Environmental Science 1: June 9, 2017, Friday, 1-3 PM

Lecture 2

Understanding What Science Is and What It Isnt

Science process of refining continual questioning and active investigation

Observations hypothesis theories and scientific laws
If they can be disproved, they are scientific.
Scientific understanding is not fixed, it changes over time as new data becomes available
SCIENTIFIC METHOD involves 5 steps
Recognize problems or unanswered questions.
Develop hypothesis to explain problem.
Design and perform experiment to test hypothesis.
Analyze and interpret data to reach conclusions. If yes, keep testing. If no,
reject/revise hypothesis.
Share new knowledge with other scientists. Test other hypotheses. New knowledge
results in new questions, go back to 1.

Observations, Facts, Inferences, and Hypotheses

Observations, basis of science five senses or instruments

Inferences generalizations
Hypothesis testing an inference
Fact proven hypothesis
Numbers and statistical analysis
Visualize relationship
Analyze the strength of relationship/discover a new relationship
Every measurement involves some degree of approximation, there is always a degree of
uncertainty, if there is not, its meaningless

Measurements and Uncertainty

Dealing with UNCERTAINTIES

o TWO SOURCES OF UNCERTAINTY
Real variability of nature
Experimental errors errors that occur in experiments
Systematic errors occurs consistently (incorrectly calibrated instruments)
o Reports should include error analysis
o Reduction of uncertainties: improving instruments, standardizing procedure,
carefully designed experiments and appropriate statistical procedure.
o Uncertainties can never be eliminated. Read reports of scientific studies
critically.
ACCURACY AND PRECISION
 Accuracy refers to what we know, agreement of measurements with accepted
values
Precision how well we measure, degree of exactness with which a quantity is
measured
People in general put more faith in the accuracy of measurements than do scientists
It is important not to report measurements with more precision than they warrant.
(misleading in the sense of accuracy and precision)

Misunderstanding about Science and Society

Science and Decision making

Formulate a clear statement
Gather scientific information (including estimates of uncertainties)
List all alternative courses of action
Predict the positive and negative consequences of action and the probability of
the consequences
Weigh the alternatives and choose the best solution
Root of many environmental problems
Incomplete information
Scientific controversies
Conflicting interests
Emotionalism
Decision making involves society, politics, culture, economics, and values, as well as
scientific information.
Policy decisions negotiated through political process.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Technology is not science
SCIENCE search for understanding of natural phenomena
TECHNOLOGY application of scientific knowledge
S&T interact stimulation growth in each other
Science is limited by technology available
Mostly, we come in contact with PRODUCTS OF SCIENCE (technological devices)
SCIENCE AND OBJECTIVITY
Myth scientists are capable of complete objectivity independent of their
personal values and the culture in which they live and that science deals only
with objective facts.
Need to develop critical thinking questioning and synthesizing information
rather than merely acquiring them
The great success of science gives science and scientists a societal authority that
makes it all difficult to know when a scientist might be exceeding the bounds of
his or her scientific knowledge
Scientists play three roles in society:
o Researchers simply explaining results
o Priest like authorities speak in tongues the rest of us cant understand
 o
Expert witnesses discuss broad areas of research that they are
familiar with but about which they may not have done research
themselves
SCIENCE CAN GO ASTRAY
Science can become politicized
o People begin with belief about something and pick and choose only the
scientific evidence that supports that belief
o Research is funded only if it is within a political or ethical point of view.
Science can be caught up in one way of thinking when the evidence points to
another.
o Complicated by legitimate scientific uncertainties and differences in
scientific theories.
o As citizens, it is difficult to know when scientists are having legitimate
debates about findings and theories, and when they are disagreeing
over personal beliefs and convictions that are outside of science.

GUIDELINES FOR REPORTING: HOW DO WE DECIDE WHAT TO BELIEVE ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL

ISSUES?

In reading an article about the environmental issue.

o What is the major claim made in the article?
Major claim is 1 statement
You may add brief background about the article
o What evidence does the author present to support the claim?
Observation? Based on reputable articles? Authors is popular as
authority on subject? Supported by data?
Is the evidence based on observations, and is the source of the
evidence reputable and unbiased?
o Is the evidence based on observations?
o Is the argument for the claim, whether based in evidence or not,
logical?
Not all graphs will be presented, one or two tables may do
o Would you accept or reject the claim?
o Even if the claim
Totally accept, Tentative, not accepted
FORMAT:

(TITLE)
Author/Source:
Presentor: (YOUR NAME)
Yr/Course
Scheduled Date of Presentation

Note: Should be in ppt, file name: (familyname_keytitle).ppt