The Eloquence of Mucky Flip-Flops

Scientist measures X. Scientist models Y. Scientist offers a highly nuanced response to research paper published in a different peer-reviewed journal. Such is the discourse of science. But to outsiders, it often adds up to a giant, baffling... huh?

We know scientists are smart, that they do important work, and that they care—a lot. But sometimes it’s hard to tell that scientists live and breathe the same air as the rest of us, that they share our concerns, fears, and hopes. Perhaps this is because scientists are trained to be clinically objective. Perhaps it’s because the language of science is not readily understood, except by other scientists.

Carl Safina gets it. Macarthur Fellow, Pew Scholar, media gadfly (see here on the Colbert Report discussing the oil spill), author, teacher, co-founder and president of the Blue Ocean Institute—and yes, holder of a PhD in Ecology—Safina's mission is to move people with science, as evidenced by the tag-lines on both his self-titled blog (“Inspiration, Science, Nature. Hope.”) and his Blue Ocean Institute ("...works through science, art, and literature to inspire solutions and a deeper connection with nature").

Not surprisingly, Safina has written several posts on the situation in the Gulf of Mexico (see here, here, here, and here). Slightly unusual is that Safina’s posts are based on recent visits. And more unusual still is that he doesn’t just write about his observations, he also shows them. Safina's photographs of the oil spill, taken from a helicopter, a boat, and during walks on a local beach, are not scientific but they are evidence that it is possible to be both a scientist and an impassioned citizen (see his caption on the image of plastic garbage bags used for a beach clean-up). His photographs capture both the human and ecological impacts and prove, too, that he is living in our world-- one in which children swim amidst gooey tar balls, floating brown fingers of oil, and blackened, mucky flip-flops. In short, a world that is surprising, chaotic, and often uncontrollable.

To prove why science matters, scientists must respond to events like the Deepwater Horizon spill and many will—over weeks, months, and years to come. Kudos to those who are offering analysis in real-time and double kudos to scientists like Safina who are getting their feet dirty in the process.