For 28 years I have taught biology to college students at Washington University . My current course introduces nonscience majors to current issues where science plays a key role, issues such as AIDS, the environment, cloning, genetic engineering, and evolution. The course is intended to give them the tools to think about these issues as citizens and voters. I started the newspaper column as a way of teaching the general public about these same issues.
Most people are very interested in science, but put off by the terminology.
When you don't know what the words mean, its easy to slip into thinking that the matter is difficult, when actually the ideas are simple, easy to grasp, and fun to consider. Its the terms that get in the way, that stand as a wall between citizens and science. It is the intent of my column to turn those walls into windows, so that readers can peer in and join the fun. Anologies are my tool. In each column I look for simple analogies that relate the matter at hand to things we all know.