Lane
calls on faculty to become ‘civic scientists’
…………………………………………………………………
BY JADE BOYD
Rice News Staff
In spite of the
fact that virtually every public policy decision is shaped
by scientific research, the majority of the public has little
understanding of scientific concepts or practices. This
societal ignorance is dangerous, and University Professor
Neal Lane recently challenged Rice’s academic community
to take an active role in solving the problem.
Lane spoke to about 250 people April 2 as part of the Technology,
Cognition and Culture lecture series sponsored by the Computer
and Information Technology Institute, the Center for the
Study of Cultures and the Office of the Chief Information
Officer.
“People
often ask me if science is valued in Washington,” said
Lane, the former science adviser to President Clinton. “I
think there is an increasing awareness that science is important,
but there’s also an awareness that policymakers themselves
don’t understand science very well, or even know what
questions to ask, in many cases.”
Better educating the public about science will require an
effort from everyone in academia, Lane said. Those involved
in the physical sciences need to work with social scientists
and those in the humanities to find effective ways of communicating
with the public.
Lane’s engaging, one-hour presentation drew heavily
from C.P. Snow’s 1959 monograph “The Two Cultures,”
which pointed to a widening communications gap between scientists
and humanists in England. Where humanists succeed in striking
a chord with the general public, scientists often fail,
in large part because the language of science is mathematics.
“Whereas a mathematician, a physicist or a biologist
can read Shakespeare or Jane Austen and make some sense
of the text, appreciate its beauty, be enthralled by its
power and even moved emotionally to laughter or tears, that
is not how an English professor reacts to Maxwell’s
equations,” Lane said, inviting a roar of laughter
from the audience.
Lane suggested that scientists will bridge the gap to the
public only by working closely with social scientists and
humanities scholars to find ways of presenting science that
are more meaningful and pertinent to people who don’t
understand advanced mathematics.
The seeds of the solution to bridging the gap between science
and engineering and the general public already exist at
campuses like Rice. Lane suggested using the existing interdisciplinary
centers at Rice an other academic institutions as a breeding
ground for new ideas and ongoing discussions about better
communicating science.
And he called upon Rice’s faculty to take an active
interest in seeing that science is better communicated to
the public. He said faculty have a duty to become “civic
scientists” and “civic humanists,” and he
said Rice should ensure that its graduating students understand
the importance of presenting scientific research in terms
and ways that are accessible to the general public.
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