I’ve been interested in science all of my life, but only in the last few years have I become more involved with skepticism and the idea that you don’t need to be a scientist to think like a scientist. As usually proliferated on social media, a constant barrage of anti-GMO fear mongering flooded my Facebook feed on a daily basis. I started trying to counter these claims with sound science. Because many of those spreading erroneous info were good friends, I felt compelled to actually know what I was talking about and inform them, instead of simply calling them out their ignorance. I became active in various online forums devoted to exploring the issue of genetic engineering, and found myself learning from some of the best science communicators on the topic. Upon realizing that I couldn’t learn enough, I decided to go back to school and learn about biotechnology. I’d recently left my fifteen-year career working in the wine industry and was exploring my passion for science. My wife found a certificate program at CCSF called Bridge to Biosciences where I am enrolled today. I am nowhere near as educated as many of the people I correspond with about science, but I’m always trying to learn and never pretend to wield knowledge I don’t have. In my opinion, this is one of the most important components of skepticism. If more people only stopped pretending to know what they do not know, we wouldn’t see the blatant misinformation that so predominantly surrounds the topic of GMOs. biofortified.org/2014/10/the-day-i-unwittingly-became-a-pro-science-activist/
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 11:14:20 +0000