News and chat from the frontline of science and technology at PACA

unlocking potential

I have just entered us for the Bill Bryson Prize for Science Communication. The theme this year is communicating science and ‘chance’. It’s rather lucky that we are already writing a Dr Who play that explores the scientific concepts of time travel and rescues Leonardo da Vinca from the alien twins! It’s also sheer ‘chance’ that I came across an affordable 3D printer called the xyz Da Vinci (a super 3D printer, by the way) that is now central to our plot.

I’ve just finished reading Bill Bryson’s Notes From A Small Island, which really made me laugh out loud in places and in others struck a chord. I particularly liked this paragraph: “…in this wondrous land where the relics of genius and enterprise confront you at every step, where every realm of human possibility has been probed and challenged and generally extended, where many of the greatest accomplishments of industry, commerce and the arts find their seat…”

The grand final of Mastermind is frequently won by cab drivers

Bill is actually talking about Britain here, and it’s so true. We have a lot to be proud about. But there is another line in the book as follows: “I have often been struck in Britain by how mysteriously well educated people from unprivileged backgrounds so often are. Where the grand final of Mastermind is frequently won by cab drivers. I have never been able to decide whether this is deeply impressive or just appalling. All I know is that it exists more here than anywhere else.”

I’ll help Bill out on that one; “it’s appalling”. So often great talent is wasted and things seem to be getting progressively worse. We have a society whereby it is not ‘what you know’ but ‘who you know’ that counts and opens doors for you. We have to provide better opportunities for disadvantaged pupils once they leave compulsory education; recognise and reward these talented individuals rather than watch them fall off a cliff.

We need employers to address the recruitment imbalance and understand that some university students have to work to pay extortionate rents whilst they study, and can’t afford to pay for a model first class university essay to be written for them.