Fundamental Metrology: Its Significance for Scientific Awareness in Higher Education

Advances in science and technology have encompassed ever larger and ever smaller scales of time, distance, mass, electrical and electronic devices, temperature, pressure. However, scientific and science awareness have not developed in step in the general population. Many people still regard science and technology as wizardy and magic, incomprehensible and unattainable for the common person. This could be called a cultural time bomb, as the widening divide between scientist’s and technologist’s views with the common lay person’s views will cause a divide between their culture as well. And when the people's legal representatives become differently cultured compared with scientists and technologists, this will cause legal decisions getting disconnected with the common good, due to the incomprehension about science and the scientific way in the representative's way of thinking. This increasing disconnect will not help improving the common good: the nuclear power plant issue is a clear example. A not-so-recent issue of 'shall we signal our presence to extraterrestrial intelligence, or would that attract evil beings towards us?' is also a timely example. Fundamental metrology, with its concern and endeavour to improve and develop appropriate definitions of units and its standards, can decrease uncertainties and increase precision and levels of confidence in its measurements. This can and should play a significant role to improve critical thinking and reflection through improving scientific and science awareness of the general public, to be more able to comprehend some basics in science and technology, and so to recognize relevant ethical issues, realize the sometimes difficult choices between competing technologies, which need critical reflection to be able to discern proper and just choices. This report describes initiation and development of a classroom effort in this direction during these past 15 years, usually receiving appreciation from students, both at the undergraduate and postgraduate level, with an oft-expressed comment, "This should be introduced at secondary level, to become earlier aware of the role and importance of units and standards, and the human aspects of its origins and history". It is proposed that leaders in fundamental metrology of the various units, standards, processes, and history, should enhance efforts and publications to improve scientific and science awareness of the general public, by introducing metrological issues in a popular and interesting way to secondary and university level students.