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Powers of 10 and the Power of Science

KSMU/Peter Batemon

Amazingly, this show is the hundredth for Stem Spots, and that makes me think about the powers of 10, in this case 2.  From the nucleus, the smallest thing we might consider, to the universe itself, we have a size differential of 10 to the power of 41.  The difference in scale that number represents is truly staggering.  So too is the power of science itself.  On the journey to 100, I have seen how science impacts us, not only by the day to day activities of scientists in the Ozarks, but also in the ways it frames the most pressing issues of our times.  And finally, I see in science the eternal search for beauty and  truth that inspires the quest each person with the heart of a scientist undertakes. 

Dr. David Cornelison has been working as an educator and scientist in Arizona and Missouri universities for the last 32 years. From 2010-2018, he was the head of the Department of Physics, Astronomy and Materials Science at Missouri State University. His research interests lie at the intersection of experimental condensed-matter physics and astrophysics, while his educational efforts have focused on outreach to the K-12 school system. Most of all, he believes in curiosity-driven learning in the sciences and all other fields.