tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/young-scientists-30194/articlesYoung scientists – The Conversation2022-02-09T14:02:50Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1691702022-02-09T14:02:50Z2022-02-09T14:02:50ZScience academies and disciplinary groups have work to do on gender equality<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/424421/original/file-20211004-19-wvgis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Women have a valuable role to play across scientific disciplines - but can't do this without proper support.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Katleho Seisa/Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Women remain <a href="http://uis.unesco.org/sites/default/files/documents/fs55-women-in-science-2019-en.pdf">under-represented</a> in science careers and research all over the world. There are several reasons for this, including <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0270467616655951">stereotypes</a> about what kind of work women “can” or “should” do; patriarchal attitudes; and a lack of support for women pursuing science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers.</p>
<p>This isn’t just an abstract concern. Gender equality matters for many sound reasons. For one, it’s enshrined in <a href="https://www.justice.gov.za/VC/docs/international/UN%20Human%20Rights.pdf">international human rights law</a> and it is one of the <a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/">Sustainable Development Goals</a>. </p>
<p>It also makes good economic sense for countries to invest in and fully utilise their total populations. <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/141107-gender-studies-women-scientific-research-feminist">Inclusive scientific leadership</a> in which women are equally represented is best suited to the needs of modern society. Plus, valuing diversity and multiple perspectives sparks creativity and innovation. Both are important hallmarks of scientific endeavour.</p>
<p>So, how are the world’s science academies and international disciplinary associations doing when it comes to getting – and keeping – women on board as members and leaders. That’s what we set out to examine in <a href="https://genderinsite.net/sites/default/files/GenderEqualityInScience_TwoGlobalSurveys.pdf">our new study</a>. We focused on science academies and disciplinary unions because together, these organisations represent a large proportion of global scientific endeavour. They have the potential to be powerful change-makers and leaders.</p>
<p>The study followed <a href="https://www.interacademies.org/publication/women-science-inclusion-and-participation-academies-science">a 2015 survey</a> on gender inclusion in academies. This allowed us to pinpoint whether and how academies had made any progress in certain areas. There were some encouraging findings: for example, women’s membership of academies increased from 13% to 17% and women’s leadership on governing bodies from 21% to 29%. Young academies, which generally represent early career scientists, fared far better than their senior counterparts, which is a promising sign for the future.</p>
<p>But there’s still plenty for young academies to do. Most still have less than a quarter women’s representation, though there was one bright spot: <a href="https://www.sayas.org.za/">South Africa’s Young Academy of Science</a> is ranked highest in the world when it comes to female membership; 57% of its members are women. </p>
<p>The report sets out several recommendations for furthering gender representation and equality globally. These include developing and maintaining a central repository of gender-related policies and actions as well as working intensively with disciplinary associations where improvement is needed in women’s representation. </p>
<h2>Key findings</h2>
<p>The study was coordinated by <a href="https://genderinsite.net/">GenderInSITE</a> (Gender in Science, Innovation, Technology and Engineering), an initiative aimed at promoting the role of women in these disciplines and demonstrating how the application of a “gender lens” leads to more effective, equitable and sustainable development. It was a collaboration with the <a href="https://www.interacademies.org/">InterAcademy Partnership</a> and the <a href="https://council.science/">International Science Council</a>. </p>
<p>The academies and disciplinary organisations surveyed are all members of the InterAcademy Partnership or the International Science Council. In total, they represent more than 250 unique organisations. That means the results we collected provide important baseline information for taking transformative action at a global level.</p>
<p>Here are some of the key findings:</p>
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<li><p>Young academies are setting the pace when it comes to gender equality. On average, women’s share of their membership is 42%; ten young academies are ranked ahead of the highest ranked senior academy in terms of percentage of women members.</p></li>
<li><p>The highest ranked senior academy is the Academy of Sciences of Cuba. It increased its share from 27% in 2015 to 33% in 2020.</p></li>
<li><p>There are big disciplinary differences in women’s representation. This perpetuates <a href="https://theconversation.com/more-women-in-a-stem-field-leads-people-to-label-it-as-a-soft-science-according-to-new-research-173724">familiar patterns</a> evident also in women’s representation in research fields. For instance, representation was relatively higher in biological sciences (28%) and social sciences, humanities and arts (27%). It was lowest in the mathematical sciences (8%).</p></li>
<li><p>The Tanzania Academy of Sciences was among those academies that grew their representation of female scientists the most, increasing from 4% in 2015 to 12% in 2020. The Ethiopian Academy of Sciences now has the lowest representation of women members on the continent, at 9%. </p></li>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-must-include-more-women-in-physics-it-would-help-the-whole-of-humanity-165096">We must include more women in physics — it would help the whole of humanity</a>
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<p>We also found a big divide between actions and words. For instance, 68% of international disciplinary organisations said they were committed to diversity and inclusivity. But only 32% said they were taking action by, for instance, developing policies that would drive diversity and inclusion. Only 16% of these organisations reported that they had a budget for activities related to gender equality. </p>
<p>One of our most disappointing findings was that only six science academies of the 72 that participated last time discussed the 2015 survey report and its recommendations at a strategic planning session. This has prompted us to recommend that the IAP and ISC establish centralised monitoring and evaluation frameworks that require regular reporting of gender statistics by their member organisations. </p>
<h2>Recommendations</h2>
<p>The new survey contains a number of recommendations, which GenderInSITE, the InterAcademy Partnership and the International Science Council are committed to taking forward. </p>
<p>One of our next steps is to extend the survey to other global science organisations. This will contribute to a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of gender equality in global science. The report also recommends developing and maintaining a central repository of gender-related policies and actions as a way of encouraging those organisations committed to gender transformation to learn from best practice examples. </p>
<p>GenderInSITE, the InterAcademy Partnership and the International Science Council have all committed to using their regional presences to gain insights and advance the gender equality agenda. This is especially so in countries or regions that are lagging. The same sort of work will be undertaken in disciplines that have been found wanting in terms of women’s representation.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/moves-are-afoot-in-africa-to-keep-more-women-in-science-careers-133641">Moves are afoot in Africa to keep more women in science careers</a>
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<p>Our three organisations will also establish centralised monitoring and evaluation frameworks that require regular reporting of relevant gender statistics by our member organisations. This reporting will happen at a high strategic level. In this way, we hope that gender transformation is prioritised.</p>
<p>It’s also important to note that we’re not merely focusing on numbers, since these are only part of the picture. Science academies and disciplinary organisations are also being encouraged to focus on making diversity and inclusion central to their institutional cultures.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169170/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Roseanne Denise Diab receives funding from The Elsevier Foundation</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter McGrath works for the IAP, which receives core funding from the Government of Italy</span></em></p>Young academies, which generally represent early career scientists, fared far better than their senior counterparts - a promising sign for the future.Roseanne Denise Diab, Director: GenderInSITE, UnescoPeter McGrath, Researcher, Biosciences, The InterAcademy PartnershipLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1336892020-03-18T12:04:24Z2020-03-18T12:04:24ZCoronavirus: Social distancing is delaying vital scientific research<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321161/original/file-20200317-60885-jkhi1l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=364%2C314%2C3640%2C2483&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many scientists have had to hang up their lab coats and go home.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/cancer-research-laboratory-row-of-lab-coats-royalty-free-image/544457023">Jonathan Pow/Cultura via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Scientists are facing stiff headwinds from the rapid spread of COVID-19.</p>
<p>The coronavirus has been declared a <a href="https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020">pandemic</a> by the World Health Organization and a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/13/politics/donald-trump-emergency/index.html">national emergency</a> in the U.S. While the impact of the pandemic on scientific research pales compared to its effect on human health and lives lost, it’s still affecting the vitality of an essential component of the modern world.</p>
