Hi! I am Larry Baumer, a retired science teacher of 41 years. I taught at the junior high, high school, and college level. I taught general science, biology, AP biology, anatomy & physiology, chemistry, and environmental biology. Since elementary school I have always loved to study science, especially biology. I also love to write and have been a contributor to many letters to the editor articles over the years. For one reason or another, many adults are somewhat weak in science literacy and are often confused by what they read in newspapers and hear on television. It is important to realize that all educated individuals, not just scientists, can benefit from gaining knowledge and, in this case, scientific knowledge. Citizens in a democracy (republic in our case) have an obligation to be informed on the issues faced by their governments. Environmental policy, social welfare programs, military planning, and economic policy, for example, have important scientific components. For these reasons (beside the fact, as stated above, that I love to write), I am embarking on a series of science essays. For my first essay, I decided to go all the way back to the beginning of scientific thought and even beyond.
In my everyday experiences I have found that many adults are not well versed in science or in science concepts. As a retired science teacher of 41 years this concerns me. I can’t help but wonder if I and other science teachers like me have failed–failed to sufficiently motivate and to impart the knowledge that we possess to our students. Admittedly, most adults cite science and math as the two subjects in school they disliked the most.
Therefore, as explained in the first essay, I have written a series of essays to bridge the gap between uninformed bystander to active participant in conversations and news stories involving scientific topics. Although I am targeting adults, most high school and college students should benefit too. The content of these essays leans heavily toward the biological sciences but also touches on astronomy, chemistry, geology, and even physics.
Some areas touch on sensitive topics but that is good since that stimulates thinking which makes the reader an active participant as mentioned above. Let me state in the beginning that I am a committed Christian. Ever since I can remember I have never been anything else. I do believe that just because I have been trained in the concepts of science and in general accept its principles, I do not have to forsake my equally strong convictions in a higher being (God). Neither do you.
You may wonder how scientists can make inferences and draw conclusions about events that occurred millions and billions of years ago before anyone lived. Obviously, no one was around to witness them. Let me remind you that we can’t see air or the atoms and molecules that make it up but we know air and its atoms exist. Much of our knowledge about the earth’s past is gained by indirect evidence such as fossils, 14C dating, ice and earth core samples, and more.
In the early essays, no references are cited. However, unlike many essays, the concepts discussed here are based on scientific work that spans hundreds of years and yet use the latest scientific methods and technology. Very little information that you find in these pages represent my opinion. I have based these readings on scientific journals, textbooks and books by science authors, newspaper accounts, and videos. I have an extensive video library consisting of programs from the History Channels, National Geographic Channel, and the Discovery Channel.