ADDRESS TO

ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE SCIENCE

TEACHERS ASSOCIATION OF THE ACT

HON BARRY 0 JONES MP

MINISTER FOR SCIENCE

MINISTER ASSISTING THE MINISTER FOR

INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGY AND COWERCE

CSIRO HEADQUARTERS, LIMESTONE AVENUE

3.00PM FRIDAY 26 JULY 1985

Thank you f o r  your in v it a t io n  to  address the 1985 Conference o f the

Science Teacher's A s s o c ia tio n  o f the  ACT.

T his is  the f i r s t  tim e  sin ce  June 1975 th a t A u s tra lia  has had a M in is te r

f o r  S cience, in  is o la t io n ,  w ith  a r e s p o n s ib ility  f o r  the prom otion o f

knowledge and u nd e rstan d in g.

We have done f a i r l y  w e ll in  A u s tra lia  in  the prom otion o f knowledge. Our

in te r n a tio n a l re p u ta tio n  in  research is  w e ll e s ta b lis h e d . However our

re co rd  in  a p p ly in g  re se a rch , d is p e rs in g  in fo rm a tio n  and prom oting

understanding has been m ise ra b le .

The sheer c o m p le xity o f 2 0th  C entury science i s  a m ajor fa c to r  in h ib it in g

community understanding and su p p o rt. B u t, th e re  has a ls o  been a long

sta n d in g  a n t i- in t e lle c t u a l t r a d it io n  in  A u s tra lia  and i t  i s  s t i l l  a liv e

and well, today.

To be aware o f i t  i s  a f i r s t  ste p  towards overcoming i t  -  b u t the

problems are c o n s id e ra b le .

E a rly  t h is  year the  B r it is h  jo u rn a l New S c ie n tis t (21 February 1985)

p u b lish e d  the r e s u lts  o f a p u b lic  o p in io n  p o ll i t  had commissioned to

determ ine p e o p le 's  o p in io n s  o f v a rio u s  aspects o f science and technology

in  th e  UK. People were asked to  name the  th re e  most famous s c ie n tis ts

( li v in g  o r dead) th a t they knew o f. The most famous s c ie n tis t  ( liv in g  o r

dead) was re ve ale d  as "D o n 't know" w ith  47 p e r ce nt o f the v o te . A lb e rt

E in s te in  was next on the  l i s t .  But then E in s te in  was always good copy in

areas o u ts id e  h is  p ro fe s s io n a l d is c ip lin e ,  in  h is  o p p o s itio n  to  the

darkness o f t o t a lit a r ia n is m ,  in  h is  su pp o rt o f human r ig h ts  and C iv il

lib e r t ie s ,  in  h is  in t e r e s t  in  th e  m e ta p h ysica l, the  in t e lle c t u a l debate

about chance and d eterm inism , h is  passion a te  p a c ifis m  and

in te r n a tio n a lis m  and h is  determ ined o p p o s itio n  not only to  n uclea r

weapons b ut also  to  n u cle a r power, to  both o f which he had made a unique

c o n tr ib u tio n . Most, i f  not a l l  o f these in te r e s ts  make him in te n s e ly

s im p a tic o . The fa c t th a t nobody understood him h a rd ly  m a ttere d .

E in s te in  remains the  o n ly 20th C entury s c ie n tis t  whose name and image are

recognised not o n ly by l it e r a t e  p eople, fo llo w e d  a t some d ista n ce  by

M arie Curie/. There i s  Freud, o f course, but h is  s ta tu s  as a s c ie n tis t

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would be h o tly  co n te ste d . Who runs th ir d ? . There m ight be a s c a tte re d

ftohr, O ^d Cr ic k

re c o g n itio n  o f R u th e rfo rd , V M a m a M H o a K g . But P la n ck, Heisenberg and

D ira c -  they r e ta in  t h e ir  awesome re p u ta tio n s  among th e  i n it ia t e d  w ith o u t

ever having made any im pact on p o p u la r conciousness.

The o th e r and more f a m ilia r  image o f science is  th a t o f Dr S tra n g e lo ve ,

created by T e rry  S outhern and memorably p o rtra y e d  by P e te r S e lle r s  in

S tanley K u b ric k 's  f ilm  o f the  same name.