<p>Universities around the country are the <a href="https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44307.pdf">engines of research</a> in the United States. They perform nearly half of the basic research and nearly one fifth of the applied research, totaling US$67 billion in 2018. Already, many <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/03/09/813750481/more-than-20-colleges-cancel-in-person-classes-in-response-to-coronavirus">universities have canceled classes or moved them online</a>, and many have made contingency plans for complete closure. Exceptions will only be made for essential functions.</p>
<p>Which raises the question: Is scientific research essential? It’s not as essential as maintaining core health and human services, but as an <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=OrRLRQ4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">expert in physics and astronomy</a>, I’d argue that it’s more essential than sporting events or rock concerts, as much as I enjoy both. <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/localizing-the-economic-impact-of-research-and-development/">One half of America’s economic growth</a> can be attributed to scientific and technological innovation.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321163/original/file-20200317-60871-xrc29h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321163/original/file-20200317-60871-xrc29h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/321163/original/file-20200317-60871-xrc29h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321163/original/file-20200317-60871-xrc29h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321163/original/file-20200317-60871-xrc29h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=408&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321163/original/file-20200317-60871-xrc29h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321163/original/file-20200317-60871-xrc29h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/321163/original/file-20200317-60871-xrc29h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Teaching has moved online, but lots of research can’t do the same.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/empty-laboratory-in-high-school-royalty-free-image/1133574111">baona/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>What’s not getting done</h2>
<p>Just on my campus at the <a href="https://provost.arizona.edu/news/2020/03/covid-19-campus-mitigation-plan-events-meetings-and-gatherings">University of Arizona</a>, which is typical of large American <a href="https://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/classification_descriptions/basic.php">Research 1 universities</a>, a list of actions that affect research includes: suspension of all meetings with more than four people, suspension of all nonessential travel and plans for the closure of almost all labs and research facilities.</p>
<p>This a huge hit on the professional development of young scientists. It means that in <a href="https://www.as.arizona.edu/">my department</a>, we can’t have colloquia or seminars or journal clubs. We can’t bring prospective graduate students to visit. We can’t have face-to-face meetings of research groups or even thesis committees. We can’t advise our students one-on-one. All these are venues where young people learn their craft and prepare to become independent researchers.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2366/Research-Universities.html">250 research universities</a> and thousands of labs across the country, <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/14/coronavirus-pandemic-forces-research-labs-shut-down/">it’s the same story</a>. At Boston University, biomedical engineer Catherine Klapperich reported to STAT that she’s canceling lab meetings, and that she can’t run experiments overnight, in case one day she isn’t allowed back in the building. Harvard biology professor Richard Lee told STAT he will ensure the mice in his lab are cared for, but he won’t be able to do experiments and his students may not be able to finish their thesis research. Harvard labs are all <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/3/13/harvard-coronavirus-research-interruptions/">closed for two months</a>, but at other universities it’s an open-ended closure, which is very disruptive to planning and executing research projects.</p>
<p>A glimpse of what lies ahead come from Italy, <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/updated-labs-go-quiet-researchers-brace-long-term-coronavirus-disruptions">which is under lockdown</a>. According to Science magazine, University of Pavia biologist Federico Forneris has mostly shut down his lab and may shift his research to computational biology, which can be done remotely. Geneticist Alberto Bardelli at the University of Turin, told Science that for him it’s a similar story. And in a bitter irony, he’s been stalled in his efforts to develop a diagnostic test for the coronavirus.</p>
<p>Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the premier journal Science, <a href="https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/14/coronavirus-pandemic-forces-research-labs-shut-down/">sums it up</a> succinctly: “We’re going to lose a lot of science.”</p>
<h2>Gatherings aren’t happening</h2>
<p>Another dramatic effect of the pandemic is the mass cancellation of conferences. </p>
<p>Organizers pulled the plug on <a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/science/story/2020-03-06/major-science-conferences-canceled-at-ucsd-scripps-research-due-to-coronavirus">Experimental Biology</a>, due to host 12,000 people in San Diego.</p>
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<p>The <a href="https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-fears-cancel-physics-conference.html">American Physical Society</a> was expecting 11,000 people in Denver, but canceled with one day’s notice, leaving many who had already arrived high and dry. Over <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/coronavirus-tech-conference-cancellations-e3-nab-gartner-dell-world-and-more/">65 technology conferences</a> have been canceled, postponed, or will go virtual. The <a href="https://www.nih.gov/health-information/nih-guidance-travel-meetings">National Institutes of Health</a> hosts or sponsors hundreds of meetings per year; they’ve suspended all live events until the end of April.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-07779-y">Virtual meetings were on the rise</a> even before COVID-19 hit. Going online helps scientists reduce their carbon footprint, so why not embrace this trend? </p>
<p>Because young scientists use meetings to <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-coronavirus-is-hampering-science/">hunt for jobs and get their work known</a>. Young scientists have fresh ideas, and they’re ambitious and highly productive. If they suffer, the entire enterprise suffers.</p>
<p>Louise Prockter, co-chair of a recently canceled meeting on planetary science, told Scientific American, “They don’t have that opportunity to show off their science and network.” Karen Daniels, a physicist hit by the cancellation of the large Denver meeting, echoed this to the magazine saying, “You also go there to sit in the hallways and talk about what you just heard and your new ideas and what’s working and what’s not working.”</p>
<p>On paper, in any competitive field, everyone looks good. The way a young scientist shines is by giving a compelling talk, by fielding tough questions from their peers and by holding their own in a one-on-one with a senior scientist. <a href="http://www.richtmann.org/journal/index.php/jesr/article/view/10431">Research supports the idea</a> that in-person interactions are valuable.</p>
<p>Meetings matter. Without science’s social dimension, something valuable is lost.</p>
<h2>Lessons to take forward</h2>
<p>Is there a silver lining to this bleak picture? Yes. The imperative to share health data on COVID-19 will add to the pressure on academic journals to provide <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/global-officials-call-free-access-covid-19-research/">free access to research results</a>. The for-profit publishing sector is already feeling heat, and the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-03-03/covid-19-open-science">push for open access</a> may become irresistible. Shared data is the fuel for scientific progress because small research groups can turn into large worldwide teams solving challenging problems. </p>
<p>Federal agencies such as the <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2020/nsf20052/nsf20052.jsp?org=NSF">National Science Foundation</a> have announced new funding opportunities, not just for medical research, but also for enhancing the cyber infrastructure to deal with health crises. New investments will focus on early warning, risk mitigation and resilience in dealing with pandemics like this one. Because the only certainty is that there will be another one.</p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/133689/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Impey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With travel halted and universities and research institutions shutting down, scientists are having trouble keeping their research running. Here’s why that matters outside the lab.Chris Impey, University Distinguished Professor of Astronomy, University of ArizonaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1242142019-10-03T12:56:49Z2019-10-03T12:56:49ZScience needs myths to thrive<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295463/original/file-20191003-52801-1hnlxse.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C1065%2C720&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://pixabay.com/photos/poseidon-god-god-of-the-sea-3132730/">Atlantios + saylow/Pixabay</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>I can still remember the horror of discovering that everything I had worked on was wrong. I was a PhD candidate just starting my second year, and my supervisor and I had developed a test for rheumatoid arthritis which seemed a revelation. We wrote a paper for a prestigious journal but just before we sent it off, we decided to do one more experiment to check we were correct.</p>
<p>We weren’t. Everything that I had done in the last year was ruined and I had to start an entirely new research topic. It was a tough but valuable lesson for a young scientist – you should always go further to test your ideas.</p>
