国际学术刊物首次刊登小学生完成的研究论文------影响因子3.5

英国一群小学生创造了一项科研“传奇”。他们对大黄蜂的觅食行为进行实验观察，并于12月22日在英国皇家学会主办的《生物学快报》（Biology Letters）上发表了研究论文。据称，这是国际学术刊物第一次正式发表主要由小学生完成的研究论文。

这篇论文由来自英国德文郡布莱克沃顿小学的25名8岁至10岁的小学生完成，伦敦大学学院的博·洛托博士为他们提供了科学指导。

“据我们所知，这是高质量学术刊物首次发表小学生的论文”，英国皇家学会的发言人告诉新华社记者。皇家学会是具有数百年历史的久负盛名的科学组织，其主办的《生物学通讯》属于影响力较大的国际学术刊物，而这篇小学生论文通过了该刊正常的同行评议审稿程序。

小学生们观察了大黄蜂在实验装置中觅食的行为。在他们看来，科学实验充满了乐趣，就像是和大黄蜂之间玩的一场游戏。他们为“游戏”设置了规则，只有在具备某些颜色组合模式的“花朵”上才有糖水，然后观察大黄蜂能否识破这一点。

洛托说，他只是帮助培育大黄蜂和提供实验器材，“整个实验都是属于孩子们的”，他们提出了大黄蜂能否判断颜色模式的问题，并自己记录数据和寻找答案。

孩子们最终发现，大黄蜂的确具有观察和学习颜色组合模式的能力。这听起来很简单，但却为昆虫视觉辨识领域的相关研究提供了重要的科学证据。美国纽约大学和英国埃克塞特大学的两位专家在同期杂志上撰写评论文章说，这些小学生的确发现了大人们以前也不知道的事情。

布莱克沃顿小学的校长戴夫·斯特拉德威克接受新华社记者采访时说，与论文相比，更让他感到自豪的是，学校能让孩子们在玩耍的同时真正参与科学探索的过程，而不像传统教学那样只是被动地接受知识。他说，有的孩子已经觉得科学是件“很不错的事”，希望能够继续干下去。

这样做的一个好处是，探索未知的过程充满乐趣，其本质与人类玩耍的天性是一致的，很容易做到寓教于乐。布莱克沃顿小学的学生们就在论文中写到，观察大黄蜂是一场游戏，我们设定规则，看它们能否解开谜题。这种乐趣对于大科学家来说也是一样，今年诺贝尔物理学奖得主安德烈·海姆就以此著称，他曾以“会飞的青蛙”获得“搞笑诺贝尔奖”，并曾表示“做科研的时候既能够玩耍，又能够领工资，这是世界上最好的工作！”

而这样做也面临一个问题，那就是无法掌握结果。探索未知本就充满不确定性，需要对此有充分的准备，这也是最终成果的代价。海姆曾表示，他用来“玩耍”的实验有99%都不成功，但荣获诺贝尔奖的成果石墨烯却正出自那1%的实验中。
Nature的相关英文报道：http://blogs.nature.com/news/the ... is_childs_play.html
(引文出处：http://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2010/12/241842.shtm）

不竟让人想到“小学生漂白蘑菇试验”。

漂白蘑菇”官方调查与小学生实验差异大引热议



近日，北京市小学生张皓调查发现“蘑菇被漂白”事件，已发酵为社会关注的焦点。继北京市食品安全办公室发布“食用菌合格率为97.73%”的市场抽检结果后，中国食用菌协会5月4日又在媒体上表示“不相信小学生的实验结果”。

相反，在一家网站发起的投票中，1100多票选择“相信小学生”，只有8票投向“相信工商局”。国家行政学院公共行政教研室主任竹立家等专家指出，“蘑菇检测”折射的深层问题发人深省。

小学生实验引发全社会关注

“报纸上刊登我的报告，我很高兴。大家都知道蘑菇可能被漂白，就会增加防范意识，我的目的就达到了。”3日下午，11岁的张皓在北京市西城区青少年科技馆接受“新华视点”记者采访时表示。

