Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Introduction: Purpose and invitation

The name “Sci-mat”, short for science matters, was chosen to reflect that the purpose of this blog is to provide a platform to express opinions about recent developments, and possible applications, of science in general. The second reason for choosing Sci-mat is that I deeply believe that science does indeed matter; I am optimistic about the power of science to improve the quality of human life. A third reason for the name Sci-mat is more personal. I am a mature, 73 year old, semi-retired scientist and clinical psychologist living in Singapore. On “good” days, when my old brain is working well, I come up with what I think are great ideas and speculations about scientific matters but have few, if any, opportunities to discuss them. I hope Sci-mat provides an opportunity for informal discussion by mature scientist who are formally retired from science but who still have a passion for it. There may also be a few like myself who have a double background in neurscience and psychology and are looking for an informal opportunity to discuss their ideas.

However I also want to make Sci-mat inclusive. Everyone, no matter what age and educational background, who is fascinated by new discoveries in science and is optimistic about the potential of these discoveries to improve the lot of mankind is most wellcome.

I would love to receive your comments and reactions so that Sci-mat becomes a place for an enjoyable, creative, and useful conversation about scientific matters.
Dr. Brian Scott