As the evidence piles up supporting climate change, the battle over the science in public arenas portrays a false sense of scientific controversy. Scientific misunderstanding is not climate change specific; almost all fields of science now find themselves at loggerheads with the public perception of their research. Neurological research has dualist opposition; vaccine use now faces well funded pseudoscience research; reproductive health information is often tainted by religious communities; evolution has been pushed out of schools; and environmental sciences are smeared by resource companies.
The need for public scientific understanding is vital to human well-being, advancement, and survival, but the complexity of the science leaves many members of the public unable to keep up. Scientists and science enthusiasts are not waiting around for the public to catch up; some are letting average people check them out through Periscope.
Periscope is a social media app that allows the user (“Scoper”) to live-stream a video (a “Scope”). Unlike television, the audience is not passive. Viewers can chat with the Scoper in real time. Everything from cookie spices to racial inequalities in policing are topics of Scopes. Scientists and their champions are leveraging Periscope as a tool for making the ravine between scientific ignorance and scientific knowledge narrower in an effort to improve public understanding.
“The reason I Scope is mainly because I think a lot of people have misconceptions about physics, and science in general, mostly because they’ve never had the chance to ask a scientist their questions,” explains Scoper and theoretical physicist and cosmologist Deanna C. Hooper.
Scoper and neuroscientist Ian McLaughlin wants to overcome the financial and social hurdles between science and the public: “Since people outside of science are separated from most research by paywalls or by specialized language required to understand peer-reviewed publications, I’m hoping to help people without formal training develop a comfort and familiarity with, and appreciation for, science.”
The distance between scientists and the public also creates a distorted view of the process of science and of the people in science. By closing the divide, average people can see the process of science more clearly and not feel alienated from scientists.
“It seems that a lot of people have the ‘us and them’ mentality: ‘us normal people’ and ‘those crazy, unapproachable scientists,’ and by Scoping I hope to show people that scientists are normal people, and definitely not unapproachable,” said Hooper. Periscope is full of brilliant scientific intermediaries: people who are excited to share science but do not make their living from it.
One of the most popular science emissaries is Bob the Cat. Bob is a cat who takes viewers on tours of microbial life in a microscope, interviews scientists, and shows the stars through telescopes. When necessary, his minion—software developer Bob Nebrig—moves slides or speaks for him. “Periscope is great for learning what you want to know, what you didn’t know you wanted to know, and sometimes learning things you wish you had not (like what is crawling on a McDonald’s hamburger left to rot for 7 months),” explained Nebrig.
Advanced scientific conversations have a place on Periscope, too. Numerous scientific and public health organizations use Periscope to share their developments. Instead of only hearing it on the news through conventional media outlets, the information is directly available to the public.
Viewers participating in the question and answer Scopes ask surprisingly difficult questions. Hooper was once asked, “If you took all the mass of the observable universe and shrank it to the size of a black hole, what size would it be?” “That led to a long debate with some colleagues, and multiple discussions on the topic,” said Hooper. “We ended up asking a black hole expert, to confirm our answer was correct (it would actually be the same size as the observable universe; it wouldn’t change size!).”
Making science more accessible also benefits the scientific community. The most obvious advantage is that the more people understand and value science, the more they will fund it. “I’m trying to bring people closer to the research they fund through federal grant-making agencies like the NIH [National Institutes of Health] and NSF [National Science Foundation], as well as to the scientists their funds support,” explained McLaughlin.
Scopers also experience the personal sanctification that comes with transmitting memes of knowledge. “These scopes give me the opportunity to ‘talk’ with some very interesting people,” shared Scoper and astronomy professor Dennis Hands. “I love astronomy. I love talking about astronomy. I love sharing the passion for such a beautiful discipline.”
Ready to reach out and look through the Periscope at science? Peek in on these Scopers.
Deanna C. Hooper—Theoretical Physicist
Scope: @DCHooper91
Watch one here: https://www.periscope.tv/DCHooper91/1yNGaeNkprQGj
Hooper’s Scopes are simple—ask her a question about physics or the universe, and she gives you an answer. She has a tempered, clear, and understandable style. She packs complex ideas into little digestible bits for viewers.
Ian McLaughlin—Neuroscientist
Scope: @_Anthropoid
Watch one here: https://www.periscope.tv/_Anthropoid/1djGXXWVzzRGZ
McLaughlin, a University of Pennsylvania’s neuroscience PhD candidate, answers questions about the brain and neuroscience research with spirited enthusiasm and passion. Viewers are treated to glimpses through the microscope at brain bits, computer graphics of the brain, the beautiful Philadelphia skyline, and on occasion nearby pubs.
Bob the Cat—Science Emissary
Scope:@bobber4143
Watch one here: https://www.periscope.tv/bobber4143/1lDGLNdMZmaxm
Bob the Cat pounces on all sizes of science. He turns his viewers into tardigrade (water bear), hydra, and sea monkey voyeurs through his microscope. He robs stars, clouds, and other celestial bodies of their privacy when he points his phone and telescope upward to share big things in the sky. He even made paint drying interesting. No seriously—check it out—it’s unexpectedly entertaining.
Dennis Hands—Astronomy Professor
Scope: @DennisRHands
Watch one here: https://www.periscope.tv/DennisRHands/1BdxYNaaLQBKX
High Point University professor Dennis Hands Scopes about astronomy. He speaks with the clarity of an educator with decades of experience explaining astronomy. His Scopes are usually question and answer, but most include interesting upcoming events or new discoveries. The Cline Observatory is the occasional setting of his Scopes. He is also the owner of an unusual number of awesome shirts.
Monterey Bay Aquarium—Marine Biology and Conservation
Scope: @MontereyAq
Watch one here: https://www.periscope.tv/MontereyAq/1ZkKzWlZAawGv
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Scopes range from downright illegally cute penguin parades to open water orca chases. Even though there is no shortage of cute octopuses and baby otters, it is also crammed with science. Facts are shared in both lay and scientific language. They travel outside the aquarium to local parks and onto the ocean to capture wildlife in its natural habitat. People of all marine biology levels will ride the wave of entertainment in a sea of knowledge.
Joey Jefferson—NASA Engineer
Scope: @JoeyJefferson30
Watch one here: https://www.periscope.tv/w/1lPJqqrbwVlJb/card#
Jefferson’s upbeat, enthusiastic Scopes often show what’s behind the scenes at NASA. He walks around the campus and shows us scientists at work. Jefferson does question and answer sessions so the public can ask questions about NASA or engineering or physics. He is the personification of the inner space geek in everyone.
Julia Majors—Physicist
Scope: @Feynwoman
Watch one here: https://www.periscope.tv/w/1gqxvAyPZlgJB
Dr. Julia Majors is a physicist who specializes in lasers and materials. She does question and answer sessions as well as interviewing other scientists about their work. She does not keep her Scopes up for long, so watch them while they’re hot.
Periscope can be downloaded in iTunes for Apple users and Google Play store for Android users.