The 2009 Nobel Prize Winners in Medicine, Chemistry, and Physics were announced recently and their respective work involved discovering how chromosomes protect themselves as cells divide; how to transmit light signals long distances through hair-thin glass fibers; the invention of a sensor that turns light into electrical signals (great for digital photography) and for creating detailed blueprints of ribosomes, the protein-making machinery within cells, that is being used to develop new antibiotics.
Of the nine winners, seven were citizens of the United States, and three of them were born in the United States, one was born in New York.
These diverse and wide-ranging fields of scientific research and practical applications offered an opportunity to develop an increased scientific understanding to the public and students.
Here was an opportunity to showcase work that American scientists were doing and to explain it in a way non-experts could understand and enjoy.
Here was an opportunity to demonstrate that scientific research leads to products that can benefit our daily lives.
Here was an opportunity to heap praise upon these winners and show that our society values them and their sciences.
Here was an opportunity to get people interested and excited about science.
Sadly, this opportunity was lost.
There were no front-page announcements in our newspapers, no lengthy discussions on our news shows, no conversations in our public schools.
That seven Americans won the most prestigious award for their work in the sciences was treated with less significance than a talk show hosts’ sex life and a rich guy stealing from his aged mother.
Particularly alarming to me were the results of my informal survey that showed teachers in our public schools did not take advantage of this education moment. Many were not aware of the awards, due to lack of news coverage, and those that were aware could not deviate from the prescribed curriculum long enough to discuss the Nobel winners.
Contrast this with the large coverage our media give to reports that our nation is falling behind other nations in the sciences and math and the myriad calls for reforming our educational system due to this failure.
This has led to the belief that requiring students to take standard tests in science will improve our international ranking, show we are serious about science, and get students interested in science. Bunk.
All this will do is guarantee at least two years of learning science test preparation material.
Maybe the problem lies not with students, but with a society that allows its media to treat us all as if we are dumb and teachers who are no longer able to teach outside the course outline. Until this attitude changes, our students and nation will continue down the path of scientific illiteracy.
Robert Caloras is President of Community District Education Council 26 in Little Neck.
