Why You Don’t Have to Be oppenheimer to know a thing or two

March 6th, 2024

Thoughts on the inaccessible nature of the environment because of the idolization of the “scientist”, and a further look into why I made this page.

Hi, my name is Zoe, and I’m like almost a scientist. 

That is so crazy for me to say. I’m so insanely close to being the person I always wanted to be growing up.

I am currently an environmental science and agriculture student at the University of Vermont. I graduate next December (eek!). I am so insanely proud of how much I have learned here but lately, I have been sitting here wondering,

“Why don’t more people want to know about stuff like this?”

I am a woman in her early twenties, so obviously, no matter how much I may hate it, I’m alllll over the internet. I cannot begin to tell you how many climate concerned people I see on a day to day basis, who seem to not know anything at all, and also seem to not want to know anything.

You might be saying that ignorance is bliss and people may want to protect themselves, but I raise you this:

We as a society have fallen victim to the idolization of the scientist.

Even from a cultural point of view, scientists are idolized. Just this past year, Oppenheimer was released, a film that details the life and works of a debatably evil, but nonetheless ridiculously intelligent physicist- you know, the one that made the literal atom bomb. Oppenheimer was not nearly the first movie about a scientist that garnered large audiences and award nominations. 

On a more personal level, I see plenty of my friends post on their private snapchat stories on an oh-so-unfortunate 60 degree February afternoon saying, “Where are the environmental science kids?”

The fact of the matter is, we have created an inaccessibility to scientific knowledge through idolization of scientists, by separating ourselves from the mere privilege of knowing things because we think we should leave it to those who know a thing or two.

I get it, I’m writing this because I did it. That’s why I’m here, after all. I spent my highschool years idolizing environmental scientists and applied to this school so I could be one. 

But you don’t need to be an expert to simply have your head on straight about science. 

I’ve always grown up loving science. In that same vein, I can tell you that I’ve also walked through this entire college experience, from application date to almost graduation being faced with the attitude of:

“That’s super cool! Not me though. Hope you save the world someday!”

It’s exhausting, because it should be you. It should be everybody. Every single person reading this, and every single person not reading this for that matter should care about the state of their world from a scientific perspective. 

I’m not saying that everyone should be in a STEM degree, because, seriously, not everyone is cut out for it. 

But everyone can read a book, everyone can watch the news, everyone can care.

That’s why we’re here dear reader. I’m gonna break this whollllleee thing down for you, bit by bit, blog post by blog post. I’m here to make science less scary, make food for thought a whole lot tastier. I want to be able to break this barrier we’ve created, between the scientist and the common citizen. Suggestions, takes, and info of all areas of environmental science will be posted here on this blog, I’m not sure when or how frequently, but that’s for me to decide and for you to find out. I sincerely hope you stick with me, 

because more than anything,

I want you to KNOW a thing or two and I do not want you to die trying. (and I don’t want you building another atom bomb either)

Sincerely hoping to see you soon,

Zoe.

(for the planet)