BIG e-news: Issue 5 – 1st March 2008

Spring is in the air again and the time for a new start and renewed optimism so it’s great to welcome some fresh blood to BIG as we’ve received over 30 new members since the last ebulletin! Sight of the early March daffodils also reminds me to wish a happy St David’s Day to all our Welsh members!

You will know by now that we’ve launched our new membership card scheme and hopefully you’ve all received your cards via snail mail. Over 12 centres have already signed up to offer you free or discounted entry and this list is growing by the day - keep your eye on the website offer list to see the latest offers.

This month we kick off our brand new Day in the Life feature which we hope you will enjoy reading. Most, if not all, of our members lead interesting professional lives so please let me know if you wish to volunteer your daily ritual for the next edition.

Sarah Vining
BIG Administrator
 

Save £50 on the BIG Event 2008 by booking before 31 March!

Savita Custead

The annual BIG Event is to be held at Techniquest@NEWI in Wrexham this year, and registration is now live and active on the BIG website event page.

We have a really special offer this year – a full £50 off conference fees for those who register on or before 31st March. Registering online only takes a few minutes - you can also pay online, by cheque or we can invoice your organisation.

We had an overwhelming response to our call for Session Proposals, and your Exec is busy preparing a full and exciting programme. This year's event will have something from everyone, whether your interest is management, exhibits, programmes or any other aspect of hands on and interactivity. Contact us with any ideas you have on how we can make this year's event even more fun and useful then before. Got a great coffee-time icebreaker, a display you'd like to share, a world record you'd like to break, an outdoor demo you'd like to show off, or a new and slightly outrageous idea?

If you have any questions about the Event or your registration please contact the Event Organiser, Savita Custead. We look forward to seeing you in Wrexham!

A Day in the Life...

Name: Lorraine Kenny
Job: Science Outreach Coordinator at Thinktank, Birmingham

A typical day at work consists of:

If you work as an outreach coordinator there is no such thing as a typical day.

What got you into this career?

As part of my Geography Degree I needed to complete a year long industrial placement- I ended up working as an Education Officer at a local Wildlife Trust. Despite the fact that the post was voluntary, I loved it and decided I wanted to work in education and thanks to Thinktank I am.

What is the best thing about your job?

The variety – one day I can be at nursery doing a story based show the next I can be working with a 6th Form group discussing the ethics surrounding genetic testing. One day I might be in a huge inner city school and the next in a rural school where I see the entire school in a day and it comes to a grand total of 38 kids.

... and the worst?

Getting up at ridiculous hours of the day. I am often at the office by 6.00 and I am not a natural morning person. The other downside is having to pose for cheesy press shots – see image above.

What is your favourite meal?

That is a tricky one – anyone who knows me will be aware that I love food so choosing just one thing is a challenge. Ok if I must, I would go for egg, chips and beans.

What is your favourite smell?

I love the smell of coffee but actually can not stand the taste.

What talents do you possess?

There are a variety of talents required to survive a career in outreach. An ability to change the plan in a blink of an eye, while still smiling and maintaining that it was ‘no trouble at all.’ An ability to repair any item of outreach props with some gaffer tape and any random equipment I can lay my hands on.

What talents would you like to possess?

I wish I could play a musical instrument preferably guitar.

Which actor do you think should play you in the film of your life?

I had no idea, so I have asked around the office the following suggestions were made: Helena Bonham Carter, Anna Friel, Jennifer Garner and Brian Blessed – you find out who your friends are!

Which living person do you most admire and why?

My favourite people are those who passionate and enthusiastic about what they do – it can be very infectious. If I had to choose just one person I would go for David Attenborough. I had the great privilege of meeting him in a previous job and as well as being a great presenter it turns out he is also a really charming person.

Most beautiful place on earth?

Milford Sound – New Zealand

What is your Motto for life?

Am I meant to have one?

