Imagine you are back in your high school biology classroom.
Allow yourself to take in your surroundings.
What kind of desk do you have? Is your chair uncomfortable? How is the room set up? And most importantly, what is your teacher like?
If you had a grueling experience then you aren’t alone. For many it was not what they’d call fun.
Most people could probably come up with a laundry list of other things they’d have preferred to have done over sitting for hours and hours listening to lessons in that biology classroom.
If that was the end of your experience with science, or at least biology, then you may have been left with a rather bitter taste in your mouth.
And that wasn’t just from the formaldehyde which preserved the frogs that you dissected.
It’s time to wash your mouth out and put all that behind you.
Today starts a new chapter and I’m here to tell you that you can understand science even if it is not your favorite subject and never was.
It can even be fun.
Welcome to the Science Defined blog
We are excited to announce our new blog – designed to be another resource to help you learn the language of science.
It will include tips, tricks and more to help you navigate many different aspects of science so that you can meet your goals.
Whether it be published studies or drug product inserts, we are here to help you on your journey.
There will also be an exploration of various scientific topics based largely on your feedback.
So, in a way you can think of this as your blog. Built by you for your benefit.
After all, Science Defined is all about the people we can help and the lives we can change.
Wait, did I say that science can be fun?
I’m a rare breed that looks back fondly on my high school biology class. In fact, it spawned my love for science and the 20 year career that followed.
But, you don’t have to be passionate about science to have fun learning it and I’m going to show you how.
Let’s quickly go back to that high school biology classroom.
Yeah, I know that I said to put it behind us and I promise that we will but, I want to use it for one more point.
The way that science is usually presented makes it harder to understand. Scientists have a habit of talking in big, technical terms as opposed to simplifying what they are trying to say.
What we, and I say that as a scientist, need to learn is to communicate this information in a better way.
Communication is key
At Science Defined, we believe that communication is critical. In fact, the right communication can be the difference between understanding science and feeling frustrated to the point of quitting.
This is especially so for the terminology, which is difficult but surprisingly the concepts built upon it are quite simple.
And so the key to unlocking science for everyone is in providing a greater understanding of the terminology, which is to say to become fluent in the language of science.
Let me share a brief example.
Erythrocytes are the cells in your bloodstream that carry oxygen around your body. The oxygen is contained within a hemoglobin molecule which is a component of the cells.
Does that make any sense to you?
What if I now explained it in a more simple way?
Red blood cells are the cells that carry oxygen around your body. Oxygen is required for key cellular processes. Without it you have major problems.
Hemoglobin molecules contain iron, which is what is meant by “heme”. Oxygen interacts with the iron in these molecules in such a way that it becomes trapped by them allowing it to be transported around the body within the red blood cells.
I would be willing to bet that the later explanation resonates a lot more than the former one.
It really is all in how we communicate. So much of scientific information just gets lost in translation.
We are going to change all that.
A different kind of learning
What if you could learn science in such a way that you could put the new information into practice right from the start?
This can be done through something known as implicit learning which is more experiential and interactive.
That overly complicated stuff you had to sit through in high school was known as explicit learning and you may remember that it is characterized by memorization and a lot of rules.
If it is not for you, then the only thing that instructor-led explicit learning does is push you to stop learning science and flock back to the experts.
For many, it’s just not engaging, nor practical enough.
Sure, it works fine within the classroom but, we are talking about learning science with the full intent of putting this information into action within our lives as soon as possible.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t try to memorize the terminology. It is an important piece of the puzzle but, for many of us, that probably will not be sufficient.
Now, some of you may even prefer explicit learning and that’s fine. One is not better than the other.
We at Science Defined are here to support you in whatever learning style you prefer.
The key is for you to be able to use the information that you learn regardless of what your goals are.
This is what we are aiming to achieve.
A simple, actionable and engaging learning experience that will help you to become conversant in one of the most complicated subjects.
So, stick around. We have a lot more great content heading your way.
Take Action!
One of the most important aspects of Science Defined is building a community so that we can learn from and help each other. Fostering open discussion is an integral aspect of that.
Each blog will end with an inspiring prompt to get you started. Submit a comment below to join the conversation.
Today’s prompt(s):
- What brings you to Science Defined?
- What frustrates you about doing research or learning science?
- What do you see as the biggest challenge or barrier to science?
If you find the information in these articles valuable, we would be grateful for your help in sharing it with those that could most benefit. You can use the share buttons at the beginning or end of the article.
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Hello. Hope you enjoyed the article. Now it’s time to jump in to the discussion.
I’m interested in Science Defined because I’m sick & tired of being lied to. Also told in terms that are condescending & that only the Scientists & PhD’s can interpret . In other words Experts must explain to us. Like the RCC that says a priest must interpret the Bible for the parishioners.
Thanks for your comment, Loraine. We at Science Defined believe that scientific information is freely available to everyone, not just those with certain degrees or credentials.
Best,
md
1. The open concept of learning at your own pace and reframing “the science” to its rightful and practical place.
2. Frustrations with “consensus science” knowing that most of what gets published has been scripted and paid for by the very entities selling “the cure”.
3. Overcoming the religiosity and obedient adherence to the white coat priesthood. People, in general, are afraid of this god and that death will be their reward for opting out of their disease dogmas of standard treatment.
Thanks for your comment. Really appreciate the feedback in response to the discussion prompts.
While learning science is time consuming, it absolutely does not have to take up all of your time. We at Science Defined definitely want to bring science back to its rightful place.
Best,
md
Hi Mike I read Lorraine’s comment and laughed .That’s how I feel . Armed with my barely high school science classes , many , many years ago .it’s incredibly difficult to understand those reports from those wonderful doctors , trying to understand what is going on with Covid . Thanks for this , your a Godsend .