Science, Beliefs and Values; What is the Answer?

"Belief is never knowledge, no matter how strongly held" (Jane Smiley, "Moo").  This is one of my favorite quotes and I challenge you to think about it in the context of science and how you perceive scientific issues.  We interpret science through our system of beliefs, values, culture, upbringing and past experiences. In short, we are biased even when we don't believe we are.  How then to analyze and interpret scientific data?  It is an interesting question; one that Chris Mooney has tried to answer in his recent article "The Science of Why We Don't Believe Science".  You can find that article here: http://bit.ly/dXo9NX

I think I found this particular article interesting for a couple reasons.  First, we talk about how hard it is to communicate science to the general public.  I think this is true, especially on the bigger issues such as climate change where people have heard so many different and contrasting facts that they cannot possibly make sense of all the information and, in the end, tend to give up or listen to those voices that are speaking the loudest to their values. In other words, they listen to the people and ideas that they can identify with.  Second, as a scientist, it makes you think about your own work and how you interpret the facts and put them in a context. Enter the beauty of the refereed journal article where the scientific methods, data, and conclusions are reviewed by peers. Even this process, however, is often called into question as there are refereed papers that are published that don't agree with each other. I think dialogue regarding science is a healthy and needed component of understanding the world around us, and as scientists we tend to question to find answers. In general this tends to be understsood by the scientific community, but outside of that community many see it as an opportunity to pick the facts that they can identify with and many times these don't provide the whole picture or are out of context.

How then, to communicate science and the evidence that scientific study reveals on a myriad of scientific questions?  Chris Mooney probably says it best at the end of his article with "...paradoxically, you don't lead with the facts in order to convince. You lead with the values—so as to give the facts a fighting chance."

I am interested in what you think about this.  I found it a different way to look at the frustration of communicating science to the people around me and better understanding the point of view that they may be coming from.  My dad and I go back and forth on climate change quite often and don't agree on the topic.  Perhaps I need to find a different way to approach the issue?

Calling all Scientists - Early, Mid or Late Career!

I would like to let you know about two opportunities to make a difference in getting kids interested in science.  Getting involved with programs such as the ones I list below can make a difference in getting students interested in math and science at an early age rather than getting into the general mindset that math and science are "too hard" or "boring" or "not cool".   The National Academies had reported last year that the U.S. ranks 27th out of 29 developed countries when it comes to college students obtaining degrees in science or engineering (I have seen this referenced in several sources).  The STEM research programs are working at addressing these issues, but there is a way that you can also make a difference by volunteering some of your time to help out teachers or interact with students in two different programs.

Scientific American (and their parent company Nature Publishing Group) has just launched their 1,000 Scientists in 1,000 Days program with a goal of connecting scientists with teachers across the U.S.  Scientists are being asked to volunteer their time to visit classrooms and talk to students, help advise teachers on curricula, answer student questions, take students on nature hikes, help suggest laboratory exercises, etc. You pick which activity fits your interest and schedule best. This a great opportunity for soil scientists to talk about soil science and how soil is integral to the world we live in.  Keep in mind that you would be talking to the next generation that will ultimately become decision-makers for issues pertaining to our natural resources and the environment. This is a chance to really make a difference! 

I signed up to volunteer this morning and I hope many of you will too.  The link to the Scientific American site is: http://bit.ly/kr9LKJ  If you don't have a login for the Scientific American site you will be asked to register - but it is free and then you can go to the program page to put in your information.  The site does have a listing of areas of expertise and while soil science is not a choice, you can work around that since a box is provided where you can provide additional information.

Another opportunity is SSSA's Ask a Soil Scientist program, which can be found on our website at https://www.soils.org/lessons/ask  This site invites teachers, students and anyone else that has a soil science related question to submit it and it will be answered by a SSSA member within 24 to 48 hours.  Consider volunteering for this too!  We need more members to be available to answer questions.

And just a closing note to the university students that are reading this - please think about volunteering to do this! It is fun to interact with younger students, it provides good experience in talking to or presenting to an audience, and you can put it on your resume!