Fruits of Curiosity

The recently announced Royal Society 'Fruits of Curiosity: science innovation and future sources of wealth' inquiry is now seeking your views. The inquiry aims to look beyond the current 10-year investment framework and assess the long-term direction of UK science and innovation policy.

The deadline for submitting views is Friday 5 June 2009.

Find out more about the inquiry and how to submit your views.

SCORE welcomes science diploma delay

The Science Community Partnership Representing Education (SCORE) has welcomed the decision to delay the introduction of the Science Diploma at Level 3.

Sir Alan Wilson, the Chair of SCORE is quoted as saying, "The decision to delay for a year the launch of the Science Diploma at Level 3 is one that we have been pressing for over a considerable period of time and we are delighted to see Government recognise the need for further work. This additional development time can now be used to address a number of key issues to ensure that the Science Diploma becomes a successful qualification."

Issues which SCORE hopes to address include:

• How teaching, learning and assessment within the Science Diploma can be focussed towards applied sciences
• The development of customised qualifications to supplement to the principal learning of the diploma to prepare students for opportunities in the sciences within both Higher Education and employment
  

Read the Royal Society press release in full.
Visit the SCORE website.

Where have all the students gone?

The Independent has picked up on a report published by the Royal Society earlier this year which found that there has been a significant drop in the proportion of UK students studying doctorates in science from 65% to 57%. This drop is in contrast with the total number of PhDs being awarded in UK which has increased, due largely to the amount of EU and overseas student coming to study in the UK.



Judith Howard, chair of the Royal Society's higher education working group is quoted as saying, '"We have to be concerned and we have to be concerned now. There could be a lot of consequences for the economy."' The Royal Society would like to see incentives for students to take science, such as bursaries and reduced fees. It also believes increasing the time it takes to achieve a PhD should be increased from seven to eight years, in order to compete with other countries in the Bologna accord.


http://www.independent.co.uk/student/postgraduate/postgraduate-study/how-can-the-hard-sciences-attract-more-phd-students-806720.html

Anyone here who can innovate?

The THES reports that the Royal Society believes that the Government's desire for an innovation-based economy may be unfulfilled if the amount of UK students undertaking science PhDs does not increase. This follows a Royal Society report which shows the proportion of doctorates being awarded to UK students has decreased by nearly 10% in the last 10 years.

The report makes the following key suggestions:

• Reduction of fees for certain subjects
• Introduction of more bursaries
• Better promotion of science as a career option
• Introduction of an 8-year study period from start of first degree to PhD completion
• Detailed review of employer needs to inform study of STEM subjects in Universities
• More emphasis on a collaborative approach to learning

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=400376

http://royalsociety.org/news.asp?id=7405