A 17th century educational network could offer an alternative to universities under ideological attacks from the right.
Continue readingCategory Archives: Public Intellectuals
How a couple of students with too many books went and created their own public library.
Continue readingCitizen scientists take part in the same struggle as nearly everyone else on the planet, which is the quest to be taken seriously.
Continue readingRobert Frost’s little-known fascination with science and how it turns up in his poetry.
Continue readingNews is a vital nutrient of the body politic. Without accurate information, democratic societies cannot survive, let alone produce the “alert and knowledgeable citizenry” necessary for their survival.
Continue readingNext week’s observance of Thanksgiving might be very different had two amateur scientists not played key roles in drafting the two most important documents in American history.
Continue readingBehind most great discoveries in natural science is a deep foundation of field work.
Continue readingSeventy-five years ago this month an amateur weather-watcher from West Sussex published a landmark paper in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society directly linking the burning of fossil fuels to the warming of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Continue readingBeneath the public climate debate, another debate is going on, unnoticed, and one that citizen scientists may be uniquely qualified to address.
Continue readingI like to see an old technology make a comeback, and I am pleased to report that this is happening with the humble index card.
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