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Leopold near Chihuahua, Mexico, 1938 Photo: Starker Leopold |
Lorenz with his hand-reared greylag geese. |
Fear not, grasshopper. Pic: Bob Handelman |
A small patch of non-rainforest forest outside Kandy, Sri Lanka. |
"People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" - Referring to the situation of concerned fishermen anxious about their livelihoods following the disastrous Deep Water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf. Point: Researchers may harbor a wealth of detailed knowledge, but applying it takes more finesse and the ability to relate to people.
"Wait a minute, I thought you were a scientist...but I just understood everything you said!" - VP Joe Biden to Dr. Lubchenco while being briefed on fisheries in the gulf. Point: Scientists need to think about how well they're communicating. The onus is on us to do it clearly and understandably.
"I don't need to your weather satellites, I've got the weather channel." - Congressman to Dr. Lubchenco, in reference to the ageing fleet of weather satellites that were in orbit at the time. Point: It's easy to forget that others don't know what you know. Though she was gracious about this, to me the fact that this elected official didn't realize that weather reports on TV relied on publicly funded weather satellites set off additional alarm bells at the clear inadequacy of standards we have for holding office. Just as doctors, accountants, and lawyers have to pass examinations, perhaps politicians should be tested on basic competence.
Paraphrase: Scientists have a contract with the public...Sometimes we academics tend think of students who go outside it as failures. Instead of writing them off, we actually need to encourage many more to go into policy. Referring to the disconnect between the classic priorities of scientists and needs of both science and society.
"It looks as wholesome as peaches and apple pie...But I think it's a serious threat...and the whole community needs to scream bloody murder if it goes through." - In reference to the so-called "High Quality Research Act (which I blogged about earlier here).