<p>That was 35 years ago, and I wonder if someone starting out as a researcher today would be encouraged as I was to go the extra mile. Does the incessant drive to publish and measure outcomes mean that researchers are under pressure to cut corners, and have less time and freedom to pursue their ideas?</p>
<p>The Wellcome Trust – one of the world’s largest funders of health research – recently <a href="https://wellcome.ac.uk/what-we-do/our-work/research-culture">launched a review of research culture</a>, to find out if research has become so hyper-competitive that it “cares exclusively about <a href="https://wellcome.ac.uk/news/why-we-need-reimagine-how-we-do-research">what is achieved and not about how it is achieved</a>”.</p>
<p>What helped me develop as a researcher was reading stories about <a href="https://www.immunology.org/peter-medawars-advice-young-scientist-1979">those who came before me</a>. For scientific research to be successful in the long term, I think researchers need a strong set of values, including an unwavering commitment to the truth, and a drive to test any idea to destruction.</p>
<p>Though they may seem opposed to the ideals of the rigorous scientific method, the best way of instilling these values is, as ever, through the stories and myths that we tell ourselves.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/myth-about-how-science-progresses-is-built-on-a-misreading-of-the-story-of-penicillin-120990">Myth about how science progresses is built on a misreading of the story of penicillin</a>
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<h2>The power of stories</h2>
<p>In ancient times, people would sit around their fires at night and tell stories. Stories about their creation, stories of great deeds and feats, and stories that rehearsed how people interacted with each other and the world they lived in. One of the oldest of these still to be read is the ancient Greek Illiad of Homer.</p>
<p>The story explores what it means to be a warrior and leader, how people should accept fate, achieve fame and the consequences of pride and anger. Young people listening to those stories learned what was expected of them, reinforcing the collective values and beliefs of society.</p>
<p>In the modern world, myths and stories still have an important role to play – even in scientific research. Scientists have stories about important people and great events in science, such as the <a href="https://theconversation.com/myth-about-how-science-progresses-is-built-on-a-misreading-of-the-story-of-penicillin-120990">discovery of penicillin</a>, <a href="https://www.weidenfeldandnicolson.co.uk/titles/james-watson/the-double-helix/9781780225029/">uncovering the structure of DNA</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/judging-jenner-was-his-smallpox-experiment-really-unethical-54362">the development of vaccines</a> and the battles that Galileo and early proponents of a sun-centred model of the solar system <a href="http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1675/2/copernicus-galileo-and-the-church-science-in-a-religious-world">fought with the reactionary forces of the Church</a>. Together, these stories help young scientists understand the collective benefits of research that go beyond personal advancement and success.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295425/original/file-20191003-52837-t6hy5n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295425/original/file-20191003-52837-t6hy5n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=347&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295425/original/file-20191003-52837-t6hy5n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=347&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295425/original/file-20191003-52837-t6hy5n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=347&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295425/original/file-20191003-52837-t6hy5n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295425/original/file-20191003-52837-t6hy5n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295425/original/file-20191003-52837-t6hy5n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A positive research culture should prize curiosity and a view to the greater good.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/nKNrOZ5MXZY">Vlad Tchompalov/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<p>These scientific myths are based on reality, though sometimes <a href="https://theconversation.com/myth-about-how-science-progresses-is-built-on-a-misreading-of-the-story-of-penicillin-120990">strict historical accuracy has been sacrificed</a> to better make a particular point. In a similar manner, the stories of Homer would have been based on real events – such as the Trojan wars – but they evolved in the storytelling. It’s unlikely the Trojan Horse really was a large-scale model of a horse that soldiers hid in. </p>
<h2>The future of science</h2>
<p>It’s important to recognise that how we do research has changed. This was brought home to me recently when I reread <a href="https://www.booklibrarian.com/pdfepub/the-pursuit-of-nature">The Pursuit of Nature</a>, the story of some of the great Cambridge physiologists of the mid-20th century. I was lucky to be taught by one of the authors, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituaries-professor-sir-alan-hodgkin-1044924.html">Alan Hodgkin</a>, who won the Nobel prize for working out how nerve cells transmitted electrical impulses. He started his work on nerves in the second year of his undergraduate studies, and built his own equipment out of biscuit tins.</p>
<p>Nowadays to succeed you must win big grants and build up a research team. Often more than 20 authors will contribute to a research paper. Hodgkin only ever had a few people working in his team and was more likely to publish with one or two close colleagues.</p>
<p>This “industrialisation” of science is right and necessary. It has accelerated the impact of research in society and allowed scientists to discover and develop new technologies. There is probably nothing left that can be discovered using equipment made from biscuit tins. But amid all this change, we haven’t adapted the way in which we instil the ethics and values of science and research into young researchers.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295432/original/file-20191003-52826-19wy5p4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/295432/original/file-20191003-52826-19wy5p4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295432/original/file-20191003-52826-19wy5p4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295432/original/file-20191003-52826-19wy5p4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295432/original/file-20191003-52826-19wy5p4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295432/original/file-20191003-52826-19wy5p4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/295432/original/file-20191003-52826-19wy5p4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=599&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A stamp printed in Niger circa 1977 celebrates Alan Hodgkin’s Nobel Prize in Physiology.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/niger-circa-1977-stamp-printed-shows-129230735?src=zVIyIGOQmIzpmKezt7b8pQ-1-0">Neftali/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When I was an undergraduate and PhD candidate, my supervisor worked on the lab bench. We had coffee and tea together every day. I learned from her, and colleagues, what it meant to be a scientist. Today, the interaction between supervisors and junior researchers tends to be more transactional, about the experiments and data. There is less time for the apprenticeship of research.</p>
<p>Of course, there is training in how to do research. Graduate schools and doctoral training centres have raised standards in the education of PhD candidates. But I doubt that many people develop their values and moral compass from PowerPoint presentations. </p>
<p>In my own life, the popular myths of great scientists fed a culture that cherished curiosity as a good all on its own. We need to develop these stories, curating them by selecting those that are appropriate and developing new ones that make useful points. As scientists, with a commitment to the truth, we should also ensure that they are accurate representations of reality that also reflect <a href="https://theconversation.com/rosalind-franklin-still-doesnt-get-the-recognition-she-deserves-for-her-dna-discovery-95536">the collective endeavour</a>, rather than the supposed genius of a few white men.</p>
<p>All cultures need their myths, and each lab needs its lore.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124214/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew George has in the past received funding for his research from the Wellcome Trust. He is Chair of Imperial College Health Partners and a Non-Executive Director of the Health Research Authority and Health Education England.</span></em></p>Research is more profitable and productive than ever before, but it risks losing its sense of values and ethics.Andrew George, Emeritus Professor, Brunel University LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1207882019-07-24T14:43:43Z2019-07-24T14:43:43ZHow Africa’s science academies can help drive sustainable development<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285123/original/file-20190722-11318-1ozowjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Scientists and medical practitioners can help turn goals into reality, such as through vaccine programmes.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rebecca Hall/CDC/CDC Connects</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many African countries have <a href="http://unsdsn.org/resources/publications/2019-africa-sdg-index-and-dashboards-report/">a long way to go</a> to meet the <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300">sustainable development goals</a>. These goals, set by the United Nations, call for all countries to develop their economies by 2030. This should happen sustainably and inclusively. At the same time, human rights and the environment must be protected.</p>
<p>But most countries in Africa are <a href="http://unsdsn.org/resources/publications/2019-africa-sdg-index-and-dashboards-report/">lagging behind</a> or even stagnating when it comes to realising these goals. One of the reasons for this is that countries are not using enough rigorous research or developing policies informed by accurate scientific evidence. </p>
