Episode 1: Scientific impact requires journeys across scientific disciplines
/Today, more than ever, scrutiny is placed on the education you get in university and its payoff when you go into the workforce. If you get your degree in math, it is a natural assumption that you will get a job dealing with math. That’s why some of you were unsure about the value of your first two years in college, taking all of those general education courses, trying to figure out what you wanted to lock yourself into, you thought, for the rest of your life! Right?
In this inaugural episode of Science In The Wild, hosts Dr. Gary Riccio and Nathan Roman discuss their experiences in science and academe and how they have made the transition into non-academic settings.
Gary earned his Bachelors degree in electrical engineering and neurobiology from Cornell University because he was interested in prosthetic devices for people with sensory impairments such as deafness. In his exposure to the science and technology utilized in the development of conventional hearing aids, he learned about the power of engineering models and analyses of biological systems. He also came to understand the limits of such knowledge with respect to the experience of real people in real environments, individuals with disabilities in particular.
The scientific boundaries that Gary had to cross to understanding the use of hearing aids in naturalistic settings required a pivot into experimental psychology for his Doctoral training and education. Gary discusses this example as the rule rather than the exception when coming to the sciences from a well-defined need. There is almost never a one-to-one correspondence between consumer demand and scientific supply. Gary and Nathan thus spend some time talking about the implication that scientific aggregators generally play a disproportionately valuable role in conducting science in the wild.
Nathan’s experience also is filled with a diversity of experiences that called upon his ability to adapt and similarly to pivot early in his scientific career. After earning his first Masters degree in sport psychology, Nathan moved to Arizona to work for a non-profit, then the State Legislature, and lastly a for-profit online university (no, not that one) before moving east to work on another Masters degree in experimental psychology. It was during his time in Arizona that he realized he wanted to use the critical thinking skills, gained from his scientific education, in the “real world” setting of business. That interest and ability has enabled him to make his most recent pivot into a startup environment, here at the UR Business Network.
Gary and Nathan touch on various aspects of science, academe, and even sports to introduce the ethos of the show. “How does collaborative engagement affect learning?” “What does a holistic approach to sport or health care look like, and what benefits does it provide beyond being specialized?” These are just some of the questions that are addressed in the extemporaneous conversation.
Even as we write this summary, we already have received feedback from Arizona to Massachusetts on an informal release of the content. We will feature such comments in our future shows, and we expect that some of these participants may become guests on our show especially if these are people we hadn’t known prior to their comments.
Key Terms and Concepts
scientific supply and demand
experience of real people in real environments
scientific aggregators
collaborative engagement
holistic approach