Tag: sex

lierdumoa:

lucereshine:

glumshoe:

I’ve been seeing some posts that are basically “fuck Bill Nye he only has a Bachelor’s degree and isn’t a REAL scientist” and like… guys. That’s not what being a science communicator is about. I’m not just talking about Nye here.

Science communication is a whole field of its own. You can be the most brilliant, qualified research scientist on the planet and have no teaching skills whatsoever. The ability to synthesize complex information and then explain it in simple, accessible language is not easy, and the more you know about a subject, the more difficult it is. Making scientific concepts available to the general public is really important work – work that active researchers are rarely able to undertake.

Say what you will about individuals, but please don’t dismiss the entire field of science communication and start parroting conservatives with the “um you should have a Ph.D before you should be allowed to talk about science”. Accuracy is key, obviously, but don’t throw educators under the bus, jfc.

also, a PhD is hyper specialized, almost to the point of not being able to talk to normal people about your work anymore. for example, I have a PhD and consider myself an expert on the N400 component of the human ERP waveform, specifically with respect to visual words. like … does anyone think that would help me explain … anything he talks about? it’s technically under the umbrella of neuroscience, but it’s so narrow that I actually only need to know the bare minimum about neurons. lol.

so, if he had a PhD, it would not really qualify him to talk about anything with more authority except a very, very narrow band of topics – and everything else would still be at about the level of the bachelors. thus, he would essentially have the same qualifications he has now for most everything he talks about.

weirdly, there is research from med schools that having heart specialists and lung specialists (for example) teach *each other’s specialties* is better for student outcomes. you know that annoying teacher who just would not give a straight answer? about anything? that’s what happens when you know too much and lose perspective on the Main Points.

Look everyone knows Nye is good at his job. Let’s be real – the only reason people are accusing him of being unqualified now is because he acknowledged that gender and sexuality are spectrums and transphobes want to use any flimsy excuse to discredit him.