Experts | University of the Sciences

Tweets, Blogs, Journalism, Scientific Journals, and Press Releases

This afternoon I stopped by the Departmental office to check my mailbox and print a few things on the photocopier. While in the office I overheard a conversation about what should go in a tweet. I do not know the context of the discussion but I was reminded that different modes of communication have different functions.

At home this evening I read the Planet of the Apes blog. There was a post on communication by the press. Discussed was a paper in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/evolution/Space-Dinosaurs-and-How-Not-To-Criticize-the-Press-.html

A superfluous and unsubstantiated point in the paper became a news item. The journalist points out problems in the review process for the scientific journal and problems with how the information was presented to the general public.

Scientists focus on producing new knowledge. Disseminating that knowledge is important and accurate communication is crucial to progress in science. The more ways we have to communicate the more careful we need to be about which one we choose.

An NPR News piece from last week looks at some of the problem these choices can cause in personal communication.

http://www.npr.org/2012/04/26/151351550/what-we-have-here-a-failure-to-communicate?sc=17&f=1019

Studying Science in Philadelphia – Part 2

The formal part of an education in the science typically takes place at a college or university.  Philadelphia provides many other opportunities to learn science.  A good education in science extends beyond the classroom. 

In the fall the Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild has their Honey Fest.  In 2011 there were Fest events at Wagner Free Institute of Science, Wyck House, and Bartram Gardens.  Last year was also the first year of the Philadelphia Science Festival.  There were a variety of events, some formal, some entertaining, at locations around the city.  You can see highlights from 2011 and follow what is planned for 2012 at

www.philasciencefestival.org

I should be writing more about 2012 events in future posts to this blog. 

 Opportunities to learn science can occur in some unexpected places.  Earth Bread and Brewery in the Mt. Airy section of the city is host to Table Top Science one evening each month.  USciences students fill the evening with entertaining and informative chemistry related activities.  The next show is planned for Tuesday, January 24, 2012.  More information about the venue is available at the website and on Facebook.

http://earthbreadbrewery.com/

Studying Science in Philadelphia – Part 1

Large cities have many benefits.  In Philadelphia we have a newspaper that still has a science writer, Faye Flam, with a very interesting column.  If you do not have a subscription to the Inquirer the column also appears on her blog at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/evolution/. 

The Wednesday, January 4, 2012 blog post analyzed an article by Charles Krauthammer titled “Are We Alone in the Universe”.  I will take this opportunity to add my own analysis.  Although the topic is outside my area of expertise I can make use of my knowledge of basic science to make some comments.

In reflecting on why we have not heard from other planets Krauthammer considers the dangers of the technology a civilization generates and comments on the importance of politics in our survival. Flam sees this later point as a possible “dig at science”.   Possibly Krauthammer is trying to give politicians a pat on the back in this wearying primary season.  I recommend Jared Diamond’s book “Guns Germs and Steel” for its important perspective on the role of the natural world in political and economic dominance. 

In the post a scenario is proposed, Flam writes:

“It’s also possible that we earthlings are among the first technological civilizations in the galaxy.   It took a generation or two of star formation to create all the carbon and other heavy elements. We don’t know how likely it is for intelligent, technological life to emerge, and we don’t know whether 4.5 billion years is relatively fast or slow.”

I will consider two other scenarios, neither is any more valid but in science we do consider alternate analyses of problems.

 First, as a possibly humorous analysis, maybe we are one of the last civilizations to develop technology.  All the more advanced civilizations may have grown tired of space spam and our messages are being quarantined in some extraterrestrial trash bin.

Some points that might be more significant can be made by considering a second scenario in which development on different planets occurs at a very similar pace.  In this case we need to realize that the distance between the planets will play an important role in communication.

If my numbers are correct the recently discovered planet Kepler 22b is about 620 light years away.  Any information we might receive today from possible inhabitants of that planet would be from about 1392 CE - most certainly old news.  If we send a message today it will get to them until about 2632 CE – again most certainly old news when it is received.  The point is that our ability to communicate over long distances is recent enough that our messages may not have reached other worlds and unless some other beings have been broadcasting for quite some time we have not had the opportunity to receive their messages.

For movie fans, I found the old broadcasting signals being bounced back to earth an interesting aspect of the plot development in the 1997 movie “Contact”.

Both the article and the blog post refer to recent developments in science.  Because science is a discipline that is continuously progressing, recent does not mean complete.  It is the incomplete parts that give us much to think about.

Research Day Showcases Faculty and Student Research

From metabolic engineering to computational chemistry and from structural prediction of proteins to rational design of new therapeutics, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia showcased the diversity and growth of research pursuits on campus during its 7th Annual Research Day starting on Thursday, April 2, 2009. Posters representing approximately 120 topics were on display.

Research Day recognizes undergraduate and graduate student research efforts, and highlights aspects of faculty scholarly activity to encourage and promote communication and collaboration among investigators. The University is distinctive in that most undergraduate students conduct research with faculty early in their academic careers.

