Sustainable Cities Event - 15th June 2009

The Science Council and the Natural Capital Initiative held an evening event in London on 15 June 2009, to explore the concept of ‘greening’ a city. The event was supported by the British Library.

The topic was ‘Sustainable Cities’, Chaired by Sir Tom McKillop with high-profile speakers presenting their arguments before an audience of policymakers, urban designers, ecologists, students and members of the public.

Taking London as the focus, the epitome of a modern, 21st century metropolis, our panellists will explore what it means to be ‘green’. What does ‘greening London’ actually mean? How can we make sure that our cities are cosmopolitan and dynamic, meeting the needs of their population, while also ensuring that they are fit to meet the environmental challenges posed by a warming climate?

Videos from the event are now available on You Tube. Before the event, our four speakers were asked:

- What is the biggest challenge facing sustainable urban development during the next ten years?

- How can science inform policy with respect to sustainable urban development?

See the answers of William Bird (Natural England), Ken Livingstone (Progressive London), Malcolm Smith (ARUP), Lorna Walker (CABE) and Peter Wilder (Landscape Institute)

 

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UK’s leading biology organisations agree to unification
23rd April 2009

Members of the UK’s two leading biology organisations, the Institute of Biology (IoB) and the Biosciences Federation (BSF), have voted overwhelmingly in favour of unification to form a single organisation, the Society of Biology.  This positive development takes the IoB and BSF a step closer to the creation of an organisation that combines the expertise of the learned societies and other biology organisations with the professional skills of the IoB and its individual members.

The Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor John Beddington, said, “I am delighted to hear this news. The Life Sciences have suffered in the past through fragmentation. The future health and wealth of this nation will depend increasingly on progress made in the biological sciences, and it is excellent that the scientists involved are now all pulling together.”

Download the full press release (pdf 35kb)

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Science Council welcomes DIUS Science (So What? SO Everything) campaign
28th January 2009

The Science Council welcomes the DIUS Science (So What? So Everything) which will aim to raise awareness that science can be a satisfyingly every-day thing – part of everyone’s life - moving the focus away from high level research and the ‘breakthroughs’ to the things we use, do and need on a daily basis. More

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Your Science - TDA Teacher Campaign on YouTube
27th November 2008
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Science Council's response to the European poll on the attitudes of young people towards science

14th November 2008

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Future Morph Wins International Stevie® Award in Fifth Annual International Business Awards

4science and Full-VideoSolutions have won an International Stevie Award for their Glass Artist video in The 2008 International Business Awards. The video, commissioned by the Science Council as part of its Future Morph project, topped the Motivational category.  Click here to read press release.

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Difficulty report tarnishes A-level gold standard, the science community responds

 

A-level grades and the UCAS point-scoring system, which treats all subjects as equally difficult, has been tarnished by new research, published on Tuesday, 1 July, which shows that some subjects at A-level are more difficult than others, says the science community. 

 

With 250,000 A-level results analysed over five robust statistical methods, it has been shown that it is easier to achieve the top grades in subjects like Media Studies and Psychology than it is when taking subjects like Maths, Physics and Chemistry.

 

The new research from Durham University, which was commissioned by the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Royal Society on behalf of the Science Community Representing Education (SCORE), runs contrary to a report released by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) in February this year, the ‘Inter-Subject Comparability Study’, which stated that there are “no substantial or consistent differences in standards between any subjects at any level”.

 

With UCAS points, derived from A level grades earned, being the clearest determinant of where a student will attend university, there is concern that students are influenced towards taking ‘softer’ subjects to obtain the highest points score and hence the best university places. High grades also assist a school’s position in annual, exam results-based, league tables.

 

Daniel Sandford-Smith, Head of Education Pre-19 at the Institute of Physics, said, “A system that collects and publishes annual data on the relative difficulty of subjects should be introduced by Ofqual to allow open but informed discussion on the topic. 

 

“The introduction of an annual report that exposes the relative difficulties of A-levels would encourage a transparent, market-led approach, helping universities to choose between the brightest candidates.

 

“Honesty about the level of assessment in different subjects will also encourage the brightest students to tackle the more challenging subjects, in the knowledge that their achievement will be recognised and will result in the greatest rewards.”

 

Professor Michael Reiss, Director of Education at the Royal Society, said, “The worry is that some good students are put off taking Maths and Science A-levels because it’s harder to get a good grade in them.  Anything that discourages students from taking these subjects, which are so important for the future prosperity of the UK, is really bad news.”