Science was th e  s u b je c t o f in te n s e  p o p u la ris a tio n  u n t i l  W orld War I I .

R ig h t through the  1 9 th  Century and w e ll in to  the 2 0 th  the  e x p o s itio n  o f

science and i t s  im pact on l i r e  was a h ig h ly  v is ib le  in t e l le c t u a l a c t i v it y

-  Humphry Davy, M ichael Faraday, Joseph Henry, T H H u xle y, W illia m  Bragg,

James Jeans, A rth u r E ddington and J u lia n  H uxley, were accom plished

le c tu r e r s  and p o p u la ris e rs . T his honourable t r a d it io n  has la r g e ly

disappeared: C a rl Sagan and Stephen Jay Gould are q u ite  e x c e p tio n a l.

S c ie n tis ts  are now u ltr a - s p e c ia lis e d , h e rm e tic a lly  sealed o f f  n ot only

from the  community, b u t o fte n  from  o th e r p r a c titio n e r s  in  re la te d

d is c ip lin e s .

In  the golden days o f p o p u la r science i t  was p o s s ib le  to  appeal to  la rg e

audiences by e x p la in in g  't h i s  is  how e le c t r i c i t y  w orks' ( a t an

e s s e n tia lly  fu n c tio n a l le v e l) :  'T h is  is  a te le g ra p h , a m icrophone, a

ra d io , an X -ra y machine. T his is  how the in te r n a l com bustion engine, th e

motor c a r, the  a irp la n e , th e  submarine w o rk .'

P a rt c f s c ie n c e 's  s tre n g th  a t t h is  tim e was i t s  a b i l i t y  to  b rin g

understanding to  people in  general -  to  show how th e  u n iv e rs e  works and

how in v e n tio n s  have b ro u g h t about m ajor changes in  t h e ir  liv e s .

P a rt o f th e  p re se n t weakness o f science as a p o l i t i c a l  a n d /o r c u ltu r a l

fa c to r  in  th e  age o f Dr S tran g elove  i s  i t s  p s y c h o lo g ic a l remoteness: th e

audience no lo n g e r r e la te s . Where 19th Century p o p u la r scie n ce  revealed

m yste rie s, la te  20th C entury e s o te ric  science appears to  say 'th e

s tru c tu re  o f the  u n ive rse  i s  i n f i n i t e l y  m y s te rio u s '. The more we e xp lo re

the le ss c o n fid e n t we can be about our c a p a c ity  to  p ro v id e  meaning.

T y p ic a lly  we downgrade th e  im portance o f th in g s  we do n o t understand.

P o lit ic ia n s  and b u re a u cra ts who m ight have been reasonably c o n fid e n t o f

t h e ir  laym an's grasp o f how the  motor ca r worked, o r th e  s ig n ific a n c e  o f

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p e n i c i l l i n  o r DDT have n othing whatever to  say about the s ig n ific a n c e  o f

m ic ro e le c tro n ic s , computers, in fo rm a tio n  th e o ry , subatomic p a r tic le s ,

s u p e rc o n d u c tiv ity , DMA, RNA and m o le cu la r b io lo g y . Since they d o n 't even

p re te n d  to  understand any o f these b u t are n a tu r a lly  u n w illin g  to  confess

ig n o ra n ce , the 'avoidance syndrome* comes in t o  o p e ra tio n . P o l it ic a l ly ,

science is  a t the o u te r p e rip h e ry . Â»

My b ig g e s t s in g le  p r i o r i t y  now is  to  ra is e  the  p r o f ile  o f science in  a

p o l i t i c a l  c o n te x t. 'There are no vo te s in  s c ie n c e ' has o fte n  been

remarked -  although not by me. I t  c e r ta in ly  has been tru e  -  b ut w i l l  be

le s s  so by 1987.

