the-BA : BA Press Release

Is there life on other planets? Can I live forever? Who’s got greater will power, men or women? And can chocolate save your life?

On Friday (7 March 2008), the public will be invited to challenge the nation’s scientists and engineers by posing questions on the Big Question Blog, a new forum launching to mark the start of National Science and Engineering Week.

A team of over 100 scientists and engineers from universities and institutions around the country have come together to run the Big Question Blog, which will carry thousands of questions and answers during the Week and beyond.

To launch the blog the Prime Minister Gordon Brown has posed his question: What is the single scientific advance which would do most to help us reduce poverty across the globe?

Other questions already posted include:
• Why don’t my eyes fall out when I sneeze?
• If I fell into a black hole where would I go?
• Do animals cry?
• Will we travel in time?
• How do animals predict earthquakes?

Professor Sir David King, President of the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science), the coordinators of National Science and Engineering Week, said:

“There is no question which science can’t address – whether it’s on a subject of global importance or a light-hearted inquiry about the world around us. We are all scientists at heart as we are all curious, questioning and creative. During the Week we want to give people of all ages the chance to directly ask questions of our scientists – by asking questions we want people to feel involved in scientific discovery and debate.”

Over 700,000 people are expected to attend over 3,000 events during National Science and Engineering Week making it one of the biggest public science activities in the world.

In addition to the Big Question Blog, there are events and activities across the UK that connect to the Week’s theme of “A Question of Science”:

• Is there life on other planets? Thursday 13 March (11am) – tune-in to a webcast from Jodrell Bank Observatory about their search for extra-solar planets and extra-terrestrial life.

• Are machines smarter than nature? Friday 14 March (10am) - Team Nature will square up to Team Technology at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in a battle to see who comes top in energy, medicine, engineering and intellect.

• Can we solve global warming? Saturday 15 March (10am) Cambridge - Visit Bjorn the polar bear, a life-sized, fully-animated pod puppet, and his keeper Arthur to find out out how polar bears are under threat and what we can do to tackle global warming.

• Where does our voice come from? Tues 11 March (1pm) Bloomsbury Theatre, London - Cognitive neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott will shed light on voices and accents with the help of Duncan Wisbey, impressionist and voice artist on Alistair McGowan’s Big Impression, using functional imaging of his brain and acoustic analyses of his voice made while he performs his vocal gymnastics.

• Are you ready to learn? School children across the UK are taking part in a national experiment designed to measure memory and concentration. Teachers TV are launching the experiment in partnership with the BA.

Taking a more irreverent look at science, the Ig Nobel tour is also coming to the UK during the week. The tour includes sword-swallowing American Dan Meyer who shared the 2007 Ig Nobel Medicine Prize with UK consultant radiologist Brian Witcombe for their research into ‘Sword Swallowing and Its Side Effects’.

Teenagers will also be encouraged to take part through a specially designed National Science and Engineering Week section of leading social networking site Piczo.

To post a question please visit www.the-ba.net/thebigquestion.

For more information about National Science and Engineering Week, including free activity packs and an online programme, visit http://www.the-ba.net/nsew.

National Science and Engineering Week is coordinated by the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) in partnership with the Engineering and Technology Board (ETB), and funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Kirsten Robinson on 0845 226 0803
kirsten.robinson@mission-21.com

Lisa Hendry on 020 7019 4946
Lisa.Hendry@the-ba.net

Notes for editors

1. The BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) is the UK's nationwide, open membership organisation that exists to advance the public understanding, accessibility and accountability of the sciences and engineering. Established in 1831, the BA organises major initiatives across the UK, including National Science and Engineering Week, the annual BA Festival of Science, programmes of regional and local events, and an extensive programme for young people in schools and colleges. For more information about the BA, please visit www.the-ba.net.

2. The Engineering and Technology Board (ETB) is an independent organisation that promotes the vital role of engineers, engineering and technology in our society. The ETB partners business and industry, government and the wider science and technology community: producing evidence on the state of engineering; sharing knowledge within engineering; and inspiring young people to choose a career in engineering, matching employers’ demand for skills. For more information about the ETB please visit www.etechb.co.uk.

3. National Science and Engineering Week, which runs from 7-16 March 2008, takes science to the public rather than waiting for the public to find science. During the week, events are organised throughout the UK by a large and varied range of organisations and individuals including hospitals, schools, industry and museums, with venues ranging from shopping centres to pubs and churches. For more information, including an online programme of events, visit www.the-ba.net/nsew.

4. This year the Discovery Channel is supporting National Science and Engineering week as part of its Science Season which gets off to an explosive start with the launch of The Big Experiment, a six–part series that starts on Thursday, 6 March at 9pm on The Discovery Channel. The show takes a class of unenthused teenagers from East London and explodes their misconceptions about science. It speeds the group of 13 year-olds through GCSE science, with three of the country’s most passionate experts leading them through a radically updated version of the National Curriculum. Speaking to them in their own language it challenges them to take risks with science and brings the curriculum off the textbook and into the real world. Add your pledge of support for science and access more information about the show on www.discoverychannel.co.uk/bigexperiment.

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