What is science?

Science comes from the Latin word scientia meaning knowledge or knowing.
According to the Merriam-Websters New Collegiate nline !ictionar"# science is$ %a& -
' knowledge or a s"stem of knowledge co(ering general tr)ths or the o*eration of general
laws es*eciall" as obtained and tested thro)gh scientific method %b&: s)ch knowledge or
s)ch a s"stem of knowledge concerned with the *h"sical world and its *henomena :
nat)ral science.'
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As the Academic -ress !ictionar" of Science and technolog" s)ggests# science is
concerned with the s"stematic obser(ation of nat)ral e(ents and conditions in order to
disco(er facts abo)t them and to form)late laws and *rinci*les based on these facts. .t
f)rther states that science is the organi/ed bod" of knowledge that is deri(ed from s)ch
obser(ations and that can be (erified or tested b" f)rther in(estigation.
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%Science is the s"stematic st)d" of the str)ct)re and beha(ior of the *h"sical and nat)ral
world thro)gh obser(ation and e1*eriments. .t is also the 2)est b" h)mans to learn more
abo)t their en(ironment. We )se science to hel* de(elo* technologies to make life easier.
Also# we satisf" the need to learn more.&
The three main branches of science
3here are three main branches of science$
+. life science
0. *h"sical science
4. earth science
Life science
Lire science is the st)d" of all li(ing things- *lants and animals. .t hel*s e1*lain
how li(ing things relate to each other and to their s)rro)ndings.
-h"sical science
-h"sical science is a term for the branches of nat)ral science and science of non-
li(ing things# in contrast to biological sciences. 5owe(er# the term *h"sical
creates an )nnecessar" distinction since man" branches of *h"sical science st)d"
*arts of biolog".
6arth science
6arth science %also called geosciences or the 6arth science& is a term for all the
sciences the *lanet 6arth. .t is a s*ecial case in *lanetar" science# the 6arth being
the onl" known life bearing *lanet. 3here are fo)r ma7or *arts of 6arth science#
geogra*h"# geolog"# geo*h"sics and geodes". 3hese disci*line )se chemistr"#
biolog"# chronolog" and mathematics to hel* com*rehend the different feat)res of
the 6arth.
The importance of scientists
Scientists hel* the world with their disco(eries e.g. 8en7amin 9ranklin disco(ered
electricit". 3he" hel* mo(e societ" forward and im*ro(e li(ing. Not all of the
things the" tr" will be s)ccessf)l# b)t when the" are something ama/ing can
ha**en. Scientists ma" not ha(e a sol)tion for e(er"thing e.g. a c)re for cancer#
b)t the" kee* stri(ing for it e(er"da".
OLIVER HEADLEY
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Backro!n" information
li(er St.Clair 5eadle" was born on the :
th
of ;)l" +<=0 in 8arbados in the *arish of
St.-eter.. 5e attended 5arissons College 5e com*leted his Cambridge Matric)lation in
+<>+ and the 8arbados Scholarshi*.
5e enrolled for a degree in *h"sics at the ?ni(ersit" College of the West .ndies in Mona#
;amaica Later on he switched to chemistr".. 5e gradated in +<>= with a 8.Sc. in s*ecial
chemistr". .n +<>= he recei(ed he recei(ed the Commonwealth Scholarshi* to attend
?ni(ersit" college# London and he obtained his doctorate in +<>@.After getting his -h.!.
he worked with his mentor# Sir Aonald N"holm# who infl)enced him to carr" on with his
best s)b7ect# inorganic chemistr".
.n +<>@ he ret)ned to the Caribbean to become an Assistant Chemistr" lect)rer at the
?ni(ersit" of the West .ndies# St.A)g)stine# 3rinidad. 5e later became a Senior lect)rer
in+<@@ teaching chemistr". 5e *)blished more than +BB *a*ers on chemistr" and solar
energ". 9or his e1tensi(e research he was gi(en the title Aeader in Solar 6nerg" b" the
?ni(ersit" of the West .ndies.
After s*ending an ill)strio)s career of 0: "ears in 3rinidad# he decided to ret)rn to his
homeland in +<<0. 5e was a**ointed -rofessor of Chemistr" at ?W. Ca(e 5ill after he
ret)rned from 3rinidad and he contin)ed his research in solar energ". !es*ite the lack of
engineering facilities# n)mero)s solar dr"ers were b)ilt there and e1*orted to other
co)ntries.