<p>This is a shortcoming that must be addressed. Policymakers, scientists and knowledge providers like science academies and research houses must work together to ensure that public policy is as fit-for-purpose as it can be.</p>
<p>Evidence-informed policymaking is <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-science-matters-so-much-in-the-era-of-fake-news-and-fallacies-113298">more important than ever</a>. We’re living in a world where <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-people-favor-opinion-over-scientific-evidence/">opinion matters</a> more than fact. In <a href="https://www.livescience.com/57590-why-americans-deny-science.html">some countries</a>, evidence and expertise are valued less than at any other time in history.</p>
<p>With this in mind, <a href="http://www.interacademies.org/56874/SEM_for_Africa">a new report</a> has been released that calls on African governments to invest in and apply science, engineering and medicine more systematically to try and address sustainable development issues. It also encourages the continent’s science community to be more proactive in helping to accelerate Africa’s development.</p>
<p>The report was compiled by the <a href="http://www.interacademies.org/">InterAcademy Partnership</a>. This is a global network of more than 140 academics of science, engineering and medicine. One of the report’s key recommendations is that science academies have a crucial role to play in developing ways for scientists to engage more effectively with the African Union and United Nations at continental, regional and national levels.</p>
<h2>Key recommendations</h2>
<p>Science academies represent some of their countries’ best scientists. They also operate independently of governments. Academies collaborate on issues of local, regional and global importance: food security, <a href="https://skepticalscience.com/joint-statements-on-climate-change-from-nas-around-world.html">climate change</a>, health and water security. </p>
<p>There are national academies of science in 27 African countries and young academies in 13 countries on the continent. <a href="https://globalyoungacademy.net/national-young-academies/">Young academies</a> cater for academics who are just starting their careers.</p>
<p>In keeping with the report’s focus on science academies, it was formally released this week at a workshop hosted by the <a href="https://assaf.org.za/">Academy of Science of South Africa</a> that dealt with <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg6">sustainable development goal 6</a>: clean water and sanitation.</p>
<p>These are the report’s central recommendations:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>policymakers and science academies must work openly and inclusively together to ensure that evidence informs policy formulation, implementation and review;</p></li>
<li><p>more opportunities should be created to bring scientists and policymakers together. This could happen through, for instance, fellowships or secondments;</p></li>
<li><p>programmes that engage the African science diaspora and develop science policy leadership should be scaled up; and,</p></li>
<li><p>cooperation should be strengthened between academies of established “senior” scientists and early career “young” scientists. Young academies are especially effective at engaging with universities, schools and the public.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>If these recommendations are adopted, the science community will be in a strong position to ensure that the best, most appropriate science produced in African countries is used to help the continent’s development. Policymakers, in turn, will be more likely to formulate policies that work.</p>
<h2>Support</h2>
<p>Ultimately, it is anticipated that this report will help the continent’s science community navigate its way around the complex policy mechanisms and processes of the United Nations, African Union and national governments. </p>
<p>By the same token, it will empower policymakers to navigate their way around the complex science landscape. This will mean that instead of these communities talking at each other, they talk to and with each other.</p>
<p><em>Dr Tracey Elliott, Project Director of the InterAcademy Partnership, co-authored this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120788/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Himla Soodyall receives funding from the Department of Science and Technology, InterAcademy Partnership and the Carneige Foundation.</span></em></p>Science academies have a crucial role to play in developing ways for scientists to engage more effectively.Himla Soodyall, Executive Officer of ASSAF; Professor of Genetics Research at the University of Witwatersrand, Academy of Science of South AfricaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/974042018-08-21T13:44:31Z2018-08-21T13:44:31ZWhat’s stopping young African scientists from achieving their potential<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231643/original/file-20180813-2894-mxi5d9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Young African scientists face persistent barriers which cause them to leave academia.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/WAYHOME studio</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Young African scientists face <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-africa-is-tackling-next-generation-fears-in-academia-49057">persistent barriers</a> which cause them to leave their own countries, and even academia. This means the continent’s work force loses highly trained people who are crucial for scientific and technological advancement, and for economic development.</p>
<p>It’s estimated that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4637331/">20,000 highly</a> educated professionals leave the continent annually, with <a href="http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20081214092057738">up to 30%</a> of Africa’s scientists among them. </p>
<p>A number of factors contribute to this trend. The extreme factors include war and political instability. But the more common “pushes” are a desire for higher pay, better opportunities, and the search for a conducive research environment – one where infrastructure and management help drive careers and research potential.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232444/original/file-20180817-165946-lfdsz5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/232444/original/file-20180817-165946-lfdsz5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232444/original/file-20180817-165946-lfdsz5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232444/original/file-20180817-165946-lfdsz5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=302&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232444/original/file-20180817-165946-lfdsz5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232444/original/file-20180817-165946-lfdsz5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/232444/original/file-20180817-165946-lfdsz5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Movement of survey respondents within and out of Africa over the last 10 years.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Generated by Hsin-Chou Yang and Chia-Wei. Not publicly available</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To identify all the barriers and develop strategies to address them, the <a href="https://globalyoungacademy.net/">Global Young Academy</a> – an organisation of 200 talented young scientists and over 200 alumni from 83 countries – established the Global State of Young Scientists (<a href="https://globalyoungacademy.net/activities/the-global-state-of-young-scientists/">GloSYS</a>) Africa project. Working with <a href="https://globalyoungacademy.net/global-state-of-young-scientists-project-researchers-meet-in-morocco/">local research partners</a> and international higher education experts, the project aims to identify the challenges and motivations that shape young scientists’ career trajectories. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/222521/original/file-20180611-191965-1d2jpyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/222521/original/file-20180611-191965-1d2jpyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/222521/original/file-20180611-191965-1d2jpyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=208&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222521/original/file-20180611-191965-1d2jpyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=208&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222521/original/file-20180611-191965-1d2jpyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=208&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222521/original/file-20180611-191965-1d2jpyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=261&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222521/original/file-20180611-191965-1d2jpyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=261&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/222521/original/file-20180611-191965-1d2jpyw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=261&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Global Young Academy members ran a GloSYS workshop at the Next Einstein Forum Global Gathering in Kigali.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nexteinsteinforum/albums/72157693278337691">NextEinsteinForum/flickr</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Our initial findings point to a lack of mentoring, resources and funding as key issues young scientists face across the continent. Using this data, we will be able to identify critical areas in which young scientists need support and develop innovative strategies to alleviate these challenges.</p>
<p>The project comes at an important time as, over the past few years, African countries have initiated programmes to <a href="http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20090529112249793">increase</a> the number of PhD graduates. But if governments don’t simultaneously develop support structures for graduates, and increase access to critical teaching and research infrastructure, these young scientists are set up to fail. </p>
<h2>The study</h2>
<p>The Global State of Young Scientists Africa project, uses an <a href="https://glosys.typeform.com/to/Cup20s">online survey</a> (which is currently open to respondents) and in-depth interviews to gather as much detail as possible. It looks at young scientists’ motivations, career ambitions and the barriers they experience in fulfilling their career aspirations.</p>