爱吃烤蘑菇的张皓是科技馆“科学探究班”的学员。今年2月，妈妈突然禁止他吃蘑菇，因为媒体披露部分蘑菇含荧光增白剂。张皓决定自己探寻真相。科技馆的刘建华老师帮助他制定了方案。在做了查阅资料、发放调查问卷等准备工作后，张皓的家人又请中国农业大学博士生高瑞芳来指导他。

7月19日，张皓和妈妈在市区超市、郊区菜市场、农产品批发市场等地购买了16种食用菌。

张皓说，他的实验是按四川省的地方标准，这是他查到的唯一关于荧光增白剂的公开标准。实验分4个步骤。第一步，买了便携式验钞机照射蘑菇，没发现荧光增白剂。第二步，7月20日、7月21日在高瑞芳指导下，他在中国农业大学农学与生物技术学院研究室暗室365纳米紫外光的照射下，发现12个样本表面有荧光增白剂形成的光点。第三步，配置了4种荧光增白剂，对未污染的蘑菇进行浸泡、对比。第四步，对含荧光增白剂的蘑菇，从视觉、触觉、嗅觉方面总结评价。

11月底，有媒体从北京西城区科技馆得到张皓撰写的实验报告，“小学生调查蘑菇九成被漂白”等报道见报，并引起公众及政府部门关注。

12月1日，北京市食品安全办公室通报对北京市场销售食用菌荧光增白物质专项监测情况，称在东城、朝阳、海淀、丰台等区县13家超市、市场共抽取132个样本，其中有3个样本检出荧光增白物质，合格率为97.73%。

一个是“小学生调查蘑菇九成被漂白”，一个是“政府部门监测九成多合格”，巨大的反差迅速引起公众关注。有媒体报道：工商局工作人员称“小学生的检测不科学”。

而网民的选择却相反。一家网站推出“信小学生还是信工商局”的投票，至4日晚，3119票中，选择“相信小学生”的有1122票，占第一位。选择“国家专业机构还不如一个小学生，悲哀”的有656票，居第二。还有616票选择“工商局说人家‘不科学’，你倒是出一个‘科学’的呀”。只有8票投向“相信工商局”。

公众为何不相信“权威部门”？

小学生的实验一定不科学吗？北京市场上的蘑菇究竟有没有被漂白？有多少被漂白？ “显然，一个简单的抽检结果并未打消公众的顾虑，相反信息更混乱。”中国政法大学教授何兵说，荧光增白剂的检测，是个容易操作的简单实验。

何兵随即以学校公共决策研究中心的名义，要求北京市工商局公开信息。“工商局对我们的申请，回复很快，态度也还好，但我们对回复的内容还是不满意。”中国政法大学公共决策研究中心工作人员王晶说，公众迫切需要知道为何检测结果与张皓的实验结果如此悬殊？

然而，自从公布抽样检测结果后，北京食品安全监管部门再没发出自己的声音。“新华视点”记者多次联系北京市工商局后，工商局相关负责人表示，小学生这种科学探索精神值得肯定，对小学生的调查结果是否科学“不便过多评论”。至于是否有人说过小学生的调查不科学，“目前无从查实”。对于记者提出的“为何未与张皓及其指导老师沟通”“导致数据悬殊的可能性原因”“如何消除公众疑虑，让公众信服工商部门的调查”等问题，北京市工商局相关人士未予明确回复。

相反，张皓和他的家长、老师倒是给出了一些解释。

张皓的妈妈王娜告诉记者，事情发生后，她、张皓、刘建华老师对两份报告进行认真分析对比，认为可能是四个原因导致检测结果不同。一是季节因素，夏天蘑菇容易腐烂，用的增白剂可能会多一些；二是选样地点不同，张皓在农贸市场和郊区菜市场买的蘑菇较多；三是张皓采集的16种蘑菇中，仅有2种是干货，而工商部门的采样中，鲜蘑菇占比较少；四是这件事被社会广泛关注后，一些不法商贩有所收敛。

王娜也强调，“九成蘑菇被漂白”并不是张皓的结论。张皓实验报告中只是写明经检测发现，16个样本中有12个发现有荧光增白剂，认为“荧光增白剂在鲜蘑菇中可能普遍存在”。

