Why science really is the career of the 21st century……..

On Monday the 27th August, a few GUSSF members (Jo, Jayson, David and I) attended a lecture by the renowned Dr. Karl Kruszelnicki at Griffith University Nathan Campus. The lecture began with an introduction of Dr. Karl, whom holds degrees in Physics and Mathematics, master’s degrees in Astrophysics and Biomedical Engineering and to top it all off, a degree in medicine and surgery. Wow. Most people will know him from his science show on Triple J or the many pop-science books and articles he has written.

The topic of the lecture was “Why Science is the Career of the 21st Century”. I must say, Dr. Karl made a convincing argument; although, I don’t think I really needed convincing. The lecture covered the creativity in engineering, the wonder of physics, the amazing potential of genetics research and the complex but rewarding future of computer science. During the address Dr. Karl held the audiences attention, as you would expect a speaker of his experience would, with fascinating side stories and clever use of multimedia.

So why is science the career of the 21st century?

Dr. Karl used examples of humans living to 1000 years old and inhabiting other planets, he spoke of being able to regrow a lost limb and of computing power far beyond what we have today. But I think it’s simpler than that. Sure, it would be cool to discover a way to reverse aging or live on Mars or even just design a kick-ass computer; but let’s face it, discoveries such as those don’t happen everyday. My reason for believing that science is the career of the 21st century is because it’s all we have. Science is the only method by which we can understand more about the world, ourselves and this massive place we so casually call the Universe. Nothing else comes even close to giving us such a phenomenal insight into pretty much anything we wish to investigate. It’s time to shake off the juvenile ideas of centuries past and face the world with a sense of wonder that can only be truly satisfied through science.

“Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cosy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigour, and the great spaces have splendour of their own.” ~Bertrand Russell, What I Believe, 1925

By William Bennet

GUSSF