December 18, 2018
Hashem Al-Ghaili: Out Of The Lab And Going Viral
“I want to help people embrace rational thinking, and apply logic to every statement. Try to cite the sources and be sure that what they talk about is sensible and authentic.”
He started off publishing in children’s magazines until he signed up for his first social media account in 2009. Realizing it was a fertile environment to reach more people, he quickly shifted gears. After 22 seasons and over 440 web episodes, Hashem has more than 30M followers on Facebook and over 9B organic views on video platforms with his science communication channel, Science Nature Page.
What’s The Science Behind A Good Story?
Emotions – they are important. I covered a story about artificial skin created by scientists at MIT that treat a lot of burn victims or those afflicted with a certain disease. It connects a lot of people emotionally, while at the same time delivering scientific fact-based information. They might suffer from a disease themselves, or they might know of someone. The most popular videos I post tend to focus on topics of medicine, the human body, or astronomy. They ask the who and where and how am I within the greater cosmos.
You Did A TED X Zagreb Talk On Technology Reform In Education. How Do You See The System Changing?
The education system will point toward a more job-specific curriculum. Many subjects will become more focused and others will change, adapt, and be more applied to fit the enhanced technology and automation. Coding is going to stay. Subjects like literature and history won’t be the main focus, simply due to the job market demand. Fewer jobs are available in these fields and more in STEM. Education will be repurposed.
“Digitizing education doesn't mean eliminating teachers or social interactions. Refocusing exams on meaningful group work can contribute to useful skill building. ”
How Do You Deal With Difference Of Opinion?
One thing that is important: you cannot ever please everyone. You can’t, you won’t, and you don’t have to. I provide people with information, which are not my ideas. Rather, these ideas are researched, supported by empirical evidence. The essence of science communication is to show them the way. It is up to them what to do with the information because they and the community are affected by it.
Above all, Hashem’s discourse fuses scientific curiosity and knowledge with national, cultural, and economic boundaries by covering important and controversial issues like educational reform, international development, and most often health, Medtech, and environmental challenges.
His videos are so likable because he expertly conjures emotion while fact sharing. Check them out for yourself, @ScienceNaturePage offers a spectacle of wonder and a solid reminder that the future is here.
The next major project, a sci-fi film written and directed by Hashem Al-Ghaili called “Simulation,” debuts in Summer 2019.
