Coolest Sceintist Ever: The WINNER!

It's the end of our tournament and time to name the Coolest Scientist Ever. It is the last word that really defines the winner. Ever. Scientific progress has been driven by the gift of genius and the people who possess it. All of the scientists who we discussed have made an impact on the world. Their discoveries have opened new fields of study and broadened our understanding of the universe and our place in it. All of them are important names in history, but one person has moved past all of the others to occupy a place in the cultural lexicon that very few people ever achieve in any field.

When you think of musical greatness you think of Beethoven (or Lennon and McCartney or Madonna depending on your tastes). When you think of histories great leaders you think of Washington or Ghandi or Mandela. When you think of art you think of Van Gogh or Rembrandt. These are the people that have achieved transcendent greatness in their field, their accomplishments so vast that they’ve been reduced to a single name that evokes the depth and breadth of their accomplishments.

When you think of scientific greatness, you think of Einstein.

Stephen Hawking is still the Coolest Living Scientist, which, if you think about, is really very cool. Stephen Hawking is an accomplished scientist who has done so much work to popularize science. But, he's no Einstein.

Einstein's work in the field of physics made him a titan. His theories form the foundation of modern physics. That makes him cool. He was politically active and spent the 30's railing against the dangers of Nazism. That makes him very cool. His eccentricities and his wit made him a popular figure in his day, and he continues to be the basis for films and books. Every mad scientist in pop culture now has a touch of Einstein. For goodness sake, part of Yoda was modeled after Einstein (seriously) and how cool is that?

All of the scientists in this tournament were incredible thinkers and activists. All of them were and are brilliant, but only one of them is an actual synonym for genius.

The Coolest Scientist Ever. Albert Einstein.


For more about the competition and results from earlier rounds, check out the Sweet 16, Elite 8, and Final 4.

How To: Tell if You're a Scientist

Comic credit: xkcd.com

We've been talking about the image of scientists a lot lately, which made me curious: if you met a scientist - and they didn't tell you that they were a scientist - how could you tell?

Join us in the comments section to finish this sentence:

You might be a scientist if ...

Can you name a living scientist

In Research!America's recent Your Congress-Your Health poll, Americans were asked whether or not they could name a living scientist. 65% said they could not, and another 18% were unable to accurately name a living scientist.

That's a total of 83% of Americans who probably don't know that a scientist lives in their neighborhood, works in their building, or teaches their children. I'm glad to see our top contenders in the Coolest Scientist Ever! Championship (vote in the sidebar!) are the #1 and #2 ranked responses - even though Albert Einstein is no longer a living scientist. But, as a country, I think we can do better.

In other questions on the Your Congress poll we saw overwhelming support for research among Americans. Your friends and neighbors, family and colleagues, bus drivers and nail technicians really want more research. And they should know who's doing it.

So take some time this week to introduce yourself as a scientist to someone. If you aren't a scientist, hang out with a scientist friend and encourage them to introduce themselves to others as a scientist.

Write to your members of Congress and encourage them to fund more science. Ask them to get on the record about where they stand on research.

America is a country by the people and for the people, so it is only when we the people start to make science a higher national priority that our elected officials will follow and help make the United States a country where innovation, research, science, and the people behind it are recognized as valuable.

Coolest Scientist Ever: Championship Match

New Voices Coolest Scientist Ever Tournament

It's time for the championship round!

Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein are now the only two left in the running for the Coolest Scientist Ever. This past week, winners were selected based on their impact on science and society. Both matches were close, but in the end Bill Gates and Ben Franklin could not match the victors’ cultural cache.

For the championship, the contestants will be judged on all criteria including scientific prowess, promotion of science and cultural impact. Both of these amazing scientists need your votes so vote early and vote often!

Stephen Hawking. Why Hawking? Though Bill Gates has had an undeniable impact on our lives and done enormous good, Hawking has been a driving force behind the popularization of science. And is, simply, awesome.

One of the great challenges to popularizing science is making the most advanced, complex and interesting science understandable; Hawking’s great cultural gift is that he has made science simultaneously accessible and cool. His A Brief History of Time, an international bestseller, is both a brilliant work of science and (relatively) easy to read.

