Saturday, January 08, 2005
Scientific stuff
I've been reviewing my program of studies to again attempt to determine what the priorities need to be. It's easy for me to get bogged down in the mechanics of connecting things, and forget what the purpose is.
Still, and even so, I find that my program is based heavily on the scientific study of nature. My personal preference is for physics and chemistry, although the evidence is that studies of earth sciences and biological sciences are more practically useful and necessary in other areas of work and study.
I've long recognized that science is a human activity and is connected with people, which makes it important to communicate with other people that have an interest in science. It's easiest to identify historical scientists, but it's probably more practically useful to identify living ones. Since there are so many of these, and since they are not equally approachable, I'm looking for ways that I can connect with them better, and of course this varies according to which of the sciences I am studying at the moment.
Joining of scientific organizations and associations is somewhat difficult and has its own collection of problems. Since my interests in science tend to be more theoretical rather than experimental and general rather than specialized, I'm neither in the forefront of scientific discovery, nor qualified on a professional level to be there.
When I look at organizations such as the AAAS, I find that they are directed toward either professional working scientists, or formally enrolled students of science. What I see a need for is continuing scientific education, allowing people whose interest is late-developing or peripheral to other areas, to learn more about science, and I don't see any obvious way of identifying such people. I just did a quick search on "continuing education in science", and didn't find much. I could do a more thorough and varied search, but I'm not sure there is a genuine need for it.
But this is an area I will want to investigate more.
Still, and even so, I find that my program is based heavily on the scientific study of nature. My personal preference is for physics and chemistry, although the evidence is that studies of earth sciences and biological sciences are more practically useful and necessary in other areas of work and study.
I've long recognized that science is a human activity and is connected with people, which makes it important to communicate with other people that have an interest in science. It's easiest to identify historical scientists, but it's probably more practically useful to identify living ones. Since there are so many of these, and since they are not equally approachable, I'm looking for ways that I can connect with them better, and of course this varies according to which of the sciences I am studying at the moment.
Joining of scientific organizations and associations is somewhat difficult and has its own collection of problems. Since my interests in science tend to be more theoretical rather than experimental and general rather than specialized, I'm neither in the forefront of scientific discovery, nor qualified on a professional level to be there.
When I look at organizations such as the AAAS, I find that they are directed toward either professional working scientists, or formally enrolled students of science. What I see a need for is continuing scientific education, allowing people whose interest is late-developing or peripheral to other areas, to learn more about science, and I don't see any obvious way of identifying such people. I just did a quick search on "continuing education in science", and didn't find much. I could do a more thorough and varied search, but I'm not sure there is a genuine need for it.
But this is an area I will want to investigate more.
