Mad Scientist Stereotype Outdated
Do people still imagine a physicist as a bearded man in glasses or has the image of the mad scientist changed? The Institute of Physics set out to find out whether the stereotype of a physics 'boffin' (科学家)still exists by conducting a survey on shoppers in London. The people were asked to identify the physicist from a photograph of a line-up of possible suspects. 98 percent of those asked got it wrong. The majority of people picked a white male of around 60, wearing glasses and with a white beard.
While this stereotype may have been the image of an average physicist fifty years ago, the reality is now very different. Since 1960 the number of young women entering physics has doubled and the average age of a physicist is now 31.
The stereotype of the absent-minded scientist has lasted a long time because the media and Hollywood help promote the image of men in white lab coats with glasses sitting by blackboards full of equations(等式)or working with fizzing (嘶嘶响)test tubes. These stereotypes are really damaging to society. Very good school children are put off studying science because they don't see people like themselves on television or in magazines doing science. They simply don't relate to the media's image of the mad scientist.
This is one reason why fewer young people are choosing to do science at university. If we want to encourage more young people to study science subjects, we need to change this image of the scientist and make science careers more attractive. But we must also develop children's interest in science.
In an attempt to change this negative image, an increasing number of science festivals are being organized. Thousands of people from secondary schools are also encouraged to take part in nationwide science competitions of which the most popular are the national science Olympiads. Winning national teams then get the opportunity to take part in the International Science Olympiads which are held in a different country every year. These events are all interesting for the young people who take part but they only involve a small proportion of students who are already interested in science. It seems that there is a long way to go before science becomes attractive as subjects like computer studies or fashion and design.