After catching up on my blog reading, I couldn't ignore the hub-bub concerning the release of a new movie put out by Ben Stein called Expelled. The trailer is here.
Ironically of course, one of the scientists interviewed was denied entry to the debut of the film. Does anyone get that? It's a movie that talks about creationist scientists (I can't believe I just typed that) are being victimized and silenced by evolutionary scientists, but the producers barred one the very scientists they interviewed to see the film. So the movie about suppressed creationists is suppressing the anti-creationist scientists? Huh?
What were they afraid of? That maybe someone might bring to light that something is being misrepresented? I believe Richard Dawkins illustrates this idea here, the 13th paragraph down. While the science blog community argues over who should represent science, I begin to only have a sinking feeling in heart. It's a complete blow to the science community in the United States.
Already research funding is down due to economic strain, and Boy-George's war. Our education system is a joke, participation in the sciences is dropping, and now we have a Rush-Limbaugh approved film showing "victimized" scientists and what YOU can do to tell off those nasty believers of Darwinism.
I'm sure the movie will pave the way for more "science" as seen here. (Heads up to Pharyngula for posting the link.)
I found watching this difficult, and it made my heart sink further.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Disconnect and connect again
Haven't posted in months - guess that's how it goes sometimes.
This semester has proven to be rather irritating, not due to my classes, as I'm currently really digging most of them. The issue is one particular lab class, a 400 level at that. I realize that not all students are going to be gung-ho scientists, and thats why we have degrees in business, marketing, etc. Most liberal arts degrees require lower level sciences, and that makes complete sense as well.
What I cannot understand is how upper level science students don't retain anything they learn from previous classes. You know that what you learn now will be used later - that's the nature of biology and chemistry degrees. Basic microbiology - dilutions , colony counts, plating techniques, etc. It's not rocket science.
You learn dilutions and molarity from day one in chemistry classes, but ask a class of 400-level lab students to create 10x stock solutions, or calculate concentrations from a standard curve, and you get nothing but a clueless, blank stare. And yet, it's worse than that...they don't even care. They will stand around, look at the numbers, and pretend to be working on the calculations, though they'll constantly look up and see who has decided to sit down and work through them. They don't want to do the work, and they don't care if they learn how.
The bottom line now is just the grade. They don't care if they learn it or not, but make sure they get the lab grade and that's it. They will stand in their lab coats and wait for someone else to take the lead, to go through and find the magic number to begin working.
I get frustrated by this. Aren't you supposed to care? Didn't you choose this? I'm sure there are plenty of students who are pressured for whatever reasons into their course of study, but is the average that low that only 1 of 12 students give two bits about the class they're in?
Maybe it's the school. I'm not at a major industry school, but sometimes I feel completely alien because I'm actually interested in what I do.
I have a lot of respect for another professor. Even if his lab is sometimes a lot of review for me because I work in a lab, I really appreciate that he goes through the logic of experiment design step-by-step for the class. All the components of the labs are basic techniques, but the skills are utilized in different lab environments, and the training is beneficial. Again, I feel alien because if I pointed this out to a fellow student, they'd look at me like I have three heads and mumble about what a loser I was.
I forget, they're just there for the grade.
This semester has proven to be rather irritating, not due to my classes, as I'm currently really digging most of them. The issue is one particular lab class, a 400 level at that. I realize that not all students are going to be gung-ho scientists, and thats why we have degrees in business, marketing, etc. Most liberal arts degrees require lower level sciences, and that makes complete sense as well.
What I cannot understand is how upper level science students don't retain anything they learn from previous classes. You know that what you learn now will be used later - that's the nature of biology and chemistry degrees. Basic microbiology - dilutions , colony counts, plating techniques, etc. It's not rocket science.
You learn dilutions and molarity from day one in chemistry classes, but ask a class of 400-level lab students to create 10x stock solutions, or calculate concentrations from a standard curve, and you get nothing but a clueless, blank stare. And yet, it's worse than that...they don't even care. They will stand around, look at the numbers, and pretend to be working on the calculations, though they'll constantly look up and see who has decided to sit down and work through them. They don't want to do the work, and they don't care if they learn how.
The bottom line now is just the grade. They don't care if they learn it or not, but make sure they get the lab grade and that's it. They will stand in their lab coats and wait for someone else to take the lead, to go through and find the magic number to begin working.
I get frustrated by this. Aren't you supposed to care? Didn't you choose this? I'm sure there are plenty of students who are pressured for whatever reasons into their course of study, but is the average that low that only 1 of 12 students give two bits about the class they're in?
Maybe it's the school. I'm not at a major industry school, but sometimes I feel completely alien because I'm actually interested in what I do.
I have a lot of respect for another professor. Even if his lab is sometimes a lot of review for me because I work in a lab, I really appreciate that he goes through the logic of experiment design step-by-step for the class. All the components of the labs are basic techniques, but the skills are utilized in different lab environments, and the training is beneficial. Again, I feel alien because if I pointed this out to a fellow student, they'd look at me like I have three heads and mumble about what a loser I was.
I forget, they're just there for the grade.
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