Making science fun

Campaign marks beginning of National Science week - 7 – 16 March 2008

For centuries, Britain has dominated the world of science – particularly medical science.  Some of the world’s greatest scientists have been British – think Issac Newton, Alexander Fleming, Joseph Lister, or James Watt.

Over the past 20 years the number of science students graduating has dropped because of competition from ‘softer’ subjects like media studies.  The shortage of science graduates is having an impact on the wider economy as major British companies in IT, telecoms and the pharmaceutical industry are crying out for talented young scientists to help them compete on the international stage.

The Government recently announced an action plan to make science more attractive to students and now the pharmaceutical industry is supporting this with a new campaign to help educate the next generation of chemists.  The campaign, led by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), marks the beginning of National Science Week. It aims to target students from GCSE to degree.  The initiative hinges around a new online database offering a huge range of science resources to students, parents and teachers.

Careers in science are now at such a premium that top scientists earn top salaries as well as acclaim.  There are a wide variety of roles to choose from including laboratory based research, medical writing, chemical engineering and chemical technology.

Any budding scientists can go to: www.abpischools.org.uk and www.abpi-careers.org.uk