June 14, 2020 8:00 pm

Monday, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice Explore Why Science Is Cool

On this week’s episode of StarTalk Radio, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice are here to tell you something you might already know – science is cool. StarTalk collaborated with PocketLab by Myriad Sensors to broadcast this special edition of Cosmic Queries to thousands of teachers from all over the map as the keynote to the Science Is Cool 2 virtual conference (ScIC2), and did they sure get a show.

You can bet education was a theme for this episode and it’s established from the jump. How do we keep kids who might not see the value of science or education engaged in science and education? You’ll hear why Neil thinks we need to focus on tapping into the curiosity that’s within every student.

Find out how we can keep students informed for when they come in contact with conspiracy theories and nonfactual ideas. We explore what’s actually going on in a conspiracy theory. Neil tells us what they all have in common. He also tells us about his experience dealing with someone who didn’t believe we landed on the Moon.

Discover more about the cosmic perspective. When a questioner asks how we can put the COVID-19 pandemic into the cosmic perspective, Neil reminds us that the cosmic perspective is not always uplifting, but it’s always meant to inspire you to see things through a different lens. We investigate how planetariums maintain educational outreach even though people still can’t visit in person.

Lastly, we dive into the history of the educational system in the United States. What has the educational system gotten right and gotten wrong in the past 30 years? Neil explains why science is too often taught as a pile of information. We explore why teaching classes that focus on memorization and getting through the syllabus are detrimental. All that, plus, after being asked if he had any inspiring teachers during his education, Neil shares an intimate, passionate, and perhaps unexpected response.

Please join us tomorrow for Cosmic Queries – Science is Cool at 7pm ET right here on our website, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn. If you’re a StarTalk+ Patron or an All-Access subscriber, you can watch or listen to this episode ad-free at 7pm, too.

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
-Ian Mullen