Basic research for science and society | Stefan Schnitzer | TEDxUWMilwaukee

The importance of basic scientific research for society is often misunderstood. People wonder if researchers are wasting time, money, and effort on research rather than addressing applied questions, such as “fixing climate change” or “growing our economy.” Stefan demonstrates that many of the “breakthrough” discoveries that have become critical to the advancement of our society were accidentally discovered by scientists working on a tangential idea or topic. Stefan uses some of his own “accidental” research findings, along with those of other research groups, to argue that the most productive way to discover breakthrough ideas is through basic scientific research.
Stefan Schnitzer is a professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Schnitzer Lab focuses on understanding the forces that structure plant communities, maintain species diversity, control species distributions, and allow species to coexist. We are implementing a combination of observational and experimental studies designed to determine the mechanistic basis for plant species distributions, as well as how plant community diversity is maintained and how plant communities regenerate, compete, and interact. The majority of our work is in tropical forests, but we also work in temperate forests and grasslands.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@alexbaum2204]

Fantastic lecture. Dr. Schnitzer is a very engaging and charismatic speaker. This seems like such a valuable voice in his field of work, as we are in desperate need of drawing more people in to take interest in how these systems work, their importance, and our part to play in safeguarding them.
I also really enjoy the overall message here. Too many people view science and scientists as stuffy and boring. But that is really not what good science is about - the kind that leads to the breakthroughs that have improved our lives. In that science is an inherent quirkiness, a decided lack of pretentiousness and ego, and above all else, an enthusiasm and a curiosity that could almost be described as childlike in its earnestness and authenticity. I think with researchers out there like Dr. Schnitzer, more people can come to appreciate this and embrace it. Deep down, I think that curiosity for how the world works and how we fit into it still exists in all of us. If what he has said in this lecture is true, then that next breakthrough could conceivably even come from outside the scientific community, as it were. We just need to keep that curiosity alive and open ourselves to receiving and experiencing that information and those ideas as they come.