The diverse research activity on display spans several aspects of the University’s scholarly pursuits, including:

• Biological Sciences: Dr. Jennifer Anthony’s research involving the metabolic engineering of E. coli for the production of vitamin A.
  • Chemistry: Dr. Randy Zauhar’s use of computer-aided drug design to identify new antimicrobial lead compounds.
• Pharmaceutical Sciences: Dr. Bin Chen’s evaluation of the effects of vascular-targeting photodynamic therapy on prostate cancer metastasis.
• Physical Therapy: Dr. Therese Johnston’s usage of treadmill training for children with cerebral palsy.
• Social Sciences: Psychology major Mark Paullin’s (Philadelphia, Pa.) study of mild cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease.
• Health Policy: Master in public health major Sekinat Kekere-Ekun’s (Deptford, N.J.) work on the descriptive epidemiology of viral hepatitis in methadone maintenance clients.
• Pharmacy Practice: Doctor of pharmacy students Neha Patel (Fairless Hills, Pa.), Puja Patel (Hillsborough, N.J.), and Isha Shah’s (Bensalem, Pa.) analysis of the usage of ondansetron in non-chemotherapy patients at a community teaching hospital.

Why is Science Important?

The following entry is being reposted from the blog Why is science important?

As a child, one of my favorite activities was venturing to the local science museum, the Franklin Institute. It offered a welcome escape from the mundane duties and concerns of ordinary life. Beyond its columned façade was a wondrous place, full of fantastic push-button displays, the goal for which seemed to be activating as many flashing panels as quickly possible. Sparks would fly, wheels would whirl, and automata would come to life. All this was enormously exciting - a lesson that there was more to life than just eating, sleeping and navigating the nuances of schoolyard banter. The astronomy exhibits, in particular, helped put ephemeral concerns in perspective. To my great relief, I came to realise that my low marks in handwriting would one day be forgotten - all records erased - when the Sun became a red giant and decimated Earth.

Though many years have passed, I have yet to outgrow my childhood wonder. Science has advanced at an incredible pace. It is miraculous to think that denizens of our tiny planet have the ability to map out conditions from the earliest stages of the universe, chart the velocities of enormously distant galaxies, and predict the behaviour of astronomical objects thousands of millions of years hence. Progress in charting inner space has advanced just as spectacularly as that of outer space. Less than a century and a half since Darwin’s bold proposal, our knowledge of genetics, proteomics and related fields has grown at a staggering pace.

Even those uninterested in the details of scientific progress can appreciate the prospects it has brought for an improved quality of life. Innovations in biology, chemistry and other fields have offered effective treatments for once-deadly diseases, artificial materials that improve upon nature, methods for collecting and utilising renewable forms of energy, and tools for environmental improvement. These require an ethical use of science and accountability to the general public. As the 21st century progresses, science education will be the key to fantastic new discoveries harnessed for the benefit of all.

Paul Halpern is a physics professor at University of the Sciences and the author of 11 popular science books to date, including “What’s Science Ever Done for Us? What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots Life, and the Universe.” His forthcoming book “Collider: The Search for the World’s Smallest Particles” will be published in Summer 2009.

The following entry is being reposted from the blog Why is science important?

As a child, one of my favorite activities was venturing to the local science museum, the Franklin Institute. It offered a welcome escape from the mundane duties and concerns of ordinary life. Beyond its columned façade was a wondrous place, full of fantastic push-button displays, the goal for which seemed to be activating as many flashing panels as quickly possible. Sparks would fly, wheels would whirl, and automata would come to life. All this was enormously exciting - a lesson that there was more to life than just eating, sleeping and navigating the nuances of schoolyard banter. The astronomy exhibits, in particular, helped put ephemeral concerns in perspective. To my great relief, I came to realise that my low marks in handwriting would one day be forgotten - all records erased - when the Sun became a red giant and decimated Earth.

Though many years have passed, I have yet to outgrow my childhood wonder. Science has advanced at an incredible pace. It is miraculous to think that denizens of our tiny planet have the ability to map out conditions from the earliest stages of the universe, chart the velocities of enormously distant galaxies, and predict the behaviour of astronomical objects thousands of millions of years hence. Progress in charting inner space has advanced just as spectacularly as that of outer space. Less than a century and a half since Darwin’s bold proposal, our knowledge of genetics, proteomics and related fields has grown at a staggering pace.

Even those uninterested in the details of scientific progress can appreciate the prospects it has brought for an improved quality of life. Innovations in biology, chemistry and other fields have offered effective treatments for once-deadly diseases, artificial materials that improve upon nature, methods for collecting and utilising renewable forms of energy, and tools for environmental improvement. These require an ethical use of science and accountability to the general public. As the 21st century progresses, science education will be the key to fantastic new discoveries harnessed for the benefit of all.

Paul Halpern is a physics professor at University of the Sciences and the author of 11 popular science books to date, including “What’s Science Ever Done for Us? What the Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots Life, and the Universe.” His forthcoming book “Collider: The Search for the World’s Smallest Particles” will be published in Summer 2009.