Health NewsScience, Media, and All That
At the afternoon breakout session on Science Education and a New Generation of Civic Engagement, there was a great deal of discussion about science literacy. One point that got everyone's attention was the question of what exactly is science literacy with the follow-up being what would a successful science literacy program achieve. From there we found ourselves talking about how a a successful science literacy effort would result in certain changes in public or political behaviour. In the ensuing conversation with the panel and attendees a couple of observations emerged from around the room.
First off, was a sense that the media is at least partially to blame. After all, it is the media who put up the "iconic images" (a term that wouldn't go) to illustrate a story, and simplify it beyond recognition. While there are some inherent dangers in simplifying a complex topic, media has always been, and probably always will be, about simplification. From the earliest broadsheet newspapers, media has to have at least some degree of compactness or brevity. ( even Christmas Carol was originally serialized) If scientists want a big forum to explain a big topic they can write a book. Many do, and many do it very well.
Further at least one person pointed out, there is the problem of the media using iconic images (I promise not to say it again) such as the now familiar polar bear swimming about in the warming waters of the North to illustrate global warming. I agree this can definitely be a problem when a scientist wants to have a more sophisticated discussion. The answer to that one may take a lot of work, but it is surprisingly straightforward. Develop your own images and catch lines. Media is desperate for a few fresh outlooks and fresh takes on a number of stories that touch science.
The other point that got some attention in the discussions was that despite all the science literacy efforts, many behaviours haven't changed. We still fill up the gas guzzlers and head down to the corner store. I'll counter that however by saying that is a matter of advocacy - not literacy.
We tell people smoking is bad for you and to buckle up but they nevertheless light up the first chance they get and may still have the butt in their hand as they fly through the windshield of their car after a head on. Education does not necessarily equal change and it is not the job of educators or the media to make things change. If the science community wants to see some change they have to become advocates which was very much the message Preston Manning gave at his keynote presentation 2 hours earlier.
Now here's the kicker.
The Science 'Do List'
He got a standing ovation from a room full of scientists, people who shape science policy and students who are worried about the future of science policy. He wasn't a scientist, didn't have a Nobel prize, hadn't done reality television, and wasn't running for political office.
He was a former MP from Alberta with a big name.
Preston Manning wowed them at the Canadian Science Policy Conference as the key note luncheon speaker and left them wanting more.
His messages were simple and came with the passion he has for science advocacy.
- Scientists need to be more politically active
- They need to learn how to communicate to politicians and by extension the public
- We need a strong federal office of science
Science Policy Takes the Stage
If science is going to receive public money, somewhere along the way scientists become political. That isn't a criticism, just an observation. Yet the science community likes to aspire to loftier goals and often think that 'just trust us' is good enough.
The public doesn't always buy that, and the politicians who make decisions on the allocation of funds certainly don't always buy that. When a federal or provincial budget comes down there will inevitably be those who think they were short changed, those who think they came out pretty well, and those who think they are both wrong.
How were decision made? How were priorities set?
It usually comes down to policy and in the case of science, that policy it is not always clear.
Engineering the Future with Synthetic Biology
I spent the day at the MaRS Centre in Toronto at Engineering the Future: Synthetic Biology. There were some blue ribbon speakers talking about synthetic biology from the science perspective during the day and in the evening a public forum that looked at a few basics then moved into the societal aspects of this emerging science.
So what exactly is synthetic biology anyway?
A Day of Science and Medicine Discovery
Not everyone is going to grow up looking for a career in science. Last week at Discovery Days at the University of Alberta however, there were about 250 high school students who at least had science on their career radar. Discovery Days are organized across Canada by the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame to give students a chance to poke around a medical school, listen to a variety of presentations, and maybe get some ideas on next steps in their career choices. They generally come to Discovery Days because they want to - not because they are told to.
If you could drawn anything from the reaction in the Bernard Snell Hall, the speaker who opened the day in Edmonton on October 22nd most certainly whetted their appetite for medical career. Dr. Jonathan White even had me remembering my student days and career choices and how they may have been changed by hearing someone like him. ( Organic Chem and a few other things may have got in the way I must admit ). Dr. White spoke from the heart about growing up in Ulster, meeting the childhood sweetheart who would eventually become his wife, deciding on a medical career, and ending up in Edmonton. He was honest with the kids about the hours, the challenges, the pride in knowing you're doing something worthwhile and useful, and the emotions that come with losing a patient on the operating table.
