Science denialismâ€"the denial of truths established through scientific methodologyâ€"is scarcely a new phenomenon, explains Lourdes Norman-McKay. From the Copernican Revolution of the sixteenth century to today’s debates over vaccines and climate change, scientists have faced bitter, even virulent opposition. To navigate these conflicts between science and its denial, Norman-McKay argues, scientists must stop thinking that evidence alone, aided by ever more evidence, data, and studies, will prevail. Instead, the answer lies in a new approach to science education, an approach that teaches critical thinking as a rigorous skill that’s evidence-based, discipline-specific, and committed to proving even our own hypotheses wrong. Dr. Lourdes Norman-McKay earned her Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. She is a fulltime professor at Florida State College at Jacksonville where her peers and students recognized her with the Outstanding Faculty Award in 2016. Dr. Norman-McKay has extensive STEM program development experience that ranges from developing STEM programs to serving as a curriculum designer and subject matter expert for the Florida Space Research Institute and Workforce Florida. She was recently invited to serve in the U.S. Department of State’s speakers program to promote STEM education and women in STEM. Her textbook, “Microbiology: Basic and Clinical Principles,†was released this January. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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