Teachable Moment
1
From the Editor Leslie C. Aiello President, Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research Roger Bingham Co-Founder and Director, The Science Network G. Steven Burrill CEO, Burrill & Company Arthur Caplan Emanuel and Robert Hart Professor of Bioethics, University of Pennsylvania George M. Church Director, Center for Computational Genetics, Harvard Medical School Rita Colwell Distinguished Professor, University of Maryland College Park and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Drew Endy Professor of Bioengineering, Stanford University Ed Felten Director, Center for Information Technology Policy, Princeton University Michael S. Gazzaniga Director, Sage Center for the Study of Mind, University of California, Santa Barbara David Gross Frederick W. Gluck Professor of Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara (Nobel Prize in Physics, 2004) Lene Vestergaard Hau Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and of Applied Physics, Harvard University Danny Hillis Co-chairman, Applied Minds Daniel M. Kammen Director, Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley Vinod Khosla Founder, Khosla Ventures Christof Koch Lois and Victor Troendle Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Biology, California Institute of Technology Lawrence M. Krauss Director, Origins Initiative, Arizona State University Morten L. Kringelbach Director, Hedonia: TrygFonden Research Group, University of Oxford and University of Aarhus Steven Kyle Professor of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University Robert S. Langer David H. Koch Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lawrence Lessig Professor, Harvard Law School Ernest J. Moniz Cecil and Ida Green Distinguished Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology John P. Moore Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University M. Granger Morgan Professor and Head of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University Miguel Nicolelis Co-director, Center for Neuroengineering, Duke University Martin Nowak Director, Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University Robert Palazzo Provost and Professor of Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Carolyn Porco Leader, Cassini Imaging Science Team, and Director, CICLOPS, Space Science Institute Vilayanur S. Ramachandran Director, Center for Brain and Cognition, University of California, San Diego Lisa Randall Professor of Physics, Harvard University Martin Rees Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics, University of Cambridge John Reganold Regents Professor of Soil Science, Washington State University Jeffrey D. Sachs Director, The Earth Institute, Columbia University Eugenie Scott Executive Director, National Center for Science Education Terry Sejnowski Professor and Laboratory Head of Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies Michael Shermer Publisher, Skeptic magazine Michael Snyder Professor of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine Michael E. Webber Associate Director, Center for International Energy & Environmental Policy, University of Texas at Austin Steven Weinberg Director, Theory Research Group, Department of Physics, University of Texas at Austin (Nobel Prize in Physics, 1979) George M. Whitesides Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University Nathan Wolfe Director, Global Viral Forecasting Initiative R. James Woolsey, Jr. Venture Partner, VantagePoint Venture Partners Anton Zeilinger Professor of Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics, Quantum Information, University of Vienna Jonathan Zittrain Professor, Harvard Law School Mariette DiChristina is editor in chief of Scientific American. BOARD OF ADVISERS 10 Scientific American, November 2010 Illustration by Nick Higgins C. FLEMMING Nobel Laureate Meetings Teachable Moment T his page often focuses on the fascinating science fea- tured inside the magazine, but this month I also want to tell you about what we are doing for science outside of our pages. As a Scientific American reader, you are most likely concerned about the slid- ing performance of U.S. students in science and math. Fostering learning in general is important, of course. (For more on that, see “Hearing the Music, Honing the Mind,” Science Agenda, on page 16.) But as President Barack Obama put it in September: “Our nation’s success depends on strengthening America’s role as the engine of discovery and innovation.” Toward that end, Nature Publish- ing Group (NPG), Scientific Ameri- can’s parent company, has joined Change the Equation, part of the White House’s Educate to Innovate efforts to boost teaching in science, tech- nology, engineering and math (STEM). NPG’s Bridge to Science activities include Scitable learning guides, teacher train- ing, and development of a model for un- derstanding science education’s return on investment. And in early 2011 look for these programs from Scientific American: BRING SCIENCE HOME. As a mom of two school-age daughters who think science is cool, I know the vital role parents play in cultivating a love of the subject. So each day for a month www.ScientificAmerican. com will offer simple experiments that parents and kids can do together at home. CITIZEN SCIENCE. We plan a digital plat- form, including a Web site page and apps, for parents and kids to learn about and participate in ongoing scientific research. 1,000 SCIENTISTS IN 1,000 DAYS. We will recruit researchers to volunteer time in the classroom or to participate in activi- ties such as National Lab Day. A different kind of instruction takes place at the Lindau Nobel Lau- reate Meetings in Germany, but it, too, has a profound effect on the fu- ture of science. Laureates share wis- dom with young scientists in talks and casual conversation. I blogged from the 60th anniversary meeting, and now you can see more in videos on www.ScientificAmerican.com. Last, this issue itself is rife with mind-expanding opportunities for students, scientists and nonscien- tists alike. Just to name two, see “Dark Worlds,” by Jonathan Feng and Mark Trodden, on page 38, for an armchair journey into the invisible uni- verse. And “Climate Heretic,” by Michael D. Lemonick, offers a challenging but im- portant lesson about keeping lines of com- munication—and minds—open while dis- cussing climate science; turn to page 78. Arno Penzias (Nobel Prize in Physics, 1978, leſt) and George Smoot (Nobel Prize in Physics, 2006, right) with DiChristina at Lindau in Germany.
