Slow Research: Science

If we ask around what science is, in most cases the answer will likely be some sort of example related to mathematics, computer science, astrophysics, biology or medicine. In any case, the answers will identify the word 'science' with what has been classified as experimental science. Most of those answers, in all likelihood, will mistake science for technology, confusion nevertheless frequent among our political and academic authorities. If the same question were to be asked in a faculty of arts, the answer would probably be similar. If it were asked in a faculty of sciences, the identification of experimentation with science by means of technology would probably appear in 100% of the answers. Social sciences would then note that in order to verify these statements, a survey of a sample x within a population y would be necessary... However, our media, social, political and economic environment is quite clear. The current predominant thinking determines that not only those involved in science believe so, but also those who have nothing to do with it take it for granted: in the faculties of sciences they make Science, and not such thing is done in the faculties of art

Art, mediation and contemporary art emergent practices.

The emergence of new, social and creative media practices has added to a disciplinary mash up, drawing participants from, amongst others, computer science, engineering, visual arts, science studies, literature, philosophy, film and media studies. The question of emergent practices is taken up in the work of Andrew Pickering. In The Mangle of Practice: Time, Agency and Science (1995), he writes about temporally emergent forms in experimental science laboratories. He makes a strong case for a re-conceptualization of research practice as a 'mangle,' an open-ended, evolutionary, and performative interplay of human and non-human agency. While Pickering's ideas originated in science and technology studies, the concept of 'mangle' captures what he describes as an entanglement between the human and the material

Teaching Primary Science with Computer Simulation – an Intervention Study in State of Kuwait

This thesis describes an investigation into use of interactive computer simulations software in primary science education. The research questions are what effects teaching with interactive computer simulations have on students’ achievement, their conceptual change in particular science topics and on their attitudes. The question was investigated in an intervention study that tested use of simulations in two different pedagogical environments. The first environment used simulations in a computer laboratory, with students using blended learning (combining computer-based learning with non-computer learning). In this environment students worked independently on the computer. The second environment is class teaching. In this environment, the simulation was used on one computer, controlled by the teacher, in front of the class. The study also investigated ease of use and looked into practical consideration of computer-based teaching expressed by students and teachers. Three science topics were studied. The novelty of the research is using computer simulations in an Arabic nation, which has widespread use of traditional didactic-oriented pedagogy. Recent educational reforms have made demand for more student-oriented teaching, with use of practical experiments in primary science. This major change is difficult to implement for practical reasons, and the study therefore asks if computer simulations may work as an alternative approach to reach the same aims. The theoretical frameworks for the study are constructivism, conceptual change and cognitive multi-media theory. The first of these looks at the role of the student in learning, the second takes into consideration that students enter school with intuitive knowledge about natural phenomena and the last explains learning with use of computers. The theoretical frameworks were used to guide development of the simulation software and the intervention. The participants were 365 students in year five (10-11 year olds) and eight science teachers in Kuwait, located at eight different primary schools. All schools were single sex, with half the schools of each gender. All teachers were female. The study used a quasi-experimental design and separated the students into two experimental groups and two control groups. The first experimental group, which used simulations in computer labs, had 91 students in four primary schools (two boys’ and two girls’ schools). A matching control group with the same number of students was established in the same schools. The other experiment group had 92 students using simulations in the classroom. This group was also matched with an appropriate control group. The eight teachers taught both experimental and control group students. The control groups used traditional teaching. The experiment was carried out in the academic year 2010-2011. The study measured effects of the interventions with pre- and post achievement tests and attitude questionnaires. Students in the experimental groups also answered a usability questionnaire. A sub-sample of students and all teachers were interviewed for triangulation of the questionnaire data and to learn more about experiences with using the simulation software. The results of the study revealed no statistically significant difference (at the 0.05 level) in achievement or attitude between the students who used computer simulations in the computer laboratory. Students, however, who were taught with simulations in the classroom scored significantly higher on both achievement tests and attitude questionnaires. This benefit applied also to conceptual change of specific topics. In general, the interviews revealed that science teachers and students were satisfied with the simulation program used in science teaching and learning. However, the interviews indicated that there were some problems related to infrastructure and use of computers in the teaching that might have influenced the outcome of the study. These problems are relevant also to use of computer simulations in science teaching more widely

Artificial general intelligence: Proceedings of the Second Conference on Artificial General Intelligence, AGI 2009, Arlington, Virginia, USA, March 6-9, 2009

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) research focuses on the original and ultimate goal of AI – to create broad human-like and transhuman intelligence, by exploring all available paths, including theoretical and experimental computer science, cognitive science, neuroscience, and innovative interdisciplinary methodologies. Due to the difficulty of this task, for the last few decades the majority of AI researchers have focused on what has been called narrow AI – the production of AI systems displaying intelligence regarding specific, highly constrained tasks. In recent years, however, more and more researchers have recognized the necessity – and feasibility – of returning to the original goals of the field. Increasingly, there is a call for a transition back to confronting the more difficult issues of human level intelligence and more broadly artificial general intelligence

The Impact of Integrating Computer Simulations On The Achievement of Grade 11 Emirati Students In Uniform Circular Motion

Education has been affected by the advancement of technology, especially computer software. This thesis focuses on the impact of computer simulations on students’ acquisition of Physics concepts related to the topic of Uniform Circular Motion. The main purpose of this thesis is to examine to what extent can computer simulations help students of grade 11 from Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE), learn factual, conceptual and procedural knowledge related to Uniform Circular Motion. It also aims to investigate how simulations affect students of different abilities in terms of their achievement in Physics. A quazi- experimental method was used, where participants were divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group was taught using computer simulations, and the control group was instructed with the help of real- life videos and animations. The main instrument was an achievement test administered before and after the intervention. The study showed a statistically significant advantage for the experimental group over the control group, especially in the procedural knowledge dimension. In addition, results showed that students of medium and low academic levels benefit from the simulations more than students of high level. Results drawn from this study provide valuable information on effective integration of technology in physics teaching, because it examines the impact of simulations on different knowledge dimensions, as well as their effect on students of different abilities. As a result, it encompasses a large spectrum of variables in terms of the effectiveness of simulations, giving room for further researches on technology integration in science education in the UAE and the Arab world context

Quantum Computing

Quantum mechanics---the theory describing the fundamental workings of nature---is famously counterintuitive: it predicts that a particle can be in two places at the same time, and that two remote particles can be inextricably and instantaneously linked. These predictions have been the topic of intense metaphysical debate ever since the theory's inception early last century. However, supreme predictive power combined with direct experimental observation of some of these unusual phenomena leave little doubt as to its fundamental correctness. In fact, without quantum mechanics we could not explain the workings of a laser, nor indeed how a fridge magnet operates. Over the last several decades quantum information science has emerged to seek answers to the question: can we gain some advantage by storing, transmitting and processing information encoded in systems that exhibit these unique quantum properties? Today it is understood that the answer is yes. Many research groups around the world are working towards one of the most ambitious goals humankind has ever embarked upon: a quantum computer that promises to exponentially improve computational power for particular tasks. A number of physical systems, spanning much of modern physics, are being developed for this task---ranging from single particles of light to superconducting circuits---and it is not yet clear which, if any, will ultimately prove successful. Here we describe the latest developments for each of the leading approaches and explain what the major challenges are for the future.Comment: 26 pages, 7 figures, 291 references. Early draft of Nature 464, 45-53 (4 March 2010). Published version is more up-to-date and has several corrections, but is half the length with far fewer reference