<p>It targets researchers and scholars who have earned a Masters or PhD within the last 10 years, irrespective of their current employment status and sector. It’s also open to current PhD students in Africa and African scientists and scholars currently living in the diaspora. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lFoTmEaPLGc?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>Having this wide range of participants means the data will reflect a broad range of experiences. From early-career researchers with a history of moving within and out of Africa, to those who have never left their home countries. From department heads, to researchers who have trouble finding work despite their high qualifications. The team is also particularly interested in hearing from early career researchers outside of academia, as this helps us understand their reasons for not pursuing a career in research.</p>
<p>From our preliminary survey results – drawn from more than 700 young scientists’ responses – we have found that, even with diverse backgrounds, early-career researchers have a great deal in common. A lack of mentoring, infrastructure, resources (staff and material) and funding for research and resources are key reasons for not pursuing a career in academia. There is also a strong desire for more training in grant writing and professional skills.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231583/original/file-20180812-2909-wl2a21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231583/original/file-20180812-2909-wl2a21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/231583/original/file-20180812-2909-wl2a21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231583/original/file-20180812-2909-wl2a21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231583/original/file-20180812-2909-wl2a21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=390&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231583/original/file-20180812-2909-wl2a21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231583/original/file-20180812-2909-wl2a21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/231583/original/file-20180812-2909-wl2a21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Career challenges young scientists from Africa are experiencing.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Using this information, the GYA plans to develop programmes to address the challenges, as we’ve previously done. </p>
<p>This is the third survey done under the Global State of Young Scientists umbrella. The first was a global <a href="https://globalyoungacademy.net/publications/the-global-state-of-young-scientists/">study</a> of young scientists from 14 countries across five continents. The second was a regional study which focused on <a href="https://globalyoungacademy.net/publications/the-global-state-of-young-scientists-in-asean/">four Southeast Asian countries</a>. </p>
<p>A major challenge identified from those two studies was the desire for training in leadership skills. As these young scientists began to grow their own research groups they needed the tools to deal with the challenges of integrating research, teaching, and fundraising. In response, Global Young Academy members developed and implemented science leadership programmes in <a href="http://www.futureafrica.science/index.php/leadership-programmes/aslp">Africa</a> and <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/First-Science-Leadership-Programme-for-Asean-30290867.html">Asia</a>, in collaboration with creative facilitators <a href="http://knowinnovation.com/">KnowInnovation</a> and <a href="http://www.futureafrica.science/">Future Africa</a>. </p>
<p>Obtaining these new skills created an incentive for the young scientists to pursue their career in academia. The fellows found, for instance, the science leadership programmes to be one to the most significant workshops of their careers. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MgoqpaCac4I?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Anecdotes from fellows of the Africa Science Leadership Program.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>From barriers to action</h2>
<p>The African leg of the survey continues. Once common challenges have been identified, the team will then work with policymakers in Africa as well as with international funding bodies to develop evidence-based initiatives to address them.</p>
<p>It’s hoped that the Global State of Young Scientists Africa project will highlight further areas of need, so that the Academy can develop new innovative programmes in collaboration with science and education policymakers to improve young African scientists’ prospects.</p>
<p><em>Early career researchers from and in Africa can become involved by taking the <a href="https://glosys.typeform.com/to/Cup20s">GloSYS Africa survey</a>. The survey will remain open until mid September 2018 with results to be published at the beginning of 2019.</em></p>
<p><strong><em>Marie Luise Neumann, GloSYS project researcher for the Global Young Academy assisted in the writing of this article</em>. <em>Mobility data analysis was conducted by Dr Hsin-Chou Yang and his research team at the Institute of Statistical Science Academia Sinica, Taiwan</em></strong></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/97404/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The GloSYS study receives funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Wellcome Trust.
Anna Coussens receives funding from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, South African MRC, US National Institute of Heath. She is affiliated with the Global Young Academy and is a Laboratory Head at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Abidemi James Akindele, Badre Abdeslam, Fridah Kanana, and Mona Khoury-Kassabri do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Global State of Young Scientists Africa project investigates the challenges that shape the career trajectories of young African scientists.Anna Coussens, Honorary Associate Professor in Medical Microbiology, University of Cape TownAbidemi James Akindele, Lecturer, University of LagosBadre Abdeslam, Professor, Social Sciences, Université Mohammed V de RabatFridah Kanana, Senior lecturer, Kenyatta UniversityMona Khoury-Kassabri, Postdoctoral fellow, Hebrew University of JerusalemLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/702882017-01-17T17:10:41Z2017-01-17T17:10:41ZScience must grow young advocates if it wants to connect with the real world<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152413/original/image-20170111-4604-1at7o4b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children need to learn that science is worth getting excited about.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mike Hutchings/Reuters</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Science needs more “<a href="http://www.nature.com/news/let-researchers-try-new-paths-1.20857">academic hybrids</a>”: scientists who buck the stereotype of working in silos. This way of thinking must be broken if the narrative around the reality of science’s role in improving society for future generations is to change.</p>
<p>Education will be the key to smashing this stereotype, as will the creation of advocates – ordinary people who grasp just how important science is and how it can be used to change their own and their neighbours’ lives.</p>
<p>For science to have an impact there must be a genuine will to harness and implement its advances. This requires promoting a greater understanding of science in broader society: to equip people to act as advocates and place pressure on their governments to implement advances that could improve their quality of life. </p>
<p>Scientists can help create these advocates and get young people especially thinking differently about what science can be and what its many practical applications are in their own lives and countries.</p>
<p>Education is key. </p>
<h2>Helping kids think differently about science</h2>
<p>Countries need to rethink how science is taught and how to introduce children to its relevance in society and in their own daily lives.</p>
<p>This might involve connecting the fundamentals of science to everyday examples of how they have been applied, or presenting examples that are relevant to their particular society and that address its challenges. Children could learn about famous scientists who came from their countries or communities, and about the amazing discoveries they made.</p>
<p>Pupils shouldn’t just learn about the positive side of science. What’s needed is a generation of advocates who understand science’s benefits, appreciate its pitfalls and can help bring it to life for ordinary people. </p>
<p>So how do working scientists find and nurture these advocates? Sometimes all it takes is inviting pupils along to a meeting that might traditionally only feature scientists, policy makers and journalists. This was the lesson I took away from the 2015 South African Young Academy of Science Science and Society in Africa <a href="http://fact-fiction-media-science.tumblr.com/final-programme">symposium</a>, where high school pupils made thoughtful, important contributions.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152522/original/image-20170112-25870-1dnn8k5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152522/original/image-20170112-25870-1dnn8k5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/152522/original/image-20170112-25870-1dnn8k5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152522/original/image-20170112-25870-1dnn8k5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152522/original/image-20170112-25870-1dnn8k5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152522/original/image-20170112-25870-1dnn8k5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152522/original/image-20170112-25870-1dnn8k5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/152522/original/image-20170112-25870-1dnn8k5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">COSAT pupils Kuhle Speelman, Khanyisile Ngcolo, Jabulile Thwala and Thokozani Nqwili put scientists through their paces.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ed Young</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>One was a young man who attended a Cape Town high school that <a href="http://www.cosat.co.za/">specialises in science</a>. His classmates were at the symposium and had prerecorded interviews with their peers addressing the question: “What is science’s contribution to society?” </p>
