What is science really all about? HKU 7 th May Mike Brownnutt - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Mar 31, 2024 318 likes •508 views

What is science really all about? HKU 7 th May Mike Brownnutt Associate Director Faith and Science Collaborative Research Forum Science is something to do with the scientific method Scientific method, the (n) principles and procedures for

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What is science really all about?

HKU 7th May

Mike Brownnutt

Associate Director Faith and Science Collaborative Research Forum

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Scientific method, the (n) principles and procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge involving the recognition and formulation of a problem, the collection of data through observation and experiment, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses.

Science is… something to do with the scientific method Does religion have any place in science and engineering research?

https://explorable.com/scientific-method

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Recognition and formulation of a problem

What is the average size of the sand grains on Gold Coast beach?

Come up with something worth investigating

By HK Arun https://commons.wikimedia.org/ wiki/File%3AGold_Coast_Beach_in_HK.JPG

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Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1914)

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/ chemistry/laureates/1914/richards-bio.html

A problem worth solving…

Theodore W. Richards

"in recognition of his accurate determinations

f the atomic weight of a large number
f chemical elements."

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A problem worth solving…

“These unique numbers seemed to be the most definite and unchanging of all the properties of material.”

http://sciencenotes.org/printable-periodic-table/

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Recognition and formulation of a problem

Come up with something worth investigating Convince someone to give you money Convince someone else it is worth investigating

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Nakamura Fermi Koch Lemaitre

Dollars made Lives lost Lives saved Epistemic

ptimism

2014

*1978: Penzias and Wilson, 2006: Mather and Smoot

1938 1905 1978 2006

www.nobelprize.org *

https://commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Trinity_shot_color.jpg https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=M7IHb_WpUuI https://commons.wikimedia.org/ w/index.php?curid=23285693 https://commons.wikimedia.org/ w/index.php?curid=11771871

A problem worth investigating: measures of “worth”

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Recognition and formulation of a problem

Come up with something worth investigating Convince someone to give you money Convince someone else it is worth investigating Convince a university to hire you Publication record Funding record Reputation Connections Convince students to work for you Convince students to work with each other i.e. ask someone to care Something else

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Collection of data through observation and experiment

Come up with an experiment Should I get money for it? Can I get money for it?

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Should I get money for my research?

By Maximilien Brice (CERN) https://www.flickr.com/photos/ internewseurope/7887050306 https://www.flickr.com/photos/ julien_harneis/746003799

~ 2.5 billion people missing out ~ 1 billion people missing out ~ $10 billion ~ $10 billion

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ gtzecosan/4134816244

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Collection of data through observation and experiment

DOI: 10.1126/science.1259657

Come up with an experiment Is that a problem? Is is likely to kill my students? Should I get money for it? Can I get money for it?

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Decide if belief is an appropriate criterion for acceptance

Collection of data through observation and experiment

Tell your students to do it again Find the experiment produces garbage Come up with an experiment Is that a problem? Is is likely to kill my students? Collect Nobel prize (?) Should I get money for it? Can I get money for it? Declare a discovery! Get better equipment Get better students Keep going until you get results you believe Loop

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And then… PUBLISH!

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And then… PUBLISH!

Can I get more data first? Should I get more data first? Will I get scooped? When is the next RAE? Nature or

Rev. Sci. Inst.?

Publish One paper

r three?

When does my student need to graduate?

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And then… (II): other forms of dissemination

Undergrads Postgrads

The future of our society? A waste of my time? Prospective grad students? The engine of research? My greatest legacy? Cheap labour?

General public Schools Government Faith communities Industry

Patents? Spin out? Partnership?

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What is science really all about? Does religion have any place in science and engineering research?

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