Hawking is also a prominent cultural figure. As the only physicist who has been on The Simpsons, Futurama, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Late Night with Conan O’Brien, he is highly recognizable in scientific and cultural circles.

He has done all this while struggling with ALS and speaking through a computer, which takes more than intellect; it takes strength of character and a sense of humor. That he manages to communicate his good humor while speaking through the computer voice is an accomplishment in its own right. He is clearly one of the coolest scientists out there.

Albert Einstein has been one of the top picks every single week. Regardless of the amount of scientific, cultural, and political prowess Ben Franklin exhibited, he couldn’t quite beat Einstein.

Einstein is one of the most important figures of the 20th century both scientifically and culturally. Few scientists have truly redefined their field, but Einstein’s work resulted in a massive leap forward for physics at the beginning of the 20th century. Even when sneered by bullies ("Nice move EINSTEIN!") he remains synonymous with genius and with intellectual accomplishment.

And his popularity extends far beyond his intelligence. Einstein was a personable and interesting man who explored the seemingly unanswerable questions both scientific and philosophical. He's so well known, he's referred to by his last name alone; and this recognition has helped to make science more prominent in the eyes of Americans and the world. Who could ask for anything more?

Now that we are down to the final pairing it is more important than ever that you visit New Voices daily to vote for your favorite scientist! Be sure to submit your vote each day through Friday, July 31st, when the Coolest Scientist Ever will be announced.

May the best physicist win!

Who is the coolest scientist ever?
	Stephen Hawking
	Albert Einstein
pollcode.com free polls

Who did Hawking and Einstein beat to get here? Check out the Sweet 16, Elite 8, and Final 4.

Applying for a Fulbright Research Grant

One excellent opportunity for students and academics to conduct research on a topic of interest (including health-related research) is through a Fulbright research grant.

Alison Flamm, a 2009 Swarthmore College graduate, is a recipient of a Fulbright Grant to conduct economic research on the health hazards of water pollution in China. I asked her about the application process for the first post in our series on Fulbright grants:

1. Tell me a little about your background. How did you become interested in applying for a Fulbright grant?

I was a Chinese and Economics double-major in college, and the summer after junior year, I wanted to find a way to combine these interests. I became a research assistant for an economist who was doing a project on the health effects of water pollution, and conducted research both in Beijing, China and in the U.S. I became intrigued by the complexity of the water pollution issue and the importance of addressing an issue that appears to have serious health consequences for a very significant population.

At the same time, I became aware of the complexity of my role as a researcher from a developed country examining the challenges of a developing country. A Fulbright grant seemed like a great opportunity to continue to explore this topic while focusing on cross-cultural understanding and making an effort to gain the Chinese perspective on the issue.

2. Describe your experience with the application process. What was most helpful during this process? What did you find most challenging?

Preparing to apply for the Fulbright took a lot of thought and discussion; actually writing the application was fairly simple. Once the idea of a Fulbright grant occurred to me, I had a lot of ideas for research projects. I settled on the issue of water pollution because it was the only one where I could demonstrate my ability to successfully conduct a project. All of my previous research and all of my connections were related to the water pollution issue, and they were crucial in conveying the viability of my project in my application.

My biggest challenge was in finding a university affiliation in China. I had to get up a lot of courage to do all the emailing I did to find a connection to my final affiliation at Nanjing University. It was a lesson in networking, which is even more important in China than in the U.S.

3. Do you have any words of wisdom for someone thinking about applying for a research Fulbright?

It's hard to get motivated to do an application for something you might not get, but the Fulbright application is simple enough (and the reward great enough if it works out) that in most cases it's worth a shot. If you have a project that you're excited about and believe in, and you have a genuine interest in understanding the culture of your host country, you'll be able to write a strong application. Your passion and preparedness will shine through in what you've written, and will lead your referees to write enthusiastic letters of recommendation.

Also, never underestimate the number of people who are willing to help you! Have anyone who shows any interest in your Fulbright aspirations read over your application. Everyone I showed my application to caught something different, from awkward sentences to things that could be politically controversial.