<p>Here’s what the young man said in response to that vexing question:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I don’t see any solutions from science to society’s problems because science is about theory and not practice; and society’s problems are practical.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>His response was played during a panel discussion involving working scientists and pupils. The pupils agreed with that assessment. The scientists, meanwhile, unanimously agreed that science can improve lives in areas as diverse as renewable energy and health care. But, they warned, this potential can only be realised when in the hands of people interested in advancing the common good for society and in applying science as a tool to solve societal problems. </p>
<p>The symposium aimed to promote meaningful engagement between scientists and broader society. I found it striking that pupils at a high school dedicated to science still perceive scientists as sitting in silos while everyone else gets on with real life. </p>
<h2>Making science matter to many</h2>
<p>I was reminded of that discussion – and what it tells us about society’s views of science – while attending the <a href="http://www.sfsa.co.za/">Science Forum South Africa</a> meeting at the end of 2016 in Pretoria. The forum was organised by the country’s Department of Science and Technology and its theme was “Igniting conversations about science”. </p>
<p>It was a valuable opportunity to reflect on how so many people think about science. It was also a chance to push a very important endeavour: encouraging Africa’s scientists to ensure that their research is able to genuinely address society’s issues, then to communicate it in such a way that ordinary people grasp what science really means to them. </p>
<p>But beyond these spaces, scientists have a lot of work to do to repair the disconnect between what the next generation understands to be the potential for science to contribute to African development and the perceived reality of what science does. Now, more than ever, my colleagues and I need to continue to strive to break those academic stereotypes if we are to change the narrative around the role of science for society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/70288/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tolullah Oni receives funding from the South African National Research Foundation </span></em></p>For science to have an impact there must be a genuine will to implement its advances. This requires promoting a greater understanding of science in broader society.Tolullah Oni, Associate Professor at the School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape TownLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/689882016-11-23T21:03:02Z2016-11-23T21:03:02ZAfrica’s health won’t improve without reliable data and collaboration<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/146367/original/image-20161117-18123-mud2pw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children play alongside stagnant water and rubbish in Lagos, Nigeria.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">George Esiri/Reuters</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Universal Declaration of Human Rights <a href="http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/">asserts</a> that “all people are born equal in dignity and rights”. Sadly, this statement doesn’t reflect billions of people’s daily lives. Health is one of the areas in which many – if not most – people have no real rights.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.who.int/social_determinants/en/">Social determinants of health</a>, as defined by the World Health Organisation, are “the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life”. These systems and forces include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms and policies, and political systems.</p>
<p>It’s clear, then, that social determinants can negatively affect health. The poor are denied basic needs that would keep them healthy: access to good quality food, shelter, clean water, sanitation and proper clothing. They have limited access to medical care, education and finance. </p>
<p>All of these drive health inequity – systematic disparities in health between social groups who have different levels of underlying social advantage or disadvantage. </p>
<p>Africa’s young scientists know that health inequity poses a major obstacle to improving population health and well-being. That’s why representatives from some of the continent’s Young Academies of Science met in Johannesburg in early November 2016 to discuss the issue. The young academies represented at the meeting were from Nigeria, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, Senegal and Zimbabwe.</p>
<p>We discussed a number of problems that cause health inequity in Africa. Then we collectively drew up some solutions. The <a href="http://www.sayas.org.za/">full statement</a> has been made available online, but here we’d like to focus on two issues: data limitations and an inability to scale up health innovations.</p>
<p>If these can be systematically addressed, we believe that the continent will take great strides towards keeping its populations healthy.</p>
<h2>Data limitations</h2>
<p>Africa has <a href="https://theconversation.com/poor-data-affects-africas-ability-to-make-the-right-policy-decisions-64064">a data problem</a>. This is true in many sectors. When it comes <a href="https://theconversation.com/without-good-data-africa-will-find-it-hard-to-fight-non-infectious-diseases-31543">to health</a> there’s both a lack of basic population data about disease and an absence of information about what impact, if any, interventions involving social determinants of health – housing, nutrition and the like – are having.</p>
<p>Simply put, researchers often don’t know who is sick or what people are being exposed to that, if addressed, could prevent disease and improve health. They cannot say if poor sanitation is the biggest culprit, or if substandard housing in a particular region is to blame. They don’t have the data that explains which populations are most vulnerable. </p>
<p>These data are required to inform development of innovative interventions that apply a “Health in All Policies” approach to address social determinants of health and improve health equity.</p>
<p>To address this, health data need to be integrated with social determinant data about areas like food, housing, and physical activity or mobility. Even where population data are available, they are not always reliable. There’s often an issue of compatability: different sectors collect different kinds of information using varying methodologies. </p>
<p>Different sectors also use different indicators to collect information on the same social determinant of health. This makes data integration challenging.</p>
<p>Without clear, focused, reliable data it’s difficult to understand what a society’s problems are and what specific solutions – which may lie outside the health sector – might be suitable for that unique context.</p>
<h2>Scaling up innovations</h2>
<p>Some remarkable work is being done to tackle Africa’s health problems. This ranges from <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-drones-can-improve-healthcare-delivery-in-developing-countries-49917">technological innovations</a> to harnessing <a href="http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=2013030712115748">indigenous knowledge</a> for change. Both approaches are vital. But it’s hard for these to be scaled up either in terms of numbers or reach. </p>
<p>This boils down to a lack of funding or a lack of access to funding. Too many potentially excellent projects remain stuck at the pilot phase, which has limited value for ordinary people.</p>
<h2>Young scientists’ recommendations</h2>
<p>We emerged from our meeting with a number of recommendations. Governments, researchers, universities and research institutions and science academies will need to work together to implement these.</p>
<p>Governments need to develop health equity surveillance systems to overcome the current lack of data. It’s also crucial that governments integrate and monitor health and social determinants of health indicators in one central system. This would provide a better understanding of health inequity in a given context. </p>
<p>For this to happen, governments must work with public and private sector stakeholders and nongovernmental organisations – not just in health, but beyond it so that social determinants of health can be better measured and captured.</p>
<p>The data that already exists at sub-national, national, regional and continental level mustn’t just be brushed aside. It should be archived and digitised so that it isn’t lost.</p>
<p>Researchers have a role to play here. They have to harmonise and be innovative in the methodologies they use for data collection. If researchers can work together across the breadth of sectors and disciplines that influence health, important information won’t slip through the cracks.</p>
<p>When it comes to scaling up innovation, governments need to step up to the plate. It’s crucial that they support successful health innovations, whether these are rooted in indigenous knowledge or are new technologies. And since – as we’ve already shown – health issues aren’t the exclusive preserve of the health sector, governments should look to different sectors and innovative partnerships to generate support and funding. </p>
<p>A single thread runs through these recommendations: the notion of shared learning across Africa. As young researchers from a range of disciplines and countries, we have learned first hand through our own work and our academies that collaboration is crucial.</p>
<p>That’s why another of our recommendations is that research institutions in Africa should produce and share documents that outline their best practices and their mistakes. Others can then learn from the good and avoid the bad. In this way, experts on the continent can learn from each other – and find common approaches to improving millions of people’s daily lives and health.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/68988/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tolullah Oni receives funding from the South African National Research Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fadzai Mukora Mutseyekwa works on a USAID funded project.
</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mariamawit Yonathan Yeshak works for Addis Ababa University. She receives funding from International Science Program, Uppsala University, Sweden. She is affiliated with Ethiopian Young Academy of Sciences.