Synthetic Biology – CSI Digested Guest post from Megan Smith Project Manager - 4D Bioinformatics, Genome Alberta
Synthetic biology when it comes to food is a hot topic these days. It seems that every grocery store shopper has an opinion about genetically modified foods, many of which are created using synthetic biology techniques. It appears that synthetic biology may have gotten an unfair reputation, however, due to a lot of inaccurate information available in mainstream media. A good example, took place during one of my favorite TV shows this past Monday.
In general, I enjoy watching the CSI series shows (Miami and Vegas, not New York). I like them, because I think it creates great exposure for technical science on TV. I appreciate the attempt to create authenticity for the audience and I choose not to dissect the generally minor inaccuracies of the show just because I have the training to do so. However, in the case of last week’s episode, and given this week’s Symposium on Synthetic Biology in Toronto, I thought it was important to set the record straight.
Shuffle on Over to GenOmics
Have you seen the latest iPod shuffle? The teeny, tiny one that talks to you? Want to win one?
Then read on.
Next week is a busy one for Genome Alberta. There is a Symposium on Synthetic Biology in Toronto which many of us are attending as it applies to work on our Synthetic Plant Biology project. The Toronto Symposium concludes with a public forum in the evening at the MaRS Centre to discuss the potential societal impacts of synthetic biology research.
There is also the Gairdner lecture and awards and the Canadian Science Policy Conference that several of the staff are attending. I'm on the organizing committee for the Science Policy Conference and I don't mind saying it is a must attend event if you have any interest at all in the future of publicly funded science in Canada. Part of my job at the conference will be to handle the media and to do a few Twitter postings and add information to our Facebook GenOmics site as the conference progresses. I'll be doing much of the same at the Synthetic Biology event as well and we want you to join us either in person or online next week to help raise some awareness about these important areas of science.
We'll also try to make it worth your while which is where the whole iPod shuffle thing comes in.
Biotech and the Balloon boy
Can you even imagine how many hours of television have been devoted to watching, analysing and dissecting the latest hoax, balloon boy? How many blogs, tweets and emails do you think have been posted on this “trending topic”? On the other hand, how many of us heard that two young Calgary students were awarded a Young Canadian Manning Innovation Award for their work in Biotechnology this year? “What?”, you say! Of course, you read about it on the Genome Alberta blog. But, I don’t think that posting went viral.
Julie and Annie meet the press
Sequencing the Thanksgiving Dinner
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating Thanksgiving in Canada today! I wondered what progress has been made in the genome sequencing of the various traditional foods we eat on this special occasion. First up, turkey. The University of Minnesota is the home of the Turkey Genome Mapping Project headed up by Dr. Kent Reed. According to their website, “the turkey genome will be assembled using shotgun fragments and short and long paired-end reads. The assembled genome will be compared with the chicken genome sequence to examine similarities and differences in genome organization”. This sequence should allow breeders to improve turkey not only in terms of meat yield and quality, but also the health and disease resistance, fertility, and reproduction of the birds. Amazingly, turkeys have already increased greatly in size since the 1920s. The average bird then was under 6 kg whereas now it is not unusual to have birds over 13.5 kg. The major contributing factor to this increase has been artificial insemination. Apparently very big birds are very poor breeders.
Looking for Influenza Susceptibility - Explained
Guest blog by:
Megan Smith, BSc
Project Manager - 4D Bioinformatics
Genome Alberta
I recently read an excellent article that is about to be published on the H1N1v infections currently occurring worldwide. There is a good easy to understand explanation of how H1N1v is effective at infecting humans that have been recently infected with the seasonal flu (or vaccinated against seasonal flu).
The article can be found in Eur J Immunol. 2009 Sep 29. [Epub ahead of print]
A novel H1N1 virus causes the first pandemic of the 21(st) Century.
Peiris JS, Tu WW, Yen HL.
Departments of Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
Looking for Influenza Susceptibility
Is it possible that genetics plays a role in our susceptibility to influenza virus? We are faced with a lot of questions at this time when we are going into not one, but two flu seasons. These questions are often in the form of a risk/benefit analysis. As individuals, probably the biggest question we need to ask ourselves is ‘what are the risk/benefits with regard to getting the influenza vaccines?’ The media has reported on a study that indicates those who received the seasonal flu vaccine last year could be more susceptible to the H1N1 flu this year. Provincial governments seem all over the map in terms of the suggestions they are giving to their citizens. What kind of research is this advice based on? And then there is the risk/benefit of the vaccine adjuvants and the reactions people may have to them. It is no wonder that individuals can be confused.