Marriage Of Interests

The assertion that we are becoming over-dependent on technology comes from a unusual source · a woman who has been appointed as director of one of the United
Kingdom's most prestigious scientific bodies, the Royal Institution of Great Britain.

Professor Susan Greenfield is the first woman to head the institution, world famous as an international centre for the creation and communication of science.

Soon after her appointment Professor Greenfield spoke of the importance of children being aware of the growing impact that science and technology would have on their lives.

Stifled Creativity

Speaking of the current over-dependence on technology, she warns: "Computer games are enormously popular with children but too much technology can stifle creativity. Children need to be encouraged
to use and nurture their imagination so that they can develop as individuals and become responsible, thinking members of society.''

Professor Greenfield said that one of the great strengths of the Royal Institution was that it insisted on presenting science to young people in a way that enthralled them and captured their
imaginations.

The institution celebrates its 200th anniversary this year. It has been the base for a great number of scientific developments since the work of British pioneers Sir Humphry Davy and Michael Faraday,
whose discovery of electromagnetic induction laid the foundations of today's electrical industries.

Its science has always been `leading edge'. No fewer than 15 Nobel prizewinners have worked in its Davy Faraday laboratory, the world's oldest research laboratory and still regarded internationally
as a centre of scientific excellence.

The Royal Institution has always been a pioneer in the popularisation of science. Today, people come from all over the world to attend a wide variety of events and programmes designed to appeal not
only to scientists but also to the interested non-specialists and particularly, the young.

It is regarded as having made an outstanding contribution towards raising the standard of science, maths and technology through its programme of lectures, master classes and conferences. The emphasis
has always been on stimulating interest, insight and inspiration through practical demonstrations.

Soon after her appointment Professor Greenfield called on scientists to improve communications on the big issues that will increasingly impact on people's lives and she also urged greater interaction
between science and other disciplines.

As part of its bicentenary celebrations, the institution is launching a number of initiatives to promote these aims. Awards are to be given to young scientists who have advanced the public's
appreciation and understanding of science and to science teachers who demonstrate exceptional flair and imagination in the classroom.

It is also developing a series of millennium debates to explore how science relates to other disciplines and the world at large. Professor Greenfield believes that science needs to be expressed in a
vivid and imaginative way. Young scientists, she says, must be able to write effectively, to present themselves well, to stand up and get their points across · all skills that should be encouraged
and recognised. "I would like the Royal Institution to be perceived as the place that explains to all sectors of society how the world is changing, why it is changing and what impact it will have on
their lives. A science-literate public will have the power to influence the political and social agenda,'' she said.

The professor also sees the institution as the intellectual nerve centre for controversial debate between the scientific community and other disciplines on the important contemporary issues that face
society.

"The need for the public to appreciate science so that they can participate in the debate has never been greater. People are rightly concerned about such issues as genetic engineering, health, drugs,
the environment, cloning and the way in which technology dominates so many aspects of their lives. Scientists need to communicate the big picture more effectively in terms which are accessible and
meaningful to different sectors of society'', Professor Greenfield said.

"People don't need to understand how science and technology works as such but they do need to be aware of the big stories, where science is going, how far it can and should go and the ethical issues
involved.''

Professor Greenfield is also forthright on the subject of science and women: "Science impacts on women in a profound and subtle way yet the fact-oriented, male-dominated delivery of science has done
little to help women understand that impact. Humanising science would enable women to make informed choices about the things that affect their own and their families' lives.''

There must be less reliance in communicating the hard facts of science in the classroom and a greater emphasis on creative, imaginative teaching. She says: "Most facts in isolation are boring,
particularly to children and specifically to girls.''

Through its successful and wide-ranging Young People's Programme, the professor intends to ensure that the Royal Institution continues to communicate science to children in a fresh, exciting and
dynamic way.

The appointment of Professor Greenfield as director of the Royal Institution represents a marriage of interests. Professor of pharmacology and fellow and tutor in medicine at Oxford University, she
has a reputation as a first-rate scientist in the field of neuroscience and, just as importantly, as an accomplished science communicator.