Who are we? Introduce Yourself. #1

[William]

I am trying to get a feel for the people in this group. I thought it would be nice to introduce ourselves a little bit and it would help to promote discussion to know what everyone's interest/background in science is. If you are uncomfortable posting personal info here that is quite alright.

I am a family physician. I also practice a fair amount of ER. I have a nursing diploma, a B.S with major in Zoology and a minor in chemistry. Physics and math almost kept me out of med school as those are my weak points so I tend to lean toward the remedial side in those. Obviously I favor biology and medicine but I am willing to learn anything. I enjoy knowing where things came from or how they came to be so history is interesting as well.

My spouse is in this group as well but she has not made the plunge into non-fiction and science based literature as of yet.

[Chantel]

Hi all. Looks like I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum...

I'm a stay at home mom with at 2 year old daughter and another one on the way. I have much interest in science but absolutely no background in it (Umm...I think they taught it in high school didn't they?). I love to read but again I am a novice in the scientific realm so I don't know where to begin. The areas that hold the most interest for me are astronomy, biology and the history of science but I'd like to get a well rounded glimpse of most of the natural science fields so I can encourage a love for science in my children.

[Indres]

Hi, I'm also a stay at home mom. My interest in science is mainly in biology and history of science.

My hubby also loves reading popular science book, however his interest is in physics and engineering. I tried to read some of his book, but usually I gave up.

[Dan]

Great idea for a thread! I'm a web programmer employed at a government consulting firm. A couple of years ago I began working on a project for the National Science Foundation and that helped rekindle an interest in science ... in high school and the first couple of years of college I had wanted to get into physics or astronomy. Ultimately I switched over to the humanities for my major, and actually I read a decent amount on history and philosophy of science in college and grad school, so those topics still hold appeal.

My elder two daughters (I have three, 9, 7, and 1) are showing a lot of interest in the natural sciences and so another reason I joined the group (similar to Chantel's reason) was to brush up on biology, zoology, botany etc. so I can keep up with them!

[[deleted user]]

I just joined. I'm an author of speculative fiction, mostly satire. My main area of interest is technology and how it affects culture. I have a couple of books of science fiction out and my latest (The Textile Planet) is an experiemental work that is serialized on the Internet at a new author's collective called bookviewcafe.com. (We have Ursula K. Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre -- among others--if you're wondering about the legitimacy of the group.)

I have a degree in chemistry and biology; I worked for a time in the nuclear industry.

Because I spend so much time in the world of marketing books, I've fallen behind in following the latest trends in science. Hopefully this group will keep me informed.

[Kim]

Hello everyone,

I am an engineer in CA. I studied math, physics, and astronomy/cosmology in college. I love science, mostly those topics mentioned above (plus the history of them), but have lately been focused on reading fiction. I'm excited to be in the group and learning about scientific topics again!

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

I trained as a historian, so it is no wonder that I am quite fond of "history of science" as a category.

I went to a science-heavy high school (I had 3 years of biology, 1 of physics, and 1 of chemistry), and liked most of it except the physics, which made my head hurt. I like reading the theoretical stuff OK, though.

I'm also a stroke survivor.

[Carolyn]

William wrote: "I am trying to get a feel for the people in this group. I thought it would be nice to introduce ourselves a little bit and it would help to promote discussion to know what everyone's interest/back..."

These days, I'm a programmer (doing primarily database work). In my former life I was an editor/writer. I have a MA in Applied Language/Linguistics and a MSBA in Management Information Systems.

My interests in science reading are broad. I seem to go through cycles of interest. I was fascinated by botany for several years, hooked on the history of disease and medicine for a while, intrigued by math and economics, most recently neuroscience has occupied my interest. I'm easy. Just point me to a science book written for laypeople and I'm happy.

[Tracy]

My degree is in biology, but my interests lie all over the place. My weak subject is chem, but it hasn't given me any trouble in layperson's books. I'm a stay at home, homeschooling mother of 4, and I make my own science curriculum, so I do read "heavier" science books, including college texts. My favorite reading subjects are biology, physics, astronomy, math, and science history, but I'll read pretty much whatever. I would like to read more geology, but I haven't been finding many good books.

[Jill]

I'm a receptionist. The reason I am a receptionist is because I have not finished college. The reason I have not finished college is because I'll be damned if I know what to focus on. I'm interested in everything, especially the sciences, so I'm like a kitten distracted by shiny objects when it comes to focusing on one area for the time it would take to complete my undergraduate and then graduate degrees. My main area of interest is biology, especially evolutionary biology. But I'll read just about anything on any topic.

