Science Education

I am having a sort of mental conflict. I am a biology major (freshman) at University. The reason I chose this is because, well, I love the science, and in the future I would enjoy doing disease research...but is that all? No. I also have a massive interest in aquatic life, having kept three of my own aquariums throughout high school. Here is where the conflict arises...my school offers a zoology major, one of the very few on the east coast or something like that. It is very tempting to switch over because of my great interest, however my interest in general biology (and eventually geared more towards disease and whatnot) is still great. So, the question I ask is the f…

Hello I am slightly more than half way though earning my degree for Biotech. I want to pursue a career in medicinal chemistry doing research and development of medicine. I plan on getting a masters and then enter the job market as my funds for school will probably be exhausted by then but I am aware that I really need a doctorates for a R&D position. I would still need to work though so my question is can I earn my doctorates part time? Also I am having trouble finding university's that have the major under medicinal chemistry. Is this major some times called something else. I cannot tell what kind of post graduate school I need to attend as well it seems to fal…

I am an undergrad at Austin Community College trying to major in Geology, and found out today in Physical Geology class i am colorblind to certain colors and couldn't tell the difference between grey and green when trying to define a igneous rock I get the impression this inability to tell the difference between colors will prevent me from being a geologist, won't it? Any easier science degrees? Never great in math either, and thought i'd over come this by using different electronic tools/software or hiring an undergrad once i'm a geologist. Any suggestions for an alternative science degree not math intensive...biology maybe? Any suggestions for a math cri…

Hi guys, well i was googling the internet and searching which is better to complete my Ms and PHd in computer Engineering or to go for MBA .. and i found a really old thread here ( 2005 ) talking about this issue!! it was very useful so thanks for SFN !! Now as i decided to go for MBA after 3 years working as a Network Engineer and getting many technical Cisco certificates, i'm searching for scholarships to study outside the Middle east ( since im from there ). Any suggestions?, and which universities i should apply for?. Now if i failed in finding and scholarship for the MBA , what do you think about working and studying outside?, is that possible?, can i co…

I am a freshman studying biology, and I have a huge fear of failure and inadequacy within science studies in general. I go on science forums (such as this) and read science articles and stuff every now and then to get a taste of what it is like to be at the end of your undergrad studies and ready to move on to the big world, be it a job or graduate school. All of these people (you guys included), only a few years older than me, speak like they are geniuses, could run a lab with one eye open, know everything about anything within the field, etc. etc. When people are talking about science on campus, or say they are a some sort of a science major, I automatically assume they…

Hello everyone. I'm about ready to apply to Penn State University and I need to finalize my decisions and get a firm understanding of how everything will work. My career goal is to work toward the combination of man and machine in an attempt to create a greater, more advanced entity. Therefore, I'm thinking that a major in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology will be suitable. Perhaps a minor in Chemistry or something. Does this sound reasonable? Now, for my graduate degrees - the Penn State Hershey Medical Center offers a Masters in Biochemistry, so I am assuming this would be the next logical step. After that, I see an available MD/PhD Program, which really fascin…

i am a 1st yr undergraduate student in physics honours. have interests in fields like relativity, quantum, cosmology physics. want to know about research oportunities for me in pg courses. any expert ideas will be appreciated. thank you.

Hi, I'm looking for a career on engineering and planning spaceships, floating cities, underwater habitats... Basically something thats to do with possible future habitats for both environment and humans. Does anyone know what course is related to that in a university in Australia? Regards, radienx000

Has anyone noticed that after a summer of not being in education, you feel like you've forgotten everything you learned over the past year? I've just finished my degree, and am about to start my PhD in late September. But I can't really remember many facts at all about the subject! Even bread-and-butter lab skills like dilution and concentration calculations have escaped me. It's as though summer has absorbed all the science in my head and replaced it with stuff about the beach, Pimm's and pizza. What do you guys do to get "back into the swing" of things, after not being directly involved with science for a while? I'm very nervous about starting my new course.

I am a new chemistry instructor at a college. I teach first year university transfer courses in chemistry and science. I've been developing a list of demonstrations to provide throughout the year. So far i've got elephant toothpaste (decomposition of H2O2 in presence of a catalyst and some dish detergent)-- requires a laboratory because of the mess nitrogen triiodide-explosive decomposition. good demonstration of exothermic reaction and unstable compound. Also requires a laboratory since it gives off a large cloud of iodine and a bang loud enough to leave your ears ringing barium hydroxide octahydrate and ammonium thiocyanate. Two solids mixed together cr…

