TEDxSwarthmore - Amy Cheng Vollmer - The Role of Science and Science Literacy
Nature teaches that complex societies rely on specialized roles and inter-group communication, arguing that science itself is a creative, iterative process demanding broad public communication. The speaker emphasizes that modern society suffers from specialization silos, necessitating compassion and effort to bridge the gap between the intellectual life and practical application. The primary recommendation is to build bridges across scientific, artistic, and societal divides through shared curiosity and mutual respect.
## Speakers & Context
- Speaker addresses an audience, advocating for improving society through science literacy and learning from nature.
- Mentions previous speakers/presentations: John Alon (creates), Randy Exxon (artwork), Rebecca's talk.
- Cites specific individuals: Bonnie Bassler (Princeton), Philip Jefferson, Cheryl Grood, Barbara Msky, Bruce Maxwell, Tim Burke, Maxine Singer, Bennett Lieber, Abraham Verghese, David Suzuki, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Rebecca Richards Cardum, and the headmistress of the Boston Arts Academy.
- Mentions the college: Swarthmore, which emphasizes humanitarian projects and interdisciplinary thinking.
## Theses & Positions
- Good societies mirror nature's best examples (e.g., bees, ants) by assigning specialists unique roles that require high-level function and communication.
- Science is inherently creative, involving inspiration, imagination, and iterative refinement, similar to arts/composing.
- The biggest problem in modern communication is that specialization has created isolated "tribes" that struggle to talk to people outside their field.
- Scientists and the public lack a "Common Language," leading to misunderstanding and polarization, echoing Charles Percy Snow’s critique of intellectual splits.
- The solution requires communication anchored in *mutual respect and compassion*, rather than focusing solely on bridging technical divides.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Specialists:** Roles within a complex system (social insect, cell type, human job) that require high function and communication to maintain the whole.
- **Homeostasis:** The ability of a system (like an ecosystem or body) to reestablish balance after stress, requiring intense communication and collaboration.
- **Microbiome:** The collection of bacteria residing in a host's body, which contributes significantly to health and well-being, meaning only 10% of a human's cells are human.
- **Pheromones:** Chemical signals used by species (like male/female copium moths) for communication.
- **STEAM:** An enhancement of STEM, incorporating the Arts into education ("changed stem into steam").
- **Renaissance Man:** Concept exemplified by Bennett Lieber, suggesting mastery across diverse, seemingly unrelated fields (e.g., artist, musician, scientist).
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Colony Rebuilding (Ants):** When upset, all players abandon normal routine to follow a program to rebuild or reestablish a colony.
- **Bacterial Colonization:** Bacteria lay down a complex Matrix when colonizing inanimate objects.
- **Photosynthesis (Specialist Cell):** Chloroplasts, derived from cyanobacteria, take $\text{CO}_2$ and produce sugar using solar energy, a specialized process.
- **Neural Networks:** Neurons organize into networks allowing complex behaviors; in humans, they organize into specialized domains in the brain with particular functions.
- **Ecosystem Function:** Specialized organisms interact with give and take; stress requires all members to communicate to reestablish homeostasis.
- **Brain Communication:** Hemispheres communicate via the Corpus callosum; communication also occurs via auditory signals and bioluminescence.
- **Antibiotic Resistance Transfer:** Example of specialized communication/transmission (though not explicitly detailed in mechanism).
- **Scientific Process:** Characterized as iterative and recursive; models and papers improve based on the latest data.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **1959:** Charles Percy Snow gave a lecture stating the intellectual life of Western Society was splitting into two polar groups (literary intellectuals vs. scientists).
- **1992:** Maxine Singer awarded the National Medal of Science recognizing her promotion of Science Education in K-12.
- **Last Decade:** John Brockman wrote books urging scientists to communicate more broadly, leading to the rise of Science Cafes.
## Named Entities
- **Swarthmore:** College where the speaker resides, promoting humanitarian projects and interdisciplinary thinking.
- **Princeton:** Location where Bonnie Bassler speaks about bacteria communication.
- **Columbia:** Implied when mentioning the Corpus callosum.
- **Temple University:** Institution where Bennett Lieber was formerly chief of infectious disease.
- **Stanford University:** Current faculty location for Abraham Verghese.
## Numbers & Data
- Percentage of human cells: **10%** (the rest are bacterial).
- Frequency of scientific communication models: Need for constant testing/refining of hypotheses.
- Age of the concept of specialization: Not specified, but discussed in terms of ongoing societal challenge.
