Opening youth to science through science communication
There is a general consensus within the research community that more young people must be encouraged to study science. Various initiatives have been piloted with this objective in mind, with varying degrees of success. According to participants at a dinner debate on 'Opening youth to science' in Brussels on 5 July, communication is the key to making science more attractive to young people. A person's productive period comes between the ages of 15 and 35, said Etienne Magnien, head of the strategy and scientific culture unit within the European Commission's Research DG. 'Afterwards you can do good work, but you are bound to be less innovative,' he added, to the dismay of some of the debate's older participants. For the third year running, the European Commission will present the Descartes Prize for Science Communication to successful communicators in the autumn. The prize was created in 2004 to exist alongside the original Descartes Prize for excellence in collaborative scientific research. With policy makers hoping that innovation will enable Europe to remain competitive in the face of increasing competition from emerging economies, encouraging and supporting young innovators are priorities at EU level, as well as within individual Member States. A number of successful schemes were presented at the debate, including a new magazine for science teachers, a competition for young scientists, and a junior Café Scientifique. Eleanor Hayes is the editor of Science in School, a new publication for science teachers published by EIROforum - an intergovernmental research organisation. The articles are written by volunteers, and cover science across Europe and across disciplines. The style of the articles is such that a teacher may pass them on to his or her pupils. The first issue, published recently, addressed subjects such as fusion energy, bird flu, and the preservation of a shipwreck. Sharmila Banerjee presented the British Association's CREST awards. The awards are intended to 'inspire young people to carry out authentic project research', she said. Aimed at students aged 11 to 19, the awards come in bronze, silver and gold categories, the first rewarding 10 hours of project work, and the latter rewarding 100 hours. Ms Banerjee explained that the British Association suggests project topics in areas to which young people can relate. These include fashion, space, detective work, the environment, entertainment and sport. The UK's Junior Café Scientifique was presented by Ann Grand. The scheme is intended to create a space for young people to talk about science and its implications. Events take place outside of the classroom in a relaxed, informal and egalitarian atmosphere, and bring together students with scientists. 'We want to make science attractive and something normal to talk about, which it isn't always,' said Ms Grand. 'They don't talk about formulae or equations - that happens in the classroom. [...] Our aim is to get them to talk about the issues surrounding science,' she continued. Many of the questions put to scientists at these events are along the lines of 'Could this lead to...?' 'What if...?' and 'Might it happen that...?' Ms Grand emphasised the importance of holding Café Scientifique events outside of the classroom. 'It's very important to take the scientists out of their territory and to put them in the students' territory so they feel comfortable. Changing the nature of the environment changes the nature of the communication. [...]. In a café you have a conversation,' she said. The debate that followed the presentation addressed issues such as whether or not young people are interested in science, and the support offered to young postdocs. Carl Johan Sundberg from the Karolinska Institute rejected claims that not enough young people are enrolling in science courses, saying that Sweden is producing too many PhDs. It is at the post doc stage that these people drop out. When there is little support, postdocs move to other areas, he said. Mr Magnien questioned whether this is necessarily a problem. 'Science education should not necessarily lead to a science career,' he said. He referred to the European Parliament, where only six per cent of MEPs have a science degree, and only 19 per cent have had any exposure. 'Scientists are underrepresented in social and political life,' he said. The debate was closed by Suzanne de Cheveigné, an expert evaluator for the EU's Descartes Prize for science communication. She drew two key points from the debate: treating young people as adults and diversity. 'We mustn't underestimate the maturity of young adults. We must allow them to be active, to make decisions and to evaluate things. I am also struck by the importance of diversity. We have to show that science, like life itself, is full of all sorts of different elements.'