Support Our Scientists

My Concerns About Science Education

Scott Burnett — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 19:53:46 +0000

I’m not quite sure when I became interested in science. The roots likely lay deep in my childhood, which I seemingly spent shuffling around picking up rocks and trying to identify them with the help of my father, a geologist. I do, however, remember the exact moment when I became concerned about science education. It was early during the first college class I ever taught, an introductory class to Old World archaeology.

Early in the semester I was discussing the spread of modern humans around the earth, continent by continent. We soon came to Australia, where sites have been discovered indicating that modern humans had arrived down under as early as 50,000 years ago. Interestingly, Australia has not been connected to any other main body of land since it broke away from Antarctica 45 million years ago and began the long, slow march northwards to its current position. The journey continues today, albeit at a rate of only 10 mm per year. Australia’s isolation is the reason that it has such a unique native fauna dominated by marsupials instead of the placental mammals found elsewhere. It also leaves few explanations for how humans first reached Australia, with the most likely explanation being hot-air balloons. At least, that is what one of my students suggested.

I hesitated upon hearing her proposal, thinking I must have left something out of my lecture to garner such a response. “I’m sorry I must not have been clear…these archaeological sites are 50,000 years old”, I explained.

“Hot air was around then” my student responded. “I mean, the people from Atlantis had everything we have today–cars, computers, everything. They just forgot how to breed”.

I stood there waiting for the punchline that never arrived, probably because she was serious. After a few moments of dead air, I quickly stammered that I would try to come back to the continent of Atlantis later in the semester, and provided the class with a more likely answer to how humans made to Australia–boats. A few weeks later I developed my first lecture on distinguishing science and pseudoscience, including a discussion of the mythical lost continent.

What I did not know at the time was that she was not alone. Research I have conducted since then indicates that 40% of my students believe that the lost continent was the home of a great civilization and moderate support was found for other pseudoscientific topics. Some of my students, including the student mentioned earlier, even believe that aliens built the pyramids and other ancient monuments. While the fact that 13% of my students believe in King Tut’s curse and Bigfoot is disconcerting, these beliefs are relatively innocuous. Though I feel we should work to decrease their acceptance, and I am indeed working towards that goal, there are other pseudoscientific beliefs that are more worrisome. After all, Bigfoot has never killed anyone.

The same cannot be said for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. Worldwide, roughly 40 million people are thought to be infected, a status that is tantamount to a death sentence in much of the world. In the U.S., where approximately 1.2 million people are infected with HIV, treatment with antiretroviral drugs since 1996 has increased the average life expectancy post-diagnosis from 7 years for a symptom-free HIV infected individual in 1993, to approximately 24 years today (Schackman et al, 2006). Yet in South Africa, a country with the second highest number of HIV infected individuals in the world, the Health Minister has, until recently, recommended treating it with lemons, beets, and garlic.

At first glance, it is easy for those of us living in industrialized nations to shake our head at the disregard for proper medical treatment in favor of fruits and vegetables. However, dismissing this case is not so easy. Just this past year, a 16-year-old American stricken with Hodgkin’s disease, a cancer of the lymph nodes, consulted with his parents and decided to fight his condition with an elixir containing potassium iodide, licorice, clover, roots, and bark, instead of traditional chemotherapy. Efficacy of the treatment, popularized by Harry Hoxsey beginning in the 1920s, is not supported by scientific research. An article published in CA: A Cancer Journal of Clinicians reviewed a number of studies examining the Hoxsey method, including an analysis of 400 purported healed cases conducted by the National Cancer Institute, and concluded it was useless in treating cancer (Anonymous, 1990). The Hoxsey treatment is now primarily administered through a clinic in Tijuana, having been banned from the U.S. after multiple lawsuits against Hoxsey for practicing medicine without a license. Ironically, Hoxsey himself died of cancer in 1974–seven years after undergoing conventional cancer therapy when his own elixirs failed to produce a cure.

Why would someone submit to such a dubious snake-oil remedy when traditional chemotherapy has a relatively high success rate for his condition? I saw the stricken teen interviewed on a news program, where he defended his course of treatment. The interviewer asked why he would choose a treatment that lacked scientific evidence indicating it actually worked. His response was that there was evidence–anecdotal evidence. Had he acquired a better understanding of scientific methodology, he would have realized that reliance on anecdotes instead of well-designed experimental trials is a common feature of health-related pseudoscience. Anecdotes are the last thing you should base health decisions on, let alone ones where the penalty of being wrong are so great. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. American’s take more visits to alternative or complementary health practitioners than they do to primary care physicians, and spend roughly 27 billion dollars a year in the process (Eisenberg et al., 1998). Much of it is squandered on treatments lacking strong scientific evidence of effectiveness.

