Colleagues
I have just joined the "psi-com" mailbase list which I recently saw
advertised in the latest edition of Wellcome News. It seems that the
tradition with this list is to introduce yourself when you join. So here
goes: I am a lecturer in the Physics Department at Durham University. I
have an interest in the promotion of science to a wider audience. This
is an arena I have made a brief excursion into in the past when I had a
success in the 1997 "Science in Print" competition organized by the
Institute of Physics and the National Physical Laboratory. (See
http://www.npl.co.uk/npl/news/press/1997/pr08-97.html for further
details. If you wish to read the full article this is available through
my home page, address below.)
I am concerned that as a professional group scientists in general and
physicists in particular have neglected their responsibility in this
very important area. There are, of course, a few notable exceptions to
this.
We are all good at communicating to our peers and colleagues about our
most recent research discoveries. We are altogether less able to
communicate with a more general audience. I witness the decline in the
number of students wishing to study Physics at University and also a
reduction in those continuing their studies to a PhD level. In order to
reverse these trends we need to be communicating to all ages and
abilities that science is relevant, exciting and has had a profound
impact on the society in which we live. Any suggestions ?
Best wishes
Douglas
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Dr Douglas Halliday Telephone : 0191 374 2551
Lecturer Secretary : 0191 374 2177
University of Durham FAX : 0191 374 3848
Department of Physics
Science Laboratories Email : [log in to unmask]
South Road Home Page : http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dph0dph
Durham DH1 3LE
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