Science and even more i t s  a p p lie d  a re a , Technology, is  seen as a th re a t -

exacerbated by our f a ilu r e  to  understand i t .  Technology (and Science) is

in e v ita b ly  lin k e d  w ith  atom ic weapons and d e liv e r y  systems w ith  the

c a p a c ity  to  e x tin g u is h  l i f e  on t h is  p la n e t. The mushroom cloud

m e ta p h o ric a lly  hangs over us a l l  -  and science is  blamed, o fte n

su b co n scio u sly, f o r  th a t th r e a t.

Computers are seen as th r e a ts  to  p riv a c y  and human c a p a c ity , w ith  good

reason, and ro b ots are seen as th r e a ts  to  t r a d it io n a l blue c o lla r  process

work.

New S c ie n t is t 's  p u b lic  o p in io n  p o ll had some very in t r e s tin g  th in g s  to

say about p u b lic  p e rc e p tio n s  o f scie n ce  and tech n olog y. For example,

45 p e r c e n t o f the sample p o p u la tio n  s a id  th a t science and technology d id

more harm than good, o n ly 38 p e r ce n t b e lie v e d  th a t the  o p p o site  was

tr u e . In te r e s tin g ly , respondents w ith  h ig h e r le v e ls  o f science education

o r o th e r c o n ta c t w ith  science were more li k e l y  to  re g ard  science as "a

good t h in g " .

The message i s  c le a r, u nd erstanding o f science and i t s  concepts re s u lts

in  a g re a te r a p p re c ia tio n  o f science and i t s  b e n e fits  and presumably a ls o

r e s u lts  in  an a b i l i t y  to  make inform ed d e c is io n s  about science and

te ch n o lo g y.

The uses th a t science is  put to  i s  a p p a re n tly  a m a tte r o f concern f o r

most o f the  sample p o p u la tio n . 83 p e r ce nt o f respondents agreed th a t

s c ie n t i f i c  knowledge in  i t s e l f  was good, but th a t i t  i s  the way in  which

th a t knowledge was a p p lie d  th a t c re a te d  problem s. The m a jo rity  (84%)

th o u g h t th a t s c ie n tis ts  and te c h n o lo g is ts  should pay more a tte n tio n  to

th e  s o c ia l im p lic a tio n s  o f t h e ir  work. . "

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As you w i l l  be aware however, the a p p lic a tio n  o f s c ie n t if ic ,  knowledge is

n ot s o le ly  the  r e s p o n s ib ility  o f s c ie n tis ts .  There are o th e r p la ye rs in

th e  game. I  co n sid e r i t  e s s e n tia l th a t the  s c ie n t i f i c  lit e r a c y  o f the

p o p u la tio n  be increased g r e a tly . However, t h is  s c ie n t if ic  conciousness

should develop in  c o n ju c tio n  w ith  scie n ce  conscience so th a t people -

s c ie n tis ts ,  engineers and the community a t la rg e  are cognisant o f the

impacts o f science and technology on s o c ie ty .

Science teachers have a v i t a l  ro le  to  p la y  in  fo s te rin g  p o s itiv e

a ttitu d e s  to  science and i t s  a p p lic a tio n s  among science stu d e n ts.

A la rg e  r e s p o n s ib ility  f a l l s  to  th e  n a tio n 's  le a d e rs . To p ro p e rly

address th a t r e s p o n s ib ility  re q u ire s  an awareness o f science and

technology and i t s  im pacts. In t e r e s t in g ly ,  76 p e r ce n t o f respondents to

New S c ie n t is t 's  survey b e lie v e d  th a t p o lit ic ia n s  should know more about

scie n ce .

There are fo u r  problem areas which need to  be addressed (a lthough

re s o lu tio n  w i l l  be h a rd e r), both w ith in  th e  e du ca tion  system and the

community a t la rg e .

1. The p s y c h o lo g ic a l b a r r ie r . In c re a s in g ly  th e  a p p re c ia tio n  o f science

depends on acceptance o f a u th o r ity  ra th e r than 'common sense' and

t h is  le a d s to  a degree o f a lie n a tio n  from  r e a lit y  and the. community.

