News Archive

Dan Sowers, CHP, Public Information Committee Chair

Winter is coming and it's easily one of my top four favorite seasons to curl up with a book. I admit, with my long commute I'm now more heavily invested in absorbing different thoughts and opinions, World War II history, and self-reflection skills through audiobooks rather than in text, but the result is largely the same and is shared with nearly all Health Physics Society (HPS) members: a life of continuous learning.

Adam Grant's Think Again, a New York Times #1 best seller published last year to critical acclaim, pleases the palate of continuous learning and provides a useful context for the swirling conversations orbiting the rabbit hole of the history of the linear no-threshold (LNT) model. Grant provides a plethora of pathways to identify bias in holding on to old ideas and ways to "think again" to reconsider what you may have held as true for quite some time. This is part of the scientific method, and as health physicists we necessarily must think again even when it comes to the LNT model. This is what we all need right now: don't jump to a conclusion; don't let emotional connections and comfort cease your scientific curiosity. Think again like Nimitz, surprise the enemy at Midway, and fight and win a naval battle using only carrier vessel-based aircraft.

In Dr. John Cardarelli's recent Health Physics News article he cites several sources to be used to help us all think again. There are many, many more out there. Before emotional responses to the way the video series was published or the polarizing figure providing the historical evidence get in the way of progress in science, let's pause, reflect, and think again. Maybe after reading, researching, and watching the video series you end at the same conclusion you held before. It's a win because you critically reconsidered your conclusion in light of new evidence! Maybe you nudge your conclusion slightly one direction or the other with caveats and asterisks appended to the way you used to think about it – another win! You may change your opinion altogether. Of course, another win! But in any case, you'll need to consider the body of literature out there to make your judgement.

I wish you all happy reading and enlightenment!

Any member of the Early Career Professionals section who would benefit from an audio or text copy of the book Think Again, please reach out to your section president or section treasurer as there are funds available for 25 copies, free of charge. Learn to think again now and thrive for the rest of your life.