INSIGHTS

INSIGHTS
M Y L O V E LE TTE R TO
SCIENCE: CONFESSIONS OF
A COMPULSIVE ADULTERESS
By Alicia Lang
I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE.
First, I am not the devoted science junkie you think
I am. I hate to admit it. I would pass over a glowingblue, banana-scented test tube for a bag of warm,
fudge-filled, melt-on-your tongue brownies any day. I
love art, history, music and literature. I love what you
would condemn as the vanities of life - you shouldn’t.
Indeed, my love for you, too, stemmed from those
legends of great kings and emperors seeking the
fabled Fountain of Youth.
At age 12, you proposed to me, proposed that aging
was the macroscopic product of error accumulation
on the various biological levels. I was ecstatic, initially
from utter relief that the Fountain of Youth would
remain mere legend, but later, too, because I liked
that idea of inevitable downfall, to keep the everpresent human ego in check; Alexander the Great
could conquer as many kingdoms as he liked, but
would never be able to conquer the ageing man he
saw in the mirror.
Second, I am violent. I enjoy smashing your atoms
apart, and uncovering, in the process, the beginnings
of the universe. I enjoy putting them back together
again, in symmetry, because in the eyes of a
scientist, symmetry is beauty. Symmetry, in this case,
is also the Standard Model. Part of what can perhaps
be called the most successful theory of all time quantum theory - it is hinged, nonetheless, upon a
philosophical foundation of sand.
And lastly, I am not a genius. My eyes often ache from
your dense texts riddled with jargon and equations. I
conceive of Newtonian dynamics in terms of spheres
and cannonballs. I make sense of relativity through
cartoon clocks and spaceships. At the most abstract
level, I actually do think of string theory in terms of the
interactions between strings.
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But at the end of the day, when I look at my laptop
only to see minuscule electrons defying the laws of
common sense, I cannot help but chuckle at your
romantic jests.
With due love,
Schrodinger’s Cat
P.S. In all seriousness, many people in
developed nations today undervalue science
as the engine of their prosperity, and largely
identify with my sentiments as the compulsive
adulteress. It is instead those in emerging
nations who truly embrace science for what it
is: the LOVE of their lives.
MA LETTRE D’AMOUR À LA
SCIENCE : CONFESSIONS
DE L’ADULTÈRE COMPULSIF
Par : Alicia Liang
J’AI UNE CONFESSION À FAIRE.
Tout d’abord, je ne suis pas un intello de science dévoué
comme vous le croyez. Je déteste l’admettre. Je me
passerais d’un tube incandescence au bleu éclatant
et parfumé à la banane, pour un sachet de brownies,
rempli d’un fondant au chocolat succulent, bien chaud,
fondant délicatement sur ma langue, n’importe quel jour.
J’aime l’art, l’histoire, la musique et la littérature. J’adore
ce que vous condamneriez en tant que les vanités
de la vie -- vous ne devriez pas. En effet, mon amour
pour toi, aussi, découle de ces légendes de grands
rois et empereurs cherchant la légendaire Fontaine de
jouvence.
À 12 ans, vous m’avez proposé, proposé que le
vieillissement soit le résultat macroscopique de
l’accumulation d’erreurs à de différents niveaux
biologiques. J’étais fou de joie, d’abord d’un allégement
total que la Fontaine de jouvence resterait qu’une
LA REVUE POUR LES ÉTUDIANTS EN TECHNOLOGIE ET SCIENCES
DOI: 10.13034 / JSST-2015-012
légende, mais plus tard, aussi, parce que je me
réjouissait à l’idée de la chute inévitable, ainsi gardant
l’ego humain omniprésent aux aguets; Alexandre le
Grand pourrait conquérir autant de royaumes qu’il le
désire, mais ne serait jamais capable de conquérir le
vieil homme qu’il percevait dans le miroir.
Deuxièmement, je suis violent. J’aime briser vos
atomes, et découvrir, au cours du cheminement, les
débuts de l’univers. J’aime les remettre à nouveau
ensemble, symétriquement, puisqu’aux yeux
des scientifiques la symétrie dicte la beauté. La
symétrie, dans ce cas, est aussi le Modèle standard.
Un aspect de ce qui peut être dénoté en tant que
théorie la plus réussie de tous les temps -- la théorie
quantique -- articule, néanmoins, sur une philosophie
fondamentale sablée.
Et enfin, je ne suis pas un génie. Mes yeux brûlent
souvent à regarder vos textes denses, criblés de jargon
et d’équations. Je conçois la dynamique newtonienne
en matière de sphères et des boulets de canon. Je
donne un sens à la relativité grâce aux horloges,
dessins animés et vaisseaux spatiaux. Au point de
vue le plus abstrait, je pense en effet à la Théorie des
cordes en tant qu’interactions entre les cordes.
Quoiqu’à la fin de la journée, quand je regarde mon
portable seulement pour voir des électrons minuscules
dévier des lois de bon sens, je ne peux m’empêcher de
rire à vos plaisanteries romantiques.
Avec amour inéluctable,
Written by Arjun Pandey
Edited by Abeera Shahid and Sarina Lalla
Please note that this piece is first in a series intended
to introduce students to the area of research. They
reflect the opinions of student researchers and not
necessarily of the Foundation for Student Science
and Technology.
As humans, we have an inherent desire to understand
the world around us. Why are we here? Why is
everything the way it is? Where did we come from?
Where are we headed? These questions have
profound implications and no sole answer, but they
challenge us to try and understand the world we live
in. Through the use of research, people around the
world attempt to explore the answers to complex
questions, to solve challenging problems and
ultimately to broaden our view of the world.
Research is defined as a method to explain, process,
and analyze an observed phenomenon. Scientific
research often consists of these components (not
necessarily in this order):
1. An observation is made.
2. A question is asked.
3. Based on the prior research of others, a
hypothesis, or educated guess of the answer is
made.
4. The hypothesis is tested through a scientific
experiment.
Chat de Schrodinger
P.S. En toute sincérité, beaucoup de gens dans
les pays développés aujourd’hui sous-estiment
la valeur de la science comme agent de leur
prospérité, et s’identifient largement avec mes
sentiments comme l’adultère compulsif. Il s’agit
plutôt ceux dans les pays émergents qui apprécie
et embrasse la science pour ce qu’elle est
vraiment : l’amour de leur vie.
DOI: 10.13034 / JSST-2015-012
RESEARCH: THE ESSENTIALS
5. Experiments are repeated to ensure their
validity, because any one result is not an
accurate representation of reality.
6. The results of the experiment(s) are compiled
and analyzed.
7. Explanations, and rationales to explain the
outcomes of the experiment are developed, and
then tested through future research.
The description above is often referred to as the
scientific method. Is that all research is? Definitely not!
The scientific method is often taught to students from
a young age as a rigid structure one must follow to
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