**********************************************************************PSCI-COM is probably not a good place to start a futile discussion on homeopathy and other “bad medicine” so I will limit myself to passing on a link to something funny that recently flew by on Twitter, courtesy of Simon Singh.
https://twitter.com/BR51ZEY/status/574637422916542464/photo/1
and, the original:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B_mFr9oXAAA3Io9.jpg
For those averse to links, or who get blocked out of Twitter at work, the cartoon illustrates three conditions that homeopathy has been proved to cure.
MK
From: psci-com: on public engagement with science [mailto:[log in to unmask]');" target="_blank">[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jonathan Bishop
Sent: 11 March 2015 01:19
To: [log in to unmask]');" target="_blank">[log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] Advice sought for A level student
Hi Michael,
Being a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society and advocate of the hypothetico deductive model, I think the cause and effect from medicinal trials, including to disprove homeopathy, are seriously flawed.
There are no medicinal properties in homeopathy, but that does not mean it does not have efficacy in treating the depression side of chronic conditions. Taking any form of pill requires routine and discipline, which is known to reduce depression.
Thus statistically, double blind tests are flawed because they do not have a null hypothesis. Every clinical trial, in order to be statistically accurate, will need to have a control group having no intervention whatsoever, as opposed to what is in reality two alternative hypotheses; placebo and medicinal.
So, speaking from personal experience, in terms of the A-Level student with an interest in science communication; doing a natural science degree might brainwash them into the neo-classical way of thinking, in the way a social science degree focusing on critical thinking through studying "Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, et al" might instead open them up to greater creativity by not taking for granted the same misconceptions of science of the laypersons one wants to influence as a science communicator.
You're never too old to learn, Michael ;-)
Jonathan Bishop
On Tuesday, 10 March 2015, Michael Kenward <[log in to unmask]');" target="_blank">[log in to unmask]> wrote:I can't stop chuckling over the delicious irony of drawing conclusions about scientists’ understanding of how science works from a sample of one. That is the sort of thing that Ben Goldacre jumps on from a great height. Even the average science reporter would smell a rat.
I’ll let you into a secret. I know a chemistry PhD, an academic researcher for many years with a decent track record, who believed, perhaps still does, that homoeopathy works. I refuse to draw any general conclusions from this “outlier”.
The “philosophy of science” can also be many things. While reading Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos et al. can be enlightening, I am not sure that I would advocate this as a degree course of an aspiring sci-comm practitioner.
MK
From: psci-com: on public engagement with science [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Usher, Oli
Sent: 09 March 2015 16:00
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] Advice sought for A level student
“Another reason for studying science, apart from the reasons already listed, is to understand how science works, experiment, theory, peer review and all the stuff that causes many of the problems we see when non-scientists sound off about science.”
I’ve heard some pretty ignorant things from scientists about “how science works, experiment, theory, peer review”, to be fair (including an astronomer - who had presumably read some Ben Goldacre columns - confidently asserting that randomised controlled trials were what defined science, despite these hardly ever being used in astronomy).
If you really want to learn about scientific methods, you’d do a lot better with a degree in philosophy of science than one in physics or chemistry.
Oli
-----------------------------------
Oli Usher
Communications, Marketing and Events Manager
Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
Tel: 020 7679 7964
Web: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/mathematical-physical-sciences
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From: psci-com: on public engagement with science [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Michael Kenward
Sent: 09 March 2015 14:38
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] Advice sought for A level student
Wouldn’t the comments about the need to understand science also apply to an undergraduate sci-comm course? (Do such courses exist, perhaps as a subset of the much mocked “media studies” degrees?)
I guess it would depend on the balance between sci and comm. Adding 10 per cent comm to 90 per cent sci might be a really great degree. The result would be scientists who appreciate the need for comm, how it works and how to go about it.
But the other way round would result in someone whose knowledge of science is limited.
Another reason for studying science, apart from the reasons already listed, is to understand how science works, experiment, theory, peer review and all the stuff that causes many of the problems we see when non-scientists sound off about science.
Apart from that, the only other thing to add to the stream of sound advice for the A-level student is one that I always bang on about, the need to keep your options open as long as possible. It is relatively easy to make the sci to comm transition if you have a degree or a PhD under your belt and you desperately want to make the switch. But moving in the other direction gets harder and harder the further you are into your education.
MK
From: psci-com: on public engagement with science [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Annette Smith
Sent: 09 March 2015 09:27
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] Advice sought for A level student
I agree with the advice given so far, but developing this slightly, what would the list see as the benefit of the undergraduate sci-comm courses? I was interested in this when I first heard about them as I couldn't see them as being useful directly from school for the reasons expressed in this discussion. Perhaps they will be in time, and for the present they would be an option for more mature students with some work experience.
On 9 March 2015 at 09:16, Williams, Lynda, Springer Healthcare <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I would think it hard* to be a really good science communicator if you've never studied science to at least undergraduate level - half the qualification is surely about learning to learn, learning how scientists think, learning how to interpret and critically appraise data and, not least, learning the joy and enthusiasm (and heart break) that comes from studying a tiny area of specialist subject.
And an undergrad science degree is something many (most?) sci comm roles will expect. Employers want to know you can understand the science you're promoting.
I'd advise to go for the science undergrad course that interests her most and take every sci comm opportunity that comes up while she's studying. There's plenty of postgrad courses and volunteering opportunities if she wants to specialise more later.
*but obviously not impossible
-----Original Message-----
From: psci-com: on public engagement with science [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Liz Nicholson
Sent: 09 March 2015 00:40
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [PSCI-COM] Advice sought for A level student
I am a lurking teacher so hope I am doing this bit right! I have a year12 student who is adamant she wants to go into scicomm and who has a strong portfolio already. She is starting to look at UCAS applications but isn't sure whether to go for a more scicomm based degree like Science in Society at UCL or whether to go for a more specific degree and specialise later. her problem is she is so enthusiastic she wants to do it all!.
Thanks for your advice!
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