</span></em></p>Africa battles with a dearth of data and seems unable to scale up health innovations. If these can be systematically addressed, the continent can take great strides towards better health for all.Tolullah Oni, Senior Lecturer at the School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape TownFadzai Mukora Mutseyekwa, Research fellow in Public Health, Africa UniversityMariamawit Yonathan Yeshak, Assistant Professor of Pharmacognosy, Addis Ababa UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/672512016-11-10T15:34:50Z2016-11-10T15:34:50ZYoung scientists seek solutions to South Africa’s higher education crisis<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142337/original/image-20161019-20324-1scs0hs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">More leadership is needed to tackle universities' crises.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="http://www.sayas.org.za/">South African Young Academy of Science</a> (SAYAS) has decided it is time to speak out about the country’s higher education <a href="http://mg.co.za/article/2016-08-25-professor-jonathan-jansens-roadmap-to-saving-south-africas-higher-education-system">crisis</a>. The academy constitutes 50 young academics and 20 alumni from multiple disciplines – including health sciences, natural and social sciences, engineering and the humanities. They are selected on academic merit from institutions of higher education and research.</em></p>
<p><em>This is a summary of <a href="http://www.sayas.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/GADeclaration-on-HEI-2016.pdf">a statement</a> formulated at the organisation’s 2016 general assembly in October. In it, the academy warns of “catastrophic” consequences if <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34615004">university protests</a> continue and no long-term solutions to the sector’s complex, multi-tiered problems are implemented.</em></p>
<p>We are acutely aware of the challenges that students face. We teach and supervise undergraduate and postgraduate students. These are South Africa’s future young academics.</p>
<p>We financed the completion of our own higher education. A number of us are now burdened with high levels of debt that – as young academics employed in varied temporary, permanent, funded and self-funded positions –- we struggle to repay. </p>
<p>As a group of young academics committed to the South African academic project, we can no longer avoid engaging with these crucial issues at this complicated moment. If this situation remains unresolved, the implications will be catastrophic. This is true for undergraduate and postgraduate students, including both South African and international students. Those who are on time-limited bursaries and fellowships are also at risk. </p>
<p>As an example, if any academic year is compromised, the country could experience a shortage of medical doctors and allied health professionals. Internship placements in those fields will be vacant without graduates. This will place further stress on an <a href="http://www.hst.org.za/news/hospitals-crisis">overburdened</a> public health system upon which <a href="http://www.hst.org.za/news/hospitals-crisis">most South Africans rely</a>.</p>
<p>There has so far been a lack of constructive leadership at the national level and lack of effective engagement between staff and student leaders. This has triggered escalating tensions. It has also led to the development of unproductive, often confrontational and personalised debates. These run counter to the principles of scholarly engagement. They hinder the possibility of finding collective solutions to this crisis. </p>
<p>We call for urgent and peaceful resolutions across our campuses that will result in the removal of <a href="https://theconversation.com/responding-to-student-protests-should-the-law-be-a-tool-of-justice-or-violence-66295">police and private security</a>. We want to avoid confrontations between police and private security with students and staff. We acknowledge the presence of diverse experiences of structural and direct violence, and the threat these forms of violence pose across our campuses. </p>
<p>We also acknowledge that the presence of police and security is experienced differently. It creates contexts in which teaching, learning, research and innovation cannot take place. </p>
<p>Universities need to recognise the anxiety and psychological trauma experienced by many staff and students during this period. Institutions must commit to addressing this trauma and anxiety. Doing so will help facilitate the resumption of high-quality teaching and learning when institutions reopen. </p>
<h2>Recommendations</h2>
<p>It’s crucial to develop spaces for respectful engagement that acknowledges and supports continued debate and differences of opinion. We offer our members as a resource to support constructive national dialogue on this crisis.</p>
<p>Fee-free higher education could be financed in different ways, guided through the development of evidence-informed financing models. But it is not academics alone who ought to be involved in this process. </p>
<p>We call on the President of South Africa to:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>urgently address the root cause and not just the symptoms of the crisis being experienced across institutes of higher education;</p></li>
<li><p>commit to increased funding streams for the sector, which will improve equity in access to quality higher education;</p></li>
<li><p>immediately convene a national dialogue. It needs to include student, parent and academic representatives. University administrators, the private sector and industry must also be included. This will be a safe space to discuss approaches and develop a consensus statement committing to realising the goal of fee-free quality higher education for poor and “<a href="https://theconversation.com/in-south-africa-university-is-open-to-rich-and-poor-but-what-about-the-missing-middle-36801">missing middle</a>” students. The missing middle are those whose parents earn too much money to qualify for government loans but not enough to afford tuition;</p></li>
<li><p>urgently reformulate the <a href="https://www.enca.com/south-africa/zuma-establishes-up-ministerial-task-team-to-address-student-protests">emergency task team</a> he established around this crisis to include the National Treasury. This is necessary to move away from reducing the crisis to one associated only with security concerns. The National Treasury is a key player in realising funding goals. </p></li>
</ul>
<p>It’s also important that the President work with the <a href="http://www.justice.gov.za/commissions/FeesHET/">fees commission</a> he established to complete its inquiry into different financing models. The commission needs to release an approved model for implementing fee-free quality higher education for poor and “missing middle” students. </p>
<p>We offer the President our academy’s expertise to support the development of sustainable solutions. </p>
<h2>Dire consequences</h2>
<p>South Africa will struggle to maintain and grow its internationally respected research-intensive environment if academic programmes are suspended and university campuses closed.</p>
<p>The country’s academy and science innovation needs room to transform and grow. We are very concerned that this crisis will negate the gains made to date – and will have dire consequences moving forward.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/67251/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sahal Yacoob works for the University of Cape Town. He receives funding from the National Research Foundation of South Africa. He is co-Chair of the South African Young Academy of Science. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karen Jacqueline Cloete does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>South Africa must address the root factors contributing to nationwide protests in the higher education sector or face dire consequencesSahal Yacoob, Experimental Particle Physics, University of Cape TownKaren Jacqueline Cloete, Postdoctoral researcher in the biological applications of ion beam analysis techniques, iThemba LABSLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/613562016-08-15T10:14:10Z2016-08-15T10:14:10ZWhy science and engineering need to remind students of forgotten lessons from history<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133847/original/image-20160811-18023-1h09t73.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Isaac Newton's portrait. What can students learn from his life?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/alessandrogrussu/15561578078/in/photolist-pH8a1j-76k45h-eoYhnV-iR8trc-5cpUoM-aXGc86-aE21ps-dSRxK5-eAQ7d6-9kLeHT-4apT3j-7QFbyr-7t4FpA-J83gv-oTm65q-aXFYFa-5i9Qs8-cJNVhY-mfTiDV-NxfdX-abJ4FM-A3iBqW-5wNXJM-dD4qSv-35jxQf-9xxYBB-cZYjKm-2WEf4X-ANkr5q-cJNsgq-uFzSE-6fQrQb-64UuMS-8MPDG8-mGBWqY-7GLbNG-nSQdH4-qxdhWK-5Ae9CL-9p72i2-fFdBQu-HXZJcL-haJ3E8-64Jkhs-9ppsrC-4wuRU9-8XgMPk-63fppS-B1GUdm-GHaEsU">Alessandro Grussu</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Lately, there has been a lot of discussion highlighting the need for incorporating <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-social-sciences-are-just-as-important-as-stem-disciplines/2015/06/09/65f9b8e2-0bcc-11e5-95fd-d580f1c5d44e_story.html">social sciences</a> in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines in order to foster creativity, increase empathy and create a better understanding of the human condition among scientists.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, however, all this talk hasn’t changed the reality on the ground. </p>
<p>As a researcher and teacher in biomedical engineering, looking at the fundamental functions of the human body, I feel that we in engineering (as well as other sciences) have done a disservice to our students. We have failed to connect them to the history of science through stories of scientists. </p>
<p>Our students, these days, have little knowledge about the giants on whose shoulders we all stand.</p>
