News & Views item - September 2010

 

 

 Australia's Chief Scientist Visits China and Germany -- the White House Hosts Its Third Educate to Innovate. (September 14, 2010)

In her first blog in just over two months Australia's Chief Scientist, Professor Penny Sackett reports she's "been back on the road again, this time to promote science relationships between Australia and China and develop a climate change tool with a research institute in Germany".

 

At the Shanghai Expo 2010 Professor Sackett chaired the China-Australia Commonwealth Roundtable on Astronomy... and presented a speech on sustainable cities at the Climate workshop dinner and launched a new report by the Australia Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT: Managing Our Urban Areas in a Changing Climate workshop Report). She also opened the Biotechnology: Improving Food Production and Quality and Human Health workshop.

 

Professor Sackett also makes the point that: "Of particular interest to me is the Young Scientist Exchange Program which lets mid-career researchers work between the two countries gaining valuable international experience in their field," and she notes that during National Science Week (August 14-22) she met with "as many students as I could, promoting science careers and helping all Australians realise that science is all around us, and best of all, fun!".

 

Her visit to Germany centred on the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Research there is focused "on potential future impacts and the carbon limits required to minimise the worst outcomes of rising temperatures. My office is in discussion with the Potsdam Institute about how to communicate much of that information in an accessible way to the public in Australia and around the world".

 

One of the disappointments during the term of the Rudd government is the lack of any significant engagement of our head of government regarding matters of science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) and while John Holdren is designated as the Advisor to the President  for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Australia's Chief Scientist is sequestered in the bowels of the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research rather than housed in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. How often she had one-on-one meetings with Mr Rudd remains to be revealed, and so far Prime Minister Gillard has given no indication that her relationship with Professor Sackett will be any less distant than that of Mr Rudd's.

 

To illustrate the difference between our head of government and that of US President Obama to STEM and STEM education is the upcoming rally at the White House to promote science education. ScienceInsider reports:

 

On Thursday the White House will host the third public event in an ongoing campaign to encourage the private sector to invest in precollege science and math education. The initiative, dubbed Educate to Innovate, showcases new and ongoing activities by companies, foundations, and professional organizations to train better teachers, raise student performance, and increase interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. Last fall's version, for example, launched National Lab Day, a Web site to link up teachers and scientists and engineers who want to volunteer in the classroom. This week's event is expected to showcase a new report on K–12 STEM education by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

 

The monumental disinterest of Labor to take advantage of Australia's economic wellbeing in contrast to that of its cohort nations to raise its status in STEM research and STEM education and the opposition's indifference is a disservice to Australians that will have repercussions through the first half of the century if not beyond.