Can String Theory Be An Educational Force Multiplier?
Posted in String Theory Be An Educational Force Multiplier?
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Locale: NSTA 2007 Conference SJ Gates, Jr University of Maryland
Robert Karplus Lecture: Can String Theory Be An Educational Force Multiplier?
Presenters: Sylvester J. Gates, Jr. John S. Toll, Professor of Physics
Key Slides on the Slideshow
Slide 7: Being Informed By The Public Of A Science Educational Possibility NSTA 2007 Conference SJ Gates, Jr University of Maryland
Slide 8: String Theory Has Made A Breakthrough In the Public Consciousness * A search on “string theory” at www.google.com reveals 1,080,000 webpages.
Slide 10: String Theory Has Made A Breakthrough In the Public Consciousness * A search on “string theory” at www.google.com reveals 1,080,000 webpages. * “The Elegant Universe,” a book by Brian Greene, was an international best-seller and paved the way for numbers of other such books. * “The Elegant Universe,” a NOVA/PBS television documentary, repeated this success for video presentations. NSTA 2007 Conference SJ Gates, Jr University of Maryland
Slide 11: Hundreds of popular-level presentations on this topic have been given at lectures, symposia, etc. at universities, laboratories, colleges, libraries & museums. NSTA 2007 Conference SJ Gates, Jr University of Maryland
Slide 14: ‘Superstring Theory: The DNA of Reality,’ (a 12 hour, 24 DvD collection of lectures on string theory at the popular level) generated approximately half a million dollars in sales within six months of its release.
Slide 15: This Raises Questions: “Can This Remarkable Amount Of Public Interest In String Theory Be Made To Serve An Educational Goal?” “If The Answer Is Affirmative Then How Is This To Occur?” For several years, considerations and deliberations on this have occurred for the speaker. A model course was envisioned to test this as a project in curriculum development.
Slide 23: Five Course Intellectual Foci (Examples) CULTURE & SCIENCE The Two Cultures: An Essay by C. P. Snow HISTORY & SCIENCE Leucippus, Democritus & the Atom Aristarchus, Eratosthenes, the Size & Shape of the Earth J.G. Stoney & The Electron NSTA 2007 Conference SJ Gates, Jr University of Maryland
Slide 24: Five Course Intellectual Foci (Examples) PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematiics in the Natural Sciences: An Essay by E. Wigner Karl R. Popper & Science as Falsification Thomas Kuhn & Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Slide 25: Five Course Intellectual Foci (Examples) RELIGION & SCIENCE Giordano Bruno & Galileo James Clerk Maxwell and the Christian Proposition Einstein’s View of Creation Father Georges-Henri Lemaître: A Jesuit Cosmologist NSTA 2007 Conference SJ Gates, Jr University of Maryland
Slide 26: Five Course Intellectual Foci (Examples) SCIENCE Illustrative `tour’ of the major strands of physics: • Theory of Newtonian Physics, Theory of Thermodynamics, Theory of Electromagnetism, Quantum Theory, Relativity Theory , Theories of Particle Physics & Cosmology NSTA
Slide 49: Interim Report The course is apparently serving distinct purposes for its two populations: (a.) non-STEM students learn they can ‘get it,’ contrary to their own expectations.
Slide 50: Interim Report (b.) STEM students are being forced to confront issues outside of science that are important (history, philosophy, communication skills, fostering serious science related discussion, faith-based beliefs, and scientists responsibility to society).
Slide 51: Interim Report (c.) The unforeseen level of popularity of this course with STEM students has had the benefit that a high degree of peer-to-peer mentoring (p2pM) occurs.
Popularity: 3% [?]
