Arthur Koestler apparently elucidated four criteria of outstanding scientists. Here they are.

An oceanic sense of wonder
A curious mixture of skepticism and credulous precocity
Dual abilities, both to generalize and to concentrate on the particulars
Multiple potentials -- enough to succeed in any one of several careers

From an email sent by one of our zoology professors who read Ben Casnocha's blog over Thanksgiving break.

*plank's note: I'm publishing this from a work computer that is having issues. I'll add links later.

Hello Writing Friends!

Are you faced with writing a lab report?  You are not alone - remember that professional scientists (your professors and TAs) are writing lab reports all the time, only we call them "journal articles".  I am here to tell you some trade secrets about writing your very own journal articles to turn in to class.  (I think you should consider your lab reports to be journal articles... "lab report" is so high-school.)

Science writing is certainly its own genre.  It is part storytelling and part argument; the search for observable truths in the natural world around us.  So many of us have learned in our early years of writing that science writing is cold and impersonal, the Mr. Spock of the literary world.  What deception!  What lies!  While writing a journal article, it is important to be concise and direct, but you don't have to remove all of your personality from your writing.  Use active voice!  Be confrontational! Be heard! (Okay, don't get carried away...)

Writing journal articles serve two purposes: 1) to help you understand the implications of the work that you've done and 2) communicate to others what you've found out so that they can understand those same implications.  This allows science to build on itself.  By reading your work, others will think of questions and ideas that you haven't and your work will continue on.

So, how does one write a journal article?  Here's the secret: start with your results.  Don't write your article in the order of the sections by any means!  This order is normally as follows: abstract (a summary of your whole article), introduction (background material and identification of the problem, question, and/or hypothesis), methods (how you conducted your experiment/observations), results (figures, tables, and text highlighting the most important results), discussion (an explanation on the "why" of your results and reflection of how this fits in with our current understanding of the world), literature cited (a list of all of the references you used in your paper).

So why results first?  Results are the basis of your story.  By deciding what tables and figures you are going to use in your paper, you can then build the rest of the paper around these concepts so that everything flows together as a cohesive unit.  Once you decide how to display your results, you can describe the methods you used to achieve those results and only those results.  After results and methods, you will want to set up your argument in the introduction.  The introduction should start with broad, global concepts and move toward the specific ideas behind your experiment or observations.  Move on to your discussion next.  Make sure you explain your data and back up your ideas with evidence from other scientists who have done work in similar areas.  If your data disagree with another scientist's findings, explain why.  Finish your discussion with the broad implication of your findings and/or additional work that could or should be done.  The discussion mirrors the introduction in that we go from specific concepts to broad ones.

Finally you are ready to write your abstract.  The abstract should be no more than about 250 words and include important (summarized) information from each section of your paper.  This is the writing that most scientists will read to decide whether or not they want to read your paper.

So. This is the way that professional scientists write journal articles.  We also go through a pretty rigorous process called "peer review", which not so unlike being graded!  Because we need for the peer reviewers to approve our articles before publication, we have our coauthors and colleagues read them several times before we submit them to a journal.  We go over and over the rules and requirements of the journal so that we have our paper formatted just right.

You should have your classmates and colleagues read your writing too.  I will be more than happy to help you with this as well.  That is why I sit behind the ********.  I am waiting to read your journal articles you've prepared for class.  (I also read articles for other courses and scholarship/graduate school applications too!  Whatever you want.)

Looking forward to seeing you at Science Fridays in Sarkeys!

Happy writing,

Your Science Writing Consultant

I write by Maslo's hierarchy like some people live by Murphy's Law.  Just like switching lanes in traffic causes the lane you were in to start moving and the one you came into stop completely is the fault of Murphy, my writing focus is in the hands of Maslo.

Maslo postulated that in order for a person to be "self-actualized" there are several basic needs that must be met; physiological needs, safety and security, love and belonging, and self-esteem.  Writing is equivalent to self-actualization in my book and so any time I write anything of significance, I find myself climbing the pyramid.  Before I can even start, there is an elaborate routine of snacks, cups of tea, trips to the bathroom, naps, and calls home to mom.  There is also the occasional cleaning-streak.  Cleaning is my most hated activity, but still a lower-hanging fruit than starting to write.

Imagine then, having to start writing my master's thesis.  This is the document that will collect and analyze two and a half years of my life.  It is the largest document that I have written to this point.

