Comments on: Cutting edge Open Science http://www.spreadingscience.com/2008/05/12/cutting-edge-open-science/ Science 2.0 and beyond Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:32:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: richard http://www.spreadingscience.com/2008/05/12/cutting-edge-open-science/#comment-31 richard Tue, 13 May 2008 14:15:14 +0000 http://www.spreadingscience.com/2008/05/12/cutting-edge-open-science/#comment-31 I think it is a really nice way to show students what science is like, especially the grants part <grin>. One of the most memorable moments in Freshman physics for me was when the professor showed us pages from Millikan's lab notebook working on his oil drop experiment. Seeing the day to day comments on experiments, the successes and the failures, really gave me an appreciation of what was involved in performing experiments, even ones that win Nobel Prizes. Science can be hard work but it sure can be fun. Oh, and it was obvious that he was not using all his data. Another good lesson - when working at the bleeding edge, the scientist has to do more than just be a 'transcriber' of Nature. They must also bring along their expertise to tease out the answers. This is where social networks can be of assistance today. The complex problems we are trying to solve often require much more expertise than can reside in a single brain, everyone a big as Millikan's. I think it is a really nice way to show students what science is like, especially the grants part .

One of the most memorable moments in Freshman physics for me was when the professor showed us pages from Millikan’s lab notebook working on his oil drop experiment.

Seeing the day to day comments on experiments, the successes and the failures, really gave me an appreciation of what was involved in performing experiments, even ones that win Nobel Prizes.

Science can be hard work but it sure can be fun. Oh, and it was obvious that he was not using all his data. Another good lesson – when working at the bleeding edge, the scientist has to do more than just be a ‘transcriber’ of Nature. They must also bring along their expertise to tease out the answers.

This is where social networks can be of assistance today. The complex problems we are trying to solve often require much more expertise than can reside in a single brain, everyone a big as Millikan’s.

]]> By: Thoreau http://www.spreadingscience.com/2008/05/12/cutting-edge-open-science/#comment-30 Thoreau Tue, 13 May 2008 05:16:50 +0000 http://www.spreadingscience.com/2008/05/12/cutting-edge-open-science/#comment-30 Glad you liked the idea! My other goal, aside from identifying talent and getting a critique, was to let students see what people do in real science. I spend all this time on teaching and all this time on research, and I want to find something to blend those worlds. Also, what I do in freshman physics is tightly constrained by the curriculum and the average level of the class. Every now and then I can work in advanced examples from my own work, but it isn't easy. This is one way to give the better students a taste of something cutting edge. Glad you liked the idea! My other goal, aside from identifying talent and getting a critique, was to let students see what people do in real science. I spend all this time on teaching and all this time on research, and I want to find something to blend those worlds. Also, what I do in freshman physics is tightly constrained by the curriculum and the average level of the class. Every now and then I can work in advanced examples from my own work, but it isn’t easy. This is one way to give the better students a taste of something cutting edge.

]]>