Lessons in science education from Nature Materials
Strong science education is an important part of any modern education. To ensure scientific progress, however, students need to aspire to academic careers, states this month's (April) Editorial in Nature Materials (8, 243; 2009). The article discusses the Amercan Recovery and Reinvestment Act, of which education forms a substantial part, not least to keep the school system from collapse. After highlighting some international comparisons and ingredients of a good scientific education, the Editorial draws attention to some specific projects:
" ....it is important to convey experience of scientific research, and the excitement of state-of-the art scientific research. Examples of public outreach are science fairs at US high schools, international science Olympiads and exhibitions such as Strange Matter, organized by the Materials Research Society. Another notable scheme is PhysiScope, based at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. In his Commentary on page 245, Christoph Renner describes this initiative, where teenagers experience practical experiments centred on advanced scientific concepts such as superconductivity. The experiments are conducted by PhD students and postdocs, and the venue is embedded within the physics department, so that students can also peek into the research labs. What better place to inspire students with the work of scientists?.....To stimulate interest in an academic career, students need to be encouraged and supported from an early age. Public outreach programmes are essential, and scientists' duties as teachers begin far sooner than with beginners' classes in college."
