Arthur Paul Pedersen
Arthur Paul Pedersen, faculty research scientist with the CUNY Remote Sensing Earth Systems (CREST) Institute and adjunct assistant professor of computer science at The City College of New York’s Grove School of Engineering, is lead author of a critical essay on measurement in scientific discourse. The essay, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, warns of the dangerous implications of measurement illiteracy in contemporary scientific discourse and urges broad, systematic efforts be undertaken to reform measurement literacy.
Measurement literacy is necessary for effectively carrying out the business of science, including inference, experimental design, validation, and treatment of error in theory construction, the paper explains. It provides the foundation necessary for forming perspectives and reaching decisions on matters in science and public policy, including the reproducibility and theory crises and proposals to addresses them, funding decisions for research programs and government agencies, public health and economic policy decisions, and much more.
“From the American eugenics movement to the 2008 market crash, history is replete with episodes showing the adverse impact that failures of measurement literacy can exact on the enterprise of science and everyday human affairs,” said Pedersen. “By drawing on ideas and examples drawn from across the sciences in language accessible to scientists and laypersons alike, this paper makes the case for promoting measurement literacy and being accountable to upholding it.”
“This paper is a call to action to reinvigorate measurement literacy in scientific discourse,” added Pedersen. “By doing so, meaningful steps can be taken to address crises in scientific discourse, such as the reproducibility crisis, and to promote more effective and meaningful scientific communication. Importantly, measurement literacy enables scientists to be responsible and trusted ambassadors of knowledge for policymakers as well as for the public at large.”
Pedersen’s co-authors are: David Kellen and Michael L. Kalish (Syracuse University); Conor Mayo-Wilson (University of Washington); Clintin P. Davis-Stober (University of Missouri); John C. Dunn (University of Western Australia); M. Ali Khan (The Johns Hopkins University); Maxwell B. Stinchcombe (University of Texas at Austin); Katya Tentori (University of Trento, Italy); and Julia Haaf (University of Potsdam, Germany).
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.2 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Syd Steinhardt
212-650-7875
ssteinhardt1@ccny.cuny.edu