James Trefil and the Need for Nerds

 Hello Readers! 

    This week I want to showcase the writings of James "Jim" Trefil, who I was privileged enough to interview. Jim Trefil is a physicist and a professor at George Mason University. Jim has written over fifty books, which is a lot, but the one I focused on for the interview was Why Science? 

    I picked up Why Science? a couple years ago at a used bookshop, intrigued by the title. As I began reading Jim's book, I became more interested in science communication. Jim argues in Why Science? that everyone should be scientifically literate, and understand the basic principles of science, in order to better understand society, science in general, and the current global trends. Jim takes his argument from multiple sides, culture, civics, aesthetics, and discusses the benefits of having a better science-literate populace. In our interview, Jim called it his "manifesto" 

    Jim also gives examples in his book about the current state of science literacy, as well as ways to improve it. Even though the book is about ten years old, the topics discussed inside are still increasingly relevant. From controversial topics of climate change and global warming, Jim covers the need for better science communication towards a broader audience. You can get your own copy of Jim's book here if you're interested. I'd highly recommend for anyone interested in learning how they can better keep up with current research and science topics. 

    In our interview, he discussed how he's still writing, and currently is working on a book with famous scientist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, which will be exciting to see. I doubt he'll ever give up writing, which is a good thing as he makes some profound points. If you want to learn more about Jim's book, listen to our interview below!