 

The researchers, from Durham University’s Curriculum, Evaluation and Management (CEM) Centre analysed and compared data from nearly one million schoolchildren sitting GCSE and A-level exams and reviewed 28 different studies of cross subject comparison conducted in the UK since 1970.

 

The Research

 

2.  The report, Relative Difficulty of Examinations in Different Subjects: Coe et al, has been published by The Curriculum, Evaluation and Management (CEM) Centre at Durham University. For a copy of the report or to contact the report’s authors, contact Durham University’s Media Relations Office on 0191 334 6077 or e-mail c.r.stiansen@durham.ac.uk.

Click here to read the press release

Science Community Representing Education (SCORE)

 

3. SCORE is comprised of key players in the science community, the Association for Science Education, the Biosciences Federation, the Institute of Biology, the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Science Council, who have all become increasingly concerned about a number of long-term trends within science education.

 

The partnership was set up to bring collective action to bear on these trends, focussing in particular on the serious problems of the decline in numbers of young people taking A level physics and chemistry and the unacceptable shortage of specialist teachers in these subjects in our schools and colleges.  For further information, go to http://www.score-education.org. 

Click here to read the SCORE report summary

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Digital Lives: Helping People to Capture and Secure their Individual Memories, their Personal Creativity, their Shared Historic Moments

Increasingly, our family memories, our personal achievements, our experiences of historical events, are being facilitated and recorded digitally.

Digital Lives is a pathfinding research project that is setting out to understand how individuals retain and manage their personal collections of computerised information  - everything from digital photographs and videos to favourite podcasts and sentimental email messages - and how these digital collections can best be captured in the first place and preserved in the long term, perhaps for family history, biographical or other purposes.

The project is led by Dr Jeremy Leighton John and colleagues at the British Library who, together with experts from UCL and Bristol University, are researching the challenges that lie ahead as more and more of our memories and documentary witnesses exist in electronic form. 

Dr Leighton John and colleagues would like to invite you to take part in their research by completing an online survey.  This should take no more than ten minutes of your time and it will provide them with crucial information that will benefit the work of the British Library and other archives enormously as they plan for what is fast becoming a largely digital world.

If you would like to take part in the survey, please click here: <http://tinyurl.com/5wtwgm>.

If you would like to enter their Prize Draw and stand a chance of winning £200 in British Library gift vouchers (drawn at random and with no further obligation) you can register your interest at the end of the survey.

Please note that all responses are strictly confidential.  No individuals will be named when the findings are reported, and the information collected will only be presented in an aggregated form.  You will not be contacted again as a result of completing this survey.

If you have any questions, or are concerned about the bona fides of this survey, please email Dr Rowlands at University College London by clicking here: <mailto:i.rowlands@ucl.ac.uk>.

Dr Ian Rowlands (UCL School of Library, Archive & Information Studies)

(Digital Lives is funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council: Grant number BLRC 8669).

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Past Events

The Big Bang Fair, 4th - 6th March 2009
QEII Conference Centre, Westminster
More

Science & Innovation 2008, 2nd October 2008

QEII Conference Centre, Westminster

Energy in transition - towards a low carbon future

‘The Energy Institute’s forum for leaders in energy thinking and technologies’
8-10 July 2008, Institute of Directors, London

International security of energy supply is at a crucial point where existing sources of energy are under pressure whilst alternatives are not mature enough to ensure supply meets a fast increasing global demand. Energy is in a transitional phase where our ability to balance supply and demand, whilst minimising the impact on the environment, is critical to the prosperity and wellbeing of future generations.

This inaugural Energy in transition event, organised by the Energy Institute (EI), will focus on efforts to achieve a sustainable energy future. The 3-day programme of conferences will feature leading experts discussing: 'Reducing demand, increasing efficiency', ‘Sustainable energy supply’ and 'Climate Change and Energy Security’, as well as the Summer Lunch and Melchett Lecture.  The events will have a real interactivity to them and will ask delegates to vote on real issues; with a view to reporting the key findings to policy makers.

The conferences will be chaired by Dr Joanne Wade FEI, Chief Executive of Impetus Consulting and EI Honorary Secretary, Prof Matt Leach CEng FEI, Professor of Energy and Environmental Systems, University of Surrey and EI Vice President and Louise Kingham FEI, Chief Executive of the Energy Institute. Confirmed speakers include:

Malcolm Wicks MP, Minister of State for Energy
Phil Woolas MP, Minister of State, DEFRA
Tom Delay, Chief Executive, The Carbon Trust

Dr Paul Golby CEng FEI, Chief Executive, E.ON UK

Martin Lawrence, COO – Energy, EDF Energy
Joseph Stanislaw, Independent Senior Advisor to Deloitte's Energy & Resources Group
Peter Lehmann FEI, Chair, Fuel Poverty Advisory Group
Professor Jim Skea FEI, Research Director, UK Energy Research Centre
Professor David Strong FEI, Chief Executive, Inbuilt Consulting
Andrew Haslett, Director of Strategy Development, ETI

Charles Hargreaves, Head of Environmental Programmes, OFGEM

The Melchett Lecture, sponsored by Shell will be presented to Andrew Warren FEI, Director, Association for the Conservation of Energy.