B efore th e  Renaissance when people b e lie v e d  th a t the  Sun moved round

th e  E a rth , th a t the E a rth  was f l a t  and th a t fo rc e s  d id  not operate a t

a d is ta n c e , a l l  th re e  p ro p o s itio n s  co u ld  be proved sim ply by gazing

o u t th e  window. Then s c ie n tis ts  came along and s a id : 'Your common

sense views are a l l  wrong. We know b e tte r  -  but you must r e ly  on our

a u th o r ity  because you cannot t e s t  i t  f o r  y o u r s e lf '.  T h is is

e s p e c ia lly  tru e  today w ith  complex areas lik e  m ic ro e le c tro n ic s  and

subatom ic p a r tic le s .

2 H is to ry  o f science ta u g h t as 'success s t o r y '. Dr Yehuda Elkana o f

the Van Leer Foundation in  Jerusalem  a s s e rts  th a t the h is to r y  o f

science Has been very badly ta u g h t: th a t i t  is  seen as a steady,

sin g le-m in d ed  p u r s u it o f t r u t h  -  a lin e a r  p ro je c tio n  based on steady

a d d itio n  to  knowledge. S cience, he says, does not grow by

accum ulation. Much g re a t science i s  d e m o litio n is t, d e stro yin g  the

acquired wisdom o f the p a s t. He urges more teaching on the major

s c ie n t i f i c  debates o f p a st and p re s e n t and ways in  which s c ie n tis ts

c a rry  t h e ir  value systems w ith  them along p a rty  lin e s  (Lysenko was

only one o f many).

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3 U ltra - s p e c ia lis a tio n  v . v o r ld  v ie w . P ro fe sso r Gerald H o lto n  o f

Harvard in  an essay Do s c ie n tis ts  need a philosophy? (TL.S, '

November 2 1984) observes th a t E in s te in , Bohr, Heisenberg and

Schrodinger were e xtre m e ly w id e ly  read in  philosophy and saw t h e ir

p a r tic u la r  areas o f e x p e rtis e  w ith in  a co n te xt o f epistem ology -  as

p a rt o f a world vie w . There was a m ajor conceptual debate between

E in s te in  and Bohr in  the  1 9 3 0 's. E in s te in  was a re v o lu tio n a ry  in  h is

views about the laws o f p h y s ic s  but a co n se rva tive  in  h is  th e o rie s  o f

knowledge (how id e as are fo rm e d ). Bohr was a c o n s e rv a tiv e  p h y s ic is t

but a re v o lu tio n a ry  e p is te m o lo g is t. H olton suggests th a t such a

debate would be im p o s s ib le  today where p h y s ic is ts  (and o th e r

s c ie n tis ts )  c o n c e n tra te  on t h e ir  own area o f u lt r a - s p e c ia lis a tio n  and

r a r e ly  read o u ts id e  i t .  A b r i l l i a n t  young Nobel P riz e  w inner in

P hysics, Sheldon Glashow, a d m itte d  reading only science f i c t i o n

(V e liko vsky and L Ron Hubbard) in  h is  fo rm a tive  years.

4 Science excluded fro m  the  p o l i t i c a l  c u ltu r e . As I  sa id  in  the  Second

Whitlam Lecture (NSW Fabian S o c ie ty , November 1984), we have been

very slow to re co gn ise  th e  o bviou s lin k a g e  between technology and

economic growth and scie n ce  i s  n ot y e t an element in  our p o l i t i c a l

c u ltu r e .

'The Y a r tz ', as Les P a tte rs o n  would say are p a rt o f i t ,  women's -

issu e s, environm ental is s u e s  and s p o rt are a l l  p a r t o f i t ,  but n ot

science. Not ye t anyway.

Many of you w i l l  be aware th a t th e  D iscu ssio n  D ra ft o f the  N a tio n a l

Technology S tra te g y was re le a s e d  in  1984, some s ix  months a f t e r  the

N a tio n a l Technology C onference. More than 8000 copies were d is tr ib u te d

and approxim ately 250 w r itt e n  subm issions were received from  business,

government, in io n s , re s e a rc h e rs , edu ca to rs, p u b lic  in te r e s t groups and

in d iv id u a ls .

