Stepans, Beiswenger, Dyche: Misconceptions Die Hard

This article is both sad and unsurprising. I would hope that I would personally get a few of those questions right, if nothing else because The Big Bang Theory keeps me on my toes. (Everything they say is true, right?) At the same time, I have heard of similar interviews in which Harvard graduates could not explain the cause for seasons or the phases of the moon.

I also find it daunting as a reading-focused teacher. If teacher's who are passionate about science are not "sticking," what chance do I have? Maybe "all those teachers" I imagine are not as passionate as I thought. Do I have a chance at helping science be "sticky"?

Students are much more likely to remember concepts (if not terminology) if they are able to experience it, recreate it, or connect it with their personal interest. I do know that objects will fall at the same rate in a vacuum, but it is not because I learned it in science class. I know the concept (although clearly I'm struggling with the terminology) because Kirk Cameron performed the experiment when he became a substitute teacher on Growing Pains. As a student, I was invested because science had entered into my sphere of interests. 

This article suggests textbook selection, labs, and pre-lesson questioning/ challenging misconceptions to combat the erosion (or inexistence) of science knowledge in students. As a non-science teacher who will most definitely be teaching science at some point, how can I break through the disinterest and/or misconceptions of students?