Editor's note: This week we welcome guest blogger Judy Scotchmoor, Assistant Director (Education and Public Programs) at the University of California Museum of Paleontology, and co-founder of the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS).
The start of each new year is a good time to reflect and look forward. Each year, I begin that process at the ocean's edge with breakfast at the beach on January 1 now a long-standing tradition. For me, this particular year, 2009, has additional excitement. Not only is there a great sense of hope with a change in the administration, but there is a renewed sense of optimism for science. Yes, we expect science to be treated more kindly by President Obama, but long before we knew he would be a candidate, members of the scientific community began examining ways to raise awareness and appreciation for science in the eyes of the public. As a result, two key projects that I have been working on and am very excited about have emerged and both launch in 2009: UC Berkeley's Understanding Science website and the Year of Science 2009 (YoS09) initiative.
The first is a response to an apparent lack of clarity in our students of how science really works and thus confusions as to what is and is not science. Understanding Science provides a wealth of resources for K-16 science teachers to help correct these confusions and to portray science as the creative, dynamic, and often unpredictable process that it really is! The second, YoS09, has a similar goal but focuses on increasing the public's appreciation of and engagement in science with a yearlong celebration of science - who scientists are, why they enjoy their work, and how we all benefit from their enjoyment!
I just returned from the national launch of both of these initiatives that was held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society for Comparative and Integrative Biology in Boston. Ira Flatow gave the keynote address to set the tone, and the scientific program typical of a SICB meeting was expanded to include a session on the new website and a symposium on communicating science to the public. It was extremely exciting to witness the enthusiasm for engaging the public and to learn about how much is already going on in different institutions throughout the U.S.
Just as the fever of the election captured the energies of our citizenry and in particular of those who campaigned for their preferred candidate, so have these two projects energized those of us who have stepped beyond our usual professional roles and found new ways to do what we deeply care about - promoting science! And why wouldn't we? Have you ever met a scientist who doesn't love his/her work? Have you ever thought of what a day would be like without science? Has a day gone by that has not been enriched by wondering or learning? Does not our natural world arouse a natural curiosity and a sense of awe? Plus getting involved in projects like these just feels good! I seldom set New Year's resolutions, but this year I plan to celebrate science every chance I get!