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Scientific Method

Scientific Method. Hello my science lovers! This is the very second episode of Hey scientist mel A podcast where I talk about all of the science things Speaking science by revealing relevance, boosting literacy, and sparking that passionate curiosity in you one fun show at a time.

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Scientific Method

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  1. Scientific Method • Hello my science lovers! • This is the very second episode of Hey scientist mel • A podcast where I talk about all of the science things • Speaking science by revealing relevance, boosting literacy, and sparking that passionate curiosity in you one fun show at a time. • I also take your questions and topics thru twitter, email, and FB

  2. Scientific Method • A bit about me • I have 2 bachelor’s in science – biochemistry and biology • I have 2 masters degrees – Arts in teaching, Science in Analytical chemistry • I have performed cancer research (drug delivery and testing), computational chemistry (receptor interactions) research as well as genetics for the tree of life project. • Currently I have a publication under peer review. • My work and CV are also available on my website scientistmel.com • On my website you can find educator resources as well as all of my slides from my videocast The Science Of show in addition to my outlines and sources for this podcast.

  3. #HeyScientistMel Episode 2: Scientific Method – What is it really, and how do people use it?

  4. Scientific Method • Last week I discussed the importance of scientific literacy and issues with science communication. • I discussed a study from the NSF about a majority of Americans not understanding the scientific process as well as experimentation and studies. • This week I am going to get into what the scientific method actually is, how to read a scientific paper, and how to figure out if a study is “bad” aka pseudoscience.

  5. Scientific Method • What the scientific method is NOT • A quick fix • A quick process • Too hard to understand • Completely understood by everyone. • For the thin skinned • Exclusive just to scientists • What the scientific method IS • Problem solving process • Critical thinking • Means to examine potential answers • Tests theories and other studies • MANY disciplines use it • Easily performed by ANYONE even children • Often misused to push pseudoscience

  6. Scientific Method • People so often get caught up in the jargon and spout out the components of the scientific method, but don’t actually think about what it is. They don’t connect the concepts because they haven’t actively thought about dividing up what they normally do everyday into the scientific method. The point is, people unconsciously science everyday. • The Basics • Observe – trees/gravity/milk/computer • Question – why is this happening? • Hypothesize – I think it is this reason • Experiment – Let me test this reason • Analyze data – what did I get? • Conclude – Is my answer correct? No/Yes

  7. Scientific Method • Many people don’t break down their problem solving process into parts the same way as scientists. They do this process often automatically as they have since they were children. • Scientists observe a particular thing that is happening and look to find out why. (toxic lake and chemical plant example) • Scientists heavily plan out their experiments and design them to be effective with minimal human error. • The design of the experiment and implementation of it helps solidify if a particular thing is having an effect on what you are observing. (Causation/Correlation)

  8. Scientific Method • Causation and correlation • Just because numbers have the same pattern does not mean they have anything to do with each other…they correlate but may not cause anything to happen between them • From 1999 to 2009 number of people who drowned in a swimming pool correlates with the number of Nicolas Cage films. People seem to die in swimming pools when Cage releases films. It’s a morbidly funny correlation, but in all honesty…do they really have anything to do with each other? Should we stop Nick Cage from making films to prevent pool deaths? Maybe not for THAT reason…but perhaps for Ghost Rider! HA! The 2 obviously have nothing to do with one another. • Pseudoscience…however • studies that take huge leaps to connect unrelated variables (2 different things in an experiment) usually to sell a product.

  9. Scientific Method • Let’s talk a moment about bad science versus good science • Bad Science vs Good science • Sensationalized headlines – NEW CURE FOR CANCER • Misinterpreted results – distorts findings • Conflicts of interest – Deepak Chopra • Causation/correlation – nick cage • Speculative language – Might/may/could • TINY sample size • Pick humans not representative of the population as a whole • No control group • No blind testing • Cherry picking results • Can’t reproduce results – shows the same result over MANY tests • Journals and citations

  10. Scientific Method • Let’s talk a moment about bad science versus good science…when you are going through a news article, how can you tell if someone is misusing the scientific method? • Bad Science vs Good science • Sensationalized headlines – NEW CURE FOR CANCER • Misinterpreted results – distorts findings (look at original paper) • Conflicts of interest – Deepak Chopra • Causation/correlation – nick cage • Speculative language – Might/may/could • TINY sample size • Pick humans not representative of the population as a whole • No control group • No blind testing • Cherry picking results • Can’t reproduce results – shows the same result over MANY tests • Journals and citations

  11. Scientific Method • What is you decide you want to look at the original research paper to determine if it is bad/good science? • This can be a daunting task as there may be language you are very unfamiliar with. • Things to note… • It is not wise to read a scientific paper like a novel, newspaper story, or blog post. • Read to understand, not to regurgitate. • Vocabulary can be a boundary, you can Google to learn the terminology…but that can be overwhelming. Take to twitter or social media and talk to a trusted and accessible science communicator to explain concepts and terms.

  12. Scientific Method • How to read a scientific paper • Skim • Read title, key words, abstract…they will discuss major findings and relevance • Quickly skim article focusing on headings and subheadings. • Write down the words and concepts you are not familiar with • Re-Read • Look for the components of the scientific method • What is the question? • What do they think the answer is? • How did they test the answer? • Is the sample size big enough and representative of the population? • Would anyone be able to repeat this study? • Are the findings represented by other work in this field or is this new? • What factors could affect the data/results? • Analyze • Look through the graphs and data tables very carefully • In the conclusion/discussion sections, look for issues they may have had with their experiments • Be certain you have understood the main points. Does the data support them? • Summarize • Write out the question associated with the study, what the answer is (hypothesis), the data that supports it, and any contradictions or concerns you have with the experiment as well as conclusions • This will aid you to understand the scientific process a bit better and also help with reading comprehension skills.

  13. Scientific Method • Scientific Method • Problem solving process • Critical thinking • Means to examine potential answers • Tests theories and other studies • Broken down into step by step components • MANY disciplines use it • Easily performed by ANYONE even children • Often misused to push pseudoscience • Understanding this process helps to identify bad science. • Following a simple checklist in reading news articles, can help reveal bogus studies. • Reading original research articles is a daunting task for some, but it isn’t impossible.

  14. Thank you to my Patrons • Toni • Anonymous • Jen • Carl • Antony • Paola • Patrick • Tony • Jennifer • Tristan Music: http://opsound.org/pool/artist/ Angel Garcia Happy Jambo

  15. You can find me… • Scientistmel.com • Twitter.com/scientistmel • Patreon.com/scientistmel • Pscp.tv.com/scientistmel • Scientistmel.wordpress.com • Youtube.com (scientistmel) • Facebook.com/scientistmel

  16. Scientific Method • That ends the very first episode of Hey Scientist Mel • Thank you for listening. • If you have any questions, hit me up on twitter, facebook, or my website! • Have a fab day, my science lovers! • Sources • https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind14/index.cfm/etc/tables.htm • https://www.elsevier.com/connect/infographic-how-to-read-a-scientific-paper • http://bigthink.com/neurobonkers/bad-science-spotting-101 • https://www.livescience.com/20896-science-scientific-method.html

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