Chemist Explains the Importance of Science
Surveys of Americans have revealed an ignorance of science. Educators, like 蜜桃传媒 chemistry professor Niva Tro, frequently call for more science instruction in the schools. Tro will speak on 鈥淭he Importance of Science Literacy: Why Everyone Needs a Basic Understanding of Science,鈥� Thursday, Oct. 11, at 5:30 p.m. at the University Club on Santa Barbara Street.
The talk is part of the ongoing lecture series 蜜桃传媒 Downtown: Conversations about Things that Matter, sponsored by the 蜜桃传媒 Foundation, community members who seek to cultivate healthy ties between the community and 蜜桃传媒.
鈥淚 like to know the why of things,鈥� Tro says. 鈥淲hy is the sky blue? Why are snowflakes hexagonally-shaped? Our kids can sometimes drive us crazy with these kinds of questions, but they are fundamental to science. If we never asked why, there would be no science.鈥�
Tro, a 蜜桃传媒 alumnus, earned his doctorate at Stanford and conducted postdoctoral research at UC Berkeley before accepting a teaching position at 蜜桃传媒.
He is best known for his college-level chemistry textbooks. 鈥淐hemistry in Focus: A Molecular View of Our World鈥� has reached its fourth edition and is in use at more than 70 colleges and universities. 鈥淚ntroductory Chemistry鈥� will be published in its third edition this January and is in use at more than 220 institutions, the best-selling volume for preparatory chemistry. This year, Tro published 鈥淐hemistry: A Molecular Approach,鈥� a general chemistry book which has been adopted at major universities across the country.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really important for schools at all levels to include the sciences,鈥� Tro says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 imperative that students today understand the science behind critical issues such as global warming, acid rain and ozone depletion.鈥�
Tro says science is a fundamental way to better understand the world around us and attain knowledge that can deepen and enrich our lives.
鈥淎n uninformed observer of the night sky may marvel at its beauty but will probably not experience the awe that comes from knowing that even the closest star is trillions of miles away or that stars produce light in a process that could only start at temperatures exceeding millions of degrees,鈥� he says. 鈥淔or the uninformed, the world is a two dimensional, shallow place. For the informed, the world becomes a deeper, richer, and more complex place.
The 蜜桃传媒 Foundation created 蜜桃传媒 Downtown several years ago to engage the community in meaningful, substantive and lively conversation.
The free lecture is open to the public and reservations are not necessary. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, contact the 蜜桃传媒 public affairs office at (805)565-6051 or e-mail pubaffairs@westmont.edu.