Assignment on

Creating Scientific Awareness

Submitted to

The Co-ordinater,

UGC-HRDC,

Academic Staff College,

Pondicherry University.

Submitted by

Dr. M. Yogapriya,

Assistant Professor,

Department of Chemistry,

Government Arts Collge,

Tiruvannamalai.

for

121st Orientation Programme

Aug 18, 2017-Sep 14, 2017

Creating Scientific Awareness

INTRODUCTION
Science is a way of developing and understanding the world.
Tremendous revolutionary changes were happened in health, communication,
and generally enhancing socio-economic development and the quality of our
lives over the last fifty years. The role of science promises to be greater in the
future due to more rapid scientific progress. Our society is becoming
increasingly dependent on science and technology. It is essential for the well
being of our society that all citizens should be aware of scientific concepts, an
appreciation of science, the benefits of technology, and the potential risks
associated with advances in both. To promote science, developing countries
should invest in quality education for youth, and continuous skills training for
workers and managers.
Socio-economic development
Science and technology are key drivers to development, because
technological and scientific revolutions underpin economic advances,
improvements in health systems, education and infrastructure. Access and
application are critical. Service and technology are the differentiators between
countries that are able to tackle poverty effectively by growing and developing
their economies, and those that are not. The extent to which developing
economies emerge as economic powerhouses depends on their ability to grasp
and apply insights from science and technology and use them creatively.
Innovation is the primary driver of technological growth and drives higher
living standards.
Less developed countries not only lack skilled labour and capital, but also
use these less efficiently. Inputs account for less than half of the differences in
per capita income across nations. The rest is due to the inability to adopt and
adapt technologies to raise productivity. To promote technological advances,
developing countries should invest in quality education for youth, continuous
skills training for workers and managers, and should ensure that knowledge is
shared as widely as possible across society.
Adopting appropriate technologies leads directly to higher productivity,
which is the key to growth. In societies that have large stock and flows of
knowledge, virtuous circles that encourage widespread creativity and
technological innovation emerge naturally, and allow sustained growth over
long periods. In societies with limited stocks of knowledge, bright and creative
people feel stifled and emigrate as soon as they can, creating a vicious circle
that traps those who remain in a more impoverished space. Such societies stay
mired in poverty and dependency. The investment climate is crucial, as are the
right incentive structures, to guide the allocation of resources, and to encourage
research and development.
The quantitative basis for this classification like developed and
developing countries is a human development index that measures not only per
capita income but also social development through literacy, education, healthcae
and life expectancy.
The impact of science on society
Society makes progress in addressing critical issues by having both a
skilled, creative, and productive workforce and a citizenry able to judge the
risks and enjoy the benefits of advances in science and technology. Common
people are unable to appreciate beauty in science, which is quite different from
their capability to appreciate artwork, a piece of good music or beauty of a
poem. This illiteracy of the general public on scientific subjects (sometimes
even amongst politicians and decision-makers) reflects poor activity in science
popularization and mystification of scientific work and data. In spite of this,
people are still fascinated with complex scientific problems such as how large
the universe is, what life and death are, and so on.
Science and spiritual thaught
The same mistake is made in regard to religion; we have not imbibed the spirit
of religion. When we really care for the spirit and delve deep, we will discover
that the true religious feeling and the scientific spirit are not separate. Indeed,
great scientists like Einstein and Shrdinger have come to the religious feeling,
through science, through the perception of beauty in Nature. Whichever aspect
of the earth or this universe you explore deeply whether the human mind or
the tree you will discover marvellous beauty. When you go deep, truth
becomes beauty and beauty truth, and that is also wisdom. The superficial
understanding of ourselves, of religion, of the meaning of science, is the enemy
of man. Theosophy is really to delve deep, in what area it does not matter. In the
depths, there is wisdom.

