Scitable: a social network for science research and education

[The Straight Story]

Scitable: a social network for science research and education

Social networks are a dime a dozen. Many of them focus on the social, or the networking, independent of other aspects that might bring people together. It’s no big surprise that many of these social networks fail, or only reach specific niche audiences. As such, it was with a bit of skepticism that I approached Scitable, a social network for science research and education from the folks at Nature Publishing Group. A quick examination of the site reveals a vibrant community of educators and learners. I had the opportunity to speak with Vikram Savkar, SVP & Publishing Director at Nature Publishing Group, who is currently spearheading the Scitable initiative, to learn more about it.

Nature Publishing Group has been around since the late 1800s. They publish science research for science researchers. Many of the folks at NPG (and elsewhere) have felt that there’s a growing problem with science education. Savkar said that according to some studies, 40% of students drop out of science programs after their first year. This is particularly problematic in a global context. While schools in the US might be doing okay in terms of science education, schools in sub-Saharan Africa may be using a single outdated textbook that is shared by all their students. Such a situation is hardly the path to meaningful learning.

According to Savkar, and his colleagues at NPG, science education needs to become interactive and social: kids and young adults learn from people, not from static words in a textbook. NPG also realized that free access to up-to-date science information and research was a critical component of advancing the world’s science education.

To that end, they launched Scitable in January, 2009. Scitable is an open teaching and learning library currently aimed at college students or AP level high school students. One of the primary goals of the site is to have a lot more than just static text information: they have rich, interactive media, and much of their published content is peer reviewed. Since Nature Publishing Group publishes scientific papers, it’s a no-brainer to share many of those paper on the Scitable site.

http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/05/06/scitable-a-social-network-for-science-research-and-education/

http://www.nature.com/scitable