The Third Gareth Roberts Science Policy Lecture will be given by David Willetts, MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science. Mr Willetts will speak on the subject of ‘UK science skills for the future – what are the priorities’ tomorrow night, 19th October.

This event has sold out but you will be able to follow discussion on Twitter, via hashtag # ROBERTS2011.

The Gareth Roberts lectures are hosted by the Science Council to honour Sir Gareth Roberts, the founding president of the organisation, who died in 2007. This event is taking place as part of the 2011 London Science Festival.

Today the Royal Academy of Engineering hosted this months PolicyNet event, bringing together those working in science-policy to discuss the subject of how the new media has affected science conversation.

The talk was led by Andrew Cohen, Head of Science at the BBC and Michael Kenward OBE, Science Writer and former Editor of New Scientist. Both speakers talked on the subject before addressing questions from the audience.

Andrew Cohen began the talks by highlighting the powerful impact the new media has had on science communication over the past decade. In a positive light, science issues can now be broadcast to a far greater audience. The use of BBC iPlayer for example, can generate up to one million extra viewers post broadcast, while the development of interactive applications engage wider audiences with science. Social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook also facilitate discussion, allow for the creation of media hype and provide immediate feedback. Cohen ended by speaking of the importance of ‘old journalism’, and reminding that science needs charismatic and engaging spokesman like Prof. Brian Cox to represent science to the public more than ever before.

There is however a downside; many conversations about science via the new media can be sensationalized and misleading. Those responding to stories represent only a small sub-set of society – yet broadcasting these views over the internet can distort reader opinions of science as they tend not to provide a balanced argument. Responding to such criticism represents a challenge for organsisations which is further complicated by the merging of people’s personal and professional opinions that are often best kept separate.

Michael Kenward supported Cohens views of ‘old journalism’ and spoke of the frustrations associated with the abundance of poor quality information becoming so widely available via new media streams. Kenward pointed out the need to develop new ways to improve our usage of new media in order to obtain relevant information. The science writer recommended that to tackle this issue we should start by encouraging scientists to provide input into widely used resource websites such as Wikipedia. Scientist input to such sites to check for quality and accuracy would then provide correct information to those seeking it. He also warned of the lack of people older than 35 using new media technology and the need to engage them.

To follow the British Ecological Society, and stay updated with science-policy developments on Twitter search BESPolicy.

The British Ecological Society’s annual meeting begins today at the University of Leeds. The meeting is Europe’s largest gathering of ecologists. Hundreds of scientific papers will be presented at the meeting. Highlights include:

The BES Lecture, given by Professor Andrew Watkinson, director of Living with Environmental Change and former director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia.
Society faces a range of challenges from climate change to biodiversity conservation. Addressing these challenges demands a robust evidence framework for action. In addition, research increasingly needs to be seen to stimulate the economy, particularly the green economy. In his lecture, entitled Making a difference: research with impact, Professor Watkinson will examine how researchers should respond to these challenges.

In his Presidential Address, BES President Professor Charles Godfray will discuss Mosquitoes, malaria and ecology, arguing that ecology is critical for successfully controlling diseases spread by insects. We know surprisingly little about the ecology of major insect vectors of malaria in Africa, what they eat and how their populations are regulated. Professor Godfray will describe recent novel ideas for controlling mosquito vectors of malaria, and explore how ecological sciences can assist in their deployment.

Ecologists will report new findings on how inbreeding among bumblebees in the Western Isles of Scotland could be increasing their risk of extinction; explain why white-clawed crayfish from running water are thinner than those living in still water – information vital to saving this species from extinction in England and Wales; and reveal new ways of monitoring the impacts of Wave Hub, a site off Cornwall where wave energy converters are tested.

The BES team will be blogging from the annual meeting, at http://britishecologicalsociety.org/blog/2010am/. You can also follow news from the meeting on Twitter (#BES2010).