Science and technology are a constantly growing field. The only thing slowing down the pace of its growth is education. Children around the world are not learning how to develop the skills necessary for them to use the tools and resources available to them to create a better world for themselves and for future generations. Many of the problems we face today can be traced back to the fact that we have not been teaching kids about science and technology properly since elementary school. Here’s what we need to do to give our children the edge they need to succeed in life.
Applied science and technology simply mean the search for knowledge about the natural, physical, chemical, and biological worlds around us. It includes the tools, processes, materials, and information used to form the majority of what we know about the natural world. It has applications in all walks of life from discovering new drugs to discovering new ways of entertainment and communication. In short, applied science and technology seek to answer basic questions about the world in order to further understand and discover the answers to those questions.
A critical part of the process of science and technology is the process by which we improve our knowledge base about the world around us. One way that this occurs is through the development and application of new technologies. The goal of scientists and other interested parties involved in this process is to make the process of science and technology more effective by making the study of science more precise and detailed. For example, through the use of more accurate measurements, researchers and technologists can increase the precision with which scientists can detect molecular activity, determine molecular structures, test the efficiency of certain materials, and measure the effects of various technological changes on the environment.
In order to make science and technology more precise and comprehensive, it needs to have a well-developed scientific method. For instance, one problem with determining the value of new technological changes for the environment is that these technological changes do not always directly benefit nature. This is because the direct environmental impact of a technological change may not be known in advance, or it may only become apparent later through research. As a result, the degree to which a technological change benefits nature is unknown at the time that the change occurs. Scientific knowledge is not static; it is ever changing and advancing.
Another aspect of the scientific method involves measuring and testing new technological developments. In order to do this, scientists and other interested parties involved in the process must develop a scientific baseline of sorts in order to base their tests and observations on. The scientific baseline consists of a vast database of previous technological changes that occur over time, and the observations and data collected from these previous occurrences can serve as a baseline for future technological developments. In effect, when a technological change is made, its impact on the environment and its impact on society must be measured against these previous baseline readings in order to make informed decisions about whether or not the change is worth pursuing.
In addition to relying on the accumulated baseline of scientific knowledge to make informed decisions, another important aspect of the scientific method is measurement. In engineering and the scientific process more specifically, engineers and scientists make measurements in order to test the theories and ideas underlying technological systems. For instance, if an airplane crashes into a building, scientists and engineers need to observe and measure the damage in order to determine the cause of the event. This is known as the scientific foundations of engineering or the foundations of flight. Without these observations and measurements, it would be impossible to scientifically study and evaluate aircraft safety.
Another aspect of the scientific method is measurement. A principle of most scientific disciplines is that the observed patterns should be repeated over again in order to statistically demonstrate the hypothesis of a theory. In the case of engineering and the scientific process in general, this is true because technological systems are not a hundred percent perfect system. New technologies and innovations are developed along with new practices and knowledge. Therefore, in order to measure this constant flux, a series of measurements must be made and regularly analyzed to form the basis for further understanding of technological systems and their applications.
The third aspect of science that directly impacts engineering and technology decisions is observation. As aforementioned, engineering and science as a whole are always in a state of progress and that includes being a constantly growing field. As such, it is necessary for engineers and scientists to continuously observe and measure scientific knowledge, new trends, discoveries, and successes to better guide their application and improve the effectiveness of their own work. Without the ability to observe and measure scientific theories, it would be impossible for engineers and scientists to apply scientific principles and theories to their work and in turn affect technological systems. Without the ability to observe and measure scientific theories engineers and scientists would continually work against each other and in the end would not be able to advance their science and technology to its true potential.