I stared at the blank computer screen for an eternity.  I shuffled my data printouts.  I made minuscule notations.  I drank a cup of tea and ate some crackers.  Having worked so hard, I took a nap.  I sat in the living room where my roommate's dog made me slightly crazy.  I went back into my bedroom.  I noticed I couldn't see the floor.  The very thought of cleaning made me sleepy, so I took another nap.  I decided that a shower would be just the thing to wake me up, so I made another cup of tea.  I stared at the mess on the bedroom floor.  I hadn't organized my shelves in years.  I got into the shower.

Ahhhhh.  The bliss and peace of running water and blank walls.  My own little cubicle of joy!  If only I could write my thesis in the shower...  Wait a minute!  I could write my thesis in the shower - at least in the bathroom!  I ran to Target and bought a small end table to use as a desk.  Of course I would need to sit on something, so I bought a legless chair too.  Finally!  I could get to work!

I set up my desk and chair.  I made a plate of goldfish crackers and another cup of tea.  I called my mom to tell her the good news about my new office.  I closed the door.  I opened the door and got a lamp.  I went and got a fan.  I ate my goldfish.  I told the dog to stop sniffing at my office door.  I drank some more tea.  Finally, I started writing.  I continued writing; it was wonderful.  My roommate came home and laughed at my office.  I drank some more tea.  I kept on writing.  Oh, cubicle of joy!  The serenity of the bathroom is the perfect place to write.  It was like putting blinders on a horse.  Few people bother you there... including the mess on my bedroom floor.  Take that, Maslo!

*plank's note: I have been asked to write up my thesis experience for our local "Waffles for Writers" publication... I really did write my thesis almost entirely in my bathroom.  However, I'm not sure how well I am telling the story.  Its really not all that exciting written down... your comments are appreciated!

I just finished listening to Michael Wesch speak on creating Knowledge-Able students; students who are engaged in the learning process and take the opportunity to touch the world through their classroom experiences.

I stand amazed.

Following amazement though, I despair.  How do I touch the world, let alone help my students to do so?  Dr. Wesch shared a number of examples of ordinary people touching the world and exemplifying global community.  From "Free Hug" signs to online choirs to selling all one has and going off to help the poor we see examples of the world coming together online and making a difference, making a change.

How do I do that?  Is there something special that these people have that I just don't?  Is it fear that holds me back?  Do they ever actually intend to become so influential?

Help me Mindsayers... how can I create a community of learners in my classroom so that they become a community of citizens?

~plank.

Well, here I sit, waiting for my Morning Thunder to brew.  I have finally made it back into my office and am collecting my thoughts before I set out on my tasks of the day.  I teach this afternoon, my second lab of the week, and fortunately, I don't have any meetings scheduled for today.

The first thought on my mind is that I need to start going to bed earlier.  By earlier, I mean ten o'clock I think.  I feel like I could lie down on this questionable office floor with its industrial carpet and go to sleep.  It is a rather nice shade of blue, however I doubt it was made by Serta. 

I tried to get up at six or six-thirty this morning but only succeeded in annoying my husband.  This is understandable.  I have developed the ability to hit the snooze button multiple times without really waking up.  This unconscious feat is getting to be a problem... I am concerned for the day my sleep-math skills fail me.

I like the new lab I am teaching.  It is really student focused and centered on a few key points and skills without making me feel like I have to beat information into the class as a whole.  This week we start out with a primarily student-led discussion on various aspects and implications of science, followed by an inquiry activity where students use a variety of data sources (textbook, lab notebook, skull replicas) to propose a hypothesis as to the evolutionary relationships of a number of hominid skulls.  It was rather cool yesterday and exposed some common misconceptions among some of the groups, namely that modern humans descended directly from chimpanzees.  This of course is not the case.  Rather, humans and chimpanzees share a distant common ancestor that would have had traits common to both modern humans and modern chimps, but would have been neither human nor chimpanzee.

Well, the tasks of today are beginning to creep up on me.  I need to go through some emails this morning and try to shuffle around a lecture schedule for the up and coming Graduate Teaching Academy (very exciting!).  I think almost everything is in order... we just need to see the program come to fruition now.  The samples from upstairs also continue to whisper my name; I want to at least get bacteria onto a slide and into the freezer today.  Monday I was not able to because one of my lab mates was using the equipment, and since then I just haven't had a chance.  Excuses, excuses....

Best to all.  ~plank