Is Science Useful?
The question of whether science is valuable or not is difficult to answer. Scientists are encouraged to follow their interests. However, this can lead to research that focuses on a broad range of subjects, some of which may not be directly beneficial to society. For example, an important aspect of science is developing theories and making predictions that can be testable. These discoveries are often used to develop new technologies such as medical devices, drugs and renewable energy.
To be considered beneficial science must also tackle issues and concerns that affect the well-being of humans. This requires collaboration with stakeholders in order to determine their needs, formulate clear goals and create an effective strategy to address these needs. Many scientific initiatives lack this kind of collaboration and instead concentrate on expanding knowledge with no direct connection to society. Additionally, the impact of research is usually not evaluated and monitored effectively.
Translational ecology (TE) is one of the strategies that have been developed to produce usable science. It emphasizes the importance of scientists actively considering and responding to the research context. TE also stresses the importance of engaging the end users in a meaningful manner throughout the research process and encourages learning-based decision making processes such as adaptive management which is widely used by natural land and resource managers.
Students often have a difficult time to select a topic that is both interesting as well being scholarly, especially when professors have time limitations. The list of easy science research topics can help students find the perfect topic to impress their professors as well as contribute valuable information to scientific community.
