In Randy Olson's new book, Houston, We Have a Narrative, he boldly states that the single biggest problem facing science today is "narrative deficiency".
We can happily fight for issues such as how textbooks and standards address evolution and climate change, but a major problem facing science education today is putting well-qualified teachers in front of students, under workplace conditions where those teachers want to stay and build their expertise.
The problems facing American science reflect a fissure in society which has grown wider as science has edged closer to the roots of life itself.
5 By working together with our male counterparts to solve the overt problems facing women in science today, we are slowly working to change the underlying cause of these problems - male misconceptions of women scientists and the rigidity of the current academic system of science 3 Of course, to achieve such change we will have to also change what is in essence a patriarchal culture.
So what are the main problems faced by science communicators, and how can we solve them?
Scientists are welcoming the news, but say it solves just one of the problems facing Spain's national science system, and probably only temporarily.
Q: At the moment, what is the biggest problem facing British science?
While popularizers and communicators of science like myself seek to capture the imagination of the public with exciting discoveries of new subatomic particles or distant planets, we must not lose sight of the real problems facing the world today that science can help address — from religious extremism and population growth to the security nexus of energy, food and water supplies.
Not all the problems facing humanity are caused by science, but the idea that "comprehension is moving across the face of the Earth, like the sunrise", as Dawkins' chosen quote continues, is surely more of a contender for Pseuds Corner than the Nobel prize for literature.
These are great resources for you to check out and refer your colleagues to as you seek to understand the problems facing minorities and women in science and engineering.
