Why “scientific literacy” is silly, again.

The prize of smugness for anyone who can correctly guess which event caused a friend to text me this last year. I spent an evening earlier this month doing some public engagement about public engagement. Or, talking about scientific literacy in a pub in Bloomsbury as part of the regular “Big Ideas” debates. If you … Continue reading »

Questioning academics

A table at the Science Museum’s Dana Centre coffee shop. No, I don’t know what it means either.  The latest episode of Brain Train is up – the podcast I work on where we get academics to quiz other academics – this time with autism researcher Johanna Finneman interviewing philosopher Nina Power. I think my favourite bit is where … Continue reading »

Brain Train Podcast

Largely gratuitous picture of a steamtrain. Martin Austwick (physicist, podcaster, musician) and I have just launched a podcast called Brain Train. Each episode an academic interviews another about their work, then in the next episode the interviewee becomes the interviewer (and the expert becomes the novice) and so on. It’s a bit like Chain Reaction on Radio 4, … Continue reading »

Scientific literacy

A visitor’s view on energy policy spins around a giant wheel shaped piece of art at the front of the London Science Museum. I was on Radio 4 last night talking about why I don’t think calls for scientific literacy are the way to solve problems of science in society. It’s fifteen minutes long. You can listen … Continue reading »

Science and growth

Last week I co-organised a debate on science and growth, one of a regular* “Science Question Time” seminars. The idea that science might equal growth is something which has dominated UK science policy discourse for several years (e.g. David Willetts’ first speech as Science Minister). But can the government pick winners, and how can we ensure public coffers … Continue reading »

Science communication and political divides

Last month, I chaired an event on science communication and political divides at the Biochemical Society. As taster, here’s a bit from about half way though, from panelist Steve Cross: Within all kinds of science communication, not just the stuff you think is controversial [e.g. climate change, GMOs] there is a big political divide and … Continue reading »

Sounds of Science

BBC Madia Vale Studios, before a recording last year. It’s world radio day! I don’t know about you, but I’m celebrating. I love the radio. I think I just like noise. Maybe it’s because my Dad was a musician. He usually worked from home, on what are probably best described as “musicians’ hours”, so there was a steady … Continue reading »

Pondering PUS

The Public Understanding of Science journal, volume 1. The main journal in my field, Public Understanding of Science, is twenty next year. I recently had to look up an old paper in the first edition, and it was slightly depressing to see how little has changed. Still, the fact that I find much of it still … Continue reading »