The Scientist in Every Florida School program received a request from middle school teacher, Maureen Shankman, at Lincoln Middle to give a presentation on the “nature of science.”

I had the opportunity, with the assistance of Jeanette Pirlo, to take on this task. Typically, I like to use a hands-on lesson, where students test a published method for estimating the size of Megalodon, the largest shark that ever lived, to showcase the nature of science.

In this lesson, students use 3D printed teeth from scans of a real Carcharocles megalodon dentition and follow the process a scientist would take to determine the size of the shark. However, in the end, the students actually disprove the published method, and are taught a valuable lesson: science is always changing. ​

Throughout our education, we learn about the scientific process as a linear pathway from a question to an answer. We treat these answers as a collective of facts, but that is not how science works. Rather, science is ever-changing, and the collective knowledge is built on the successes and failures of everyone. I find it imperative that students recognize that science is not always correct and that there is still a lot we do not know. If students perceive science as always being right, then what incentive do they have to pursue it?

Another important aspect of classroom visits, such as this one, is to highlight the diverse pathways to becoming scientists. Having Jeanette and myself there allowed us to both share our unique experiences and, hopefully, made students feel that science is accessible to them as well. This is the power of having a scientist in every Florida school and I am excited to see the results of others sharing in these experiences.