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It’s been a busy week both for Agency science and nationally. National Science and Engineering Week is upon us once more, with various surveys and initiatives in the news. And the Agency has seen the first meeting of its new General Advisory Committee on Science (GACS). Chaired by Professor Colin Blakemore, this committee will provide independent challenge on our scientific work and report to the FSA Board. I am very pleased that the work of this strategic committee is now under way and, together with our new Social Science Research Committee, will further strengthen the governance of science in the Agency. No doubt I will be blogging on the work of both in the coming months, as will others.
Following its first meeting, GACS held an open debate on 'Should we trust what scientists say about food?' An eminent panel of scientists comprising Professor Blakemore; Professor Kay-Tee Khaw of the Academy of Medical Sciences; Professor Erik Millstone, Professor in Science and Technology Policy at Sussex University; and fellow blogger and author of the weekly column on Bad Science in The Guardian Ben Goldacre, were joined by an audience of about 80 people. A key feature to emerge was the need for a clear audit trail of how we get from the science to policy, recognising that there is no such thing as a single scientific opinion and that there is often considerable uncertainty in our understanding. We pride ourself on transparency in the agency – indeed, this blog is part of that process – but I came away with some good ideas on how we can improve.
This week also saw the launch of the Public Attitudes to Science 2008 Survey with a reception and presentation at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. FSA colleagues attended the launch, where there was a chance to hear more about the results of the survey and how they have changed from 2007 results.
The aim of the survey was to look at what the public thinks about science, scientists and science policy in the UK. The research presents some key findings and suggests that, in many respects, as a nation we still see science as enriching our daily lives. It is interesting to see that people still feel that there needs to be greater engagement by scientists to communicate their processes and research at a much earlier stage than is happening at the moment. The research shows that overall we are a society much more comfortable with science than was the case in 2005, which is definitely a step in the right direction.
You can find more information about the results of the research on the Research Councils website.
The Agency needs to do more on communicating and explaining to the public the uncertainty in the science and the conflicting views, as well as making it easier for those who wish to look at the detailed evidence. But, as ever, I would welcome your thoughts on what we can do to increase trust in the FSA‘s science.
