章节大纲

  • Silhouettes of people in a meeting; one person presenting next to a whiteboard.

    What can be accomplished through team work?
    ::通过团队工作能够取得什么成就?

    Most jobs to day involve a fair amount of meetings and team involvement.  It doesn’t matter what you do, you will spend a certain amount of time meeting with other people, sharing what you have done, planning projects, and organizing the work.  Hardly anybody works by him or herself these days – everybody is part of a larger group.
    ::大部分工作都涉及相当多的会议和团队参与。 不管你做什么,你都会花一定时间与其他人会面,分享你所做的一切,规划项目,组织工作。 如今,几乎没有人自己工作 — — 人人都是较大群体的一部分。

    The Nature of Science
    ::科学的性质

    Today’s scientists rarely work alone.  Rather, most scientists collaborate with one another as part of a group effort, no matter the setting.  The majority of research scientists work either for a company such as DuPont Chemical Company in Wilmington, Delaware or for one of many universities, such as the California Institute of Technology.  Working as part of a group has many advantages.  Most scientific problems are so complex and time-consuming, that one person could not hope to address all of the issues by himself or herself.  Instead, different members of a research group are each tasked with a particular small aspect of a larger research problem.  Collaboration between members of the group is frequent.  This occurs informally in the laboratory on an everyday basis.  Research groups typically have regular meetings where one or more members of the group may give a presentation to the others on the status of the research that they are doing.  Progress normally occurs in small steps rather than grand, sweeping discoveries, and that progress is helped along by the teamwork that comes from working as part of a group.
    ::今天的科学家很少单独工作。 相反,大多数科学家很少单独工作。 多数科学家作为团队努力的一部分相互协作,不管环境如何。 大部分研究科学家要么是为威尔明顿、特拉华的DuPont化学公司等公司工作的,要么是为加利福尼亚理工学院等许多大学之一工作的。 作为团队的一部分工作有许多好处。 大部分科学问题如此复杂和耗时,一个人不可能自己解决所有问题。 相反,一个研究小组的不同成员各自负责一个更大的研究问题的一个小方面。 小组成员之间的合作经常在实验室非正式地进行。 研究小组通常定期举行会议,小组的一个或多个成员可以向其他人介绍他们正在从事的研究状况。 进展通常是在小步骤上进行,而不是大步骤上的全面发现,同时,从小组的一部分工作中产生的团队协作有助于取得进展。

    Modern scientific research is usually expensive.  Lab equipment, chemicals, research space, and the upkeep of technical instrumentation all costs money.  So research groups need to raise money in order to continue their research.  Much of that money comes from government sources, such as the National Science Foundation or the National Institute of Health, especially in the case of research being done at universities.  Private companies can fund their own research, but may also seek outside funding as well.  Scientists write grants explaining the goals of their research along with projected costs, and funding agencies make decisions on which research projects they would like to fund.  The long-term viability of most research labs depends on the ability to get and maintain funding.
    ::现代科学研究通常是昂贵的。实验室设备、化学品、研究空间以及技术仪器的维护费用都是昂贵的。因此研究团体需要筹集资金才能继续研究。大部分资金来自政府来源,如国家科学基金会或国家卫生研究所,特别是在大学开展研究的情况下。私人公司可以资助自己的研究,但也可以寻求外部资金。科学家们写了赠款,解释其研究目标以及预计成本,而供资机构则决定他们想资助哪些研究项目。大多数研究实验室的长期可行性取决于获得和保持资金的能力。

     

     

     

     

