Mae RaabWR133003/24/15

Abstract

I have been interested in mantis shrimp since about two years ago, when a friend and I discovered an article about them on the internet. We were preparing for a school trip to the Bahamas, where we would later find a small one in the sand flats and hold it! Since then, the mantis shrimp has remained one of my favorite animals because of its incredible and unusual characteristics. However, I would not have known anything about this animal without the internet science blogs and websites that posted information about mantis shrimp in an easily accessible way.

In my research paper, I would like to explore how science has become popularized recently, with a particular focus on how the internet has made this possible. I will look at how scientists have viewed popularization in the past and in the present, the effects this has on the scientific community as well as the public, and what that means for the future of science and science education.

Sources

Case Study : Science, Medicine, Mathematics, and Technology Blogs. Washington, District of Columbia : National Digital Stewardship Alliance, 2013. Print.

A government publication, this case study by the National Digital Stewardship Alliance examines science, medicine, and technology blogs. The NDSA works to preserve and protect online digital resources for the benefit of current and future generations, and in this particular case study aimed to encourage relationships that would aid preservation of these online resources. It places emphasis on the historical value, recognized value (hint: social media) and involving the target audience and stakeholders of the study. While this study seems to center around an online scientific community, it is relevant to my topic because it discusses the preservation, spread, and collaborative nature of online science blogs.

Donald, Athene. "More Women, More Science Blogs." Nature 517.7532 (2015): 17-. Print.In a science periodical, Athene Donald she says she hopes for more women and more science blogs in 2015. An avid blogger herself, she says that she often writes about science culture and gender-related issues. She also talks about the necessity of including more women in science education, and making women in science more accessible to each other.

Luquiens, Jules. Popular Science. Boston : Ginn, 1895. Print.

This was published in 1895, and is written in French. But, this book, well, as found on the Hesburgh libraries database - this ebook - is titled “Popular Science,” so I thought it would be fitting to include. The introduction says that this book aims to include material that will help readers become familiar with scientific literature and “impart the habit of careful reading.” This is very different from the internet bogs we see today that make science very public-friendly, research short and easy to understand, and drole discoveries exciting.

Mahler, Jonathan. A Scientist Puts 'Paleo' Back into Liberalism. lxxxxviiii Vol. , 1996. Print.This is a newspaper article from 1996. The author writes about a scientist, Stephen Jay Gould, who was criticised often for “writing essays for the layman.” While the author’s opinions may be biased, it is interesting to see how a scientific community may have reacted to the popularization of science, and if those reactions have changed since then. On popularization, Gould says “I believe in making all of science available to everybody and I believe you can do it without sacrificing content...But I don't like trivialization and commercialization."

"Mantis Shrimps Can See Cancer, and Scientists Have Now Created a Camera That Does the Same." ScienceAlert. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.

This article from an Australian internet blog describes how scientists have studied mantis shrimp eyes and developed a camera that can “see cancer.” This is a reputable website. Its audience is very broad, encompassing all people who have an interest in scientific discovery or learning about current scientific events and how they are relevant. This particular invention is portrayed in a very positive light, of course, because it indicates progress in the area of cancer research. The fact that I, a college student who has not extensively studied science, can read this article and comprehend the work involved speaks to the accessibility of this blog. It does not go into extreme depth about methods or research, but readers can get the gist of what was involved and why it should matter to them.

Rostand, Jean. "Popularization of Science." Science 131.3412 (1960): 1491-. Print.This is an article from a scholarly science journal, ScienceMag, written in 1960. It is a short summary of the authors thoughts on and possible outcomes of the popularization of science. It touches on how the popularization of science adds to creative science, and proceeds to discuss the closing gap between the “scientific man and the ordinary man.” I not will look over the blatant gender bias here since this was written in the 1960s, and the bias prods me to question if popularizing science has made science more accessible to women. Also notable: this source is an excerpt of the author’s address on the occasion of his accepting the 1959 Kalinga Prize for “outstanding contributions to the dissemination of scientific knowledge to the general public."

"Why the Mantis Shrimp Is My New Favorite Animal - The Oatmeal." Why the Mantis Shrimp Is My New Favorite Animal - The Oatmeal. Web. 24 Mar. 2015.

This is a comic about the mantis shrimp and its qualities. It uses bright colors, references to pop culture, and mixes scientific findings with jargon to appeal to the layperson. The site even sells mantis shrimp plush toys, t-shirts, and posters. The Oatmeal has many other comics that are based on educational or scientific topics,