Earth Science: Geology, the Environment, and the Universe

Chapter 1: The Nature of Science

WebQuest

Pure and Applied Science

Introduction

Thousands of research scientists at universities all over the world study science and mathematics every day. Many of these scientists do not work on the real-world applications that may be born of their discoveries. This research might be motivated by curiosity.  Scientists who seek to gain knowledge for the sake of knowledge itself are doing pure science. Scientists who take known scientific facts and apply them to the real world and technologies are doing applied science.  This research seeks to solve a problem.

You have learned about scientific methods in your science course. In this WebQuest, you will examine how scientists have studied a certain aspect of science. Then, you will explore how the knowledge that was gained has been applied. In some cases, you might find that engineering or scientific solutions that were already in use have been explained after they were designed or built. In other cases, you might find examples in which new technology has led scientists to research on levels that they were not able to attain before. In some cases, scientific discovery has been driven by a need or a problem. For example, the space program funds research and development into many high-tech inventions. In other cases, scientists have studied the properties of matter or of a theory for knowledge's own sake, and have stumbled upon a revolutionary discovery that has helped the world.

What examples of pure and applied science can you think of that you have studied at school or encountered in real life? Brainstorm two or three examples of each type. Do you know of any space or military technology that has been passed down into everyday life? In this WebQuest, you will explore these ideas and more.

Task

Your job in this WebQuest is to choose an area of science that interests you or pertains to your course. You will investigate an example of pure scientific research that has been done in this area. Then you will investigate how technology and applied science interacted, or are still interacting, with the pure science. You will present your findings in a time line format with an explanatory essay. You may choose to break up the explanatory paragraphs along the time line, or to present the time line and put the essay after it. Be creative with the structure of the timeline to show interconnections between the development of knowledge and the development of technology, as they do not always happen in a regularly ordered way.

A few of the sciences that you might choose to research are listed below. There are many others.

Physics

Chemistry

Biology

Earth Science

Combined

astronomy

pharmacology

microbiology

geology

biomechanics

electronics

cosmetology

physiology

hydrology

medicine

microelectronics

nuclear chemistry

anatomy

seismology

biochemistry

engineering

microchemistry

genetics

volcanology

geochemistry

Use these questions to guide you. You may answer all or some of these questions, and come up with your own questions to answer about your particular science as you research.

  1. Was the pure science developed to explain observations and technologies?
  2. Did new technology develop from discoveries of pure science?
  3. How did technology assist with the pure science in this case?
  4. What careers are available in the pure science?
  5. What careers are available in the applied science?
  6. How does current study of the science interact with society? For example, have any significant political events or community concerns influenced funding or restrictions on the science?
  7.  How is study of the science driven by concern for the environment? Does it receive special funding because it helps the environment?
  8. Was this science/technology driven forward by past wartime needs or military objectives?
  9. Was this science/technology driven forward by space science?
  10. Was this science/technology driven forward by commercial wants?
  11. Was this science/technology driven forward by health and medicine?

You may wish to trace the development of a particular invention, such as an infrared spectrometer, GPS technology, X-ray machines, radar, sonar, or heart medications. Once you have traced the development of the pure and applied science which ultimately led to this invention, explore what technologies and inventions and science have developed due to the greater understanding given to science by the device itself.

Process

Research the questions and issues discussed above.

Prepare a time line that shows events of the past and present, and plans for the future. Your timeline may take the form of a bulletin board display, a web page, an essay, a PowerPoint presentation, or a poster. For each event on your time line, include explanations, photos, diagrams, interesting facts, or other trivia.

Resources

Description of Science
http://ca.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761557105/Science.html

Introduction to the Scientific Method
http://teacher.nsrl.rochester.edu/phy_labs/AppendixE/AppendixE.html

The Scientific Method
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/courses/bio104/sci_meth.htm

The Invention Hall of Fame
http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/1_4_0_channels.asp

The Power of Science
http://www.accnewsmedia.com/site/tertiary.asp?TRACKID=&VID=2&CID=387&DID=1889&PSID=APC

Time

You will have two to four weeks to find information on this topic and produce their timelines. Your teach may allocate some bulletin board space and allow you to work in groups.

Conclusion

In the process of completing this WebQuest, you have learned about pure science and about applied science. You have differentiated between the kinds of tasks scientists do and have learned about how the work of some scientists builds a knowledge base for other scientists to progress further. You have learned that society's needs can be a driving force in scientific research and development. You have developed important critical thinking skills. Congratulations on reporting the events in an organized way!

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