National Science & Engineering Week 2009
Monday 23 March 2009
The Educational Liaison Centre (ELC) at the University of Surrey helped ensure that a busy and varied contribution was made to National Science & Engineering week in March this year. The week aimed to celebrate science and engineering and their importance in our lives. Subject-specific workshops for local school groups and general access lectures for the wider public were both hosted at the University throughout the week.
Four evening events attracted over 600 visitors to the University. Professor Dave Povey and colleagues from the Chemistry Department gave a highly practical demonstration of forensic techniques that involved a graphic illustration of the properties of explosives. This session was extremely well received by the schools and colleges present.
With the help of an expert panel, Professor Jim Al-Khalili chaired a debate on whether the media managed to promote the public misunderstanding of science. Ian Sample, science correspondent from the Guardian, accepted the audience’s overall criticism of the media reporting of such issues as the MMR vaccine and Global Warming. However, he pointed out that even if the media have science specialists, and a lot don’t, their reporting is then subject to less scientifically literate sub-editors who continue to put their own spin on 'news' items.
External speakers during the week included Lord May of Oxford who gave his own personal view on the funding of scientific research and Andy Stanford-Clark from IBM who explained the eco life-cycle of a computer. By looking at the carbon footprint from production to disposal he addressed the question as to how 'Green IT' could be achieved.
Dr Jill Clayton and Mrs Marion Wicks from ELC ran hands-on robotics workshops for Year 9 students from Glebelands School and Collingwood College on two successive days and Dr Kathryn Harkup and Dr Anna Tanczos facilitated an afternoon biochemistry workshop for Year 10 secondary school students that included a talk on toxins.
Science & Engineering Week is nationally promoted by the British Science Association and gives the University an excellent opportunity to raise aspirations and grow demand in the next generation of young people for study in these vital scientific areas. The University will also be hosting the British Science Festival from 5 – 10 September 2009. This is Europe’s foremost celebration of science, engineering and technology and will be open to all.
For further details please visit www.britishsciencefestival.org
Media Enquiries
Peter La, Press Office at the University of Surrey, Tel: +44 (0)1483 689191, or Email mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk
