To borrow from Woody Allen...'Everything you ever wanted to know about
X, but were too afraid to ask'
Cheers
Stephen White
British Psychological Society
-----Original Message-----
From: psci-com: on public engagement with science
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Dominic McDonald
Sent: 02 December 2008 12:29
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [PSCI-COM] Science for Beginners [and dinosaurs]
Hi all
Here at Science Oxford we are planning to start a strand of events in
the spring which is aimed at people with little or no scientific
training, to introduce them to basic scientific concepts. It's come out
of evaluation which suggests that we sometimes struggle to find the
right level for our audience, because some of the visitors to our events
are (very smart) people with little or no academic training in science,
and some are professional scientists (they are smart too, of course).
We'll be starting with Evolution (for Darwin Year) and then will go on
to tackle topics like The Universe, The Brain, The Earth and so on. So
big topics, and we would aim to give a very broad introduction to each
in about an hour and a half. We would maybe run 6 of these a year, so we
won't run out of subject matter in a hurry.
Has anybody done anything like this before? If so, who deliverede them?
Did you get an audience? Was it a success? It's similar in concept to an
evening class, but in Oxford there's not much scientific on offer except
what's done by the University's (very splendid) Continuing Education
Dept, (the County Council's evening classes do very little on science at
all).
We're also trying to find a good title for the strand - maybe "The
Basics of..." or "An ABC of..." ? Any suggestions would be very welcome.
Cheers
Dom
[ps this is the kind of conversation that I think this list is generally
good at, i.e. sharing information rather than sharing opinions. Open
discussion on email lists like this can lead people to be wary of
putting their head above the parapet - opinions can be challenged in a
way that "facts" can't, and so people are less likely to say what they
"think" because they worry that they might find themselves branded an
idiot. It's much less scary to say what you "know"... it's a shame, but
I don't think there's anything you can do about it.]
Dom McDonald
Head of Public Engagement
Science Oxford
1-5 London Place
St Clements
Oxford OX4 1BD
tel: 01865 728953
fax: 01865 791854
www: scienceoxford.com
**********************************************************************
1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example, send
an email to mailto:[log in to unmask] with the following message:
set psci-com nomail -- [include hyphens]
2. To resume email from the list, send an email to
[log in to unmask] with the message:
set psci-com mail -- [include hyphens]
3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the
message:
leave psci-com -- [include hyphens]
4. Further information about the psci-com discussion list, including
list archive, can be found at the list web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/psci-com.html
5. The psci-com gateway to internet resources on science communication
and science and society can be found at http://psci-com.ac.uk
6. To contact the Psci-com list owner, please send an email to
mailto:[log in to unmask]
**********************************************************************
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------
Scanned for viruses and spam by emailsystems
If you believe this email is spam, please forward via email to
[log in to unmask]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The British Psychological Society
This email is intended for the addressee only. It may contain confidential information: disclosure of or action in reliance upon this information by anyone other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify us by return email and delete the message.
Any views are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Society, which accepts no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of this information unless confirmed in writing by a Society Manager.
We accept no liability for any loss or damage caused by viruses: you are advised to conduct your own checks on any attachments. When emailing us, be aware that email is not a 100 percent secure medium.
The British Psychological Society is a charity registered in England and Wales, Registration Number : 229642 and a charity registered in Scotland, Registration Number : SC039452 - VAT Registration Number : 240 3937 76
www.bps.org.uk
**************************
**********************************************************************
1. To suspend yourself from the list, whilst on leave, for example,
send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask] with the following message:
set psci-com nomail -- [include hyphens]
2. To resume email from the list, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message:
set psci-com mail -- [include hyphens]
3. To leave psci-com, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the message:
leave psci-com -- [include hyphens]
4. Further information about the psci-com discussion list, including list archive, can be found at the list web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/psci-com.html
5. The psci-com gateway to internet resources on science communication and science and society can be found at http://psci-com.ac.uk
6. To contact the Psci-com list owner, please send an email to mailto:[log in to unmask]
**********************************************************************
|