I frequently encounter college students who have limited analytical skills. Much of this may be attributable to science educators teaching facts instead of focusing on teaching students how to think early in their education. In fact, my experience is not surprising as studies show that the US lags behind many other countries, particularly Asian countries, in science comprehension among elementary and middle school students (Bhattacharjee, 2004). Fortunately there is hope of turning those numbers around. My data suggest that approximately 18-21% of the students in my classes enrolled believing that crystals or magnets can heal people, though both are claims that are merely supported by anecdotal evidence at best. I am happy to say that after my archaeology class, which included instruction in scientific methodology and how to identify pseudoscience, the belief in the healing powers of crystal and magnets declined by 60% and 28% respectively. Since I don’t address these topics directly, I hope these results indicate it is never too late to teach people how to think.

Though few give it much thought, science has become a crucial part of our daily existence, permeating wide-ranging issues including the decisions we make about our own health, as well as the health of those around us. Supporting scientists includes supporting science education so that people can make these important decisions based on sound theory and data instead of speculation and folly.

Anonymous. 1990. Hoxsey Method/Bio-Medical Cneter. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians 40(1):51-55.

Bhattacharjee Y. 2004. Singapore leads, U.S. lags in science, math student achivement. Science 306:5705:2173.

Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Ettner SL, Appel S, Wilkey S, Van Rompay M, Kessler RC. 1998. Trends in alternative medicine use in the United States, 1990-1997: results of a follow-up national survey. JAMA: the Journal of the American Medical Association 280:1569-1575.

Schackman BR, Gebo KA, Walenksy RP, Losina E, Muccio T, Sax PE, Weinstein MC, Seage III GR, Moore RD, Freedberg KA. 2006. The lifetime cost of human immunodeficiency virus care in the United States. Medical Care 44(11):990-997.

Fourteen Nineteen and Counting…

Eric — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 02:46:52 +0000

Support Our Scientists magnets have made their way to at least 14 19 states. In terms of numbers, Arizona is in the lead. That’s where SOS is based. Tying for second place are California, Nevada, and Texas. You go Lone Star State! Get your science on! We also sold a hefty batch to the National Academy of Sciences in D.C. No telling where those will end up.

The green states are where you can spot the fabulous Support Our Scientists magnets in the wild. None in your state? Be the first! Spread the love and order yours today.

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Breaking news: Science and patriotism found to be incompatible

Eric — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 02:45:21 +0000

According to some folks, supporting science is antithetical to patriotism. My good friend Roy, whom I’ve known for 26 years, is a U.S. Navy veteran. He did a 13 year stint on nuclear subs, then retired due to knee problems. He served our country well, and now with his rickety knees is easy to beat on the racquetball court. But I digress…

Roy is a logical, intelligent, practical man. He’s not superstitious. He supports science and critical thinking, and as a long-time friend was more than happy to smack one of our Support Our Scientists magnets on his testosterone pumping, sparkle blue, Ford Mustang. Vroom! It’s displayed prominently next to his “veterans” license plate.

One day a man approached Roy as he was climbing out of the blue Mustang rocket. The conversation went something like this:

“That’s really funny,” the man said.
“What’s funny?’ Roy replied.
“That magnet about supporting science.”
“What’s so funny about it?”
“That you’re a military vet, but you support science.”
“Yeah, so?”
“Well it seems like you’d support our troops, not our scientists.”
“Obviously, I support our troops, I WAS one.”
“I just think that’s hilarious that you have both…”
“OK, whatever,” Roy said and walked away.

So there you have it. The average Joe-parking-lot-guy has determined that you can’t simultaneously support our troops and support science. Apparently they’re mutually exclusive. I wonder where he thinks body armor comes from. Angels?

Where does the money go?

Eric — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 08:17:02 +0000

We get that question a lot. The short answer is, “there is no money, yet.” Walt and I shelled out a chunk of cash from our own pockets to get the first batch of magnets manufactured. The custom die-cutting between the nucleotides was especially tricky, but ended up looking very cool. And as we all know, “cool” costs bucks.

Ideally, we’ll sell a kazillion magnets (T-shirts, mugs, etc.), recoup our initial investment (making our wives happy), put a boatload of money into science-related scholarship funds, or even better, create our own Support Our Scientists Scholarship. That’s the concept anyway. Until then, all proceeds will remain in a bank account under “Support Our Scientists, Inc.” We’re open to suggestions, so feel free to contact us!

Why did we do this?
Lots of reasons. We think science and scientists aren’t appreciated nearly enough in our society. We worry about the pervasiveness of pseudosciences such as astrology, intelligent design, scientology, etc. We think our kids aren’t getting the science education they need, and aren’t learning to think critically and independently. All those reasons, plus we just thought it was a neat idea to create a design that morphed a hunk of DNA into a ribbon.

Science needs a makeover, or a good PR firm to revamp its image. Failing that, a nice symbol (like ours) to rally around is a good start. Let’s make the Support Our Scientists ribbon the international symbol for the support of science and critical thinking!

Buy a magnet!
Buy shirts and stuff!

Not just magnets anymore…

Eric — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 03:14:53 +0000

That’s right, we diversified. Well sorta. I set up a plethora of products on Cafepress for your science-awareness-and-appreciation-enjoyment. I’m buying the baby SOS jumper for Sydney. Maybe she’ll be a scientist instead of a Jazz-drumming, web-developing fool like her dad!

