Weird science? Not for me...

Apparently it's tough to get students to consider going into science and engineering as a profession. Such was the testimony from Boeing to a US Congressional panel looking into the matter. "There's no shortage of scientists and engineers on TV and the movies, says Richard Stephens, senior vice-president of human resources and administration at Boeing. Many, however, are portrayed in an unsympathetic light. "In movies and on TV, 10 percent of characters are scientists and engineers," Stephens said. "Unfortunately, of those more than 70 percent kill others, are killed, or are overcome by lay people."

Uh, "lay people"?

Remember when it was considered uber-cool to be a scientist? When "Mr. Wizard" ruled the airwaves and the WGBH produced "Zoom" always included a segment doing a science experiment and I.G.Y. was more than just a Donald Fagen song. Even "McGyver" made the science behind the everyday accessible as he used a matchstick, a wad of chewing gum and a pickle to bring down a missile speeding to destroy Los Angeles...and do it remotely.

But it's been an uphill battle for a while, apparently, as I saw recently when I rented The Man in the White Suit on AppleTV. Produced in 1951 it was the era following WWII, the technology of the atom bomb and the rise of suburban US with all the devices the homes could want. In the movie, an out-of-work but utterly brilliant scientist invents a fabric that won't rip, stain or wear out. Rather than be welcomed as a hero, he is instead persecuted by the industrialist that fear it will put them out of business and the factory workers who fear it will put them out of a job. He winds up being laughed at, jeered at and hounded by mobs. As one washer woman with a pile of rags spits at him when he pleads for help, "Why can't you scientists leave things alone!"

For some reason, "Do you want fries with that?" looks like a more appreciated career choice.

- Farmer Ted