Don't Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style [Paperback]

Randy Olson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2009

"You think too much!  You mother F@$#%&* think too much!  You're nothing but an arrogant, pointy-headed intellectual — I want you out of my classroom and off the premises in five minutes or I'm calling the police and having you arrested for trespassing." — Hollywood acting teacher to Randy Olson, former scientist

 

After nearly a decade on the defensive, the world of science is about to be restored to its rightful place.  But is the American public really ready for science?  And is the world of science ready for the American public?

 

Scientists wear ragged clothes, forget to comb their hair, and speak in a language that even they don't understand.  Or so people think. Most scientists don't care how they are perceived, but in our media-dominated age, style points count.

 

Enter Randy Olson.  Fifteen years ago, Olson bid farewell to the science world and shipped off to Hollywood ready to change the world. With films like Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus (Tribeca '06, Showtime) and Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy (Outfest '08), he has tried to bridge the cultural divide that has too often left science on the outside looking in.

 

Now, in his first book, Olson, with a Harvard Ph.D. and formerly a tenured professor of marine biology at the University of New Hampshire, recounts the lessons from his own hilarious-and at times humiliating-evolution from science professor to Hollywood filmmaker.  In Don't Be Such a Scientist, he shares the secrets of talking substance in an age of style. The key, he argues, is to stay true to the facts while tapping into something more primordial, more irrational, and ultimately more human.

 

In a book enlivened by a profane acting teacher who made Olson realize that "nobody wants to watch you think," he offers up serious insights and poignant stories. You'll laugh, you may cry, and as a communicator you'll certainly learn the importance of not only knowing how to fulfill, but also how to arouse.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1997, marine biologist Olson recognized that scientists needed better communications skills to address a growing backlash against "rational data-based science." Inspired by the "power of video," Olson gave up a tenured professorship and went to Hollywood to reach a broader audience through filmmaking. The crucial lesson he learned was how to tell a good story, a largely absent concern for scientists, who focus on accuracy rather than audience engagement. It was a lesson Olson learned the hard way, after his intelligent design documentary, Flock of Dodos, flopped for lack of a lively story line. By "starting with a quirky little tidbit" about his mother and the intelligent design lawyer she lives next to, Olson found the hook he was missing. Olson values motivation over education, looking to Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth ("the most important and best-made piece of environmental media in history") for a hugely successful example of his principles in action. As if to prove all he's learned, Olson packs this highly entertaining book with more good stories than good advice, spurring readers to rethink their personal communication styles rather than ape Olson's example.
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Review

"Don't Be Such a Scientist is a stinging critique, yet it's also a funny, heart-felt account of one scientist's efforts to make non-scientists care about the natural world." (Carl Zimmer author of Microcosm and the award-winning science blog The Loom )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (August 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597265632
• ISBN-13: 978-1597265638
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #200,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Randy Olson earned his Ph.D. at Harvard University and achieved tenure at the University of New Hampshire before resigning and moving to Hollywood, obtaining an M.F.A. from the University of Southern California School of Cinema, and embarking on a second career as a filmmaker. Since film school he has written and directed the critically acclaimed films Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus (Tribeca, '06, Showtime) and Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy (Outfest, '08), and co-founded The Shifting Baselines Ocean Media Project, a partnership between scientists and Hollywood to communicate the crisis facing our oceans.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I wish the book had talked a little more substance. September 8, 2009

By Greg TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I suppose this disclaimer will have all the impact of one of those "Some of my best friends are..." statements, but I want it known that I really like Randy Olson. I think "Flock of Dodos" is a great documentary, and it would be hard indeed not to like Olson personally. He really does have a flair for film communication, and in that fairly narrow realm has something worth saying and consequently worth listening to.

But this book is too autobiographical--to the point where some sections should have started "Dear Diary"--to be of much practical use to scientists looking for clues how to communicate better. For those handful of scientists actually interested in filmmaking, sure, this is absolutely a must-have book. But for the lab denizen looking for ways to maybe spice up that presentation a little, there are tips and key principles presented in "Such," but perhaps not enought to provide enough help. I would recommend a more general book on how to create a memorable presentation if that's what's being sought.

As a critique of science's pitiful position vis a vis inspiring, motivating, and educating the public, "Such" probably has more value.

And let me add that apart from what I took to be an overabundance of sentences that began with "And," "But," and "Well," the writing of the book, the actual prose, is a paradigm of what Olson is trying to promote: A style wed to substance that helps pull an audience along with humor and stories and a refreshing nontechnical approach. Much as I liked that sort of element in the book, I closed it thinking there is still a need for another book, perhaps from a medium other than film, to provide additional perspective. One of the best living science communicators (probably because he is not a scientist who learned how to communicate but a communicator exceedingly adept with science) is Carl Zimmer. I would love to see a book by Zimmer on how he manages to make so much science compelling and understandable to his audiences, which include, for example, the New York Times.

I also wonder if Olson didn't perhaps write this book a bit too early. The need is now, I get that, and perhaps it was the urgency of the times, in which science illiteracy really does threaten humanity's future, that prompted Olson to rush this work a little. But with only two feature movies under his belt, and really only one that is widely known, could it be too early for him to be writing a book of this sort? Olson seems to circle back to a limited number of circumstances (I understand that his experience with an acting teaching was transformative, but grew a little weary of references to even this pivotal event) a few too many times. An ability to draw a greater breadth of experiences might have served the work well.

On the other hand, Olson DOES make excellent use of historical anecdotes and fascinating examples suggested by research to flesh out the prose, and the single greatest selling point of everything Olson puts his hand to, seemingly, is passion. A little passion can help us get over the hill if other things are lacking, and Olson brings so much passion to this book that we fairly fly, like a chase scene set in San Francisco. I just wish, with all that, the car had been packed a little more carefully for the trip.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars too little about science communication, too much about the author December 28, 2009

By science communicator

Format:Paperback

I am a professor at a research university and I care deeply about communicating science to the public. I am grateful to the author for writing a book on this important topic. The book does contain a few useful insights on what not to do. However, I feel that the useful part of the message could be condensed into a three- to five-page memo. A lot of the material deals with why the author thinks he is funny or innovative or right, why he thinks his work is under-appreciated, or why he thinks his personal history is relevant. All of the navel-gazing really distracts from the message. This is unfortunate, considering that this is a book on communication. I would recommend reading the three- to five-page memo to my fellow scientists, but I would hesitate recommending reading the book.

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read: communicating to the general public is important! September 10, 2009

By James T. Dickey

Format:Paperback

There are people in science who know what they're talking about. And there are people in the realm of science who make a greater impact on the general population. Often, these are not the same people, and Randy Olson takes us on his quest to figure out "why?". Why won't people listen to scientists who know what they're talking about? They've spent their whole lives focusing on their field of expertise. Why do their real-life adventures and thrilling discoveries go unnoticed by the general public? It is a common obstacle that I share with my peers in scientific fields who have a drive to use their knowledge to make a difference in the world. Can you imagine how discouraging it is when our thoughts and stories about our life's work are met with yawns and glazed eyes?

This book picks the issue apart scientifically, but (thankfully) is not written scientifically. I find scientific writing to be dense and, well, a little difficult to read (making me sleepy and blurring my vision a little). Olson practices what he preaches and presents his rather strong argument through compelling anecdotes and current examples that are common knowledge. His conversational writing style is a pleasure to read, and this is a must-read for all seasoned and aspiring scientists.