而“九成蘑菇被漂白”经媒体放大后，已引起人们的恐慌。记者采访多位消费者，他们表示选择不再购买蘑菇。

“目前为止，有关部门并没履行好自己的职责。”湖南省委党校教授王学杰指出，无论如何，在公众监督下寻找到令人信服的真正原因，解除百姓心中的质疑，是这起事件中有关部门应尽的义务和责任。

小学生实验考验政府大智慧

“如果有关部门放下姿态，去和这名小学生沟通询问，邀请市民代表参与选样过程、邀请中介科研机构参与检测过程，公众还会如此质疑吗？” 国家行政学院公共行政教研室主任竹立家设问。

事实上，至4日晚，无论工商部门，还是“不相信小学生实验”的中国食用菌协会，都未找张皓及其指导老师沟通。

“我认为没跟孩子接触、未经调查，就质疑孩子的检测不科学，是不客观的。真希望相关部门与孩子先接触一下，肯定孩子去探究这个事情的精神。”刘建华说，“事实上，我们根本没想到一个小小的实验，会引发这么大的社会关注。”

张皓的妈妈王娜说，如能引起相关部门的重视，甚至能有与部门对话的机会，对孩子无疑是一种鼓励。但对张皓来说，他的实验已结束了，事情已过去了。张皓并不知道“工商局”是干什么的。但他的小实验带来的震动仍然在大人世界里扩展。公众不断反思政府部门应对这个小实验的智慧。

“我只要公开信息，就OK了。”竹立家指出，有关部门不管公布的信息是否真正解答了公众的疑惑，不管信息要素是否齐全，不管信息是否空洞无物，这直接导致信息公开流于形式。“这种工作方式和态度实际加剧了公众的不信任感。”

“也应反思如何看待公民个体的监督和举报。”何兵教授认为，政府部门应该更友善地对待监督和举报，不能认为监督就是对立。尤其在食品安全领域，利用好社会监督，反而是解决食品安全问题的一个好途径。

“北京市几千万人吃饭。市场上仅酱油就是数十种，仅靠一个工商部门几十上百号人，显然不可能完全监督好。”国际食品包装协会秘书长董金狮提出，目前一些监管部门的鉴定机构，不对消费者个人开放。因此消费者怀疑食品被污染时，很难检测或举证。如果畅通这个渠道，无疑将壮大食品安全监督力量。

“我们一直在培养孩子的科学精神，科学精神包含探索真相和承担社会责任两重意义，我们希望每一个公民、每一个政府部门，都具有这样的科学精神。”刘建华说。

http://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2010/12/241071.shtm



http://news.163.com/10/1205/10/6N4R443200014JB5.html

High school students' paper published in prestigious college math journal

M3 Challenge Champions' work highlighted

A paper written by four students from High Technology High School in Lincroft, New Jersey, entitled Ethanol: Not All It Seems To Be has been published in the January 2009 issue of The Mathematical Association of America's College Mathematics Journal. The paper, which was the winning submission in the 2008 Moody's Mega Math Challenge, is the first M3 Challenge entry to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. It was submitted to the Internet-based applied math competition last March by Afanasiy Yermakov and Jason Zukus, current seniors at High Technology High School, Tom Jackson, now a freshman at Cornell University, and Kelly Roache, currently a freshman at Princeton University. Coached by their math teacher Dr. Raymond Eng, the students shared $20,000 in scholarship prizes for their efforts.

The paper, which was researched and written in less than 14 hours per contest rules, concluded that, in addition to the negative economic and environmental implications of replacing gasoline with ethanol, the plan would not be cost effective until oil prices reached over $233 per barrel. The students also found that corn-derived ethanol might not be the best alternative form of energy, suggesting that nuclear power may actually be a better choice for attaining national energy independence. The paper can be accessed at http://www.maa.org/pubs/cmj47.pdf.

