Science and Society CHEM 294

Transcription

1 Science and Society CHEM 294 Historical relationship between science and society Modern impact of science on society Intellectual property and competing scientific interests Will Swanson

2 Fast 5 Take out a paper and write at least 5 things you learned from the On Being a Scien;st reading.

3 What are the most important scientific and technological innovations of the 21 st century?

4 Identify the following:

5 Historical Role of Science and Society Developed, prosperous and intellectually open societies often fostered new scientific developments Throughout history, scientists have played different roles in society Scientists were not as specialized as we are today

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7 Egyptian Science, BC Egyptians were the first civilization to refine metal from ores With the aid of seasonal flooding, they revolutionized irrigation and centrally managed agriculture The Pyramids

8 Greek Science, BC Ancient Greeks founded philosophy and the schools of Western Scientific method originated with Thales of Miletus Ptolemaic Egypt measured circumference of earth, invented aelopyle

9 Chinese Science, AD The Chinese dynasties started making paper and simple compasses in 100 AD In 605, Confucian exams were instituted to select scribes Woodblock printing was invented arouund 800 AD Chinese alchemists discovered gunpowder around 900 AD

10 Islamic Science, AD The Islamic Caliphates made significant advances in mathematics, such as defining algebra in 780 Avicenna completed Book of Healing in 1027 Significant advances in astronomy Studied and preserved earlier scientific advancements

11 Western Science 1500 AD- Present The Enlightenment was made possible by the invention of the printing press in 1440 Science in the West was further galvanized by the Industrial Revolution Standardized methods of teaching have evolved from monastic tutelage to public education

12 Scientific Method, 1620 The scientific method allows us to test hypotheses, make observations and replicate data It is the basis of modern scientific thought

13 Persecution of Scientists

14 Why did scientists tend to flock to highly developed civilizations? Free and open societies tend to be more welcoming to scientists A society must be open to new and strange ideas for innovation to occur In prosperous societies, people are able to spend more time innovating

15 Applications of Science: Gunpowder 850: Gunpowder invented April : Li Tian invents fireworks January : Gunpowder weapons first used to capture Fujian in China 1464: Dardanelles Bombard cast 1667: Gunpowder used to blast Canal du Midi in France

16 Vaccines: Homeopathy at its best A vaccine is a compound that can provide immunity to a disease, often by introducing the pathogen to the system in a nonharmful way Vaccines do not cause autism

17 Eliminating Smallpox The first vaccine, against smallpox, was developed by Edward Jenner in England in 1798 Jenner scratched a small boy with cowpox pus, inoculating him to smallpox. Smallpox was eradicated in Louis Pasteur, Jonas Salk, and others have since developed vaccines for polio, measles, diphtheria, mumps and rubella

18 Nukes: Einstein at his worst 1905: Einstein proposes energy matter equivalence, E = mc : Nuclear fission observed by Otto Hahn in Germany 1942: Manhattan project started 1945: Fission bombs dropped on Japan 1949: Soviets develop atomic bomb 1952: Fusion bomb detonated 1961: Tsar Bomba detonated

19 Development of Nuclear Weapons At the outset of the Second World War, scientists realized that if matter could be transformed to energy, a very large bomb could be made Thus, Japan, Germany, and the United States began developing atomic weapons Which one of these societies was most accepting of other races and open to nonconformist ideas?

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21 I Am Become Death, Destroyer Of Worlds h=ps://

22 Intellectual Property and Competing Interests Who should own the work of a scientist? How do copyright laws affect science and society? How can different funding sources affect research outcomes?

23 Who should own the work of a scientist? Scientists may feel that their work is their exclusive property In reality, multiple different organizations have a claim on a scientist s work Business: Generally retains patent on any work conducted for company Research Institution: Generally the inventor has more rights to his work, but not exclusive rights Nation: In some cases, the state may confiscate the work of a scientist if they feel it is necessary

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25 Conflict of Interests

26 Conflict of Interests The scientists has a responsibility to maintain an objective perspective on research, and to record their results accurately The scientist must put aside any personal opinions, and avoid confirmation bias in their research Is the prospect of financial gain in the form of funding affecting your research?

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28 Science is unexpected h=ps://

29 Science is unexpected Write down brief answers to the following questions: 1. What was this video about? 2. What type of video was this? 3. Who funded this video? Props: Round bottom flask, pictures of 4 planets, medical model of organs, dominos, sliding poster of C Elegans, 15 shot transitions in 100 seconds, dashing young spokesperson

30 Case Study 2: Greenwashing: Coming Clean with Green Energy After a long tenure working in the high tech industry, Jeanne was hired less than a year ago as the Public Relations Director for National Petroleum (NP), a major oil company in the United States. Due to her ability to make complex technical issues comprehensible to the public, National Petroleum felt she could help them with a new campaign to represent their endeavors into clean and alternative energy, entitled Green Energy. However, lately, as Jeanne is working towards a roll-out of NP s alternative energy campaign in a few months, she has been uncertain about the direction some on the executive team want to take the Green Energy campaign. The following aspects make her the most uncomfortable: The use of direct numbers instead of percentages. For example, NP wants to publicize how many millions of dollars are going into research for alternative clean fuel sources, like wind, solar, and hydrogen. But while that sounds like a lot, it is only 10 percent of their total R&D budget. The bulk of the budget goes to improve extraction of oil, whether from the earth or from other less clean sources, like coal. The secrecy of NP s position on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. National Petroleum has lobbied heavily to drill in the refuge, but because that is considered antienvironmental and doesn t have the support of the majority of the public, it is ignored in NP s Green Energy campaign. Most of the lobbying money has gone through contributions to conservative think tanks, so it hasn t been public. There is a line in the Green Energy campaign brochure that mentions the advantages of getting fuel domestically to decrease dependence on foreign oil. 1. What ethical issues are present? 2. How might Jeanne resolve this issue? Adapted from the University of Oregon School of Journalism Transparency Case Study

31 Looking Forward Due CHEM 294: Final Research Proposal Lab Today: Develop final presentations Next Week (April 25) Lecture- Careers in Science (Stephanie Kennedy, PhD cand.) Lab: Evaluations/ grad panel / Practice final presentations