The N a tio n a l Technology S tra te g y  Revised D iscussion D ra ft has now been

re le ase d . I t  has much to  say about education and i t s  ro le  in  tim es o f

ra p id  te c h n o lo g ic a l change. S p e c ific  o b je c tiv e s  have been developed f o r

the  education s e c to r; some o f these in c lu d e :

1) Increase g en e ra l in t e lle c t u a l s k i l l s ,  in c lu d in g  lit e r a c y  and

numeracy, which a s s is t in d iv id u a ls  to  understand and p a r tic ip a te

in  a te c h n o lo g ic a l s o c ie ty .

b

2) Increase p a r tic ip a tio n  by a t le a s t 30 per ce n t in  the la s t two

years o f secondary e d u ca tio n , so th a t by 1995 most people w i l l

com plete a f u l l  secondary e d u ca tio n , e ith e r  in  school o r a TAFE

in s t it u t io n  o r in  some com bination o f work and e du cation.

3 ) Increase youth p a r tic ip a t io n  in  t e r t ia r y  e du ca tion  from the

c u rre n t le v e l o f 99,000 in  advanced e du ca tio n  and u n iv e rs ity  and

184,000 in  TAFE to  105,000 and 196,000 re s p e c tiv e ly  in  next

th re e  years.

4 ) Increase p a r tic ip a t io n ,  p a r tic u la r ly  by women, in  secondary and

t e r t ia r y  e du ca tion  s p e c ific a lly  re la te d  to  technology, eg,

scie n ce , m athem atics, e n g in e e rin g , in d u s t r ia l d esign ,, management

and business s tu d ie s . Increa se  the number o f m u ltid is c ip lin a r y

courses lin k in g  these d is c ip lin e s .

There are co n sid e ra b le  im p lic a tio n s  f o r  science educators in  these

o b je c tiv e s  and t h e ir  achievement w i l l  re q u ire  s p e c ific  a c tio n s  such as:

. im proving stu d e n t p e rc e p tio n s , p a r t ic u la r ly  among women, o f the

value o f te c h n o lo g y -o rie n te d  e du ca tion  and associated careers

throu g h  b e tte r  c a re e r c o u n s e llin g  and by im proving a ttitu d e s  to

S&T amongst s tu d e n ts , teachers and the  p u b lic .

The OECD Examiners in  t h e ir  Review o f N a tio n a l Science P o lic ie s  -

A u s t r a lia , shared th e  view expressed in  th e  S tra te g y  th a t the c o n d itio n

o f A u s tra lia n  secondary schools is  c r i t i c a l  f o r  te c h n o lo g ic a l development.

The Exam iners also commented on what seemed to  be th e  widespread view

th a t technology was in  some way e x te rn a l to  n a tio n a l l i f e .  T his somewhat

remote a tt it u d e  to  technology (and to  science) seems to  have le d  to  a

c o n s is te n t u n d e re valu a tio n  o f n a tio n a l s c ie n t i f i c  and te c h n o lo g ic a l

achievem ents and o p p o rtu n itie s .

The com m unity's awareness o f th e  value o f science e du ca tion  and o f the

r o le  o f technology in  s o c ie ty  is  th e re fo re  a s u b je c t o f fundamental

im p o rta nce .

/

To fu n c tio n  e ff e c t iv e ly  in  the  p o s t - in d u s tr ia l s o c ie ty  in d iv id u a ls  w i l l

need a g re a te r awareness and u nd e rstan d in g  o f science and technology.

T h is should lead to :

-  a b e tte r  b a sis fo r  community in volvem ent in  d e c is io n s  about technology

-  replacem ent o f fe a r about technology w ith  a more p o s itiv e  and

c o n s tru c tiv e  a ttitu d e ; t h is  should lead to  a g re a te r lik e lih o o d  o f

success o f technology development s tra te g ie s  and a g re a te r lik e lih o o d

th a t technology development w i l l  c o n trib u te  to  s o c ia l g oa ls.

In  t h is  re g a rd  education has a c r u c ia l r o le  in  prom oting g re a te r

awareness and understanding o f S&T is s u e s . This i s  not ju s t a m a tter o f

g re a te r exposure to hardware a t s c h o o l, although th a t i s  im p o rta n t. I t

a lso  means exposure to  the  issu e s a sso cia te d  w ith  S&T and encouragement

o f q u e s tio n in g  and debate about th e  ch o ice s in v o lv e d . There is  th e re fo re

a need f o r  stud e nts to  have access to  technology such as computers, and

f o r  c u r r ic u la  to  be up to  date w ith  S&T developments and associated

issues and to  in clu d e  courses on S cience, Technology and S o c ie ty .