Over 250 teams from lower New Hampshire to Wilmington, Delaware, submitted viable solutions to the 2008 Challenge problem, Energy Independence Meets the Law of Unintended Consequences. Student teams were required to address issues associated with increased corn-derived ethanol production and fuel substitution and relate these matters to dramatic and unanticipated rises in farm commodity pricing, the future of food supplies in developing nations, the effect on carbon dioxide emissions, and the cost-effectiveness of producing ethanol. Teams had 14 hours to quantify these concerns using mathematical-modeling techniques, develop and defend their models and justify their conclusions. Judging for Moody's Mega Math Challenge is blind, with judges knowing teams only by their team ID number until the final round of judging. In 2008, eleven teams were awarded scholarship prizes totaling $65,000.

The Challenge is an Internet-based applied mathematics competition that requires student teams to solve an open-ended, realistic, challenging modeling problem focused on real-world issues. The Moody's Foundation initiated and provides the funding for the Challenge; the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) organizes and administers the contest. "Our goal, and the goal of the competition, is to motivate high school students to think about solving real-world problems using applied mathematics," said Frances G. Laserson, President, The Moody's Foundation. "We want to increase students' interest in pursuing studies and careers related to math, economics, and finance." In 2009, the Challenge is open to high schools from all New England and Mid-Atlantic states and will award $80,000 in scholarship prizes.

###

Published by The Mathematical Association of America, The College Mathematics Journal is designed to enhance classroom learning and stimulate thinking regarding undergraduate mathematics. It publishes articles, short Classroom Capsules, problems, solutions, media reviews and other pieces. All are aimed at the college mathematics curriculum with emphasis on topics taught in the first two years. More information can be found at http://www.maa.org/pubs/cmj.html.

For more information on the Challenge including photo galleries and webcasts of the presentations, visit http://m3challenge.siam.org.

About the Challenge

The M3 Challenge spotlights applied mathematics as a powerful problem-solving tool, as a viable and exciting profession, and as a vital contributor to advances in an increasingly technical society. Scholarship prizes total $80,000. The Challenge is entirely Internet-based and there are no entrance or participation fees. Each high school may enter up to two teams of three to five students each. Students choose which day they wish to work on Challenge weekend and have 14 hours to solve an open-ended, realistic, applied math-modeling problem focused on real-world issues. Teams can work from any location they choose and can use any free and publicly available resources, but they may not discuss any aspect of the problem with, or seek help from, their coach or anyone other than their teammates. Complete details, sample problems, and archives of previous winners and Challenge events are available at http://m3challenge.siam.org.

The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP) awarded Moody's Corporation a 2008 Excellence Award for Moody's Mega Math Challenge, citing the company's "sophisticated giving program that encourages students to develop a passion for mathematics, economics, and finance."

About the Sponsor

The Moody's Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting a variety of nonprofit education, health and human services, civic, and arts and culture programs. Established by Moody's Corporation in 2001, the Foundation's primary area of giving is secondary and higher education with a focus on mathematics, economics and finance. Further information is available at http://philanthropy.moodys.com.

Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO), an essential component of the global capital markets, provides credit ratings, research, tools and analysis that contribute to stable, transparent and integrated financial markets. Moody's Corporation is the parent company of Moody's Investors Service and Moody's Analytics, encompassing Moody's non-ratings businesses. With revenues of $2.3 billion in 2007, Moody's employs approximately 3,600 people worldwide and maintains a presence in 27 countries. Further information is available at www.moodys.com.

About the Organizer

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, is an international society of over 11,000 individual members. These include applied and computational mathematicians and computer scientists, as well as other scientists and engineers. Members are researchers, educators, students, and practitioners from 85 countries in industry, government, laboratories, and academia. The Society, which also includes more than 500 academic and corporate institutional members, serves and advances the disciplines of applied mathematics and computational science by publishing a variety of books and prestigious peer-reviewed research journals, by conducting conferences, and by hosting activity groups in various areas of mathematics. SIAM provides many opportunities for students including regional sections and student chapters. Further information is available at www.siam.org.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-01/sfia-hss011509.php

回复 iavjssssmqee 的帖子

嗯，呵呵~~~我看到你帖子的标题的时候，就想到国内的这个新闻了

刚在丁香园看到，公卫人上也有了，呵呵