Hi! My name is Ann Miller. I have a B.A. and a Ph.D. in Chemistry. Obviously, I love science. I have spent my career using the scientific method to analyze operations, which is not chemistry. However, I am infinitely grateful for my strong grounding in science that made the analysis I did possible.
Why am I writing a blog about science education?
When I said I had two degrees in Chemistry, what was your initial reaction? If you are a scientist or otherwise a STEM person, it might not have raised an eyebrow for you. But if you are like approximately 90% of the people I have encountered in my life, you may have thought something like, “I hated Chemistry in high school.”
You would not believe the number of times I have heard that, or “I did terribly in Chemistry in high school.” I am pretty sure no one says anything like this about English class to English majors. However, I have heard from people who majored in Physics and Math confirming that they get similar responses to the Chemistry major.
What is going on with that? Why do so many people have such negative feelings about science coming out of high school. And why does it matter?
I am a researcher and I like to use data to show things, rather than just assert them. I will say outright,that I do not have data to show that negative feelings about high school science influences how people view human-caused climate change.
However, I think the debates about climate change, and what to do about it, would be enhanced, to the betterment of all, if all of those participating had a solid grounding in the sciences. And based on the responses I get when I tell people I majored in Chemistry, I think a lot of people do not have that solid grounding.
What to do about science education
That’s why I think it matters. As to why people don’t have that grounding, please understand. I do not place this burden on high school science teachers and their students. If that many people had such a negative experience in high school chemistry, it is because they came into it unprepared, based on their earlier education.
In my discussions with science teachers (full disclosure, other than in graduate school, I have never stood in front of a classroom and taught a science class), I have learned that many think the answer lies in stronger science education in elementary school.
My goal
My overall goal, even if it is achieved through changing elementary and middle school science education, is for everyone to graduate from high school with an understanding of and trust in the science produced by solid, peer-reviewed research.
Won’t you join me?