    Communicating Results
    ::传播结果

    Suppose that your research is a success.  What now?  Scientists communicate their results to one another and to the public at large in several ways.  One is to publish their research findings in one of many publications called scientific journals .  There are many hundreds of scientific journals covering every field of science imaginable.  In chemistry , there is the “Journal of the American Chemical Society,” the “Journal of Physical Chemistry ,” and the journal, “ Inorganic Chemistry ,” to name just a few.  Some journals have a very narrow scope while others publish articles from many different sciences and appeal to a wider audience.  Examples of the latter include the journals “Science” and “Nature.” Journal articles are often very complex and detailed.  They must be accurate, since the research field as a whole uses these journal articles as a way to make scientific progress.  Therefore, journal articles are only published after having been extensively reviewed by other professional scientists in the same field.  Reviewers have the power to make suggestions about the research or possibly question the validity of the author’s conclusions.  Only when the reviewers are satisfied that the research is correct, will the journal publish the article.  In this way, all scientists can trust the research findings that they read about in journals.
    ::假设你的研究是成功的。 现在呢? 科学家们以几种方式相互交流其研究成果,并且以多种方式向大众传播。 科学家们以多种方式向彼此和广大公众传播其研究成果。 一种是在许多名为科学期刊的出版物中发表其研究成果。 有许多科学期刊覆盖了科学的各个领域。 在化学领域,有“美国化学学会杂志 ” 、 “物理化学杂志 ” 和期刊“无机化学 ” , 仅举几个例子。 一些期刊的范围非常狭窄,而另一些期刊则发表来自许多不同科学的文章,吸引更多的读者。 后者的例子包括杂志“科学”和“性质 ” 。 期刊文章往往非常复杂和详细。 它们必须是准确的,因为整个研究领域都利用这些期刊文章来取得科学进步。 因此,期刊文章只有在得到同一领域其他专业科学家的广泛审查之后才能出版。 评论者有权就研究提出建议,或者可能质疑作者的结论的有效性。 只有当评论者认为研究是正确的时,他们才会以这种方式阅读杂志。

    Scientists also communicate with one another by presenting their findings at international conferences.  Some scientists are chosen to give a lecture at a conference, typically about research that has already been published.  Many other scientists at the same conference will present their work at poster sessions .  These poster sessions are more informal and may often represent research that is still in progress.
    ::科学家们也通过在国际会议上介绍其研究成果相互交流,一些科学家被选定在会议上发表演讲,通常是关于已经发表的研究的演讲,许多其他科学家将在同一会议上介绍他们的工作,这些海报会比较非正式,常常代表仍在进行的研究。

    A scientist presents research findings on a screen at a conference, with an audience attentive.
    Scientific presentation.

     

     

     

     

    Science Friday : A Shot in the Dark: Alternative Uses for Squid Ink
    ::科学星期五:在黑暗中射杀:丝袜墨水的替代用途

    Squid ink is commonly thought of as a defensive mechanism used by squids, but could there be other uses? In this video by Science Friday , Dr. Stephanie Bush talks about possible other functions of squid ink.
    ::乌贼墨水通常被认为是鱿鱼使用的防御机制,但还能有其他用途吗? 在科学周五的这段影片中,史蒂芬妮·布什博士谈到乌贼墨水可能的其他功能。

     

     

     

     

    Science Friday : Snowflake Safari
    ::科学星期五:雪花Safari

    Next snowstorm, grab a magnifying glass and look carefully at snowflakes. Bullet rosettes, stellar plates and capped columns are just a few of the many varieties of snow crystals. In this video by Science Friday , physicist Kenneth Libbrecht shares secrets about snowflakes.
    ::下一场雪暴,拿起放大镜,仔细看雪花。 子弹玫瑰、恒星板和圆柱只是许多雪晶种类中的少数。 在科学周五的这段影片中,物理学家肯尼斯·利布雷赫特分享了雪花的秘密。

     

     

     

     

    Summary
    ::摘要

    • Scientific research today is a team effort.
      ::今天的科学研究是一项团队努力。
    • Support for research usually comes from grants.
      ::研究支助通常来自赠款。
    • Findings are shared in meetings, conferences, and scientific publications.
      ::会议、会议和科学出版物分享调查结果。

    Review 
    ::回顾

    1. How is most scientific research carried out today?
      ::今天大多数科学研究是如何进行的?
    2. How is research usually supported?
      ::研究通常如何得到支持?
    3. How do scientists share their findings?
      ::科学家如何分享其研究成果?