The Joy of Science is a popular video and audio course series, consisting of 60 lectures, each 30 minutes long, presented by Robert Hazen of the George Mason University and the Carnegie Institution of Washington. The course, first introduced in 2001, is part of The Great Courses series, and is produced and distributed by The Teaching Company, located in Chantilly, Virginia, in the United States. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
As the Clarence B. Robinson Professor at George Mason University, Robert Hazen developed innovative courses to promote scientific literacy in both scientists and non-scientists. [8] In a collaboration with physicist James Trefil, he wrote three undergraduate textbooks: The Sciences: An Integrated Approach (1993), [9] The Physical Sciences: An Integrated Approach (1995), [10] and Physics Matters: An Introduction to Conceptual Physics (2004). [11] Hazen used these as the basis for a 60-lecture video and audio course called The Joy of Science. [12] [8]
| No. | Title | No. | Title | No. | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Nature of Science | 21 | Introduction to Chemistry | 41 | The Atmospheric Cycle |
| 02 | The Scientific Method | 22 | The Chemistry of Carbon | 42 | The Rock Cycle |
| 03 | The Ordered Universe | 23 | States of Matter and Changes of State | 43 | What Is Life? |
| 04 | Celestrial and Terrestrial Mechanics | 24 | Phase Transformations and Chemical Reactions | 44 | Strategies of Life |
| 05 | Newton's Laws of Motion | 25 | Properties of Materials | 45 | Life's Molecular Building Blocks |
| 06 | Universal Gravitation | 26 | Semiconductors and Modern Microelectronics | 46 | Proteins |
| 07 | The Nature of Energy | 27 | Isotopes and Radioactivity | 47 | Cells–The Chemical Factories of Life |
| 08 | The First Law of Thermodynamics | 28 | Nuclear Fission and Fusion Reactions | 48 | Gregor Mendel, Founder of Genetics |
| 09 | The Second Law of Thermodynamics | 29 | Astronomy | 49 | The Discovery of DNA |
| 10 | Entropy | 30 | The Life Cycle of Stars | 50 | The Genetic Code |
| 11 | Magnetism and Static Electricity | 31 | Edwin Hubble and the Discovery of Galaxies | 51 | Reading the Genetic Code |
| 12 | Electricity | 32 | The Big Bang | 52 | Genetic Engineering |
| 13 | Electromagnetism | 33 | The Ultimate Structure of Matter | 53 | Cancer and Other Genetic Diseases |
| 14 | The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Part I | 34 | The Nebular Hypothesis | 54 | The Chemical Evolution of Life |
| 15 | The Electromagnetic Spectrum, Part II | 35 | The Solar System | 55 | Biological Evolution – A Unifying Theme of Biology |
| 16 | Relativity | 36 | The Earth as a Planet | 56 | The Fact of Evolution – The Fossil Record |
| 17 | Atoms | 37 | The Dynamic Earth | 57 | Charles Darwin and the Theory of Natural Selection |
| 18 | The Bohr Atom | 38 | The Plate Tectonics Revolution | 58 | Ecosystems and the Law of Unintended Consequences |
| 19 | The Quantum World | 39 | Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Plate Motions Today | 59 | The Ozone Hole, Acid Rain, and the Greenhouse Effect |
| 20 | The Periodic Table of Elements | 40 | Earth Cycles–Water | 60 | Science, the Endless Frontier |
Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the processes of mineral origin and formation, classification of minerals, their geographical distribution, as well as their utilization.
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James Stanley Trefil is an American physicist and author of nearly fifty books. Much of his published work focuses on science for the general audience. He has served as Professor of Physics at the University of Virginia and, since 1988, as Robinson Professor of Physics at George Mason University. Among his books is Are We Unique?, an argument for human uniqueness in which he questions the comparisons between human intelligence and artificial intelligence. Trefil has also given presentations to judges and public officials about the intersections between science and the law.
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