Dr Sue Stocklmayer, Deputy Director, Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, ANU
The recent British Association Science Festival in Leeds celebrated the new direction of BAAS, which has given it renewed life in the face of the same problems experienced by ANZAAS. The festival, held in a different university town each year, emphasises science awareness and science achievement. It is prestigious, well attended and interesting. I was invited to address the Science Communication Forum on the subject of our CPAS workshops with scientists. Later in the week, I assisted Dr Mike Gore of Questacon and Willow McGregor of the Australian Science Festival to present 'Science Communication Down Under'.
The audience at the forum comprised media representatives, science centre and museum personnel, interested members of the public, educators and policy makers. Speakers included Sir Robert May (Chief Scientist), Dr Peter Briggs (Chief Executive of BAAS), and Imelda Topping (Manager, PUS, Royal Society). The CPAS sessions were well received -- indeed there were some wry expressions of regret that the British scene has not yet begun to address many of the issues we take for granted in science awareness in Australia. The forum was still focused, by and large, on better ways of 'educating' the public about science.
The British Minister for Science and Technology, John Battle, was an inspiring speaker who is passionate about the promotion of science and is committed to huge spending -- a commitment we might envy. At CPAS we continue, however, relentlessly to pursue our goal of a higher profile for science awareness in Australia. It is a matter of regret that our change in Minister has been accompanied by a change in senior advisers—so we have to begin promoting science communication all over again. I question the cost to Australia of all this lost energy! We are, however, already working with the new team.
Despite some concern in Britain about 'one-off' project funding, there can be no doubt that all the small fires will have some effect and might even become a large flame. If we are to maintain our competitive edge, we need to monitor this initiative closely and to continue to promote science communication very vigorously with the policy makers here at home.
Reprinted, with permission, from CPAS Newsletter, November 1997.