Leading UK scientists back STEM Ambassadors programme
In a recent poll carried out by STEMNET, 88% of the scientists surveyed said they believe that the UK is facing a STEM skills shortage which could leave the next generation ill-equipped to tackle major scientific and technological challenges.
Lord Professor Robert Winston, a supporter of STEMNET’s Ambassadors programme, said 'Science and technology are increasingly vital in the world today and the study of these subjects benefits all of us whether we realise it or not. Scientists like me have a very important role to play in inspiring the next generation to see these areas as exciting – both through sharing experiences and offering young people the chance to get involved in practical work in a real-life scientific environment.'
The poll, which asked 317 SEAs to name the next decade’s biggest challenge, revealed that climate change is the most important issue that the STEM community has to tackle. Leading UK scientists added their thoughts:
Sir David Attenborough said he believed that the biggest challenge for scientists was to devise a method of directly and adequately tapping solar energy for humanity’s needs without creating any environmental pollution.
Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at Wadham College, Oxford, and presenter of this month’s BBC series The Story of Maths, said the biggest challenge facing his peers is to understand the mystery of prime numbers, the ‘atoms’ of mathematics. He said 'It is advances on the fundamental problems of science that are often the foundations for breakthroughs on more practical problems.'
Professor Dario Alessi, one of the world’s leading biochemists said he thought the biggest STEM challenge was extracting the useful information from DNA sequences to help us to live healthier and longer lives. On the issue of inspiring the next generation, he commented 'Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge. He was right. Unfortunately many children are put off science as they often feel it involves learning too many complex facts. We need new approaches to let our kids know why science is so exciting.'
Quentin Cooper, a science journalist and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s The Material World, said, 'For me a huge part of the excitement of science, technology, engineering and maths is that they map out the future by constantly exploring the unknown. The biggest STEM challenge ahead is conveying that excitement and that power over the future.'
Dr Maggie Aderin, a scientist whose career has involved making hand-held land mine detectors and a satellite sub-system to monitor wind speeds in the Earth’s atmosphere, said, 'I think that one of the biggest challenges facing the globe in the future is climate change. The challenge is very broad too, from predicting what is going to happen to tackling the effects on the climate and developing green resources for the future. For all these issues we need a world wide population of STEM practitioners. Our future will be in their hands.'