<p>And yet there is strong evidence that students are more likely to develop an interest in science and <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4278517/">pursue science education</a> when engaged through <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/111/Supplement_4/13614.full">narratives that tell a story</a>. </p>
<p>Research also shows that such stories enable students in STEM disciplines to better understand and apply their classroom knowledge in real-world <a href="https://www.designsociety.org/publication/30161/storytelling_stimulates_science">settings</a>.</p>
<h2>Missing piece in science learning</h2>
<p>In one of my engineering classes, I discuss how fluids, such as air and blood, flow in the human body. These processes are critical to our health and well-being. </p>
<p>As I do that, I also discuss the associated discoveries made by many leading scientists. The seminal work of scientists such as <a href="http://lpsa.swarthmore.edu/Fourier/Series/FourierBio.html">Joseph Fourier</a>, <a href="http://www2.stetson.edu/%7Eefriedma/periodictable/html/B.html">Daniel Bernoulli</a> and <a href="http://discovermagazine.com/2010/jul-aug/05-isaac-newton-worlds-most-famous-alchemist">Isaac Newton</a> has transformed our world and tremendously improved our quality of life. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133848/original/image-20160811-20932-1kdq2ut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133848/original/image-20160811-20932-1kdq2ut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133848/original/image-20160811-20932-1kdq2ut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133848/original/image-20160811-20932-1kdq2ut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=443&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133848/original/image-20160811-20932-1kdq2ut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133848/original/image-20160811-20932-1kdq2ut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133848/original/image-20160811-20932-1kdq2ut.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=557&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What do students know about Newton?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/centralasian/5565715448/in/photolist-9tPKib-oMzjjN-eCncAV-7jMS5V-CHf72-8W5BX5-8UeNTb-qas7UX-ef9p5E-4DrKnM-6DA6CK-rG9WPp-cijXsA-34BS9z-5mmRMn-bi826M-9gbDAk-qp42Ar-gqsgAX-4BSD21-3buSu6-nuPb9z-7p9VUE-bnXCBD-atkt9H-88PV7w-oG5mqL-7JZxwd-dn3nso-BwzDC2-6ojovL-dUfCAa-2jyji-aDs3AP-968G-q3vxCX-64Dko-p1E26q-4D7GF-24XqA-8Lh5z-t6E5W-aNXTae-dn3kXW-8BSark-6toNG-dyHNWa-aYggsV-9d5nPi-5LDPqJ">cea +</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, beyond the most famous anecdote about the falling <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-core-of-truth-behind-sir-isaac-newtons-apple-1870915.html">apple</a> leading to the discovery of gravity, I find that students in my class know little about Newton’s contributions. While students in my class may have a rich understanding of the <a href="http://www.thefouriertransform.com/">Fourier transform</a> (a fundamental mathematical relationship that forms the basis of modern electrical engineering), they literally know nothing about who Fourier was. </p>
<p>Research suggests that context and history <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sce.3730790506/abstract">play a strong role</a> in connecting science and engineering theory with practice. </p>
<p>But despite studies highlighting the importance of storytelling and <a href="http://pal.lternet.edu/docs/outreach/educators/education_pedagogy_research/start_with_a_story.pdf">historical case study approaches</a>, impersonal <a href="http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2004/april-04/storytelling-in-teaching.html">PowerPoint presentations</a> dominate classrooms. Historical perspectives and rich stories are missing in such presentations. </p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>As educators, we face tremendous pressures to pack technical materials into our courses. So why should we include history in our lesson plans? </p>
<p>First, history provides a compelling perspective on the process of scientific discovery. We <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tea.3660230703/abstract">have known through research</a> that historical references can help students clear up common misconceptions about scientific topics, ranging from planetary motion to evolution. </p>
<p>Looking at the story of science over centuries enables students to understand that research and discovery are continuous processes. They can then see that the laws and the equations that they use to solve problems were discovered through long and sometimes painful <a href="http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1050897.pdf">processes</a>. </p>
<p>The findings they arrive at today, in other words, are the fruits of the hard work of real people who lived in real societies and had complex lives, just like the rest of us.</p>
<p>Second, a sense of history teaches students the all-important value of failure in science. It also highlights the persistence of the scientists who continued to push against the <a href="http://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/is-it-possible-to-have-meaningful-failure/">odds</a>. </p>
<p><a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2016-07217-001/">Recent research</a> suggests that by discussing the struggles and failures of scientists, teachers are able to motivate students. Indeed, the discussion of struggles, obstacles, failures and persistence can lead to significant academic improvement of students, particularly for those who may be facing personal or financial <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2016-07217-001/">difficulties</a> or feeling discouraged by previous instructors and mentors. </p>
<h2>Learning from history</h2>
<p>This dose of inspiration is particularly valuable for STEM <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2016-07217-001/">students</a> who face <a href="http://www.lpfi.org/perceived-barriers-to-higher-education-in-stem/">barriers</a> in their academic work, either due to lack of financial resources or due to their gender or race. </p>
<p>The stories of past scientists are a reminder to them that history is an opportunity. Not all great discoveries were made by people who were at the very top of the socioeconomic pyramid.</p>
<p>Connected to the process of discovery and innovation is the fundamental notion of the multidisciplinary approach. </p>
<p>Students need to understand that this approach is not a creation of the 21st century. People have used the multidisciplinary tools of their time for hundreds of years. <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/johannes-gutenberg-9323828">Johannes Gutenberg</a>, for example, combined the flexibility of a coin punch with the mechanical strength of the wine press to invent the printing press, which created a profound global impact in disseminating knowledge. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133849/original/image-20160811-28149-1k5a4mi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/133849/original/image-20160811-28149-1k5a4mi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133849/original/image-20160811-28149-1k5a4mi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133849/original/image-20160811-28149-1k5a4mi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133849/original/image-20160811-28149-1k5a4mi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133849/original/image-20160811-28149-1k5a4mi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/133849/original/image-20160811-28149-1k5a4mi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Gutenberg Press replica.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/caseysworld/112552239/in/photolist-aWRRR-szeXH-aWRRN-4eezaN-szfD5-4sAzAq-eG72J3-kTM3B-eG71zj-eG6YRJ-fmZH7o-4eaA6p-szf3E-szvhP-oMT69N-szeSB-eG72ob-szxid-szeN1-eFZU1R-6yLNLt-eFZTVz-eG72Rq-4sAzDC-vZxQQ-szfyA-eFZU6B-eFZReZ-eG6ZpY-vZxrC-4po2VA-eG6Yzb-eG6ZFN-eFZSRB-uUKTn-eFZRJz-eFZSWt-eFZSxH-eG73fu-eFZUhR-eFZUBP-eFZT3H-eFZSDv-eG715s-szfhT-eFZTRx-eG6Zbm-eG72tw-eFZRrx-eFZTkX">Casey Picker</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Finally, a fundamental goal of modern engineering education is to create socially conscious engineering practitioners who have a strong sense of ethics. </p>
<p>Following an engineering education, individuals could go on to develop medical technology for resource-constrained settings, or work on stem cells or genetic engineering. The <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19968625">importance of ethics</a> in any of these areas cannot be underestimated. </p>
<p>Case studies and history could be immensely valuable in teaching ethics. History provides strong evidence of how the environment around scientists was equally important in shaping their <a href="https://www.aaas.org/page/history-philosophy-science">lives and discoveries</a>. Lessons from history could provide insights into <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11948-006-0021-z">how to make ethical choices</a> related to technology or engineering principles. </p>
<h2>History, heritage and a holistic view of learning</h2>
<p>The goal, in the end, is not to compromise on the rigor, or to focus exclusively on history and personalities, but to make the material more accessible through story-telling and connection with our common heritage. </p>
<p>By making students realize that they are part of a grand tradition of learning, success and failure, we might find that the goals of retention, inspiration, access and rich engagement with the material are closer than we realize.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61356/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Muhammad H. Zaman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research shows that students feel motivated when they learn more about the struggles and failures of the world’s greatest scientists.Muhammad H. Zaman, HHMI Professor of Biomedical Engineering and International Health, Boston UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.