Transcript of Teachable Moment
From the Editor
Leslie C. AielloPresident, Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research
Roger BinghamCo-Founder and Director, The Science Network
G. Steven BurrillCEO, Burrill & Company
Arthur CaplanEmanuel and Robert Hart Professor of Bioethics, University of Pennsylvania
George M. ChurchDirector, Center for Computational Genetics, Harvard Medical School
Rita Colwell Distinguished Professor, University of Maryland College Park and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Drew EndyProfessor of Bioengineering, Stanford University
Ed Felten Director, Center for Information Technology Policy, Princeton University
Michael S. GazzanigaDirector, Sage Center for the Study of Mind, University of California, Santa Barbara
David Gross Frederick W. Gluck Professor of Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara (Nobel Prize in Physics, 2004)
Lene Vestergaard Hau Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and of Applied Physics, Harvard University
Danny Hillis Co-chairman, Applied Minds
Daniel M. KammenDirector, Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley
Vinod KhoslaFounder, Khosla Ventures
Christof KochLois and Victor Troendle Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Biology, California Institute of Technology
Lawrence M. KraussDirector, Origins Initiative, Arizona State University
Morten L. KringelbachDirector, Hedonia: TrygFonden Research Group, University of Oxford and University of Aarhus
Steven KyleProfessor of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University
Robert S. LangerDavid H. Koch Institute Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lawrence LessigProfessor, Harvard Law School
Ernest J. MonizCecil and Ida Green Distinguished Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
John P. MooreProfessor of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University
M. Granger MorganProfessor and Head of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
Miguel NicolelisCo-director, Center for Neuroengineering, Duke University
Martin NowakDirector, Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University
Robert PalazzoProvost and Professor of Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Carolyn PorcoLeader, Cassini Imaging Science Team, and Director, CICLOPS, Space Science Institute
Vilayanur S. Ramachandran Director, Center for Brain and Cognition, University of California, San Diego
Lisa RandallProfessor of Physics, Harvard University
Martin ReesProfessor of Cosmology and Astrophysics, University of Cambridge
John ReganoldRegents Professor of Soil Science, Washington State University
Jeffrey D. SachsDirector, The Earth Institute, Columbia University
Eugenie ScottExecutive Director, National Center for Science Education
Terry SejnowskiProfessor and Laboratory Head of Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Michael ShermerPublisher, Skeptic magazine
Michael SnyderProfessor of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine
Michael E. WebberAssociate Director, Center for International Energy & Environmental Policy, University of Texas at Austin
Steven WeinbergDirector, Theory Research Group, Department of Physics, University of Texas at Austin (Nobel Prize in Physics, 1979)
George M. WhitesidesProfessor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
Nathan WolfeDirector, Global Viral Forecasting Initiative
R. James Woolsey, Jr. Venture Partner, VantagePoint Venture Partners
Anton ZeilingerProfessor of Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics, Quantum Information, University of Vienna
Jonathan ZittrainProfessor, Harvard Law School
Mariette DiChristina is editor in chief of Scientific American.
BOARD OF ADVISERS
10 Scientific American, November 2010 Illustration by Nick Higgins
C. F
LEM
MIN
G No
bel L
aure
ate
Mee
tings
Teachable Moment
This page often focuses on the fascinating science fea-tured inside the magazine, but this month I also want to tell you about what we are
doing for science outside of our pages.As a Scientific American reader, you are
most likely concerned about the slid-ing performance of U.S. students in science and math. Fostering learning in general is important, of course. (For more on that, see “Hearing the Music, Honing the Mind,” Science Agenda, on page 16.) But as President Barack Obama put it in September: “Our nation’s success depends on strengthening America’s role as the engine of discovery and innovation.”
Toward that end, Nature Publish-ing Group (NPG), Scientific Ameri-can’s parent company, has joined Change the Equation, part of the White House’s Educate to Innovate efforts to boost teaching in science, tech-nology, engineering and math (STEM). NPG’s Bridge to Science activities include Scitable learning guides, teacher train-ing, and development of a model for un-derstanding science education’s return
on investment. And in early 2011 look for these programs from Scientific American:
Bring Science Home. As a mom of two school-age daughters who think science is cool, I know the vital role parents play in cultivating a love of the subject. So each
day for a month www.ScientificAmerican.com will offer simple experiments that parents and kids can do together at home.
citizen Science. We plan a digital plat-form, including a Web site page and apps,
for parents and kids to learn about and participate in ongoing scientific research.
1,000 ScientiStS in 1,000 DayS. We will recruit researchers to volunteer time in the classroom or to participate in activi-ties such as National Lab Day.
A different kind of instruction takes place at the Lindau Nobel Lau-reate Meetings in Germany, but it, too, has a profound effect on the fu-ture of science. Laureates share wis-dom with young scientists in talks and casual conversation. I blogged from the 60th anniversary meeting, and now you can see more in videos on www.ScientificAmerican.com.
Last, this issue itself is rife with mind-expanding opportunities for students, scientists and nonscien-tists alike. Just to name two, see “Dark Worlds,” by Jonathan Feng and Mark Trodden, on page 38, for an
armchair journey into the invisible uni-verse. And “Climate Heretic,” by Michael D. Lemonick, offers a challenging but im-portant lesson about keeping lines of com-munication—and minds—open while dis-cussing climate science; turn to page 78.
Arno Penzias (Nobel Prize in Physics, 1978, left) and George Smoot (Nobel Prize in Physics, 2006, right) with DiChristina at Lindau in Germany.
sad1110Edit3p.indd 10 9/22/10 6:32:41 PM
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