Quote (RewtheBrave @ Wed, Sep 10 2008, 10:56am)
Science and Technology Forums
This is a big suggestion, so I hope the criticisms will be as strong as possible—adding a forum is not something that I think should be done unless it’s going to have wide support and usage, or at least some important application for the site.
I’ll frame the idea: create a space where members can discuss science, experiments, scientific thinking, contemporary scientific issues, and technical material. Perhaps computer science and psychology should be included in discussion along with physics, chemistry, biology, and the wide range of related fields and subfields that may be of interest.
And I’ll frame the motivation behind my idea: to promote science as a field of knowledge that pushes forward and refines everyday thinking. Science can and should be fun. A forum like this would not just appeal to specialists—it would inform and encourage enthusiasm among amateurs and science phobes alike. Science encourages us to explore the world and challenge ourselves to rethink the ordinary. We have a political and religious discussion forum—a Science & Technology forum would be a nice companion forum for developing community, learning and interest.
+ Later on something like this could be a great way to introduce younger members to an interactive environment for fun and learning.
C'mon, we're all nerds anyway!
[Edit: I have no idea why I was striking out where I wanted to put bold text.]
is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding of how the physical world works.
Experiments - is a method of investigating particular types of research questions or solving particular types of problems. The experiment is a cornerstone in the empirical approach to acquiring deeper knowledge about the world and is used in both natural sciences as well as in social sciences. An experiment is defined, in science, as a method of investigating less known fields, solving practical problems and proving theoretical assumptions.
Scientific thinking - refers to bodies of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning.
Computer science - is the study and the science of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their implementation and application in computer systems. Computer science has many sub-fields; some emphasize the computation of specific results (such as computer graphics), while others relate to properties of computational problems (such as computational complexity theory). Still others focus on the challenges in implementing computations. For example, programming language theory studies approaches to describing computations, while computer programming applies specific programming languages to solve specific computational problems. A further sub field, human-computer interaction, focuses on the challenges in making computers and computations useful, usable and universally accessible to people.
Psychology - is an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. Psychologists study such phenomena as perception, cognition, emotion, personality, behavior, and interpersonal relationships. Psychology also refers to the application of such knowledge to various spheres of human activity, including issues related to everyday life (e.g. family, education, and employment) and the treatment of mental health problems. Psychologists attempt to understand the role of these functions in individual and social behavior, while also exploring the underlying physiological and neurological processes. Psychology includes many sub-fields of study and application concerned with such areas as human development, sports, health, industry, media, and law.