What Is A Scientist?
And more importantly, how can I become one?
PowerPoint by Veronica Gould
What Is Science?
Before we can know what a scientist is, we have to
understand science.
Science is systematic knowledge of the physical
world gained through observation and
experimentation.
Observation
Using our senses, we observe things happening in
the world around us every day, like:
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•
•
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a thunderstorm
a bird flying to its nest
two paint colors mixing to form a third
shivering in the wintertime
the sound a cricket makes
Observation
A scientist observes these things, too!
When scientists make their
observations, they always
write them down.
Scientists write their observations
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in science journals
on data sheets
on experiment sheets
What’s the difference between any person
doing an experiment and a true scientist?
a) A scientist has a PhD.
b) A scientist has the proper equipment.
c) A scientist writes down observations.
d) A scientist wears a lab coat.
Even though many scientists have PhDs
and special technology — even a lab coat
— the most important tool any scientist
could have is a notebook to write down
their observations!
In fact, when you write in your science
notebook, you join the scientific
community as some of the youngest
scientists. Welcome!
A scientist ALWAYS writes
down their observations!
Performing An Experiment
Before you can become a scientist, there are a
few things you need to know about performing
science experiments.
1. Scientists work in groups or teams.
2. Scientists use experiments to try to answer
questions.
3. Scientists follow steps in an experiment.
4. Experiments can be a lot of FUN, and
scientists always use experiments to learn.
Is this an example of an experiment?
...It Might Not Be!
Although lab equipment is often used in scientific
experiments, equipment alone does not indicate
experimentation.
do
So So
howhow
do we
recognize
an
we
recognize
experiment?
experiment?
Experimentation
An experiment does the following:
o Attempts to answer a question about the
physical world
o Follows a procedure
o Tests an idea or hypothesis
o Uses models or controlled systems
Everyday Experiments
You perform experiments every day
without even knowing it!
An experiment doesn't always use fancy
lab equipment. Sometimes it’s as simple
as testing a pen on a piece of paper to see
if it will write.
Can you think of any other examples of experiments?
So who is a scientist?
Margaret Mead,
anthropologist who
observed and wrote
about Samoan
culture.
Nikola Tesla,
engineer who
worked with
electricity.
James Watson,
biologist who
developed a
model for DNA.
Francoise BarreSinoussi, virologist
who identified HIV
as the cause of
AIDS
George
Washington
Carver,
botanist who
invented over
100 uses for
the peanut.
Who else is a scientist?
You are!