ALL1484-C First 6 Weeks Tuesday 9:00-10:20 Start Date 27-Jan
Grossman 106 Limit 25
Science rests on the scientific method, but what is the scientific method? Where did it come from? Why is it so important? How is it used to guide scientific inquiry, its interpretation and application? We will use the short book The Scientific Method (2023) by retired NASA astrophysicist Gordon Holman as our guide as we explore these questions, consider examples and learn to be scientists ourselves. Our goal is to become better informed and better able to evaluate the many scientific claims we encounter in the news or on social media.
Before and since retiring in 2023 I became interested in the public understanding of scientific research. This led me to question whether the general public has any understanding of scientific method, what it can and cannot do, why it is important and how it works in practice. I came across Dr. Holman’s book a couple of months ago and found that he has similar questions and concerns. This led to the idea of a class. In my career I made many scientific presentations to audiences ranging from Amish dairy farmers to university faculty, much of what I would call adult education. My goal is to help class members to better understand scientific method so that they will be more confident and able to evaluate the increasing flux of scientific claims they encounter in the news and on social media.
Coordinator: William Seymour
Will grew up on a small working farm near Albany, NY. His interest in agriculture led to a B.S. in Animal Science from Cornell University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Science and Nutrition at Virginia Tech. Will worked as a research manager at the Agway Farm Research Center in Tully, NY and later for two other farm cooperatives, Roche Vitamins and Novus Nutrition. He conducted and monitored research in private facilities and at land-grant universities and has authored or co-authored peer-reviewed scientific papers.
First Assignment:
Please write two paragraphs:
1. A brief self introduction to who you are, your background, your interests and so forth.
2. A brief statement of what brought you to this class and you what you hope to learn.
This will help me get to know you a little and tailor the subject matter to the members of the class. Thank you!