I think a major obstacle to spreading environmental awareness is with formal education. I think such education should be made mandatory at the K-12 level into higher education. I am wondering what formats work best though at imparting environmental awareness to people(students) in terms of life cycles and generations really. So what I would like to know is as follows. Did you receive any environmental education formally? What levels and was such education periodic? What worked and did not work for you and why? What types of educational formats were used, was it just lecture, or lab, or fields trips, or combinations of such? Any replies wil…

There is need for qualified science teachers, aquatic experts and environmental scientists.Hands on activities improve educators’ ability to teach, motivate students to stay in school and provide participants opportunities to discover career fields that lead to self-reliance. The ideas presented by Touch Tank present participants with numerous educational, social, and environmental benefits and equips educators with a hands-on learning ides that improve competency. The goals of touch tank include helping educational institutions adjust to changing environmental and economic conditions by offering suggestions on ways to improve the educational experience.

I'm taking a year off between high school and college, which means I'm going to be spending a lot of time away from the science lab/classroom. I love science and I want to continue learning about it, but I need suggestions. What should I do with my year off? What are some good ways to stay involved in science, despite my lack of a higher education?

Hello All, I found this site when searching MBA and a PhD employment. A post came up. At any rate I am about to complete both. my PhD is in material science and nano related materals. I am looking for really any type of work in new york city. I have found a few places that I will apply to. But i was hoping to see if you had any suggestions. I would like to transition to the business aspect for engineering. I do like lab work and R&D but I feel like the business side is more suited for me. Thanks in advance for any suggestions and if you have any questions that can better help you answer my question please ask!

I would just like to say Hello and it's a pleasure to be here. This is the first time I've been to this forum and will be the first thread I ever post in this forum because frankly I'm in a thinking crisis right now. I hope you guys would understand that I am no professional. I am a student in High School in Canada and will be in the twelfth grade this coming September. I do not know what I want to get into after high school, yet. Well, onwards to my issue! I'm not a science type of guy sad to say. Well, I'm not a "high school" science guy. The science in High School seems rather over complicated than it needs to be, and that's basically why I'm almost no…

Will Latin help me more (with scientific vocabulary) than Spanish, German, Arabic or Japanese? Also, is it true that Latin is more of a written language as opposed to spoken? And that, in general, I will have less spoken tests and interviews than Spanish or German? Thanks, BB

It's my first year in medschool. and i need to some medical textbooks for my course. I decided to just borrow from a cousin, who is already a doctor, because I'm saving money for my tuition. These books are not the latest editions. Can I rely on them for references? How different is the 6th edition from the 9th edition? For example, Guyton's Medical Physiology.

Hi, everyone. I just joined this site after seeing some good answers to general questions I have about the years after obtaining a PhD and how I can prepare for them during grad school. Hopefully someone can answer some questions about my specific situation. I am starting my first year in the PhD program in biophysics at the University of California, Berkeley in August and have spent the summer here doing a lab rotation (in addition to 3 rotations in the school year). I'm currently doing work in mass spec and IR spectroscopy and was thinking of using the rest of my rotations to cover the other major biophysical techniques (EM, NMR, X-ray crystallograph, etc) in …

What is the difference between studying "organic chemistry" and "advanced organic chemistry"? Should one have a pre-requisite knowledge in "organic chemistry" before studying "advanced organic chemistry"?

Hello all, I'm Max, an 11th year student from Spain, and I'm very interested in science, specially in Biology. I would really like to study something related with biology or microbiology, and I am looking for some advice on which courses would help me finding a place in researching, and if there are any courses specially focused on this matter. I would also like to know about where to study; if there are certain places that would offer me better options than others, for my purpose. I am currently living and studying in Spain, but I would have no problem in taking my university studies in the UK or anywhere else in Europe. Thank you all for your help

Hi everyone, I spend a lot of my spare time walking around my local countryside and have a great interest in all aspects of wildlife. I am looking to learn more about my surroundings and would be very interested in looking at zoology. I am in full time employment and so my time is limited which leaves me looking for a home study course. I was wondering if anyone could advise me as regards anything available online ? Thanks very much. Dave.

Does smdy know about any upcoming summer or winter schools for chemist (especialy organic)? ty in advance

I just noticed that the Times Good University Guide for 2010 is out. This is a ranking of UK universities overall and in various subjects. The ranking for physics is quite interesting.

Hi all, Would anyone happen to know when the THES-QS university rankings for 2009 are being released? Cheers

So I'm cruising around the internet.... la dee dee da da... and I googled the words: How to become a scientist. The first thing that popped up was this: "Don't Become a Scientist!" by Jonathan I. Katz Professor of Physics Washington University, St. Louis, Mo. Which says in part: The whole thing can be found here: http://wuphys.wustl.edu/~katz/scientist.html What do you think? Any truth in that article? Any thing you current scientists want to tell me.... a possible future scientist? Hmmm?