Jay Hosler, An Evolutionary Novelty: Optical Allusions (original) (raw)
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TURN ON THE LIGHT ON SCIENCE. A research-based guide to break down popular stereotypes about science and scientists, 2017
Scientists deserve public recognition. The way people generally depict scientists is uncanny: they draw someone with a hangdog look, frizzy hair and test tube in hand, all in a scene where things are going wrong. Stereotypes about scientists range from the arrogant, amoral researcher who wants to rule the world to the elitist and dispassionate genius who is out of touch with reality. All together, these images convey the message that scientists are somehow "different" from ordinary citizens, and anyone who is different is immediately suspect. To be noted that the popular image of a scientist is that of a man overlooking the presence women from the scientific world. Scientists are also perceived as a huge societal cost because they need significant amounts of public funding, though it is not clearly understood by ordinary people what they are doing, why they need such amounts of money and what is the socio-economic return of the investments. The implications can be far-reaching. Young people, and particularly girls, who are heavily swayed by what they see on TV and in the movies may choose not to pursue careers in science because of these unflattering images. Moreover, the public at large may be reluctant to support increased budgetary allocations for scientific research because they don't really understand what scientists do and are not altogether sure that today's scientific research will benefit humankind. The lesson from our book is that it is possible through specific actions and events to change people's mind about scientists and to raise general public passion and interest towards science and its findings.
Dispositions of scientists in mainstream films: The extraordinary person called a scientist
Application of Visual Data in K-16 Science Classrooms , 2015
Binns, I. C., Koehler, C. M., & Bloom, M. A. (2015). Dispositions of scientists in mainstream films: The extraordinary person called a scientist. In Finson, J. & Pederson, J. (Eds.), Application of Visual Data in K-16 Science Classrooms (pp. 27-50). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Images of Scientists: A Comparison of Biology and Liberal Studies Majors
School Science and Mathematics, 1993
Drawings have become common research and teaching tools to study students' images of scientists since Chambers (1983) described the results ofusing the Draw-A-Scientist Test (DAST). The objective of the present study was to use the DAST to compare images of scientists held by liberal studies majors, 95% of whom are planning to become elementary teachers, with those of science (biology) majors. Prior to graduation and entering the education program, many liberal studies students take a process-oriented, hands-on, premethods science course. On the first day of each semester, students draw a scientist and then discuss the results with the class. The exercise evokes an immediate, deeply-felt response from students; they readilyrecognize thatthey have internalized a stereotypical image of scientists. They also readily see the problems that will ensue if they carry this stereotype with them as they teach science to elementary children. Similarly, Mason, Kahle, and Gardner (1991) report that "The DAST was shown to be a vehicle for sensitizing both teachers and students to the need for changing the image of science and scientists" (p. 193). Attitude surveys completed by the liberal study students (Rosenthal, 1991) indicate that most of them have negative views of science and are fearful of teaching science. The images of scientists held by students who are majoring in science and, presumably have more positive views of science and scientists, would differ from those prospective elementary teachers. Although the course taken by the liberal studies majors includes material from physical, earth, and life science, it has a biology course number. Biology majors, therefore, were selected as the comparison science group. Related Studies The primary objective of Chambers* research (1983) and that of Schibeci and Sorenson (1983) was to use the DAST to determine the age at which young children begin to develop a standard image of a scientist lab coat, eyeglasses, facial hair, symbols ofresearch, symbols ofknowledge, products ofscience, and relevant captions. In Chambers' study, the standard image appeared around grade 2, and by grade 5, was held by a majority of students, with a slower development of the stereotype among those from lower income areas. Schibeci and Sorenson (1983) reported similar results.
Whatever happened to the 'mad, bad' scientist? Overturning the stereotype
Public understanding of science (Bristol, England), 2014
The cluster of myths relating to the pursuit of knowledge has perpetuated the archetype of the alchemist/scientist as sinister, dangerous, possibly mad and threatening to society's values. Shelley's Frankenstein provided imagery and a vocabulary universally invoked in relation to scientific discoveries and technological innovation. The reasons for the longevity of this seemingly antiquated, semiotic imagery are discussed. In the twenty-first century, this stereotype has been radically revised, even overturned. Scientists are now rarely objects of fear or mockery. Mathematicians, both real-life and fictional, are discussed here as being representative of scientists now depicted empathically. This article examines possible sociological reasons for this reversal; what the revisionist image suggests about society's changed attitudes to science; and what might be the substitute fears and sources of horror.
The story of 'Scientist: The Story of a Word
Annals of science, 2017
This examination of an important paper by Sydney Ross is the first in a projected series of occasional reflections on 'Annals of Science Classic Papers' that have had enduring utility within the field of history of science and beyond. First the messages of the paper are examined, some well known but others, particularly Ross's own contemporary concerns about the use of the word 'scientist', less so. The varied uses made of the paper by scholars are then traced before Ross's biography is examined in order to try to understand how a figure professionally marginal to the field of history of science came to write such a significant piece. Ross's interest in the topic appears to have been informed by a romantically tinged scientific progressivism and a deep concern with the importance of linguistic precision in science and in public affairs. The inspirations of the author and the interests of his audience have been only partially aligned, but the paper's i...
Thinking and Practicing Like a Scientist?
Asia-Pacific Science Education
This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable instrument, the Mental Images of Scientists Questionnaire (MISQ), and use the instrument to examine Chinese students’ mental images of scientists’ characters across school levels, regions, living settings, and gender. The final version of the MISQ consisted of four constructs: scientists’ cognitive, affective, lifestyle, and job characters. The results showed that senior high school students gave higher scores for scientists’ cognitive character construct than junior high and elementary school students did. Students from eastern regions, which have a more highly developed economy, gave the highest scores on cognitive and affective character constructs of scientists. Students from western regions, which have a less developed economy, had a relatively negative impression of scientists. Students’ images of scientists’ affective, lifestyle, and job characters were positively correlated with their interests in pursuing scientific careers. ...