For programme details, price and booking information, please go to www.energyinst.org.uk/eit or contact events@energyinst.org.uk for further details.

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The Science Council, represented by Ali Orr and Veronica Charles, promoted CSci during SURFEX 2008, a biennial UK exhibition for companies involved in the coatings industry. 

The exhibition, which took place on June 3rd and 4th at the Harrogate International Centre, was organised by the Oil and Colour Chemists' Asociation (OCCA) and attended by over 75 organisations from around the UK and Europe.

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The Institute of Biology Affiliated Societies Forum

 Climate Change and the Biologist

Tuesday May 13th from 11am – 3pm

The Linnean Society of London, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London

Speakers include

 

Dr Hugh Montgomery the Director of the UCL Institute for Human Health and Performance and presented the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures this year on Back from the Brink: the Science of Survival. He is also a children’s author and has written the Genie in the Bottle as part of Project Genie which aims to educate and engage young people in the climate change debate.

Sari Kovats a Lecturer in the Public and Environmental Health Research Unit of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Editor of the Department of Health update on Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK 2008.

Dr Andrew Stott Defra’s Head of Biodiversity and Landscape, Natural Environment branch with an interest in global biodiversity assessment systems.

Prof Katherine Willis Professor of Long-Term Ecology at the School of Geography and the Environment at Oxford actively researching the relationship between long-term ecosystem dynamics and environmental change.

Prof James Crabbe Dean of the Faculty of Creative Arts, Technologies and Science at the University of Bedfordshire and has a long standing interest in modelling biological systems.

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Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Seminar– developing the role for Professional Bodies and Learned Societies. 

This seminar was for member bodies and took place on Monday 7th April at the British Computer Society, The Davidson Building First Floor, 5 Southampton Street, London WC2E 7HA from 9.30 to 1pm, followed by a light lunch and opportunity to network until 2pm.

 

Dr Robert Kirby Harris, Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Physics chaired the workshop.  Speakers will included Dr David Evans, Director of Innovation at the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills; Prof Sir Brian Fender, Chairman and President of the Institute of Knowledge Transfer; and David Brown, Chief Executive Institution of Chemical Engineers.

 

The purpose of the seminar was two fold – to brief members on what government and others were doing in terms of developing an innovative economy, and secondly, to identify what role the Science Council or its member bodies might play. 

 

The report on this seminar and presentations delivered can be downloaded by clicking the appropriate links to the right of this page.

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Lunchtime discussion - investigation into the proposed science and maths diploma

The PSP Consultancy has been commissioned by SCORE to undertake an investigation into the proposed science and maths diploma. 

The project aims to identify the sector’s expectations and concerns about the proposed Science and Maths Diploma. The investigation will include interviews with stakeholder groups and Diana Garnham, CEO of the Science Council, delivered a short session for Member Bodies.  This meeting was held at Loman Street on Thursday 27th March.

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Lunchtime discussion - Race and the Professions

Robin Lynn from the Equality and Human Rights Commission brought members up to date on his work leading their Race for the Professions project.  This meeting took place on Wednesday 16th January 2008 at Loman Street, London SE1.

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Workshop: Government and Parliamentary affairs Workshop

The Science Council organised a workshop on Government and Parliamentary Affairs which was held at the Science Council's premises on 12th November 2007.

The primary purpose of the event was to provide an update for the sector and to develop opportunities for co-operation and collaboration in working with government and Parliament.  

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First Sir Gareth Roberts Science Policy Lecture

The first Sir Gareth Roberts Science Policy lecture was given by Ian Pearson MP, Minister for Science and Innovation.  Click here to read Ian Pearson's speech.

Sir Gareth Roberts, who died earlier this year, was the founding President of the Science Council.  Sir Gareth appreciated that the increasing interdependence of the physical and life sciences with mathematics and engineering called for a broader group of disciplines to come together to advance the role of science and scientists in building the future.  His commitment to creating a forum to enable this to happen led to the formation of the Science Counci.

The lecture took place on Tuesday 6th November 2007 at Glaziers Hall, 9 Montague Close, London SE1.

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