Forum Revamp - input please

GuanYin

Hi folks,

Science has been renamed to popular science and as such is going through a little bit of a revamp.

We're hoping to take a more lay-science approach to things and maybe discuss popular science books, articles in magazines like scientific american and any topic you like.

What would be great is suggestions and ideas from you guys on what the forum should try and achieve

MooseJam

to educate the great unwashed would be an admirable goal

el_tiddlero

MooseJam wrote: »

to educate the great unwashed would be an admirable goal

how about washing the great uneducated??

nah, how about a news of the week style thread where new freaky research that has made the news gets put..

or a find a solution thread - where a popular problem (say world hunger etc) is solved by posters on the forum...

The Gnome

Popular Science Myth of the Week? A new myth each week and the debunking of them.

EG. The LHC killing us all etc.

r3nu4l

Well as I've said elsewhere, we could have threads discussing the following topics:

1. The role of science in today's society
2. The science that has best served humanity
3. Science funding in Ireland
4. Science as a career
5. The obligatory "Is science fun" argument...

We could also discuss, ways in which to give the public access to science. The Royal Institution in England does some amazing public lectures every year that are well worth going to. some of them are televised and worth a look.

I know that the Royal Irish Acadamy does something similar and that Universities often hold open days but there doesn't seem to be the same pizazz that you get from the Royal Institution.

Perhaps we could have a series of "Science for the Layman" threads? They would be educational in nature. Each week a new topic would be chosen and a poster who knows a bit about the subject could be invited to post a 'lecture' on the subject? The 'lecture' would be posted in laymans terms, trying to explain the basics. It could be about the search for a Higgs boson, how vaccines work, synthesis of new antibiotics... you get the idea.

Posters could post questions and discuss the lecture?

Just some thoughts.

rmacm

r3nu4l wrote: »

Well as I've said elsewhere, we could have threads discussing the following topics:

1. The role of science in today's society
2. The science that has best served humanity
3. Science funding in Ireland
4. Science as a career
5. The obligatory "Is science fun" argument...

These are all pretty good ideas. One from myself would possibly be a weekly discussion on a particular topic or a discussion of a popular science based article.

Ponster

I think that once you have a few ideas that it wouldn't do any harm to ask an admin to plug the 'new' forum with a general announcement.

I would have never noticed the change in name and direction had it not been mentioned in the mod forum.

artieanna

I'm really interested in microscopy and would love a section for this...if theres demand for it I suppose:o

it would be great to see others pictures of microscopic subjects..


Just a thought...:rolleyes:

r3nu4l

artieanna wrote: »

I'm really interested in microscopy and would love a section for this...if theres demand for it I suppose:o

What kind of microscopy are you into? Do you operate any microscopes (other than compound light ).

Are you an AFM addict an Electron Egghead?
Would you be willing to help others with queries they had? Certainly feel free to start any threads you like here, even if it's terribly geeky

Vegeta

Popular + Science != 1

Only messin I'm an engineer myself and love lay science, its at my level. Have used some cool things in work, x-ray machine, a FIB (focused ion beam), emission microscope. etc that put a bit or razza matazz into science

The young scientist thing in the RDS is always a good event with loads of popular scince type topics

Flamed Diving

A sticky showing how to apply for research funding both at home and abroad?

artieanna

I'm afraid I'm no pro' just using a binocular compound microscope and would love to meet any other microscopy hobbiests to share images with....