The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a series of videos featured on NOVA that showcase the personal lives of scientists and engineers during their free time. Participants explore the implications of how scientists are portrayed and question the definitions and qualifications of those labeled as "scientists."

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant critiques the broad definition of "scientist" used in the NOVA profiles, citing examples like a "leech expert" and a "teen astronomer."
  • Another participant humorously questions the concept of "free time" in relation to scientists and engineers.
  • There is a comparison made between a "leech expert" and a commercial expert, highlighting the ambiguity in how expertise is defined.
  • A later reply suggests a humorous hypothetical about a profile on Carl Sagan as a cannabis expert, indicating a playful tone in the discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the portrayal of scientists and the definitions of expertise, indicating that multiple competing views remain without a clear consensus.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes assumptions about the nature of expertise and the societal perceptions of scientists, which are not fully explored or resolved.

~christina~
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I was watching NOVA today and they mentioned a series of videos featuring different scientists and engineers. Basically, they describe what they did on their free time when not involved in their field of study.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/secretlife/scientists/neil-degrasse-tyson/
-To see the videos featuring the different individuals, click their pictures on the left side of the page

In my opinion, the people behind NOVA used a broad definition of the word "scientist" when choosing the people that were featured on the profiles. There's a "leech expert" (not sure how one becomes one of these), a "teen astronomer," and a physics student. But then again, maybe I'm just being critical.

It is interesting to note that the whole idea of the video profiles (of which I assume when they get enough, will turn into a show) implies that scientists and engineers are not thought of as normal individuals but rather some different species which only focus on their respective fields. :rolleyes: That leads me along the path of wondering who comes up with these shows in the first place.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
What's "free time"?
 
~christina~ said:
There's a "leech expert" (not sure how one becomes one of these)

Reminds me of Claire, the ClearBlue expert from the TV commercials. As someone on another site said, "How many times do you have to piss on a stick before you're an expert?" :rolleyes:
 
Pengwuino said:
What's "free time"?
You don't do anything but do physics research, bird? :-p
 
they going to do one on Sagan as a cannabis expert ? :-p
 

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