Is it possible to have science extend out to people in the "non-science" world and for them to be interested in it? This is a question I ask myself often and was one of the reasons I started this blog. I wanted to make science more attainable and help broaden the knowledge of general science and medical laboratory science within the general public. But where is the hook? How is it possible to get people excited about how why their blood sugar is collect and why this is imported to their results?
I am the first person in my family and extended family to get a science degree and stay within the scientific field. I often wonder if they really understand what I do and if I can convey how interesting and "cool" science and healthcare can be. I think, in general, most people understand that they go to the doctor and a bunch of tests happen but I think compared to something like art or music, the learning curve can be steep to truly appreciate what is done.
I don't really know the purpose of this post but I mostly wanted to put my thoughts out there and say I'm open to conversations with anyone and everyone about what I do and how something might be the way it is. I know it can seem scary if you don't have a science background but I want to help you understand and spark that curiosity in the scientific world. Ask questions. Be curious. Be brave. I know that some scientists can give science a bad reputation being condescending or unreachable due to their supposed "smarts", but we are really losing out on the support of the non-science community and keeping science from reaching a broader audience.
I love what I do and I am incredibly passionate about reaching out to help make science something anyone can understand, even if it's just a small part. You always have to start somewhere.
-K
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I grew up in a medical family. Even now I marvel when I sit down to dinner and how people react so badly when I start talking about a lovely purulent abscess discharge or a fantastic Gram's stain with gonococci from vaginal discharge swab. As a kid, this was normal dinner conversation. I remember my father telling me about patients he'd see with syphilis at the dinner table.
ReplyDeleteYet, when people start talking about music and the arts, I glaze over. I have no idea except when I compared the beauty of a Gram's stain or electron micrograph to some of the abstract art I see in galleries.
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