What do children think when they draw a scientist?

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Math Is Hard
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4596662.stm
Professor Christopher Frayling is head of the Royal College of Art, but he's recently been conducting scientific experiments.

He's been going into primary schools and asking the pupils to draw a picture of a scientist.

Examining the sketches afterwards, he is surprised to discover that the children consistently draw images from a bygone age long before they were born: with wild hair, lab coat, staring eyes, coke-bottle glasses, a withered hand; in some cases they've even written the word "MAD" with an arrow pointing at the scientist.
:smile: Funny thing is ... this is EXACTLY how I picture about 75% of you! :biggrin:
 
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Math Is Hard said:
Funny thing is ... this is EXACTLY how I picture about 75% of you! :biggrin:

wild hair - check
lab coat - nope
staring eyes - how would I know?
coke-bottle glasses - nope, no glasses
a withered hand - only after swimming for eight hours
"MAD" - probably
 
Math Is Hard said:
Funny thing is ... this is EXACTLY how I picture about 75% of you! :biggrin:
What about the other 25%? What pictures come to mind for them?
 
zoobyshoe said:
What about the other 25%? What pictures come to mind for them?
various creatures for the most part, I guess. Penguins, puppies, bears, sasquatches (not sure of plural form here), aliens, etc.
 
Kids are stupid
 
Pengwuino said:
Kids are stupid
Out of the mouths of babes and fools comes wisdom. Scientists are all Montgomery Burns in a lab coat with coke bottle glasses.
 
Math Is Hard said:
various creatures for the most part, I guess. Penguins, puppies, bears, sasquatches (not sure of plural form here), aliens, etc.
Math Is Hard said:
oh, and jellyfish.
Yeah, it's kinda like the cafeteria at Universal Studios around here, isn't it?
 
That's because the only scientists most kids can identify with are either the big picture of Einstein posted on the classroom wall, or the mad scientist characters in the cartoons, which look a lot like Einstein, with coke bottle glasses, holding a flask of something green and bubbling.
 
Just for the heck of it...I went Googling for "scientist" images:
http://images.google.com/images?q=scientist&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images

I think this gives some pretty good examples of images people associate with scientists.

I like this one because she is levitating the test tubes. Kewl!

http://www.csicop.org/scienceandmedia/literacy/scientist.gif
 
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So that's what moonbear looks like...

http://gallery.mudpuddle.co.nz/albums/bgdm/wc_scientist_final.sized.jpg
 
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Moonbear said:
That's because the only scientists most kids can identify with are either the big picture of Einstein posted on the classroom wall, or the mad scientist characters in the cartoons, which look a lot like Einstein, with coke bottle glasses, holding a flask of something green and bubbling.
Yeah, whereas they actually look like this:
http://home.nc.rr.com/ringosoft/scientist.jpg
 
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Math Is Hard said:
I like this one because she is levitating the test tubes. Kewl!
http://www.csicop.org/scienceandmedia/literacy/scientist.gif
[/URL]
Obviously a biologist. No physicist would scorn the law of gravity in such a cavalier fashion.
 
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haha google mathematicians and its like 9:1 black and white:color photos of mathematicians. I guess all the good ones are dead :P
 
JasonRox said:
They actually had a similar thing for mathematicians.
The result was that kids saw them as old and grumpy.
Pengwuino said:
mathematicians and its like 9:1 black and white:color photos of mathematicians. I guess all the good ones are dead :P
My God! It's true!:eek: :eek: :eek:
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10 &hl=en&lr=&q=young+good-looking+mathematicians&btnG=Search
 
Moonbear, I believe with Pengwuino's post about you, you would have enough to make a case against him with that new annoyance law. I will testify as a witness if you need me to :smile:
 
Math Is Hard said:
My God! It's true!:eek: :eek: :eek:
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10 &hl=en&lr=&q=young+good-looking+mathematicians&btnG=Search
:smile: As for photos being B&W vs color, sometimes that's just the department they work for choosing B&W so the new photos match the old ones up on some wall somewhere. I always think it's funny when departments never bother to update their photos, so some professor emertitus is still shown in his 30s with a goofy bow-tie on his suit.
 
mattmns said:
Moonbear, I believe with Pengwuino's post about you, you would have enough to make a case against him with that new annoyance law. I will testify as a witness if you need me to :smile:
Ooh, I'm starting to like that new law. :biggrin: Of course, in reality, I'm more furry. :-p
 
Math Is Hard said:
My God! It's true!:eek: :eek: :eek:
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10 &hl=en&lr=&q=young+good-looking+mathematicians&btnG=Search
Kate Gunzinger of "It's My Turn" was good looking and she even gives a good proof of the "Snake Lemma" in the beginning of the movie.

Also, math teachers are very hot. From the highly respected "Weekly World News": http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/features/suspects/61294

"It's fun to watch these young boys get all excited," says one math teacher. "And unlike teaching them algebra, I feel like I'm 'educating' them in ways that they will really use in life."

For years it was considered bad form for teachers to flaunt their sexuality. But the case of Mary Kay Letourneau, the teacher who was arrested and imprisoned for seducing one of her 12-year-old students, changed things.

"Even though Mary went overboard by having sex with the boy, we took notice that attendance in her class was outstanding, and the kids got higher grades," says Werm.
 
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Math Is Hard said:
Oh! So THAT explains all the mice!
No this does...

Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_%28book_cover%29.jpg
 
BobG said:
[...] From the highly respected "Weekly World News": http://www.weeklyworldnews.com/features/suspects/61294
:smile: :smile: :smile:
 
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BobG said:
Kate Gunzinger of "It's My Turn" was good looking and she even gives a good proof of the "Snake Lemma" in the beginning of the movie.
oh, I didn't realize we could count actors and actresses who play mathematicians as actual mathematicians. In that case, David Krumholtz is one cute mathematician!
http://wwwimage.cbs.com/primetime/numb3rs/images/cast/num_bio_krumholtz.jpg
:!) :!) :!) :!) :!) :!) :!)
 
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Meow Meow Meow Meow, Meow Meow Meow Meow, so that's who makes meow mix. No wonder cats go ape over it.


He looks Gay.
 
Moonbear said:
That's because the only scientists most kids can identify with are either the big picture of Einstein posted on the classroom wall, or the mad scientist characters in the cartoons, which look a lot like Einstein, with coke bottle glasses, holding a flask of something green and bubbling.

I disagree. I think this is what scientists are really like and the problem is that no one wants to admit it.

:biggrin:
 
Math Is Hard said:
oh, I didn't realize we could count actors and actresses who play mathematicians as actual mathematicians. In that case, David Krumholtz is one cute mathematician!
http://wwwimage.cbs.com/primetime/numb3rs/images/cast/num_bio_krumholtz.jpg
:!) :!) :!) :!) :!) :!) :!)
Yep, he's a cutey! :!) :!) :!)
 
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