Small Science
Encyclopedia
Small Science refers to science performed in a smaller scale, such as by individuals, small teams or within community projects.
Bodies, which fund research, such as for example the National Science Foundation
, DARPA or the EU with its Framework programs has a tendency to fund larger scale research projects. Reasons for that are the idea, that ambitious research needs significant resources devoted for its execution and the reduction of administrative and overhead costs on the funding body side. However, small science which has data that is often local and is not easily shared is funded in many areas such as chemistry and biology by these funding bodies.
According to the Chronicle for Higher Education, James M. Caruthers, a professor of chemical engineering at Purdue University, data from Big Science is highly organized on the front end where researchers define it before it even starts rolling off the machines making it easier to handle, to understand, and to archive. Small Science is "horribly heterogeneous," and far more vast. In time Small Science will generate two to three times more data than Big Science.
The American Geophysical Union stresses the importance of small science in a position statement.
In fact, most of the research done before World War II
can be viewed as Small Science.
Bodies, which fund research, such as for example the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, DARPA or the EU with its Framework programs has a tendency to fund larger scale research projects. Reasons for that are the idea, that ambitious research needs significant resources devoted for its execution and the reduction of administrative and overhead costs on the funding body side. However, small science which has data that is often local and is not easily shared is funded in many areas such as chemistry and biology by these funding bodies.
The importance of Small Science
Small Science helps define the goals and directions of large scale scientific projects. In turn, results of large scale projects are often best synthesized and interpreted by the long-term efforts of the Small Science community. In addition, because Small Science is typically done at universities, it provides students and young researchers with an integral involvement in defining and solving scientific problems. Hence, small science can be seen as an important factor for bringing together science and society.According to the Chronicle for Higher Education, James M. Caruthers, a professor of chemical engineering at Purdue University, data from Big Science is highly organized on the front end where researchers define it before it even starts rolling off the machines making it easier to handle, to understand, and to archive. Small Science is "horribly heterogeneous," and far more vast. In time Small Science will generate two to three times more data than Big Science.
The American Geophysical Union stresses the importance of small science in a position statement.
Examples of Small Science results with high impact
Many examples from the history of science justify that results of Small Science can have enormous impacts:- Galois theoryGalois theoryIn mathematics, more specifically in abstract algebra, Galois theory, named after Évariste Galois, provides a connection between field theory and group theory...
, one of the foundational theories of abstract algebraAbstract algebraAbstract algebra is the subject area of mathematics that studies algebraic structures, such as groups, rings, fields, modules, vector spaces, and algebras...
was developed by Évariste GaloisÉvariste GaloisÉvariste Galois was a French mathematician born in Bourg-la-Reine. While still in his teens, he was able to determine a necessary and sufficient condition for a polynomial to be solvable by radicals, thereby solving a long-standing problem...
within just weeks - Albert EinsteinAlbert EinsteinAlbert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
developed his theory of Special relativitySpecial relativitySpecial relativity is the physical theory of measurement in an inertial frame of reference proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein in the paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies".It generalizes Galileo's...
as a hobby while working full-time in a patent office
In fact, most of the research done before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
can be viewed as Small Science.