Don't get me wrong, though. I'm devoutly skeptical, so I don't suffer from the "so open minded that your brain falls out" syndrome.

Part of me wants to stay with the whole receptionist thing because it leaves my nights free to pursue whatever area of interest takes my fancy.

[Tyler]

I joined out of general interest in science, in particular the scientific approach to the world and the scientific way of thinking, which are both such new innovations in world history. I hope some of the experts here can answer the questions we general enthusiasts often have.

I'm glad that more people are starting to post now, and that more topics promise to come up on future threads.

[JuliAnna]

I'm not very good at describing myself, but I'll give it a try.

Currently, I am a consultant in research methods (basically, this means statistics) for an interdisciplinary research center in the social sciences. I am particularly interested in pyschopathology, and as a result I have done some coursework in neuroscience, especially neuroendocrinology.

Aside from this, I don't have any real training in the sciences, as my undergraduate and previous graduate studies were in Modern literature and cultural theory, with a lot of philosophy tossed in.

I have always been interested in how we know what we know (or what we think we know). As a result, I like history of science, methodology and philosophy of science. But, I'm always up for a good read in any field.

[Duntay]

I trained as an archaeologist and work in a museum.

I'm interested in the history of science, medical history, geology and other natural sciences. But as others have said I am open for a well-written account in most any field. Not just books, but articles, etc as well.

[Erik]

Hello, I'm a philosopher of science at Wright State University. I'm interested in hearing about readable texts that can get scientific ideas across, and good history of science.

[Nate]

I'm a chemistry professor at a (primarily) undergrad school. I enjoy a bit of science history from various fields, but I most enjoy reading about chemistry/physics/biology of food and brewing.

[Peter]

Sorry, it's summer here in Australia, and we tend to go wandering off to the beach or the nearest bit of shade at this time of year. I used to teach science, so did my wife, and we have produced two scientist offspring (plus a lawyer: nobody's perfect -- but he did a science-law degree for a while before dropping the science).

Now I have the piece of paper that proclaims me as "retired", I write books, mainly in the area of the histories of things, popular science, science history, stuff like that. I'm a "Goodreads Author" if you need more specifics.

I also write for youngsters, and right now, I am working on a historical fiction series for YA (young adult), with strong emphases on science and technology in Australia in the 1850-1870 period. This reflects my interest in an era when tree bark, seahorse teeth, dog droppings, fish guts and boiled sheep were all legitimate raw materials.

I signed off today on the page-proofs of a book for the National Library of Australia: superficially, it is about the people who explored Australia, beneath that, it is about the technology of exploration with workable projects for readers (10-14) to tackle. Ah well, at least you know why I wandered off!

Tracy, try Marcia Bjornerud, "Reading the Rocks".

[William]

Peter wrote: "Sorry, it's summer here in Australia, and we tend to go wandering off to the beach or the nearest bit of shade at this time of year. I used to teach science, so did my wife, and we have produced t..."

It's always good to have Authors in the group. Glad to have you. Sorry about your Lawyer offspring! :-)

[Tracy]

Peter wrote: "Sorry, it's summer here in Australia, and we tend to go wandering off to the beach or the nearest bit of shade at this time of year. I used to teach science, so did my wife, and we have produced t..."

Thankyou, Peter.

[Ari]

Hi, all!

I'm a translator from Chile (freelancer) who works almost exclusively in the medical and pharmaceutical fields.

My main (scientific) interests are medicine (and within medicine, I'm particularly interested in brain/memory research), history of medicine, bioethics and the like. I have also become interested in maths and physics as of late.

This group has been a great source of to-read material (so, thanks for creating it!), though living in a non-English speaking country means that I usually have to spend rather hefty shipping & handling sums... not to mention the long time the stuff takes to get here! Oh, Lord, the wait...

Anyhow, nice to meet you all! :)

[William]

Andrea wrote: "Hi, all!

I'm a translator from Chile (freelancer) who works almost exclusively in the medical and pharmaceutical fields.

My main (scientific) interests are medicine (and within medicine, I'm ..."

Good to have you on board!

[Ari]

William wrote: "Good to have you on board!"

Thanks! :)

[Jay]

Okay, I've been lurking for long enough.

I'm a Wildlife Biologist for a large land management agency here in Florida, and specialize in working with birds (like the one in my grasp), although I don't consider myself a "birder", per se. I am also on the fire crew where I work, and really enjoy doing that.