***

Keep your eye out for more to come on the Fulbright experience. If this is something that might be of interest to you, check out http://fulbright.state.gov/ or talk with the Fulbright contacts at your academic institution (you can apply through your university or college or at-large to the agency responsible for the program in which you are interested). But start soon, because applications are due in October!

Science Superheroes

Comic credit: Abstruse Goose

Don't leave it up to these guys, vote in the Coolest Scientist Ever! Tournament to help decide who the real superhero of science should be. Not that we don't like Aquaman, but we've got other heroes to look up to.

How to: Use Facebook Advertising to Raise Awareness

Earlier this month, we talked about using Facebook as a advocacy tool. Today we'll be looking at a a different way to use Facebook to raise awareness for your cause...

Most of us who are Facebook users realize the social networking site has become an integral part of our lives. Every now and then, usually during a late-night visit to the site, you may notice an advertisement that seems particularly relevant to you. How does Facebook know I’m working in Washington, DC and probably looking for a deal on dinner?!

Facebook advertising is one of the most targeted forms of advertising on the internet. With 250 million users worldwide, advertising on Facebook is a new way to communicate to new audiences. The social networking site is an ideal way for New Voices to increase visibility, raise awareness of their cause, and drive relevant traffic to their websites—all without breaking the bank. This post provides the low-down on creating awareness for your cause by advertising on Facebook.

Foremost concern—paying for your advertising
Facebook offers two different payment structures. Each payment structure allows advertisers to set a daily maximum budget that cannot be exceeded.

Pay for Clicks (CPC) advertising allows you to specify (through a bidding process) a certain amount that we are willing to pay each time a user actually clicks on your ad. The highest-bidding advertisers are awarded ad space and pay each time the ad is clicked. The bid price will vary depending on the target market. For example, you would need to bid a higher price to advertise to the entire New York City network that you would to advertise to the New York University network because NYC has more users than NYU. Facebook provides bid price statistics (avg. price, max., min., etc.) that are specific to each ad proposal and each targeted network.

Pay for Views (CPM) advertising allows you to specify how much you are willing to pay for 1,000 views (or impressions) of your ad. CPM also utilizes a bidding process to determine who is awarded ad space. According to Facebook, CPM advertising is usually more effective for advertisers who want to raise awareness or exposure of their cause (as opposed to generating hits).

Who do I want to see my ad? Targeting your audience.
Facebook ads can be targeted to a very broad or vary narrow audience using any combination of criteria including:

• Age (Ex: 21-25)
• Network/Location (Ex: New York City; University of Michigan)
• Keywords (Ex: health, research, politics, chemistry, oceans, Collins, Obama)
• Education (Ex: political science major, biology degree in 2002)
• Workplace (Ex: University of Chicago, US House of Representatives, Pfizer)

As you identify your audience using these criteria, Facebook will display the approximate number of users your advertising encompasses.

Facebook ads are customizable and can be changed at any time.

Ads include a title up to 25 characters and up to 135 characters in the body. An image can also be included. All Facebook ad views can be tracked, and you can make changes to the ad at anytime to increase viewership.

Now that you know the basics, all you need to do is make the decision. Who do you want to target?? What do you want to say?? And how much do you want to pay??

Facebook can walk you through the rest.

This is Part 2 in our Facebook as an Advocacy Tool series.

Part 1 - Facebook: More than friends?

Genetics Day on the Hill

Chronicles of a Science Policy Intern
I spent my first full day on the Hill last week. As a participant in Genetics Day on the Hill, I had the unique opportunity to visit the offices of four Representatives and two Senators with a team of fellow Genetics Day participants. In this post, I'll share my experience and the lessons I learned from our visits with legislative staff.

The morning began with a breakfast briefing during which we met our groups and reviewed the schedule for the day. We also went over the packets that Genetic Alliance provided to each team. These contained information about the members of Congress our team was scheduled to visit and talking points to consider. There were very helpful in enabling our group to coordinate its message and how we wanted to deliver it. (Recommendation: know what you want to say if you visit your MoC.)

The purpose of each of our visits was to present five overarching principles that several organizations had agreed were essential to health reform including: access, economics, delivery systems, patient empowerment, and the research to care continuum. (This is different from the usual technique of presenting specific requests, or "asks.")

