Category Archives: Social commentary

I don’t know what we want to be any more

Posted on 27 May 2022 by josephshoer

My job is to explore space. The work I do, day to day, involves figuring out how to get space probes to exotic parts of our Solar System, so that scientists can investigate the inner workings of the planets and … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Social commentary, Space | 2 Comments

Scientists Should March

Posted on 9 April 2017 by josephshoer

Scientists are planning a “March for Science” in Washington, DC and many other cities on 22 April 2017. Some commentators seem to think this is a bad idea, because it would politicize science. Before I continue, let me suggest the … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Science, Skepticism, Social commentary | 1 Comment

What is the nature of the STEM crisis?

Posted on 10 April 2015 by josephshoer

There is a recent National Science Foundation report out that says, over the decade from 1993 to 2013, the number of college graduates in science and engineering fields grew faster than the number of graduates in any other fields. By … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Science, Social commentary | 1 Comment

Vhonn/Brawn (what could we do?)

Posted on 11 November 2014 by josephshoer

Wernher von Braun is one of the lions of the early American space program: a pioneer who engineered our initial forays into orbit, our steps onto the surface of the moon, and our designs for space stations and Martian colonies. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Politics, Social commentary | Leave a comment

Visionaries

Posted on 7 October 2014 by josephshoer

The Space Review has a fantastic article that invaded my whole way of thinking this morning while I was trying to get into my groove for work. It casts the golden age of space exploration – the Space Race – … Continue reading →

Posted in Concepts, Politics, Social commentary, Space | Leave a comment

Despite tactical errors, Bill Nye is right

Posted on 6 February 2014 by josephshoer

Tuesday night, Bill Nye (the Science Guy) had a webcast debate with Ken Ham, founder of the Creation Museum. In many respects, this was a silly idea. Nye wasn’t going to change any minds, and I think he fell into … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, Skepticism, Social commentary | Leave a comment

Climbing

Posted on 10 June 2013 by josephshoer

It seems that being at Williams College again for only a weekend is enough to prompt a little self-reflection. I returned to my alma mater for the 2013 commencement exercises. The graduating seniors seemed like a powerhouse of innovation, leadership, … Continue reading →

Posted in Social commentary, Space, Williams | 1 Comment

Quantitative Revolution

Posted on 8 November 2012 by josephshoer

We’re going through an interesting sort of revolution in America. One after another, various disciplines are realizing (or, it’s coming out publicly that they have realized) that math is useful for stuff. Wherever there is data available, a scientific, quantitative approach … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Science, Social commentary | Leave a comment

The Most Important Issue

Posted on 21 October 2012 by josephshoer

I’ve seen some political surveys recently that ask respondents to pick the most important issue to them from a predefined list, and I’ve never had any of these lists include what I think is the most important issue facing our … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Science, Skepticism, Social commentary | Leave a comment

They’ve Still Got It

Posted on 27 August 2012 by josephshoer

I pulled my car into my lot today, and as I walked over to the mailbox, I passed three young kids from the apartment complex. One of them asks me, “do you work for NASA?!” (There’s a NASA meatball sticker on … Continue reading →

Posted in NASA, Social commentary | Leave a comment