Big and Free Speech

Noel Jackson, BIG Chair

I know that many people were surprised by the Mark Lewney’s article on “How to argue with Creationists” because I and other committee members fielded several comments. Mark wrote this with his tongue firmly in his cheek but some people took it more seriously than intended and took unfortunately took offence as a result.

Some people asked why BIG published the article. The bottom line is that it was submitted and we have no mechanism for censoring members. The old weasel words of “the opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the views of BIG or its Executive Committee” really do apply in this case. We may not agree with the content or style of what was written but we do defend the right for members to express themselves freely in any way that is not illegal. If members want us to start applying some kind of triage, they need to submit more articles so we can decide which ones to leave out. We would be pleased to print any responses to Mark’s article.

Other members expressed regret that the article did not do what the headline stated. There are certainly people who would like tips on arguing with creationists. I’m not sure that this would be any more useful than plans for a perpetual motion machine as one is never going to sway a religious belief by mere logic, any more than one is going to sway a scientific opinion by faith and dogma. Science and religion are different spheres of intellectual endeavour and neither responds well to the tools employed by the other.

However, there are some very aggressively evangelical fundamentalists out there who are extending their sway. The plans for a creationist theme park in the Midlands are already underway and the Emanuel group of schools sponsored by Reg Vardy continue to expand. We need to be vigilant. Whilst I am sure that attacking creationist beliefs is a waste of time, we need to be able respond robustly when our beliefs as scientists are challenged.

How to argue with … Holocaust Deniers in 300 words

Mark Lewney, Freelance Science Presenter

The idea that the Holocaust is a myth promulgated by Jews to garner Western sympathy and protect Israel from criticism may be abhorrent, but many people in the world, including at least one world leader, hold such a belief. If you were to argue with them, what would you say?

First, note that the Nazis were careful to avoid leaving direct evidence. Yes, prisoners were “concentrated” in hundreds of German camps, where many died of disease and starvation. However, there were only six actual death camps, all in Poland, where systematic mass extermination took place out of public view, and where huge industrial furnaces meant that few mass graves would be discovered later. Second, Holocaust Denial’s central position is that Nobody Can Be Trusted. The testimony of the survivors, victim’s families, even the SS guards themselves – all simply went along with the victorious West’s massive exaggerations and demonisations as it struggled to justify the war and assuage its guilt at firebombing civilians.

So is there any “killer” evidence in a scientific sense? The best strategy is probably to concentrate on the biggest death camp of all at Auschwitz-Birkenau, where an estimated 1.2 million died from 1943-45. Inventories list gas-tight doors and fake showerheads for a Vergasungskeller (“gassing cellar”), and documents from crematoria builders Topf & Sons (see www.nizkor.org) clearly show that even a capacity of 2650 bodies per day, or nearly one million per year, was still considered insufficient for Auschwitz.

Of course, even these documents could be dismissed as hoaxes. In science, as in history, if disparate strands of evidence all converge on an inescapable conclusion and someone still cries conspiracy, perhaps it’s best not to even start arguing in the first place. But remember that there are still things which we ought not keep an “open mind” about.

This is Mark’s last article in the ‘How to argue with…’ series.

Science Festivals Workshop - March 26th, 2008 at Science Oxford

This is a one day session for Science Festival directors and senior members of planning staff, with an emphasis on sharing solutions and establishing better coordination across the UK.

With increasing pressure on funds and a greater number of festivals taking place every year, we want to look at how we can demonstrate the impact of all festivals as important events that deserve further support.

The schedule will include an opportunity to examine festival structures – whether independent or hosted by universities, science centres, or other discussions of current, emerging and unexpected funding streams facilitated opportunities to survey the group for input and to share best practice time to examine opportunities to work together and share resources.

Participants will be asked to contribute and help shape the agenda of the day in order to best suit the needs of all participants. We’re looking forward to a great day.

Cost £30 for BIG members. Click here to book.

BIG Film-Making Day

Helen Lloyd, South Wales and South West Regionl Convenor

Despite weather forecasts of heavy snow, 19 people convened on the blue box at Techniquest in Cardiff to learn about film-making and have a go themselves.

