Sunday night I watched part of the Emmys. On it they had a segment paying tribute to television personalities that had died in the past year. I was rather amazed to see Jacques Cousteau up there, and Carl Sagan shortly after him. I was amazed not because I'd forgotten they'd died, but that they were shown on the Emmys. Sure, Jacques Cousteau had his long-lived TV show (that I can't remember the name of) but Carl Sagan only had Cosmos. I'm not saying Sagan shouldn't have been on there, but he wasn't known for his television work, he was more known for bringing the sciences (and astronomy in particular) to the general public.

Carl Sagan was trained in both astronomy and biology, and both fields benefitted from his contributions. His enthusiasm for astronomy, and science in general, was evident in the numerous books he wrote. He enjoyed educating people about astronomy, and the style in which he did this was appealing to many people. His book Cosmos was the best selling science book ever published in the English language. The television series of the same name won an Emmy and a Peabody. Sagan won a Pulitzer prize, the Oersted Medal, and received eighteen honourary degrees from American colleges and universities. Clearly, Sagan was an extraordinary man, respected by his peers, and loved by the public.

Sagan may be criticized for "dumbing down" his science so that the lay-person would be able to understand. I think the opposite: Sagan should be praised. Anybody who can bring science to the forefront of society should be commended for their efforts. After all, science is the basis for technological advances, and without these advances we'd still be living in caves. We need more people interested in the sciences. We need fresh minds to help develop new technologies. We need to have people think about science as a career option. When was the last time you heard a kid answer the question "what do you want to do when you grow up?" with "scientist"? Science should not be looked at as the domain of the lab-coated nerd, it should be approached as an exciting, life-enriching field. With more people like Carl Sagan the delight in discovering new (and old) things in science can be expressed to the public, and more people will gain interest.

I greatly enjoy watching Bill Nye. His fervent enthusiasm for science is contagious, and is a model for children's science-based shows. Bill Nye (and the other CSBSs) has done a lot to further interest in science among children and adults. This is, in my opinion, a Good Thing. If we can get children interested in science there's a greater likelyhood that they'll go into science as a career when they get older. Also, children have a different outlook on nature than adults do, so adults can learn from children. As adults we can't fully appreciate the enjoyment children get from discovering things for the very first time. As scientists we should have this feeling of enjoyment built into our systems, as the enjoyment of discovery is what propells science into new frontiers. We can all learn from our children, as they learn from us.

The National Research Council of Canada has a wonderful program called the Women in Engineering and Science Program. This program was set up by NRC to help increase the abysmally small numbers of women in engineering and sciences. Women have been traditionally under-represented in the sciences, mostly because mathematics and sciences are "too hard". It's a shame that such a large chunk of the population was effectively denied the opportunity to discover what a joy science can be, simply because of a stereotypical view of science. With the NRC's WES Program women can see first-hand the wonder of discovery. I'm all for this program. Any program that can help extend the borders of scientific learning to a wider selection of people is great, and should be promoted. However, as the WES Program is for university-age women, younger women (girls in elementary and high school) might not have the same opportunities, because they can be affected by this "too hard" stereotype. People should stop thinking that science is too hard and start looking at pushing science on our younger generations, especially girls. I'm in a male-dominated field (physics & astronomy), and I feel a little guilty because of it. I wish there were more women involved, not just for my own benefit, but for the benefit of physics & astronomy in general. I'll be the first to admit that women have a different outlook than men, and it's these differences that help to progress science. If we all thought the same, we wouldn't get anywhere.

In short, we need to get more people involved in sciences. The recent death of Carl Sagan was a blow to the popularisation of science, and there needs to be another person (or people) to fill his large shoes, so that the general public gets a feel for the thrill of discovery that is the heart of all science. This thrill must start at a young age, and is doing so, thanks to shows like Bill Nye The Science Guy. This thrill must continue on through elementary and high school, by way of making science fun, along with dispelling the notion that science is too hard. This thrill must continue on through college and university, so we can have a strong foundation of people educated in science to "pass the torch" to younger generations and continue the cycle. Science is based on the excitement gained from discovering new things. Without it we wouldn't progress. And we can't progress unless more people become infected with this thrill of discovery.