WHAT IS SCIENCE?Science, Technology, Scientists and Scientific Attitudes.

WHAT IS SCIENCE?

• Science is the search for knowledge. It is both an organized body of knowledge and a process. It is organized because it is based on facts that have been proven through many experiments and consistent observations. It is a process of continuous discovery that allows us to connect facts with each other. And it is ongoing. The scientific facts we know now are continuously being refined and improved as more and more facts are discovered.

• When we apply scientific knowledge, we are making technology. Technology can be in the form of useful tools like gadgets or in the form of techniques or methods of solving problems.

THE SCIENTIST

• We often think that scientists are limited to those people who wear laboratory gowns and work inside a science laboratory. However, anyone who is curious about something and tries ways to find answer his or her curiosity, has all the makings of the scientist. In fact, there is a scientist in all of us.

• Some people have made a career out of the direct application of scientific knowledge in their work. Examples are doctors, microbiologists, dentists, astronauts and engineers.

SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDES

• A scientist possess scientific attitudes that help him in performing his work.

CURIOSITY

• Being curious means that one continuously asks question about every experience or observation he encounters. This would trigger seeking answers to these questions. A scientist should always have the innate nature to question things.

OBJECTIVITY

• A scientist has no biases. He can look at things without being affected by his feelings and not allowing them to affect his judgment.

OPEN-MINDEDNESS

• A scientist must accept the fact that others may be experts, too. He is willing to listen to the ideas and suggestions of others. He should be willing to change his mind when he is proven wrong.

INVENTIVE

• Scientists have the ability to generate new ideas that are his own. He is creative in thinking of solutions to problems.

INTELLECTUAL HONESTY

• Since a scientist seeks the truth, he too should be truthful in reporting observations, not withholding any information. He should give credit to the ideas of other people that he used in his experiment and not claim them solely his own.

HUMILITY

• A scientist should recognize that he, too, could commit mistakes. He should know that he is not perfect and that others may know more than he does. He must be willing to accept suggestions and ideas from other people.

RATIONAL

• A scientist thinks logically. He understands that everything around him happens for a reason. He considers everything deliberately before making a decision.

PATIENCE

• Most experiments require more than one testing. A scientist is not discouraged by failure. He can spend more time working on a problem to get the most accurate results.

RESOURCEFULNESS

• A scientist can think of alternative ways to solve a problem. He is not one-track thinker. If the materials he needs are not available he can use alternative materials in his experiment.

RISK TAKERS

• A scientist must be willing to take risks. He does not mind how dangerous the experiment may be. He is willing to take risks in order to prove his experiment.