Science and Engineering Indicators in America (2014)

Posted by $ MikeMarotta 9 years, 4 months ago to Science
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From the front matter:
Science and Engineering Indicators (SEI) is first and foremost a volume of record comprising the major high-quality quantitative data on the U.S. and international science and engineering enterprise. SEI is factual and policy neutral. It does not offer policy options, and it does not make policy recommendations. SEI employs a variety of presentation styles—tables, figures, narrative text, bulleted text, Web-based links, highlights, introductions, conclusions, reference lists—to make the data accessible to readers with different information needs and different information-processing preferences.

The data are “indicators.” Indicators are quantitative representations that might reasonably be thought to provide summary information bearing on the scope, quality, and vitality of the science and engineering enterprise."

From Chapter 7 about the general public:
"Overall, Americans remain strong believers in the benefits of S&T even while seeing potential risks. Surveys since at least 1979 show that roughly 7 in 10 Americans see the effects of scientific research as more positive than negative for society. In 2012, this included 50% who said they believed the benefits “strongly” outweigh the negatives and 22% who said the benefits slightly outweigh the potential harms (appendix table 7-16). About 7% said science creates more harms than benefits. These numbers are generally consistent with earlier surveys; Americans saying the benefits strongly or slightly outweigh the harmful results have ranged from 68% to 80% since this question was initially asked in the 1970s (figure 7-10).

Americans with more education, income, and scientific knowledge hold a stronger belief in the benefits of science than others. For example, 55% of those who had not completed high school said they believe science does more good than harm, but 89% of those with bachelor’s degrees and 92% of those with graduate degrees expressed this view.

Similarly, 86% of those in the top income quartile saw more benefits than harms from science, whereas 60% of those in the lowest bracket expressed this view. Almost all (87%) of those in the top knowledge quartile said they saw more benefits than harms, but just half (50%) of those in the lowest knowledge quartile gave this response (appendix table 7-16).22


All Comments

  • Posted by Flootus5 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Haha! Oh Great One may be a bit over the top - at least at first. And then there is also the technique of illustrating the absurd with the absurd. $15/hr minimum wage, then why not $500?
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  • Posted by $ SarahMontalbano 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Columbo is great. I probably wouldn't say, "Oh Great One," unless I need a laugh. I'll try that on him and see whether he can explain
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  • Posted by Flootus5 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I like to use the Columbo approach. As in: I'm confused, can you explain it to me, oh great one? Try that on him.
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  • Posted by $ SarahMontalbano 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Whenever I ask him to clarify his thoughts, he shuts down. He speaks in outright assertions and is used to not being challenged. I've given up trying to extract logic from him.
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  • Posted by $ Abaco 9 years, 4 months ago
    NSF used to be a joke. Is it better now? I feel like I should be wearing my cap and gown when sitting down to read this...
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  • Posted by Flootus5 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    We indeed are in the process of lionizing it. Good characterization. And with much history to be written yet, however it goes.

    But, I would wonder what the response of the loud brash youth in Sarah's civics class would be when asked - how is the remedy to his complaint to be defined and enforced by who?
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Same as always by the exempt elitist ruling class. Plato defined it, the French codified it, the Russians bastardized it and we lionized it.
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  • Posted by Flootus5 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Interesting. I wonder what his solution to - by definition - exploiting employers may be? Minimum wages? A classless society - to be defined and enforced by - who? Him?
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  • Posted by $ SarahMontalbano 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Could very well be; there was a very loud, outspoken boy in my civics class that always bemoans how employers exploit their workers. I don't know whether he'd destroy the machinery of factories, but he is the intellectual brother of those men.
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  • Posted by $ MichaelAarethun 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I fixed it. How many words have been assigned to us and a few others. Enough to notice people who need dictionaries are not much in evidence. Take it as a compliment. You weren't ignored!!!
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  • Posted by johnpe1 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I don't think that her lunging and barking changed their
    behavior much, but the cause-and-effect loop was so long
    that it was hard to tell ! -- j
    .
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  • Posted by johnpe1 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I don't think that her lunging and barking changed their
    behavior much, but the cause-and-effect loop was so long
    that it was hard to tell ! -- j
    .
    Reply | Permalink  
  • Posted by $ jlc 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I love the idea of 'herding slugs'. It is the verbal antithesis of 'herding cats' and we must make room for it in our vocabulary of metaphors.

    Jan
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  • Posted by $ 9 years, 4 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Sorry not to be clear on this, Michael, but what are "the three laws of Objectivism" that you referred to?
    Reply | Permalink  

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