## Examples & Cases
- **Social Insects:** Bees and ants exhibiting specialized roles.
- **Bacteria:** Shown taking over an inanimate object by laying down a complex Matrix.
- **Chloroplasts:** Derived from cyanobacteria, functioning in plant cells to harness energy from the Sun.
- **Neurons:** Processes so small they required Ramon Kahal to develop a stain for visualization.
- **Bion/Tree Roots:** Evidence showing roots spread widely, stabilizing soil.
- **Anemone:** Capturing prey using specialized, organized neurons without a brain.
- **Chameleon:** Capturing prey using a sticky tongue, requiring a brain.
- **Human Microbiome:** Contributing significantly to health and behavior, suggesting bacteria are essential partners.
- **Copium Moth:** Example of communication via pheromones between sexes.
- **Sci/Nature Journals:** Cited as communication mediums written for other scientists, inaccessible to the general public.
- **Rebecca Richards Cardum:** Recognized for developing a microscope costing **$240** that can diagnose malaria and TB in the field.
- **The Boston Arts Academy:** Changed STEM into STEAM to integrate the Arts.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Microscopy/Stains:** Required for visualizing tiny neuronal processes (Kahler's stain).
- **Antibiotic Lab:** Mentioned as a field of study (involving Jefferson and Grood).
- **Microscope:** Developed by Rebecca Richards Cardum, costing **$240**.
- **Telescope:** Listed as one of the three necessary tools for bridging cultures.
- **Book:** Listed as one of the three necessary tools for bridging cultures.
## References Cited
- **John Brockman:** Author who wrote books urging scientists to communicate more broadly.
- **Charles Percy Snow:** Gave the 1959 lecture regarding the split between literary intellectuals and scientists.
- **David Suzuki:** Canadian geneticist featured as an example of public science educator.
- **Neil deGrasse Tyson:** American astronomer featured as an example of public science educator.
- **Rebecca Richards Cardum:** Scientist whose development of a low-cost microscope is cited.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- The inherent tendency within scientific fields to become overly specialized, leading to jargon-heavy, inaccessible publications (e.g., *Science* and *Nature*).
- Some may be surprised that scientists are creative, as this is not always an obvious link to the general public.
## Methodology
- The speaker utilizes analogies from biology (single cells, ecosystems, bacteria) to model societal organization.
- The core methodology proposed is **interdisciplinary collaboration** ("Thinking as a group," not in individual silos).
- Advocating for **science cafes** and *lifelong studies* to create non-curricular educational touchpoints.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Every individual has a role, and society requires everyone to contribute through specialization and communication.
- The speaker urges the audience to be part of "Building Bridges across these cultures" by championing science literacy and interdisciplinary thought.
- Action must involve moving beyond mere technical exchange to connect with shared humanity, respecting other cultures (socioeconomic, ethnic, gender).
- The final ethical requirement for any discussion is mutual respect and compassion.
## Implications & Consequences
- Failure to bridge scientific knowledge and public understanding results in polarization and misunderstanding, as evidenced by the gap between the two intellectual groups identified by Snow.
- Applying scientific knowledge (like genetics or antibiotic mechanisms) requires addressing its ethical and humanitarian application across diverse populations.
- The arts provide a strong, proven link for bridging scientific cultures.
## Open Questions
- How to sustain and scale the "science cafe" model for community education.
- How to effectively integrate the arts into core technical education permanently.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"I hope to convince you by the end of my talk that it is everyone's Collective respon Collective responsibility to help promote science and science literacy."*
- *"From each we can learn important lessons at the cellular level."*
- *"What's more remarkable about a neuron that can receive information and deliver information is the fact that they can be organized into networks."*
- *"The part of the tree I'm really interested in is what's below the ground the part that interacts with the soil because of trees they they stabilize soil in many areas."*
- *"It's only 10% of the cells in you are human the rest are bacterial and... most of them are beneficial."*
- *"Men new the key between scientists is communication and that's where we have what I believe is a problem today."*
- *"I believe the intellectual life of the whole of Western Society is increasingly being split into two polar groups when I say the intellectual ual life I mean to include also a large part of our practical life literary intellectuals at one poll and at at the other scientists."*
- *"We're trying to think about these things as a group and not in individual silos right."*
- *"I'm hoping to develop little science cafes that would be available for staff particularly who can't take the long uh lifelong studies courses."*
- *"But most of all we need those bridges to be anchored in mutual respect and compassion."*