I enjoy books about evolution, natural history, food, and really anything made accessible by lucid writing (which is why John McPhee is my favorite non-fiction writer). I tend to have trouble with physics and math.

[Stéphanie]

Hi everyone. I just joined this group and I thought I would share a little about myself. I'm currently studying in Optometry. I've always been intersted in optics and medical sciences so I think I made a good choice in choosing my future career.

I joined this group to find new science books to read. I haven't read many recently, so I'm looking for suggestions. When it comes to reading, any kind of science is welcome.

[William]

Stéphanie wrote: "Hi everyone. I just joined this group and I thought I would share a little about myself. I'm currently studying in Optometry. I've always been intersted in optics and medical sciences so I think I ..."

Welcome Stephanie... Check out what books we are reading monthly. Also go to the polls section and vote on the book you would like to read for March.

[Darya]

Hi! I'm relatively new to Goodreads and to this group in particular.
I'm a scientist by education: Bachelor's in Chemistry, MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and PhD in Microbiology and Immunology. I'm currently doing research in bacterial pathogenesis. My interests are pretty scewed towards biology, especially microbiology and infectious disease, neurobiology and medicine.

[William]

Darya wrote: "Hi! I'm relatively new to Goodreads and to this group in particular.
I'm a scientist by education: Bachelor's in Chemistry, MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and PhD in Microbiology and Imm..."

Welcome aboard! We aren't heavy hitters here but do like to read and learn. Your input will be greatly appreciated. This coming month our book read will be on biology. If you know any books that you feel the group would want to read then post them in the folder called April selection. Next week I will take the suggestions and post a poll for us to vote on one book to read for April.

Welcome aboard. You will find quite a few bright minds here.

[Darya]

Thank you William!
I'll try to make some suggestions for the April selection. Though, there are so many wonderful biology books it may be difficult to choose.

[Kcraybould]

Hi everyone

I just joined and am a computer programmer. I don't have a science background beyond that (my degree was a make it up yourself, individual studies program) but have a deep fascination with almost every kind of science.

[William]

Kcraybould wrote: "Hi everyone

I just joined and am a computer programmer. I don't have a science background beyond that (my degree was a make it up yourself, individual studies program) but have a deep fascinati..."

Welcome to the fold. Contribute at will!

[Jenny]

I am an engineering manager with the Federal Aviation Administration working with Navigation Aids and infrastructure projects. My engineering degree is in Chemical Engineering. I did environmental and safety engineering for most of my career. I also have a BA in French.

I love to read all kinds of books. I live in northern Illinois with my husband, an architect, two children, two large dogs, and two cats. In addition to reading, I enjoy cooking, needlework, and gardening.

[Jaice]

Greetings:
I just joined goodreads last month and wish I had done so sooner. I am a neuroscience graduate (Ph.D.) student at the University of Utah, studying the neural basis of savant skills. I received a B.S. in neuroscience and a B.S. in psychology from The Ohio State University in 2008. Academically, I am interested in neuronanotechnology, cognitive neuroscience, the biological basis of memory/learning, and neuroengineering. My overall interest is in understanding human cognition and discovering/implementing methods of enhancing it. I am an avid transhumanist/futurist/technophile. I love science, Japan (along with much of East Asia, such as China, South Korea, and Taiwan), Star Trek (especially Voyager), and The Borg. I also love reading books by Arthur C. Clarke, my favorite author, and Dean Koontz. Please see my profile for more info.

[William]

Welcome Jason and Jenny. I hope you find this to be an enjoyable forum.

[Chad]

I have no science background at all. I was a Lit major and now I make fine art DVDs. At some point I became obsessed with Physics and Cosmology and haven't been able to stop reading about it since. 70+ and another 10 on the shelf waiting. (When you're as intellectually challenged as I am you have to keep reading. You never know when someone will explain a concept in a different way and voila! A modicum of understanding).

[Diana]

I'm a med student in cuba with a B.S. in bio. I love books on evolution, disease, and geo.

[William]

Diana wrote: "I'm a med student in cuba with a B.S. in bio. I love books on evolution, disease, and geo. "

Welcome Diana!!! How far along in school are you?

[Carly]

New member here. I have a B.A. in English and (almost) a Master's in library and information science. I've been reading mostly fiction lately, but in the past I've read a lot about evolutionary biology, cognitive psychology, and theoretical physics, mainly popular science type stuff. I'm temporarily working at a medical library, so I've done a lot of browsing in medical reference and evidence-based medicine databases and I'd like to do some more reading in that area.