The South Wales and South-West regional event was a BIG success with overwhelmingly positive feedback from delegates, who came from as far afield as Cambridge and Southampton. I think the prize has to go to the maestro Jonathan Sanderson though, who managed the drive from Glasgow despite the weather!

We started off by looking at the technical aspect of making short films – cameras, microphones, software etc. Despite realising that I would never be able to afford all the equipment I’d love to use, I was encouraged to see how much I can do with how little I have got – you can even get a fairly good quality video from a mobile phone these days assuming your phone takes video!

After having a look at some of the pros and cons of various software, we moved on to the ever-important issue of copyright. Many people don’t realise that you automatically have the copyright to anything you create – you have to actively sign it away (which you quite often do, whether to your employer or to Facebook). If you want to share your work with others then use creative commons – visit www.creativecommons.org to see the different ways you can allow people to use your work and find copyright-free work to use yourself. There’s even copyright free music to be had out there if you can find it, although I’d rather write my own – it’s easy if you’ve got the right software!

We finished the morning by trying out a group exercise filming the most boring demo in the world – someone drinking a glass of water! As an exercise in looking at the technical aspects of filming it was excellent – you really focus on getting a good shot when it’s the only interesting thing about the film! After lunch we split into small groups of our own and filmed short demos using everything we’d learned in the morning. It was a huge amount of fun and the results are pretty amazing, showing just what you can do if you’re given a tight deadline! Look out for the films at www.planet-scicast.org

Since then I’ve spent a day filming demos and have really enjoyed using the techniques Jonathan talked about – I hope the other delegates have found the day as useful as I did.

Thanks go to Jonathan Sanderson for running the day and to Techniquest for providing the venue.

The event was so popular that we may well run another day – if you would like to be kept informed about any further events please contact Helen@sciencemadesimple.co.uk.

 

Techniquest comes of age!

Tina Crimp, Techniquest

From its humble beginnings in an old gas showroom to a purpose-built, award-winning home in Cardiff Bay, Techniquest has reached 21.

The brainchild of Professor John Beetlestone, Techniquest first opened its doors to the public in 1986. Thirty-five hands-on exhibits were on show, and a thousand visitors each week came in to give them a try. After a few months, Techniquest had the opportunity of moving to Cardiff Bay. With considerable international interest in the centre, which quickly gained a reputation for style and innovation, visitor numbers soon reached 100,000 per year.

A spectacular new building opened in May 1995, and visitor numbers doubled again. The first twenty-one years have been very busy, and the future holds further expansion. Regional hubs, based on the Llanberis and Wrexham models, will be delivering outreach across Wales and Techniquest continues to work with partners to develop best practice guidance on how universities can better reach audiences with activities that encourage social, ethical and scientific debate.

National Brain Science Writing Prize 2008

Launching 10 March 2008 in Brain Awareness Week (10 -16 March)

Do you have a passion for brains? Could you write a newspaper-style article celebrating the amazing world of brain science?

At-Bristol, the European Dana Alliance for the Brain and the British Neuroscience Association have joined forces with Focus magazine to find the best brain communicators in the country!

Visit the website for details of prizes and how to enter www.youramazingbrain.org

Time for a change?

There are lots of lovely new jobs out there on the BIG website so please don’t forget to take a sneaky peak. You can also get your opportunities seen by over 600 professionals in the science communications industry by adding your own job vacancies - free of charge. Some current jobs featuring on the site are:

• Research Assistant in Public Engagement of Science - Department of Computer Science at Queen Mary, University of London
• Head of Public Engagement - Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
• Contemporary Science Content Developer x2 - Science Museum, London
• Science Festival Manager - Newcastle Science Festival
• Director of Science Communication - Imperial College
• Education Officer - Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

With best wishes from the BIG Executive 2008…

Noel Jackson, Chair
Karen Bultitute, Vice-Chair
Rachel Mason, Treasurer
James Piercy, Secretary
Savita Custead, Event Organiser
and Sarah Vining, Administrator

Contact BIG