I never thought I would say this, but I agree with Newt Gingrich...(boy that felt weird).

I would like to say that the claim that Sagan was reviled and ostracized by the scientific community is a lot of hooey. I have yet to meet a scientist that had anything negative to say about him. (of course I was a youngster in his "Cosmos" days). But I was the son of a physicist And I know Sagan was a hero to the department. I have never heard him talked about with contempt. Everyone I know knew he was doing something valuable. Scientists have no problem with the popularization of science, there is only a problem when the "public scientist" sells out and tries to promote himself at the expense of science. Dr. Michio Kaku (sp) comes to mind... his appearances on Art Bell disgust me, and his attempt to grab the spotlight by screaming that the nuclear fuel on the cassini probe could kill everyone on Earth infuriated me...(I think I called him a cheap self serving whore in my email to him)... He LIED and mislead the public in his desire to get press. What is more he was educated enough to KNOW he was lying... He did it just so he could get press. He has earned the contempt of many other scientists.

Scientists, in my experience, do not view themselves as elite guardians of "secret knowledge". Talk to one and you will find he/she loves to explain what they do, and will try hard to explain it in terms you will understand. In my experience when someone asks me to explain something in physics in a way they can relate to it is fun...I like it.

I have had a couple of cab drivers that were interested in what BNL's atom smasher (RHIC) was all about, I tried to explain as best I could, (even though I am NOT a particle physicist) and I wasn't annoyed at all with the questions... I mean I know NOTHING about what driving a cab is like and so I could ask a lot of stupid questions about the profession. (Found out they pay $140 a shift to the cab co. to drive the car, and keep whatever else they make over that $140)

Dr. Wheeler was pleasantly notorious for taking time to explain physics to anyone that showed interest. So was Einstein... I have had the pleasure of talking with a few people that worked with Einstein...they have all been fascinating, and very willing to talk.

When studying for my orals I talked to a brilliant man that had been a student of Einstein and Schroedinger and had worked with Dirac... he did not try to awe me instead we talked and talked until _I_ had to cut it short and catch a ride home... I hated to do it...I mean this guy had been there through the discoveries that I was just learning. I was a second year grad student....I may as well been a cab driver as far as he was concerned... He just loved talking about his work, and educating.

My father told me of a janitor that would stop by his office when he worked late and would ask questions about physics. My dad said he loved answering those questions.

In my opinion schools should contact the nearest university or national lab and ask if any scientists there would like to tell school kids what they do and why it is important or interesting... I guarentee you they would have more volunteers than they can handle. They would also have more attentive students.

And finally, You do NOT have to be a genius to be a good scientist...I have known many succesful scientists that were not brilliant. You have to be determined.
Or stubborn...:)

My point is that us scientists aren't the antisocial bastards the general public has been led to believe. TRUST me just ask one... I bet they will be overjoyed to talk....