As you w i l l  be aware a N a tio n a l C entre f o r  Science and Technology has

been e s ta b lis h e d  in  an e f f o r t  to  h e lp  A u s tra lia n s  to  a g re a te r

understanding o f Science and Technology. The Centre i s  a major vi\JLL . '

B ic e n te n n ia l p ro je c t and^a n a tio n a l a s s e t. I t  fe a tu re s  an e xte n sive

m obile e x h ib itio n  which w i l l  t r a v e l throu g ho u t A u s tra lia  in  1988 and

beyond. The concept o f the  C entre i s  based on the same hands-on

p hiloso p hy which has proved so s u c c e s s fu l in  g e ttin g  th e  message across

to  the thousands o f v is it o r s  to  AMJ's Questacon science c e n tre .

The Centre w i l l  be a m ajor n a tio n a l e d u c a tio n a l resource p ro v id in g

support and extension f a c i l i t i e s  f o r  e du ca tion  departm ents.

The Centre w i l l  f u l f i l  a number o f needs; i t  w i l l  serve the s c ie n t i f i c

community by p ro v id in g  an in te r fa c e  w ith  the p u b lic  on s o c ia l issu e s, and

i t  w i l l  serve in d u s try  by d em on stra ting  i t s  dependence on s c ie n t if ic

in n o v a tio n . Government w i l l  be served by g re a te r p u b lic  understanding o f

the consequences o f te c h n o lo g ic a l advances and o f the o p p o rtu n itie s  they

create f o r  the  fu tu re . Above a l l ,  the c e n tre  w i l l  serve a l l  A u s tra lia n s

by s tim u la tin g  t h e ir  s c ie n t i f i c  a p p e tite s  and fee d in g  them w ith

experiences which w i l l  r e s u lt in  b e tte r  in form ed, s o c ia lly  and

s c ie n t i f i c a ll y  conscious c itiz e n s .

ÃÂµ

Those who have no understanding of the ideas and p ra c tic e s  o f science and

cannot communicate about them are c u t- o f f  from  a fundam ental p a rt o f

to d a y 's  c u ltu r e . They are as e ffe c tiv e ly  c u t- o f f  from  the w id e r c u ltu re

as those who have not y e t learned to read o r w r ite .

To promote u nd e rsta n d in g  about how s c ie n t if ic  and te c h n o lo g ic a l changes

w i l l  a fr e e t our fu tu r e  th e  Government has e s ta b lis h e d  th e  Commission fo r

the  F u tu re . The Com m ission's o b je c tiv e  w i l l  be to  ra is e  community

awareness o f th e  s o c ia l and economic im pacts o f te c h n o lo g ic a l change and

to  s tim u la te  debate about o ptio n s f o r  the fu tu r e . I t  w i l l  focus on and

in fo rm  A u s tra lia n s  about the  o p tio n s each o f us w i l l  have to  choose about

the  fu tu r e . I t s  work w i l l  be addressed to  the community a t la rg e  and i t

is  hoped th a t th e  media, schools, lo c a l government, unions and business

w i l l  use the Commission as a valuable resources.

P opular d is c u s s io n  papers, school k it s  e tc w i l l  be p u b lis h e d  and the

Commission w i l l  no doubt regard schools as one o f i t s  most im p o rta n t

ta rg e ts .

In  exam ining the im p lic a tio n s , problems and p o s s i b il it ie s  presented by

new tech n olog y, th e  Commission must be s e le c tiv e . I t  is  a sm a ll body

w ith  lim ite d  resources which r e s t r ic t  the  range o f issu e s which i t  can

ta c k le . The ta s k s  which i t  has decided to  address, i n i t i a l l y ,  a re :

. technology and th e  fu tu r e  o f work

. e d u ca tio n , t r a in in g  and r e tra in in g

. the in fo rm a tio n  s o c ie ty

. h e a lth

. demographic tre n d s  and the im p lic a tio n s  o f th e  ageing s o c ie ty

These c le a r ly  do not exhaust the  l i s t  o f im p o rta n t s o c ia l issu e s ra is e d

by technology but they are c le a r ly  o f profound im p o rta n ce . .