We met with different responses in each office. While some of the LAs (legislative assistants, or policy specialists) were very receptive to the ideas, others were only interested in hearing specific requests or comments on bills currently being considered, which meant that we had to adjust our message. All of the staffers seemed to appreciate clarity and brevity. (Recommendation: know how you want to present your message.)

At the end of the day, all of the Genetics Day participants reconvened to debrief and listen to Rep. Patrick Kennedy discuss health and Congress. Rep. Kennedy emphasized the importance of activism and the need to “get involved to get things done.” Because members of Congress are often pulled in so many directions, he said that constituents need to make sure that they are keeping their members informed about what they feel is most important. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. (Be persistent!)

Genetics Day was, all in all, a very positive and informative experience. I learned about how to communicate with my senators and representative and also about the importance of being informed, engaged, persistent, and clear. I will keep Rep. Kennedy’s message in mind and strongly encourage you to do the same. Whether you are encouraging your members of Congress to fill out the Your Congress-Your Health survey or writing a letter about a specific issue, your voice matters.

Point/Counterpoint: Health Reform

Health reform is the big issue on the congressional agenda this month. With that in mind, we'd like to know:

What five components do you think would be necessary for health reform to be truly successful?

Join us in the discussion section as we debate the issue.

Coolest Scientist Ever: Final Four

New Voices Coolest Scientist Ever Tournament

Competitors from the Elite Eight were judged based on the impact of their work on their field(s) of study, their impact on society, and on votes tallied last week. The competition was steep and now it's down to the Final Four! The results are below.

To advance to the championship competition next week, each of the final four competitors will need your votes. They'll also be judged based on their popularity among the American public and their level of coolness.

Stephen Hawking beat Neil Degrasse Tyson by sheer magnitude of scientific work, primarily in the field of cosmology. He is best known for his work regarding black holes and radiation (now dubbed Hawking radiation). He also theorized that there is no boundary line to the universe. His focus on popularization has helped bring science to the masses, in large part through his best-selling books, which include A Brief History of Time. Although it is not his personal scientific work, Hawking's symptoms of ALS (or Lou Gehrig's disease) and the "talking computer" with which he communicates have also helped to generate awareness of ALS and health-related technology.

Jane Goodall did her best - and had traditional science on her side - but the fact that we're writing this and you're reading this on a computer with an operating system meant that Bill Gates edged her out in the end. Gates is best known for his positions as a businessman and philanthropist, but we're focusing on his work as a computer scientist. The groundwork for the operating system on many computers today was written by Gates and his team at Microsoft in the late 1970's and early 1980's. User-friendly operating systems were the essential ingredient in the dissemination of computers throughout society, without which many of today's innovations would not be possible. In recent years, Gates has used the fortune he acquired selling his scientific inventions to fund research in other fields, including global health.

Carl Sagan and Benjamin Franklin were well-matched in popularization, but Franklin's influence on fields from optometry to electricity was too much for the creator of Cosmos. When he was not busy as a writer or statesman, Franklin invented many items including the lightening rod, the Franklin stove, and bifocals. Electricity, which is integral to our lives today, was a primary focus of his later work. As a major Enlightenment figure, Ben Franklin was also a strong promoter of scientific discourse and founded the American Philosophical Society as a forum for the discussion of scientific discoveries and theories.

Einstein and Darwin looked like a pretty equal match-up, but only the strongest--Albert Einstein--could survive. Einstein is well-known for his impact on the field of theoretical physics. Although his theories of General Relativity and Special Relativity are best-known, Einstein also committed significant amounts of energy to work on thermodynamics, the properties of light, and other endeavors. His explanation for the photoelectric effect earned him the Nobel Prize in physics in 1921. The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, ranks Einstein tenth overall and describes him as “the greatest scientist of the twentieth century and one of the supreme intellects of all time.”

Tell us why your favorite is the coolest in the comments and don't forget to vote daily for the coolest scientist ever!

Who is the coolest scientist ever?
	Stephen Hawking
	Bill Gates
	Benjamin Franklin
	Albert Einstein
pollcode.com free polls