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Science is a global institution that has existed for thousands of years, but it has changed significantly over the past century. Jevin West, associate professor of information at the University of Washington, will visit the University of Nevada, Reno campus on February 22 to deliver a Discover Science lecture on the health of science as an institution and some of the challenges it faces. is. and provide some solutions.
“If you’re interested in science and want to be a good consumer of scientific information, this talk is for you,” West said.
21st century science
Misinformation and disinformation have been in the headlines a lot in recent years, but what’s the difference? According to West, misinformation is inaccurate information that is intentionally shared. It is intended to cause doubt and ignorance. Misinformation may be accidental and the result of data misunderstanding, inaccurate data collection, or other mistakes.
“When I say something is misinformation, what I’m really talking about is information that goes against the scientific consensus,” West said. “Consensus doesn’t mean it’s always right. That may change.”
When West interacts with people who believe misinformation, he likes to ask how they came to their conclusions. Science uses the scientific method to draw conclusions about specific questions or phenomena. Because scientists use the scientific method to draw conclusions, they also typically produce results that are consistent with scientific consensus. However, different methods may yield different results, so it is important to critically evaluate how researchers reach their conclusions. Nevertheless, the scientific method is generally understood to be the best way to discern truth.
New information technologies pose a threat to science because they make it easier to spread disinformation and manipulate data. But these same technologies can increase access and participation in citizen science, using machine learning to accelerate scientific analysis, connect research papers, and identify potentially falsified data. Accelerating discovery.
Science isn’t broken, it’s crooked
Many of the contemporary challenges facing science lie within science itself.
The reproducibility crisis revolves around the fact that much of the large-scale research taught to students in classes such as Psychology 101 is not reproducible.
“That doesn’t mean the science doesn’t work,” West says.
Many scientists are working on solutions and precautions such as pre-registering results to limit publication bias.
“Publish or perish” means that academics must publish frequently if they want to earn tenure, thereby protecting their careers (and incomes).
“When you have to pay for your career and your mortgage, people respond to those incentives,” West says.
These incentives, or the threat of job insecurity, may lead scientists to falsify data.
Predatory journals that claim to perform peer review collect open access fees from scientists without conducting peer review.
“I think the most important thing is to make sure the public understands the social aspects of science,” West said. “It’s run by humans. It’s a social process, and understanding social processes allows you to understand not only the beauty of society, but also its stickiness and messiness.”
Externally, science faces more enemies, especially with the politicization of science.
“There are forces and influential individuals and organizations that are questioning the science,” West said. “This is very problematic because science depends on public trust.”
People also use scientific terminology to mislead others into thinking something is true when it is not, or to promote products that have no scientific evidence to support their claimed effectiveness. I’ll let you buy it. These cases serve as disinformation.
While the external challenges facing science are pressing, West believes it is more important to solve internal problems.
“As someone who works in science, you should clean your own house before you tell other people to clean their house,” West says.
science as an institution
West isn’t worried about sharing with the public the internal challenges facing science. He believes it will help build trust in science.
“Science remains one of our most trusted institutions, even though there has been some downturn during the pandemic,” West said.
In fact, many communities don’t trust science at all, they just don’t trust government agencies and organizations. Trust in science remains relatively high compared to trust in journalism, medicine, the military, and politicians.
It is important for the public to understand that science is structured to change and evolve. During the pandemic, the public was exposed to the other side of the science. Conversations among scientists about the effectiveness of masks and the safety of vaccines took place in the largest public square: the internet. People watched in real time as scientists debated and changed their minds. For someone who wasn’t an expert on the scientific method, it was unsettling. For scientists, it was part of the process.
“I hope that when people see new empirical data on something, they change their minds,” West said.
Funding for science typically comes from the general public, so West encourages people to get involved in science.
“I feel lucky to be in this world of science that is funded by taxpayers. [the public] They should have every right to be associated with that literature,” West said. “Science is not owned by people with Ph.D.s, so anyone can do science.”
West also thinks scientists need to start engaging with the public.
“I know it’s easier said than done, but it has to be done,” he said.
West said the importance of science journalists with a strong foundation in science communication is critical to that mission.
“Ultimately, we really rely on science to address some of the world’s biggest challenges,” West said. “This is one of the greatest inventions in human history. We need these changes that are occurring to maintain this organization and continue to advance our ability to understand the universe and the world we live in. How can I recognize it?”
About the lecture
Mr. West will speak to the campus community during his visit. West’s expertise includes his work as co-founder and founding director of the University of California Center for Freedom of Information, which aims to resist strategic misinformation, promote an informed society, and strengthen democratic discourse. Proven by the role. He is also a co-founder of UW’s DataLab, a Data Science Fellow at the eScience Institute, and an affiliated faculty member at the Center for Statistics and Social Sciences.
Discover Science, featuring West, is free and open to the public. It will be held in Redfield Auditorium on the first floor of the Davidson Mathematics and Science Center on February 22 at 7 p.m., with a reception to follow. Registration for the lecture is mandatory and can be done via Eventbrite. Free parking is available at the Gateway Parking Complex.
The final Discover Science speaker this semester will be Al Sacco Jr., a chemical engineer aboard the 1995 Columbia Space Shuttle mission, who will speak on April 25. The Discover Science Lecture Series was founded in 2010 by then-Dean Jeff Thompson. aims to bring top scientists from around the country to the University of Nevada, Reno campus.
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