Making a real impact

Abstract

If you work in science, if you’re involved with education, if you’re a parent, you will have seen at first hand the fascination that science can have for children and young people. Whether it is dinosaurs, stars or the Large Hadron Collider, we’ve all seen them captivated by the thrill of it all. And we tend to think that the excitement experienced when young will lead to more people getting the education that will bring them into scientific and technical careers in the future. Attempts to establish that link as cause and effect – that a star party at the local observatory, for example, led directly to a profitable software company 25 years later – don’t work. But everyone I know who is working in any scientific or technical field mentions “Wow!” moments from their childhood, when they encountered something that revealed to them what science could do. It could have been a book, a rock, seeing Saturn through a telescope, a meteorite... It was often something that an inspirational teacher brought into their lives. That’s one reason why the RAS has established the Patrick Moore Medal to recognize the role of teachers in drawing the next generation into science. Becky Parker’s work in Kent shows how powerful astronomy can be in engaging young people. For one school to produce 1% of current physics undergraduates is strong evidence that outreach gets results. And it is good news that the value of public engagement of science has been recognized by David Willetts, the Science and Universities Minister, in his ambitious plans to boost UK research and industry. Outreach inspires the industrialists of the future – it is an area where scientists and government alike can agree on the importance of making an impact. Editorial NEws