isn’t too late. We can save our environment but first, we have to take back our government and the only way to do that is to vote. You may just feel like a drop in a bucket but he reminded us, with enough drops, we can fill the bucket.

From this lecture, I didn’t just learn that we need to change our environment but I also learned how to connect with your audience. David Suzuki kept the science basic and used language that was not only fun (there were more than a few swear words…) but easy to understand.

David Suzuki left me stirred.

Categories
Biological Sciences Issues in Science Science in the News

Animal research: cruel or crucial?

© Understanding Animal Research / Wellcome Images

On October 28, 2011, Dr. John Hepburn, (Vice President, Research and International) sent an email to the UBC community on the subject of animal research.  He outlined the university’s plans to increase transparency on its animal research by releasing details on the number of animals and categories of species being used.

According to www.animalresearch.ubc.ca, 211,764 animals were used in research at UBC in 2010.  Of those, 56% were rodents, 35% were fish, and 6% were reptiles or amphibians.  Chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans were not studied at all, and are not used for research in Canada primarily due to their classification as endangered species.  Instead of these primates, rhesus macaques are often used in research.   At UBC they are involved in studies investigating depression, Parkinson’s disease and other brain disorders.

It is worth noting that not all animals involved in research are used in a typical lab setting.  Animals involved in catch & release and observational studies are counted, as well as those in laboratory research. The majority (68%) of animal research at UBC involves less than minor or short-term stress to the animal.  Examples of this type of research include tagging of wild animals for conservation purposes.

Part of the reason that UBC has not released such details about its animal research until now is because of the potential negative backlash from animal rights activists.  Undoubtedly this is a problem that faces every member of the animal research community, and increasingly this is an issue that they are attempting to address.

This video from Understanding Animal Research outlines some of the key reasons why animal research is critical in modern society.

Highlighted in this video is what can happen when proper animal research and testing is not carried out on drugs prior to their release to the public. Thalidomide was sold starting in 1957 as an effective tranquilizer and painkiller, often prescribed to pregnant women to treat morning sickness.  However, thalidomide caused major birth defects in over 10,000 children, and was outlawed in most countries by 1962.  Much stricter testing is now required on drugs before they can be approved for sale as a result of the thalidomide disaster, often referred to as one of the worst medical tragedies of modern times.

In today’s society where humans are extremely close to their pets, animal research is often though of as harmful and unnecessary.  However, not only does animal research help humans, but other animals as well.  For example, a cure for feline leukemia, a type of cancer common to both humans and cats, has been found thanks to animal research.

While scientists make every effort not to use animal research by taking advantage of computer modeling, there is only so much an inanimate machine can replicate.   If the day ever comes when a computer can accurately represent an animal cardiovascular system, perhaps animal research can stop.  Until then we will have to make do with the next best thing, and remain diligent about our ethics.

Categories
Communicator Profiles Issues in Science Public Engagement Science Communication

CoSTEP: Communicators in Science and Technology Education Program

There is a communications in science course that I would like to share. This past summer, I heard about a Japanese researcher named Dr. Gensei Ishimura, and I found through his website that he is one of the leading members of a program for training effective science communicators. This program is called CoSTEP, or Communicators in Science and Technology Education Program. This effort started out in Hokkaido University in northern Japan. It also received international attention through the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) held in Boston in 2008.

 

In an interview, Dr. Ishimura shared some methods of getting people involved in science communication.

  1. Sapporo Kanko Science Map (Sapporo Tourism Science Map)—This project explored how to use the web to communicate information, a similar aim to this SCIE300 course blog assignment. The CoSTEP teaching team preferred blogs as a blog format offers a simple method of updating information on the web. Dr. Ishimura reasoned that since there is so much information on the web, he must make his blog stand out by emphasizing the aspects unique to CoSTEP. Students enrolled in CoSTEP are mostly residents of Sapporo city with a science background, so they were asked to write feature articles on aspects of science found in various locations around Sapporo and to organize them into a map. As a final assessment, they compiled a manual for creating the science map and made it accessible to the public.

 

This shows that the content of the blogs as well as the method of creating it is important to learn about communication.

 

  1. Newspaper publication—In this component of the CoSTEP course, students learned how to write and publish newspaper articles. There were four workshops in total to understand and expand on the publishers’ ability to communicate to readers through newspapers. An example of the questions explored was “where do people pay attention to on a newspaper?” This type of data turned out to be a novel finding even for the publishers. Students also modeled a grocery store management group and presented on the advantages of posting an advertisement in a high school newspaper. This aimed to connect high school students and the publishers.

 

Newspapers are another popular mode of communication. This activity seems to address important ideas such as layout and targeting a specific audience.

 

Dr. Ishimura himself is a science communicator. His previous experience in the management of science museum exhibits shows a career where science communication skills directly apply to the aims of the institution.

 

References

Hokkaido University. (2008, January 29) Ishimura Gensei san ni kiku – Hokkaido Daigaku, AAAS e [Asking Mr. Ishimura Gensei – Hokkaido University, to AAAS]. Message posted to http://fox231.hucc.hokudai.ac.jp/AAAS2008/2008/01/post-6.html

 

IFES-GCOE Kankyo Kyoiku Kenkyu Koryu Suishin shitsu [Regioinal Education and Outreach Promotion Office. HokkaidoUniversity]. (2011). Ishimura Gensei san – “Watashi” no Kenkyuusha Zukan [Mr. Gensei Ishimura – “My” Researcher Encyclopedia]. Retrieved September 30, 2011, from http://gcoe.ees.hokudai.ac.jp/mfrs/?p=1160&page=2

Categories
Environment Issues in Science Science Communication

True or False? Presenting Scientific Data Without Evidence

Over the course of Earth’s history there have been many mass extinctions. After each one there is the devastation of a world rid of many forms of life.  Barren and bleak, it must be a hard place to live.  Nevertheless, each mass extinction allows space for new life to grow and develop, such as dinosaurs and humans.  The uprisings, life spans and demises of several creatures have been well documented by scientists throughout history.

It is well known that mass extinctions do occur, but their exact mechanism is often unknown, or speculated at best.  For example, one of history’s greatest mysteries is what caused the massive Permian-Triassic extinction. Caused by a large volcano eruption or a meteor strike resulting in a severe lack of oxygen in the atmosphere and ocean, this extinction is estimated to have killed 85% of all living organisms on the planet. However, a recent Vancouver Sun article cites rising ocean acidity levels as the culprit for the P-T extinction, not a lack of oxygen.

 

A large meteor strike is one of the possible causes of the Permian-Triassic extinction.

While this article raises interesting points, there is a complete lack of evidence for the ocean acidity hypothesis.  As scientists it is important to remember that we haven’t found out everything there is to know about the world, and that new discoveries are being made on a daily basis.  However, each new discovery needs to have accompanying evidence to confirm the finding.  While most scientists are aware of this, and are wary of research presented without evidence, members of the public may not be so cognizant.  Thus, when new information is presented without evidence it can be misleading to people outside the scientific community.  It is therefore important that as scholars we communicate clearly with both the public and the media who will be translating our information.  This will ensure that there is no room for misinterpretation or deceptive statements.  By keeping the language we use to communicate science clear and simple, it will make it easier to convey our ideas to the general public and thereby bolster an interest in the field.

 

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