Government invites public to have its say on science

Over the coming months the Government is inviting school children and parents, science teachers and researchers, and other interested parties to have their say on its vision for science in the 21st century by taking part in a new national science and society consultation. Launched in July by Science and Innovation Minister Ian Pearson at Thinktank in the Birmingham Science Museum and run by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), the initiative is part of the DIUS 10-year Science and Innovation Framework 2004-14.  

The consultation seeks input on a strategy document published by the DIUS, A vision for science and society. Three key themes addressed in the strategy are:  

• how to improve communication, generate interest, increase participation and convey the relevance of science;  
• how to build trust and confidence in scientific research in the public and private sectors; and 
• how to inspire young people from diverse backgrounds to become tomorrow's skilled scientists.  

The DIUS has launched a website to support the consultation. The site features discussion forums, videos and an interactive consultation document allowing visitors to respond to individual questions or the entire strategy. Written responses to the consultation should be sent to Science and Society, DIUS, Kingsgate House, 66-74 Victoria Street London SW1E 6SW. 

The consultation will run until 17 October, 2008. The final strategy will be published towards the end of the year.  

Bursaries to attend non-specialist CPD courses 

The Royal Society of Chemistry-run (RSC) Chemistry for non-specialists (CFNS) CPD courses for Key Stage 3 and 4 science teachers are now eligible for Impact Award bursaries of up to £200 to cover the cost of attending the courses. Funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), the Impact Award scheme is open to teachers working in state-maintained schools in England. The awards are available through the Science Learning Centres. The fee for a four-day CFNS course is £120. 

For further information visit the website. At this site you will also find the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) final evaluation report on the CFNS programme and its benefits to participants.  

Five-decade exam results 

Nathan Brown of King Edward VI Camphill Boys School, Birmingham, was the winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry's (RSC) Five-Decade Exam Challenge run at the end of June. Organised by the RSC in an attempt to discover whether or not standards have eroded in chemistry since the 1960s, as critics of the system claim, schools were invited to nominate promising 16-year old chemists to sit a two-hour online exam, comprising 40 questions taken from O-level and GCSE examination papers of the past 50 years.  

Two thousand students from 450 schools took up the challenge. Scoring 94 per cent, Brown will receive £1000 and an equal amount for his school. Nine runners-up will each receive £500 as will their schools. A report on the results of the competition will be published later this year. 

Contact with ChemNet  

In July representatives from 20 UK universities were on hand to answer questions from more than 200 prospective undergraduates on studying chemical science degrees at the annual Meet the universities event for RSC ChemNet members held in London. If you want to know how your university chemistry department can take part at next year's event, contact Dr Robert Bowles, RSC ChemNet executive.