The role of science and innovation in the media was debated by council members and students from Nottingham Trent and Lincoln Universities at the East Midlands Innovation Council meeting, which took place recently at East Midlands Development Agency (emda).
The debate, which was part of the 2009 iFestival – a celebration of innovation in the region – explored the ways that science and innovation is presented in the media. It was introduced by Brady Haran, a BBC video journalist who specialises in science stories.
Brady, who has produced numerous science news stories for the award winning Nottingham Science City website – ‘Test Tube’, discussed the ways that science is depicted in the media and the attitudes and stereotypes created by this image. He said: “The greatest challenge broadcasters face is the limited time we spend with scientists.
"Often it's just a quick 15 minute interview and a couple of generic shots in a lab, yet the scientist in question may have spent a lifetime on their work. This is partly because of the time constraints faced by journalists, but also, scientists tend to keep their work to themselves until it's all completed, at which point all the 'interesting stuff' is finished.
"Projects like Test Tube change all this by chronicling the journey from start to finish, sharing all the ups and downs with a growing online audience. The video journalist, in this case me, can finally show science for what it really is - a long and fascinating journey of discovery.
" Following the presentation, the members of the Council debated the issues that were raised by Brady and presented their views and ideas about how the presentation of science could be improved in the future. A number of issues were discussed, such as how children form their views about science at a young age, and that since the Apollo programme of the 1960s, science has been unable to capture the imagination of children in the same way.
After listening to the debate, Barry Stickings, the Chairman of East Midlands Innovation commented: “We need to look carefully at how science can be better communicated in the future. Currently we tend to reach our audience through mainstream media such as newspapers and TV, but as we move forward, the Internet will become increasingly important and will offer new opportunities. It enables scientists to reach younger audiences and have a greater influence over the way that science is presented to young people.
“This will not immediately solve the problems we have today in terms of increasing the numbers going into science careers, but may make a difference in 15 or 20 years time. We are moving into a world where science, technology, engineering and mathematics are becoming more relevant than ever, and we need to enthuse children in order to create a new, science literate generation."
The iFestival, which is running until 17th April, is an annual event and activities ranging from school science projects to business innovation competitions are helping to raise the profile of innovation in the region. As part of the iFestival, there are numerous outreach, support and marketing campaigns designed to help businesses, students, teachers and individuals think positively about science and innovation.
The students that attended the meeting are writing an essay about the issues raised in the debate. The winning student will be announced at the iFestival Gala Dinner which is taking place at Pride Park Derby on 16th April and their essay will be published on websites such as East Midlands Innovation, Nottingham Science City, the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Partnership and emda.
emda also supports science journalism through the STEM Student Journalist project. This enables students and school children to use their natural interest in the media to explore themes in STEM subjects.
For more information about the iFestival and innovation, visit www.eminnovation.org.uk