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Our public affairs officer for Scotland, Bristow Muldoon, reports from our 2016 Science and the Parliament event in Edinburgh
Held annually since 2001, this year’s event focused on science education. It examined a number of themes that emerged from the independent STEMEC report, received by the Scottish Government in summer 2016. The day before the event, the Scottish Government published its own consultation on STEM education and training, which will be open for comments until January 2017.
The conference received a welcome from the Scottish parliament presiding officer Ken Macintosh MSP who praised the Royal Society of Chemistry for continuing to organise this major annual event, which brings together policy makers and the science community. He recognised that few MSPs are scientists or engineers, so that if informed, evidence-based policy making is to take place then it often requires seeking out expert knowledge from society, including the scientific community.
The first keynote speaker was our president, Professor Sir John Holman. John reflected on the strengths of science in Scotland, from the giants of the past such as Joseph Black, to one of the 2016 Nobel prize winners for chemistry, Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart, who was born and educated in Edinburgh.
He also welcomed the publication of the new STEM strategy and committed the Royal Society of Chemistry to help develop and progress it, while informing delegates of the contribution that we have already made to enhancing school chemistry education.
The deputy first minister and education secretary, John Swinney MSP, opened by talking about some of the enthusiastic and talented young people from Alness Academy that he had just met at the event. The students were attending as part of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry Young Engineers and Scientists Clubs, and had demonstrated some of the projects that they have been working on.
He went on to thank the STEMEC group for their report and he hoped that the strategy now being consulted on would address many of the issues raised; he encouraged the whole of the scientific community to engage with responding to the consultation.
Professor Sheila Rowan, Scotland’s new chief scientific adviser talked about the power of science to be inspirational, particularly for young people. She talked about the importance of science communication, whether that is of fundamental research, for example the recent breakthrough on gravitational waves; applied outcomes that often flow from such “blue-skies” research; or the technology used to develop these advances.
Professor Rowan also talked about the key role that she played in bringing the best scientific advice to the Scottish Government in order that ministers are well informed before taking key political decisions that relate to science
MSPs from the four opposition parties in the Scottish Parliament – Liz Smith, Iain Gray, Tavish Scott and Ross Greer – then took part in a panel debate hosted by the BBC Scotland science correspondent, Ken MacDonald.
Later on, the minister for further education, higher education & science, Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, presented prizes to the highest achieving students in this year’s science Highers and Advanced Highers (see image below in photo gallery).
Professor Polly Arnold of the University of Edinburgh and Council member of the Royal Society of Chemistry ended the event with some reflections on the day and a vote of thanks.
For further information, please email Bristow Muldoon using the policy team contact form on the left of this page.
