Making science accessible and scientists human

Much of the essay by Helen Quinn on the teaching of science deals with the field’s overall structure and process. She seems to downplay the importance of the human side of science; she mentions it only briefly at the end of her essay and in a negative way that involves jumping to conclusions, making mistakes, faking data, and committing fraud. After 31 years of teaching physics at a community college, I am convinced that it is important to stress that science is a human endeavor. By doing so, we can make science far more interesting and far less intimidating to students.

If we portray science in too perfect an image, how could any student feel capable of pursuing it? And if a scientist is perceived as a cold and logical thinking machine, why would any student want to be one? I think good biographies of scientists should be required reading in introductory science courses so that students see their humanity. It’s good, too, for teachers to show their own human sides and tell students about mistakes they’ve made in their careers. I am not advocating that the approach be too casual, but we should make it clear that mistakes are a part of every human endeavor and that if a student does not do well on a particular quiz or messes up one experiment, it does not mean that the student is a failure. Let us not exaggerate the “perfection” of science and scientists.