Cedar Riener (@criener) is onto something:
As attractive as that vision is, though, I have to admit to a bit of skepticism. First, I know I'm peculiar, and I know I'm not particularly creative, but it's really hard for me to see how someone without a strong background in evolutionary biology, ecology, population genetics, statistics, or plant biology could give my colleagues me any new ideas for the Dimensions of Biodiversity project my colleagues and I are involved in. Any "interaction" about that project will likely be with other scientists -- with one interesting exception. We are putting photographs from our field work on iSpot southern Africa, a site where citizen scientists can share observations and post questions.1 I hope that we can use iSpot not only to share our work with others, but also to get ideas from them about places we should visit and species at which we should take a closer look.
But as for my blogging...
Well, if you've read many of the posts here, you'll realize that very few of them have anything to do with my science. Most of them are commentaries of one sort or another.2 It may be different for other science bloggers, Rosie Redfield for example, but I don't expect to get new research ideas or scientific advice from readers of this blog.3 I simply hope that a few non-scientist readers learn a little something about biodiversity, the environment, or academics that they find useful and interesting. And I hope that a few of them might share some of their thoughts with me and with other readers of this blog.
1OK. I confess. If you search for "kholsinger" on iSpot, you'll find only one observation that I've contributed. Jane made the rest of the contributions from 2011.
2And I get very little feedback. Comments come along very rarely.
3Though I'd be delighted if I did.
1OK. I confess. If you search for "kholsinger" on iSpot, you'll find only one observation that I've contributed. Jane made the rest of the contributions from 2011.
2And I get very little feedback. Comments come along very rarely.
3Though I'd be delighted if I did.
Science outreach needn't be just reaching out, but also pulling in. InCalling it "science outreach" is a disservice. "Science communication" is a little better, because communication involves a dialogue. But even communication doesn't capture what Cedar is suggesting. "Science interaction" would be closer.
this age when new forms of communication facilitate dialogue rather than
broadcast, being a good innovative scientist should mean occasional
interaction with a wide variety of people in a wide variety of
disciplines. When people discourage science outreach, I think they hold a
mistaken caricature of what outreach is (as merely broadcasting,
instead of dialogue), but also, they perpetuate a needlessly limited and
conservative view of science, as progress in isolated niches rather
than a fundamentally multidisciplinary exercise.
As attractive as that vision is, though, I have to admit to a bit of skepticism. First, I know I'm peculiar, and I know I'm not particularly creative, but it's really hard for me to see how someone without a strong background in evolutionary biology, ecology, population genetics, statistics, or plant biology could give my colleagues me any new ideas for the Dimensions of Biodiversity project my colleagues and I are involved in. Any "interaction" about that project will likely be with other scientists -- with one interesting exception. We are putting photographs from our field work on iSpot southern Africa, a site where citizen scientists can share observations and post questions.1 I hope that we can use iSpot not only to share our work with others, but also to get ideas from them about places we should visit and species at which we should take a closer look.
But as for my blogging...
Well, if you've read many of the posts here, you'll realize that very few of them have anything to do with my science. Most of them are commentaries of one sort or another.2 It may be different for other science bloggers, Rosie Redfield for example, but I don't expect to get new research ideas or scientific advice from readers of this blog.3 I simply hope that a few non-scientist readers learn a little something about biodiversity, the environment, or academics that they find useful and interesting. And I hope that a few of them might share some of their thoughts with me and with other readers of this blog.
1OK. I confess. If you search for "kholsinger" on iSpot, you'll find only one observation that I've contributed. Jane made the rest of the contributions from 2011.
2And I get very little feedback. Comments come along very rarely.
3Though I'd be delighted if I did.
1OK. I confess. If you search for "kholsinger" on iSpot, you'll find only one observation that I've contributed. Jane made the rest of the contributions from 2011.
2And I get very little feedback. Comments come along very rarely.
3Though I'd be delighted if I did.
1OK. I confess. If you search for "kholsinger" on iSpot, you'll find only one observation that I've contributed. Jane made the rest of the contributions from 2011.
2And I get very little feedback. Comments come along very rarely.
3Though I'd be delighted if I did.
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