The laissez-faire attitude to science education has resulted in a disaster exemplified by the fact that more young people are opting for media studies than physics.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I believe we owe our young an education that captures the exhilarating drama of science.
We are really battling, today in the U.S., keeping science education in the forefront at the elementary level, and that's where the research shows that kids get interested.
Crucial to science education is hands-on involvement: showing, not just telling; real experiments and field trips and not just 'virtual reality.'
Almost everyone shuts down when science becomes too technical; you've got to infuse it with entertainment and storytelling to make it effective. From high school on, science is taught in a very dry manner, which isn't as potent.
To my disappointment, not many young people seem to be interested in science, especially chemistry.
We look at science as something very elite, which only a few people can learn. That's just not true. You just have to start early and give kids a foundation. Kids live up, or down, to expectations.
There's nothing I believe in more strongly than getting young people interested in science and engineering, for a better tomorrow, for all humankind.
It's very satisfying to promote science and education and see good results. Setting a good example for young people, being a role model, is very important for me.
I am often amazed at how much more capability and enthusiasm for science there is among elementary school youngsters than among college students.
Science shouldn't be just for scientists, and there are encouraging signs that it is becoming more pervasive in culture and the media.