Accomp#ishments
-rofessor li(er warned e(er"one 3he s)n will still shine when the s)n r)ns o)t. 5e
stressed the need the need for alternati(e energ" so)rces and make )s less de*endent on
o)r onl" non-renewable reso)rce-*etrole)m. 5is research led to the man)fact)re of solar
cells for *rod)cing electricit"# solar dr"ers for wood and agric)lt)ral *rod)ce# and solar
stills for water distillation. Some of these de(ices were b)ilt b" 5eadle" himself# and
were )sed in 8arbados and other *arts of the Caribbean and Central America. .n the earl"
>Bs# he became known for harnessing solar energ" for heating and cro* dr"ing to
*reser(e *rod)ce at no cost to farmers. 5e first formed his solar energ" designs for
8arbados to create electricit" to *ower icemakers )sed on fishing boats b)t not onl" that#
also for com*)ters and heating b)ildings. 5is greatest achie(ement was to make the first
and largest grid connect s"stem meas)ring +@ .: k(. .t was installed in 5arrisons ca(e to
s)stain *ower the co)ntr"s %8arbados& n)mber one to)rist attraction
Benefits to man
5is goal was to design solar de(ices that wo)ld aid in national de(elo*ment. 3he"
incl)ded a s"stem to generate electricit" to the science and com*)ter labs at the
Combermere SchoolC *hoto(oltaic *owered lights for *owering floodlights at
Montgomer" School *ast)re and the Do(ernment 5ead2)artersC a generation s"stem for
the 8arbados -ower and Light Com*an" and dr"ers for *rod)ce %mainl" *e**ers and
seeds&C timber and s)gar cane.
9or the regional market# he b)ilt a s*ice dr"er for n)tmeg# mace# bananas and other cro*s
for the Drenada Do(ernmentC small-scale grain dr"ers for D)atemala and 6l Sal(ador#
and a banana dr"er for a 8eli/ean farmer whose cro*s were inferior for e1*ort b)t were
(iable as a dried snack for hikers and mo)ntain climbers. A*art from his (ision of solar
energ"# he also was interested in ocean thermal energ". 3his st)d" in(ol(ed obtaining
energ" from nat)re b" ta**ing the e1treme water tem*erat)re differences in the dee*
ocean. 3he *ro7ect# howe(er# was not considered to be economicall" feasible for the
region.
-rofessor li(er 5eadle" *assed awa" in 0BB0 at the age of >B "ears
Arnoldo Eent)ra
Arnoldo Eent)ra was born on +>th No(ember +<4@ in Fingston# ;amaica. 5e attended
the Windward Aoad Do(ernment -rimar" School and Fingston College.
5e sec)red a ;amaican Do(ernment 61hibition Scholarshi* in +<:@. 5e *)rs)ed his
8achelor of Science degree at the ?ni(ersit" College of the West .ndies %?CW.& at
Mona. 5e contin)ed his *ostgrad)ate ed)cation at ?CW. obtaining a Master of Science
degree.
Accom*lishments
!r. Arnoldo Fhaleel Eent)ra has been the Senior Ad(iser to the -rime Minister of
;amaica on science and technolog" since +<G<. -rior to this# he s*eciali/ed in (irolog".
5e st)died h)man (ir)ses# and those modified as (accines for children. 5e researched the
nat)ral histor" and *athogenesis of (ir)ses in the Caribbean# incl)ding deng)e and those
ca)sing ence*halitis infections in man and animals. !r. Eent)ra has also been credited
with the de(elo*ment of tiss)e c)lt)re methods for the identification and reco(er" of
(ir)ses. 3hro)gh these st)dies# he disco(ered two new genera and si1 new s*ecies of bird
mites. 5e also disco(ered a new gro)* of (ir)ses that was circ)lating in birds witho)t
showing s"m*toms in them.
Benefits to man
5e was also the first to )nco(er the (ir)ses that ca)sed deng)e fe(ers in ;amaica )sing a
no(el tiss)e c)lt)re techni2)e# which led to easier diagnosis# treatment and *rediction of
the o)tcome of the disease in the Caribbean. 5e isolated and characteri/ed two of the
(ir)ses ca)sing deng)e fe(er and *redicted f)t)re o)tbreaks in the Caribbean. 5e was
able to *ro(ide (ir)ses for the de(elo*ment of a**ro*riate (accines. 3he characteri/ation
of the two t"*es of deng)e (ir)ses sa(ed significant health costs and co)ntless li(es. 5e
was able to la" to rest s*ec)lations abo)t the ca)se of a deadl" o)tbreak in ;amaica in
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