University of California Museum of Paleontology, University of California Berkeley, 1101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, California 94720-4780 USA.
Am J Bot. 2009 Oct;96(10):1760-6. doi: 10.3732/ajb.0900014. Epub 2009 Sep 7.
The United States may be on the brink of losing its global edge in science. Many American students are underprepared for and uninterested in the scientific and technical careers they may be asked to take on. Furthermore, these students, their teachers, and the broader public lack basic understandings of what science is and how it works, which may negatively impact their ability to make reasoned and informed decisions about science-related issues. We describe two unique and recently developed projects designed to help tackle these problems by improving public understanding of and interest in science. The Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science is a grassroots effort to lower the barriers between the scientific community and the public. It aims to inspire broad appreciation of science, inform the public about the nature and process of science, and make science accessible to everyone. Understanding Science is a web-based project that aims to improve teacher understanding of the nature of the scientific enterprise, to provide resources that encourage and enable kindergarten through undergraduate (K-16) teachers to reinforce the nature of science throughout their teaching, and to serve as a clear and accessible reference that accurately portrays the scientific endeavor. The botanical and broader scientific communities are invited to participate in these efforts.
美国可能即将失去其在科学领域的全球优势。许多美国学生对他们可能被要求从事的科学和技术职业准备不足，也不感兴趣。此外，这些学生、他们的教师以及更广泛的公众对科学是什么以及它是如何运作的缺乏基本的了解，这可能会对他们就与科学相关的问题做出合理和明智的决策的能力产生负面影响。我们描述了两个独特的、最近开发的项目，旨在通过提高公众对科学的理解和兴趣来帮助解决这些问题。公众理解科学联盟是一项基层努力，旨在降低科学界与公众之间的障碍。它旨在激发对科学的广泛欣赏，让公众了解科学的本质和过程，并使科学为每个人所接受。理解科学是一个基于网络的项目，旨在提高教师对科学企业本质的理解，提供资源，鼓励和使幼儿园到本科（K-16）教师在整个教学过程中强化科学的本质，并作为一个清晰和易于访问的参考，准确地描绘科学努力。邀请植物学和更广泛的科学界参与这些努力。