Problems in creating awareness

The overall problem is largely one of resources and their allocation,
coupled with a much smaller base of educated people in developing countries
than usually found in the developed countries. Increasing the educated
population is a slow business which will take a couple of generations or more,
in many cases. It is therefore necessary to make the best use of the scientific
manpower that there is available in the short term. Nowadays with the improved
facilities which exist in most countries, undergraduate training is best carried
out in the country, rather than in a developed country, which can lead to
problems of re-assimilation on return home.
the major challenge faced by universities is the lack of funding for
infrastructure, laboratory supplies, remuneration for academics and
support staff, lecture theatres, tenure.
Ways out of the problems
The phenomenon of overseas graduate students trying to remain in their
country of training is well known in all developed countries. The only long term
solution is to improve status and facilities in the home country. As a general
rule it seems likely that a policy of sending abroad for graduate study only those
scientists who already have jobs and an established commitment to an
institution and a career at home, is one way of achieving both a greater
proportion re-establishing themselves in the home country, and may also ensure
studies most in line with national requirements.
Scientists should realize that at least some of the responsibility for
achieving general government support and specific funding rests on them. They
cannot expect support just to come to them as of right. Members of government
and higher civil servants are mostly nonscientists and it is necessary for
scientists to go out and explain the significance of their work and what they
hope to achieve, with the objective of building up a climate of support.
Applied research need not really be restrictive - there is always room for
original and basic approaches within the framework of programmes having
ultimate practical objectives. Such an approach is more likely to receive
increased government funding than programmes not linked to practical
requirements
Science Education
Science education in developing countries really counts through
significant impacts on the local and international arenas and should be
encouraged by private and public institutions, individuals, and charities through
diverse funding options and support mechanisms. By enhancing the stream of
science communication, and enhancing the role of government and
philanthropists to provide the services of monitoring, supervising, and setting
standards of education, science education in developing countries will remain
relevant. several funding organizations have to recognize the relevance of
scientific scholarship in developing countries to the global community by
creating opportunities for their advancement in science.
 One critical area for assessing the impact of scientific contributions is
science communication through journals, books, workshops, and international
conferences.

Institutional motivation could be achieved through a rigorous peer review

of published scholarly papers, and balancing this with the competing interests of
promotion purposes and advancement of knowledge, reconciling the criteria of
accessing productivity at all levels, minimization of bureaucracy in funding
science-related projects, popularization of science, and the creation of an
environment conducive to study and work in the universities.

To make science a priority for funding through a change of attitude of

policy makers and providers of science education in both the public and private
sectors.

Developing countries themselves are aware of the impact and challenges of

science education; however, it may be worthwhile to make the following
recommendations that could benefit their science and technology base:

Commitment of funding to science through prioritization and the

establishment of graduate research institutes driven by local needs and
trends in globalization.
Sustainable partnerships and collaboration with scientists in developed
countries, especially those with ethnic ties to developing countries.
The assistance of private sectors and NGOs for the development of
science education in developing countries.
Facilitation of science communication in developing countries and access
to information resources.
Strengthening of existing science efforts and infrastructures.
Science or Myth
Scientific discoveries are often presented in a mythological way with a
theory being presented as a dramatic flash of insight by a heroic individual
rather than as the result of sustained experiment and reasoning. Contrary to
what some scientists say in hyped-up statements in books and social media, we
can't build a scientific model out of nothing science needs a conceptual
framework to exist. It may very well be that to explain the origin of all things is
an impossibility for our causally-based, logically-oriented, experientially-
functioning minds. This doesn't mean that only a supernatural explanation
exists; it means that we may simply be cognitively-limited to come up with such
a broad-ranging description of such far-removed reality.

