The Appliance of Science

Feb 27, 10:42 AM

Current Headlines: The fifth Newcastle Science Festival includes workshops, lectures, family activities and debates. Ian Simmons, science communications director at the Centre for Life, offers an introduction. More details on the following pages.

Science is part of every aspect of our lives; from the minute we wake up and switch off the alarm clock to the end of the day when we retreat to sleep on our scientifically-tested mattresses. The world in which we live is ours thanks to science.

So just why is science so important? Scientific and technical knowledge increase our interest in and understanding of our world.

In turn, this understanding gives us the capacity to take part in discussions and debate about science, to ask informed questions, and to contribute to ethical decision making on social, cultural, environmental, gender, economic and health issues.

Science has created a whole spectrum of professions ( doctors, industrial chemists and physicists to name but a few ( that we have come to depend on.

Indeed, our region boasts a proud scientific heritage with many world firsts stemming from the North-East. This pioneering spirit continues today with the region at the forefront of leading research in the fields of genetics, stem cells, ageing and energy.

Careful nurturing of these fields could mean that science has the potential to become a major engine of regeneration for the North- East. Newcastle Science City aims to establish North-East England as one of the world's premier locations for the integration of science and business, and to work with partners to break down the barriers between science and the wider regional community for the benefit of all.

This initiative builds on important work already being done by places such as the Centre for Life and Discovery Museum.

As the region's premier science centre, over 200,000 people annually take advantage of the Centre for Life's permanent and travelling exhibitions on contemporary science issues, hands-on workshops for schools, lectures and debates, outreach for disadvantaged and hard to reach audiences.

Newcastle Science Festival, now in its fifth year, is an established part of the region's cultural calendar. These initiatives are working hard to dispel stereotypical images often associated with scientists as well as improving educational standards in science ( and it is here where we must concentrate our efforts.

The great thing about science is there's always something new to discover and there always will be. Yet, unless we "switch on" the next generation to the possibilities and wonders of science, we risk missing out on our chance to become one of the world's leading science centres, to grab the opportunity science offers us.

Ensuring our young people gain scientific literacy will equip them with the ability to participate in the production and use of scientific knowledge. If we foster their curiosity and show them that science can offer rewarding and stimulating career choices then we will continue to produce world-class inventors, scientists and spin-off companies.

Science is not a big book of answers, but a matter of asking the best questions and devising the best methods for getting at the answers.

It is what happens if we keep being inquisitive. Science holds no barriers, inviting us all to look again, to question how things work and to unravel the answers.

The Newcastle Science Festival is a great opportunity for us to connect with science. It provides an imaginative programme of events offering something to engage and inspire a whole array of people.

So read on to find out about the many exciting events ( let your curiosity take you on a scientific adventure.

jwww.newcastlesciencefestival. co.uk. For more information call (0191) 243-8292.

(c) 2007 The Journal - Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.