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Getting excited about science

By Alan Finkel - posted Friday, 16 May 2008


Many of us who come from a science background and work in science are excited by it - what it is, what it achieves and its potential to make a better world.

What challenges us is the difficulty of exciting the next generation who will underpin Australia’s long-term ability to capitalise on its current economic prosperity.

There are two challenges. First, to broaden the reach of science education within the general population. The future voters of this country need to appreciate science and technology so that they can interpret and contribute to the national debates about issues such as vaccination, water desalination and recycling, medical therapies, nuclear energy, environmental sustainability and genetic modification.

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The second challenge is to train the future professionals in engineering, science, medicine and technology. We cannot passively adopt overseas technology and expect to be internationally competitive in our manufacturing and resources industries. Instead, we must train the next generation of experts and encourage them to innovate and commercialise their inventions.

Participation rates in secondary school science have been declining steadily, especially in the “enabling” disciplines of physics, chemistry and mathematics. Surprisingly, these key subjects are no longer required for entry into Science, and even Engineering faculties in many cases only require a single high school science subject.

Time and time again it is reported that students do not see science and technology as relevant either to their daily lives or their future careers, despite the fact that they live in a world driven by and dependent on science.

We need to tackle this problem head on - both inside and outside the classroom.

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) runs the Clunies Ross Extreme Science Experience. Linked to the annual ATSE Clunies Ross Awards for the commercial application of technology, the Extreme Science Experience gives keen students a unique opportunity to interact for a day with Australia's top commercially successful scientists and engineers.

This week, nearly 400 students from Brisbane and Queensland high schools will enjoy “immersion” in real science and technology, participating in interactive workshops with the Award winners. They will learn about the excitement and achievements of real-life scientific work and discovery.

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Previous Award winners have included Professor Ian Frazer, developer of the vaccine to prevent Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) infection that causes cervical cancer, and Dr Peter Farrell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ResMed, who pioneered the manufacture of devices to treat obstructive sleep apnoea.

Extreme Science Experience - in its third year - extends and develops some of the very successful extra-curricular activities that have become part of Australia’s science education focus.

Unfortunately, these innovative extracurricular activities do not reach all secondary school students, appeal mainly to students who already have a commitment to science and technology, and are of limited duration.

To positively influence declining national participation rates, new curriculum-level initiatives based on a highly relevant context are needed and ultimately should be made available to all secondary schools in Australia.

To address the issues of relevance, ATSE has initiated a novel, curriculum-based secondary school science and technology education program known by the acronym STELR, standing for Science and Technology Education Leveraging Relevance.

The first challenge for the STELR program is the issue of relevance. It is obvious that there are numerous science and technology issues that garner substantial press coverage, including genetic modification, nanotechnology, cancer therapies, stem cells and human genetics. But the media coverage of none of these is as extensive as the coverage of climate change. Further, climate change is a topic that students care about. A survey last year by the Australian Childhood Foundation found that 52 per cent of children were worried about not having enough water in the future and 44 per cent were worried about the impending impact of climate change.

A high-impact means to reduce the human contribution to climate change is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by the use of renewable energy. Practical classes based on wind turbines and solar panels to create electricity, and based on the conversion of vegetable oils and sugars to biodiesel and bioethanol, will be combined with inquiry-based learning methods to stimulate students’ interest in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics.

STELR is at a fledgling stage. Proof of concept programs are running at the moment in four Victorian schools for year 10 and it is planned, if successful, to broaden the reach into as many schools as possible in all states.

There are so many competing choices for students when they select their subjects, and so many high-tech products such as iPods and PlayStations filling their lives, that unless we add a modern, extremely relevant context to secondary school science and technology education there is no reason for the majority of students to choose science subjects.

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About the Author

Dr Alan Finkel AM FTSE, an electrical engineer and neuroscientist, is Chancellor of Monash University, Chairman of the National Research Centre for the Prevention of Child Abuse, a Governor of the ATSE Clunies Ross Foundation, Chairman of the Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience and a Board Member and Governor of the Florey Neuroscience Institutes. He is founder and publisher of Cosmos, a popular magazine of science in society, and G, a lifestyle magazine for sustainable living.

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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