Avast!

Just this morn I sat on the poop deck and wondered, “It was my interest in geology, which requires laboratory facilities and access to field education, that motivated and propelled me through university, i.e. what is otherwise a factory conveyor belt. I’m really interested in science access being made open further through the creation of co-learning spaces (like co-working and co-tech spaces) and, in this day and age of the Maker Faire, public maker laboratories with teachers. Or is this where universities with these facilities can re-establish their relevance and open their doors to learners wanting shorter-term contracts?”

Along came Science 3.0 with its promise of “combin[ing] the hypothesis based inquiry of laboratory science with the methods of social science research to understand and improve the use of new human networks made possible by today’s digital connectivity.” Yarrr!

So I mentioned my thoughts to Mark The Admin along with, ”Matey! This place has great potential for increasing interdisciplinary sharing and intradisciplinary depth. Hope this can grow from an online portal into live, physical spaces! A band of roving scientists!”

And thus Pirate Scientist was born.

Hello, I am Maitri. I am a geologist, technologist, blogger, world traveler (well, what sort of pirate isn’t?) and a lot of other things. Read more aboot me here.

Basically, I love reading, science and sharing knowledge. The more we know, the better the quality of our public discourse, the more rational our policy creation process and the less I want to jacktar a hornswaggler and threaten to throw him into Davy Jones’s locker. In coming posts, I hope to discuss topics that range all the way from the value of higher education, the history of science, socio-cultural norms and educational policy to science reporting (during, oh for instance, the ongoing Gulf of Mexico oil spill), news of the geek and chasing the Kraken.

But, most of all, my aim here is to encourage DIY science and open access to results. I’m not kidding when I say I want to establish Maker Science Labs or “Tinker Zones” all over the country, especially in small towns that don’t have access to universities and all that comes with urban areas such as multiple libraries, bookstores, museums and sci-tech firms. I’d love to hear from you if you have similar interests and ideas. Chemistry sets, rock hammers and a bottle of rum for all!

Welcome aboard.