[JuliAnna]

Carly and Diana, it's great to have more folks interested in medicine. I would definitely be interested in a monthly read in epidemiology. Let me know if you have any recommendations for books in that area.

[William]

Hi Carly. It is time to start trying to pick a book for the May read. Info is posted in the Book Club folder. Welcome aboard!

[Diana]

William wrote: "Diana wrote: "I'm a med student in cuba with a B.S. in bio. I love books on evolution, disease, and geo. "

Welcome Diana!!! How far along in school are you?

"
hey sorry. I"m in my first year. Nothing exciting right now. .
julianna, i' will def. put you on some epidem. books. I'm really interested in evolution, so does anyone have any recommendations. I haven't read the orgin of species or the double helix book yet. Maybe someday

[Jaice]

Diana wrote: "hey sorry. I"m in m..."
Hi, Diana: I recommend The Selfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins.

[Diana]

ahh yes i heard about that one. Thanks man

[JuliAnna]

Thanks, Diana!

[Tracy]

Diana wrote: "hey sorry. I"m in m..."

I liked Evolution in Four Dimensions and Endless Forms Most Beautiful.

[S.]

Who are we today?
It looks like this thread was last active almost a year ago and I'm wondering who is still around and interested...

I invite you all to share what prompted you to join this group, and/or what, if anything, you hope to get from it.

I joined because I wanted to connect with other people who love to read about science. I hope to keep the book club active.

[Peter]

Salvatrice wrote: "Who are we today?
It looks like this thread was last active almost a year ago and I'm wondering who is still around and interested...

I invite you all to share what prompted you to join this gr..."

I'm Peter, in Australia--I tend not to look in too often, but I replied on this thread almost a year ago (response 16). I have the paperwork to say I'm retired, but I'm currently using two publishers to get my stuff to market. From a science degree, I drifted into science teaching, evaluation research, back to teaching, writing about science, and that's where I'm at today. I joined this group mainly to chew the fat about interesting new science books.

For the current project, I'm currently devouring all there is to be read about gold, its chemistry, its geology, its history, its effects, and also the scams and frauds and crimes pulled because people wanted gold. I'm also looking at the environmental effects--I was in California looking at the results of "hydraulicking" three years back, just as I started thinking about this project, and I may or may not get to the Amazon basin, but probably not.

To avoid descending into monomania, I need suggestions for other science-type books to read. Mary Roach and Michael Pollan both feature on my physical "to read" shelf.

Hey! Did you know that the presence of lots of spiders was once an indicator that an area was gold-bearing?

If you believe that theory, please contact me off-list about my excellent range of bridges for sale. And gold bricks . . .

[S.]

Thanks for checking back in Peter. I'm hopeful the group will become a little more active as we finish up the current book and start to poll/discuss the next one...and for the record, not even gold would make me want to contend with a lot of spiders ;)

[Jaice]

Do you discuss the role of gold nanoparticles in cancer treatment and other nonmedical applications?

[Peter]

Not as yet. I typically have several projects on the go, and my main efforts at the moment are on a book called 'Australian Backyard Naturalist'. I am in the boring phase of checking, proofing, editing and re-doing illustrations, so I am researching 'Gold' to keep my mind from imploding. Gold nanoparticles weren't on my list, but they are there now. Thanks!

[Jaice]

Peter wrote: "...Gold nanoparticles weren't on my list, but they are there now. Thanks!"

You're quite welcome. :-) It is a fascinating area of research. I am taking a Nanoscience class this semester, though we haven't covered any nanomedicine stuff yet--only nanoscale physics & chemistry and nanoimaging techniques. We did learn that the color of a solution of gold nanoparticles varies according merely to the size of the gold nanoparticles themselves. Apparently, the light absorption of materials varies widely according to the size of the nanoparticles they contain!

[Peter]

An Indian friend sent me this URL: http://royalsocietypublishing.org/sit... which can also be obtained via http://tinyurl.com/ykske6o

It appears that the Royal Society is "celebrating our 350th anniversary and to mark this special occasion we have made our digital archive containing more than 65,000 articles free to access". The offer runs out on February 28th.

I went into that looking for stuff on gold and found some curious 19th century stuff on colours in very thin gold leaf, which would be related. I seem to recall that Faraday did some of the work.

I skipped over them--now I suppose I'll have to go back and read those as well. It's all your fault :-)