For the new g e n e ra tio n  o f s c ie n tis ts  education should be aimed a t

p ro v id in g  g en e ra l c a p a b ilit ie s  which w i l l  not be r a p id ly  outdated and to

which p a r tic u la r  s p e c ia l s k i l l s  can be added and d is c a rd e d , as '

a p p ro p ria te  -  a b asic lit e r a c y  in  mathematics and the scie n ces, in

language and com m unication, in  problem c o n s tru c tio n  and problem

s o lu tio n . However th e  most im p o rta n t o f these g e n e ra l c a p a b ilitie s  is

th e  a b i l i t y  to  th in k  and to  le a rn  (to g e th e r w ith  th e  m o tiv a tio n  and

9

awareness o f the  need to  le a rn  f u r t h e r ) . W ith these c a p a b ilit ie s ,

in d iv id u a ls  a re  lik e ly  to  be b e tte r equipped to  handle changes in

employment and undertake the r e tr a in in g  which w i l l  be necessary, several

tim e s, d u rin g  th e  working l i f e .

Today I  have spoken in  general terms about science e du ca tion  and i t s  ro le

in  community awareness o f science and tech n olog y and in  the community's

a b i l i t y  to  cope w ith  te c h n o lo g ic a l change.

Many o f you w i l l  be aware o f the  la c k  o f community a p p re c ia tio n  and

understanding o f the  im p o rta n t ro le  o f scie n ce  and science education in

A u s tra lia . To quote from  ASTA's R eport on th e  N a tio n a l Symposium on

Science in  A u s tra lia n  Schools h eld  in  O ctober 1984:

Science i n  A u s tra lia  e x is ts  in  is o la t io n  from  the mainstream o f

community l i f e  and in te r e s ts . There i s  l i t t l e  community re c o g n itio n

o f su cce ssfu l A u s tra lia n  s c ie n tis ts  and t h e ir  achievements w h ile , on

the o th e r hand, th e re  is  an apparent u n w illin g n e s s  o r in a b i l i t y  on

the  p a rt o f most s c ie n tis ts  to  communicate t h e ir  re search to  the

p u b lic . D espite some re ce n t im provem ent, th e re  is  l i t t l e

p re s e n ta tio n  and d iscu ssio n  o f scie n ce  and technology in  th e  major

commercial media. The r e s u ltin g  is o la tio n is m  cre a te s the

m isconception on th e  p a rt o f the  community th a t science i s  a concern

o f the science community alone r a th e r than A u s tra lia n s  a t la rg e .

Our aim must be to  c o rre c t t h is  d e p lo ra b le  s it u a t io n .  ASTA has p o in te d

out th a t the  s o lu tio n  lie s  in  concerted a c tio n  by Federal and State

Governments, in d u s try , p ro fe s s io n a l s c i e n t i f i c  and e d u c a tio n a l bodies and

o f course by science teachers them selves.

The D ircks Report on The Place o f Science in  the  K-12 C u rriculum  o f

A u s tra lia n  Schools p o in ts  out th a t in le s s  th e  whole community i s  aware o f

th e  iro o rta n c e  o f science in  e du ca tio n  and is  prepared to  p o s itiv e ly

support science education then many o th e r problem  areas w i l l  not be

re a d ily  overcome.

I  b e lie v e  th a t the ra p id ly  changing s o c ie ty  i n  which we are liv i n g  o ffe rs

a major ch allen g e  f o r  science e ducators and th a t the o p p o rtu n itie s  are

o n ly  lim ite d  by your im a g in a tio n . Unless we can enthuse the young to

take up science, and can improve th e  image o f science and technology

among the community, A u s tra lia  faces th e  p ro sp e ct o f a d e c lin in g  liv in g

standard a g a in s t the ra p id ly  deve lo p ing  n a tio n s  o f the P a c ific .

