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| Heidelberg, 28 March 2006 |
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| Bringing science out of the lab into the classroom
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| First print issue of Science in School |
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Press
Release 28 March 2006 [PDF]
Deutsch
Europe's first international, multidisciplinary journal for science teaching
launched today
Science is moving
more rapidly than ever; one groundbreaking discovery
chases the next at an incredible speed. School
teachers have trouble keeping up with the pace, and
many pupils call science classes "boring". Today,
Europe's major research organisations launch
Science in School, the first international, multidisciplinary
journal for innovative science teaching, to
provide a platform for communication between science
teachers, practising scientists and other stakeholders
in science education.
"Science is becoming increasingly international and
interdisciplinary," says Eleanor Hayes, editor of the
journal. "The most exciting development of the day
may happen anywhere in any field: students may
suddenly want to talk about a discovery on Mars, a
medical breakthrough or a natural disaster. On such
days it would be a shame not to put the textbooks
aside and to capitalise on that curiosity."
Published by EIROforum, a partnership between
Europe's seven largest intergovernmental research
organisations, Science in School will bridge the gap
between the worlds of research and schools. One
extremely powerful tool to achieve this will
be the journal's web-based discussion forum
[www.scienceinschool.org] that will establish a direct
dialogue between science teachers and researchers
across national and subject boundaries.
Science in School will appear quarterly online and in
print and will feature news about the latest scientific
discoveries, teaching materials, interviews with
inspiring teachers and scientists, reviews of books,
films and websites, suggestions for class trips, training
opportunities and many other useful resources for
science teachers. Contributors to the first issue
include the world-renowned neurologist and author
Oliver Sacks, and scientists and teachers from nine
countries.
"We urgently need to engage young people in science.
This is why the research community and the
European Commission are committed to outreach
and education activities," says Bill Stirling, Director
General of the European Synchrotron Radiation
Facility [ESRF], representing EIROforum at the launch
event. "Scientists across Europe, including those in
EIROforum labs, are continually making discoveries
that they would be willing and able to explain to
young people, but there's no central mechanism to
help do so - we think that this new journal can help
fulfil that function."
The launch of Science in School will take place during
the European Schools Science Symposium, hosted
by the European Molecular Biology Laboratory
[EMBL] in Heidelberg. Speakers at the launch include
representatives of the European Commission,
EIROforum and EMBL.
"Motivating more young people to take an interest in
understanding and learning science at school is
important not only because science careers are exciting
and rewarding, but also because young people
need to know about how science and technology is
changing our world - their world," says Stephen
Parker, Head of Education and Science of the
European Commission. "Science in School is just one
of the initiatives being supported by the Commission
to take this forward." EIROforum sustains many other
education activities including the 'Science on Stage'
festival, a sort of European teaching Olympics where
teachers present their most inventive methods. The
best projects from last year's 'Science on Stage' festival
will be featured in Science in School.
Science in School is supported by the European Commission's Science and Society Programme in the framework of the
NUCLEUS project.
EIROforum Press Contacts
CERN
Renilde Vanden Broeck
Tel: +41 22 767 21 41
E-mail: Renilde.Vanden.Broeck@cern.ch
EFDA
Jennifer Hay
Tel: +44 1235 466 232
E-mail: jennifer.hay@ukaea.org.uk
EMBL
Anna-Lynn Wegener
Tel: +49 6221 387 8452
E-mail: wegener@embl.de
ESA
Franco Bonacina
Tel: + 33 1 53 69 77 13
E-mail: franco.bonacina1@esa.int
ESO
Henri Boffin
Tel: +49 89 3200 6222
E-mail: hboffin@eso.org
ESRF
Montserrat Capellas
Tel: +33 476 88 26 63
E-mail: capellas@esrf.fr
ILL
Françoise Vauquois
Tel: +33 476 20 71 07
E-mail: vauquois@ill.fr
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