Never say, “Back on track.”

Eric — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 23:46:59 +0000

Because that’s pretty much the kiss of death. I shoulda known better. Too much work, baby on the way, lots of unfinished home improvement projects. What was I thinking? I was nowhere near “back on track.”

Good news, though. We have a healthy baby girl! She was a couple weeks early, born November 15th, but is healthy and beautiful. I’ve never been a baby-crazy person, and was a little unsure how I’d take to changing nappies and whatnot—I’d never changed a diaper in my life until the night she was born. Turns out I love it. Well, maybe I don’t “love” changing diapers, but I love being around this little creature and doing whatever it takes to make her happy. I’m totally besotted with her. Who knew one could just stare at a baby for hours? I guess most of my friends with kids knew, but I never quite believed it.

Here are some pictures: http://web.mac.com/erichassler/iWeb/Site/

I’m the guy in the very last photo, sleeping. Apparently I have double chin now. Neat. I also turn 40 in about three weeks. Looks like I have the whole package now.

Oh hey! We received a couple nice orders over the past week. Thanks!

SOS, back on track

Eric — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 03:30:25 +0000

It’s been a few months since any real work has been done on the Support Our Scientists site. *Sigh*. Walt took a full-time job and I’ve been pretty buried in work myself—not to mention trying to prepare for my first baby (due late November 06). So, the SOS project has taken a back seat of late. It’s time to get back on track! Science advocacy can’t wait, dammit! Still, we’ve had rough time deciding which direction to take with this site. Should we publicize science related articles and blogs, then editorialize a bit, solicit comments etc… á la Slashdot? Should we focus on science as it relates to politics and religion—which was basically the impetus for creating the magnets—and make sport or vent spleen over the bone-headed decisions our “leaders” make on our behalf? That might be more fun. I still want to develop Walt’s fantastic idea of the Dark Ages O’Meter which will shift towards either the Dark Ages or Enlightenment based on current events. Guess I’d better brush up my Flash chops…

Some good news. Friends are reporting with increasing frequency their sightings of Support Our Scientists magnets on cars as they cruise the city (Phoenix). That’s pretty sweet. And we sent our largest order so far to the National Academy of Sciences. I believe they’re selling them in their book store(s). That’s pretty sweet, too.

So, on the off-chance that anyone actually reads this post, rest assured that we’re still here, still selling magnets (lapel pins available next month), and still pulling for the hard working men and women of science.

Spreading the Seeds

Eric — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 00:34:46 +0000

How cool! SupportOurScientists.com was item #3 on Seed Magazine’s Daily Zeitgeist. “Thank you,” Seed Magazine! And “thank you” mom for telling Seed about SOS!

They’re not just magnets. They’re peas.

Walt — Fri, 17 Feb 2006 00:52:03 +0000

They were just peas. They grew from the earth, drank the rain, and soaked up the sun. This was what peas did. What they had always done. They didn’t know where they lived, just as they had no idea what year it was. When the spectacled man came along to pluck them from the ground and take them away, they had no idea where they were going, or what was to be done with them. They had no idea how important they were. They were just peas, doing their little pea thing.

We, however, do know where and when they lived. It was between the years 1856 and 1863, in the shade of a building on the grounds of a convent in Brno, in what is now the Czech Republic. We know, also, that the spectacled man was named Gregor Mendel. And we know that when he plucked them from the ground, he was taking them to be studied as part of his work towards understanding how these simple, little peas inherited particular traits from their parents.

Of course, Mendel, and those little peas, changed everything. Mendel became “the father of genetics,” and gave birth to a field of science that has changed, forever, the way we look at the world around us. More significantly, it changed the way we look at ourselves. A world-changing idea from one man, a patch of dirt, and some peas.

But today Time magazine wonders out loud ‘Is America Flunking Science?’ Executives in science and technology companies worry about whether or not they’ll be able to find the employees they need. Schools don’t always have the time, money, materials, or expertise to provide any meaningful education in science. Our children go not only without a solid science education, but without the public role models that might set their dreams in that direction.

That’s where we come in. Sure, a little magnet on your car might not seem like much. But what if everyone who works in, teaches about, or just plain likes science, had one on their car as well? What if these little guys were on refrigerators everywhere? What if every day, people couldn’t go anywhere without seeing the Support Our Scientists logo on a t-shirt, or coffee mug, or hat? What if we could get this idea out there?

Once it’s out there, people begin to think about it; they start to wonder why these things are everywhere. Once it’s out there, they begin to feel like maybe they should be supporting our scientists. Then, maybe, a conversation begins. Then, maybe, we can make some progress.

So you get a magnet, and you put it on your car. And when someone asks you where you got it, you send them here. Then, suddenly, there are magnets on lots of cars.

They’re just magnets. They’ll live on your car, get washed in the rain, and soak up the sun. They won’t know where they live, or what year it is. They won’t know how important they are. They’ll just be there, doing their little magnet thing. Of course, we’ll know, you and us, that they’re not really magnets. They’re peas.