Sunday, October 20, 2013

Event 1 - California Science Center



I attended the California Science Center on Saturday, October 12th for an event celebrating the one year anniversary of the arrival of the Space Shuttle Endeavour.  After the shuttle Endeavour landed at LAX, it traveled through the streets of Los Angeles to the Science Center.  There was excitement on the faces of spectators who climbed on roof tops and in trees to see the shuttle.


When the shuttle arrived last year, tickets to see the Endeavour were $2.  Due to the low prices, seeing the shuttle proved difficult unless you planned ahead.  Only one year later, and due to a lack of public interest, tickets to see the Endeavour are free during the week and $2 on the weekends.  Since we are frequent visitors of the Science Center, my family and I opted not to see the Endeavour, but instead to view the other exhibits.



A discussion on the lack of interest in the Sciences was documented in A Dangerous Divide: The Two Cultures in the 21st Century.  Panelists at a symposium wrestled with the issues of “making science relevant to nonscientists” and gave “recommendations for ways to improve science education and public understanding of science”.  This lack of interest was discussed in our Week 1 topic of “Two cultures”.   The theme of two cultures, art and science, can be seen throughout the Science Center.  "Two cultures" is also a strong theme in my life.  My wife and I are in an interracial marriage meaning our boys come from literally two cultures.



I grew up with various stereotypes that have affected the way I see the world around me.  I was raised in a highly educated family background that encouraged academic success.  Art and science were seemingly incompatible so I pursued science.  In Lecture, Week 1, Professor Desna mentioned that stereotypes can perpetuate the separation of the art and science disciplines.  I recognize the influence I might have on my boys and it’s my desire to give them an unbiased exposure to the two cultures.  Hopefully my boys will grow up in what Kevin Kelly refers to as a "third culture" - one in which art and science are compatible.


SOURCES:

Endeavour Space Shuttle Exclusive: A Time Lapse of A Final Ride. Youtube, 18 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32yz6EyHgoQ>.

Vesna, Victoria. “Two Cultures-pt2-Stereotypes.” Cole UC online. Youtube, 9 April 2012. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/63226/wiki/unit-1-view?module_item_id=970419>.

Williams, Christopher M. "A Dangerous Divide: The Two Cultures in the 21st Century". 24 July 2009. The New York Academy of Sciences. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.nyas.org/Publications/Ebriefings/Detail.aspx?cid=74e271bd-4ba6-47cd-8f0a-add2ef8234cd>.

Kelly, Kevin. "Third Culture". Essays on Science and Society. 13 February 2008. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. <http://www.sciencemag.org/content/279/5353/992.full>

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