Conclusions and Recommendations

In a world in which the Internet makes information ubiquitous, what counts is
the ability to use knowledge intelligently. Knowledge is the systemically
integrated information that allows a citizen, a worker, a manager, or a finance
minister to act purposefully and intelligently in a complex and demanding
world. The only form of investment that allows for increasing returns is in
building the stocks and flows of knowledge that a country or organization
needs, an in encouraging new insights and techniques.
Although in the long term there can be no substitute for spending more
money, some aspects such as improving the relative status of scientists,
choosing rational and useful research projects, removing unnecessary
bureaucracy and making the importation of scientific material easier the special
encouragement of existing effective research groups and the concentration of
facilities are often more a matter of wise planning rather than requiring massive
additional expenditure.
 Scientists can either technically or economically produce sophisticated
scientific equipment in the foreseeable future.
Too few countries have recognized the value of having a powerful, well-
equipped central unit and have tended to disperse their effort between too many
institutes.
The concept of a "science park" with a concentration of facilities is one
which needs to be considered
Although capital intensive, countries that have invested wisely in science
education get good returns
in human and infrastructural development and achievement. A long-term
project, science education does
not necessarily translate into immediate breakthroughs, economic returns,
and national honors or pride.
However, the manpower needs for sustaining the educational sector,
industry, and commerce in the short term, and invariably for long-term purposes
of social, infrastructural, and economic development
Tackling with a myriad of economic and social challenges, many
developing countries have the attitude that science education is the exclusive
reserve of rich countries that can afford its capital-intensive nature.
justify investments in science education by developing countries and
economies in transition countries.
the fact that new technologies resulting from investments in science and
technology are quickly mass-produced in Far Eastern countries using optimal
labor and infrastructural costs.
creating an increased pool of trained people, providing more resources
and strengthening the whole national infrastructure
Industrial contributions to long-term R&D are decreasing and the
government role should mirror the situation, maintaining or increasing the
longterm R&D component.
 Science literacy aims to develop two broad goals: to promote literacy in
science, mathematics and technology among the general public and to attract
future generations to careers as researchers, entrepreneurs and teachers on
whom the nations continuing economic health and national security will
depend.

Critical Reflections

The main objective of the scientific awareness team is to increase

knowledge and understanding of the benefits and impact
Modern society depends on scientific discovery and applying this new
knowledge through technology. However, the role that science plays in our
daily lives is often overlooked or taken for granted and public opinion is often
only mobilised when research and new discoveries raise ethical questions. For
these reasons, the public needs to be properly informed, so that it can make up
its mind on the issues.
Though the effect of science and technology is experienced in everyday
life of each and every person, there appears to be a very big gap between
scientifically literate and the common person on the road on acquiring scientific
attitude and awareness. Even in the elite and highly educated group, it is
doubtful how many of them have scientific attitude in correct sense. Though the
constitution stipulates the spread of scientific attitude and temperament as one
of the foremost duties of every citizen in India, the pace at which this duty is
being fulfilled is at snails speed and sometimes in reverse direction due to
vested interests at certain levels. While planning to inculcate scientific attitude
in the society, which will certainly eradicate superstitions, it became necessary
to concentrate our efforts among school going children who generally acquire
the traditions and rituals followed blindly by their parents. If it is possible to
inculcate scientific awareness at that tender age by some means, the young will
be aware of the importance of scientific attitude throughout their life. Formal
education as planned by our educationists for primary and secondary education
is just not sufficient to inculcate scientific attitude.
just delivering lectures and performing demonstrations would not be
adequate enough specially when audience is full of students. It was also learnt
that the assimilation of knowledge is generally through listening to the lectures,
self study, discussions with teachers and friends and appearing for examination
to evaluate comprehension.
To implement the scheme effectively, it became necessary that teachers
should be the nodal point. As such a curriculum was formulated to include
various related topics and for various age groups and accordingly programs
were planned to train teachers so that they in turn can teach the subjects related
to scientific attitude during extra hours and on holidays. Teachers were also
entrusted the task of conducting the examination to assess assimilating abilities
of students and successful candidates were awarded certificates.

In future, problems such as scarcity of water, environmental pollution will need

to be tackled and this would demand creation of scientific awareness.

This awareness, created out of facts and observations rather than prejudices,
should be able to facilitate decision making,

Promoting the understanding and appropriation of scientific knowledge

by a wide audience is a recognised necessity, in a world where science and
technical considerations play a major role in terms of economics and society. As
such, in keeping with its strategic objectives, Inria conducts numerous scientific
awareness actions, aimed both at young people and the general public.
needed because there is a clear need for the development of a religious
leadership that is sure-footed in its religious knowledge as well as one that is
scientifically literate. There are many religious scholars who have very little
understanding of science, the scientific method and recent advances in science.
Yet, they are called upon to provide guidance on how to respond to challenges
thrown up by scientific advancements.
This project will be a major and unique contribution to the development
of a religious leadership that is more scientifically aware.