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James Piercy

Science Communicator

Science Made Simple Ltd (East)

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On 12 Aug 2013, at 12:04, Imran Khan wrote:

Hi everyone

Thanks to all of you, and particularly Paul, who've raised concerns about the show. Speaking as someone who's personally never been to it I can see there are some pretty serious questions about the scientific content.

You may or may not know that the EngineeringUK are the main organisation behind the Fair, and that they deliver the fair through the Big Bang Education Community Interest Company (CIC). That Company brings together a number of key stakeholders, including us the British Science Association, to take part in the planning process.

I've only been at the British Science Association for a few months, so can't speak to the history of how, why, or when Brainiac have been involved in the Fair.

But I can say that to the best of my knowledge no decision has been taken to involve the show at next year's Fair, nor is one going to be made in the immediate future, and that we'll also be discussing the concerns you've raised the next time we meet as a group.

So, do bear with us for now - a lot of the people involved at both EngineeringUK and the other organisations (including myself) are away on leave during August, but I do recognise the strength of feeling about this and I'm grateful for the level of detail in which the concerns have been spelled out.

(For the avoidance of doubt - this isn't an official statement from the Fair organisers, it's just me!)

Best,
Imran

--
Imran Khan
Chief Executive
British Science Association
165 Queen's Gate
London. SW7 5HD

t: +44 (0)20 7019 4926 m: +44 (0)7967 831 333 tw: @imrankhan
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On 12 August 2013 09:03, Paul McCrory <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hi Seth

This is also the defence propounded by the former Event Director of the Big Bang Fair to a colleague of mine.

This seduction argument doesn't apply to STEMNET or ASE promoting tickets for a stand-alone show in a theatre; nor I hope to teachers deciding to take students to the Fair (although, bizarrely, this is the audience that the Event Director said he was using Brainiac Live to attract).

Aligning with appropriate high-profile brands is one important element in encouraging disengaged young people to visit with their families on public days.

And I accept that we cannot rule out the possibility that a small number of young people may be attracted by Brainiac Live and then have an experience elsewhere at the Fair that dramatically changes their perception of STEM. Such is the complex and subtle nature of science communication. However, as a general strategy I would suggest that, the ends justifying the means, has a fairly chequered history.

With respect, I think the argument amounts to the "turkey twizzlers for school dinners" approach. It offends me that the largest STEM engagement event in the UK apparently thinks an appropriate way to inspire young people to eat their greens (the boring, unappealing science and engineering) is to seduce them with turkey twizzlers. Young people aren't stupid. This sort of patronising "making STEM fun" is deeply counter-productive, only reinforcing their worst fears about vegetables.

Brands are important, but there are other more current and appropriate brands which the Fair has used - such as the prime time BBC Bang Goes the Theory. So why did they even need to resort to headlining with Brainiac Live?

Leaving aside what compromises each of us personally is comfortable making in order to engage young people in STEM, this "ends over means" argument doesn't change the fact that there is simply no defence for:

- a performer letting off a fire extinguisher to spin an office chair and attributing the increased thrust to spectacular but puny stage pyros, rather than the fact that he was simply holding the fire extinguisher for longer;
- messing around with electricity, wrapping yourself in plastic and playing with fire extinguishers without any safety warnings;
- telling thousands of young people than a balloon of 2/3 hydrogen and 1/3 air explodes violently because "the nitrogen makes the hydrogen angry"!

The frustrating thing is that if professional science communicators had been consulted, and allowed to work with the theatre professionals behind this show, these problems could have been fixed whilst retaining the seductive draw of the Brainiac brand.

This is lazy, irresponsible, incompetent and counter-productive science communication. Yet EngineeringUK maintain to me that all of their shows are peer reviewed for "impact and educational value". I would genuinely love to know which group of my peers reviewed this show and on what specific criteria.

Science demonstrations are my life. Most people, however, will probably only get to see one or two science demo shows. It upsets me deeply to think that the only demo show someone might see is Brainiac Live.

Science demonstrations, performed authentically, passionately and with theatrical production values to large audiences, have the potential to inspire like no other form of science communication I know. A multi-million pound event like The Big Bang Fair can and should do much better than this.

All the best

Paul

--
Dr Paul McCrory

learn differently ltd
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