Science and society: art and science collaborations in the United Kingdom

In this Perspective article, I consider ways in which the contemporary arts and sciences can interact with each other, and I outline the current opportunities for funding in the United Kingdom. I examine the view that, in an art-science collaboration, it is the artist who benefits most, and I cautiously suggest that this is an oversimplification. Evidence from interviews with scientists who have been involved in these collaborations shows that artistic experience and skills are of value in the scientific research process.     

Beyond 2000: science/biology education for the future

A number of countries are currently tackling the issue of curriculum reform in school science. In England and Wales, a 5-year moratorium on curriculum reform across the 5-16 age range will end in the year 2000. This article reviews the conclusions of a 2-year project, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, which explored ways in which a new science curriculum might be constructed and what it might look like. Particular attention is paid to the aims of science education, to the relationship between the content of a syllabus and its assessment, and to the suggestion that the science curriculum would be better presented as a relatively small number of explanatory stories rather than as a mass of detail. The proposals outlined here would allow for small but significant changes in the year 2000, and for more substantive changes thereafter, to be introduced only after adequate trialling. Our hope is that school science education in England and Wales can build on some of its current strengths and address certain weaknesses, leading to a more relevant and fulfilling education for future generations.     

The emergence of biomedical anthropology and its implications for the future

Primarily during the past 15 years a distinct new area within physical anthropology has emerged, biomedical anthropology. Physical anthropologists have become heavily involved in studying problems of relevance to the health and illness patterns of living humans. There has been a proportionate increase in biomedically focused papers published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, in biomedically focused papers presented at annual meetings of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, and in physical anthropology doctoral dissertations oriented toward modern biomedical phenomena. Proportionately more physical anthropologists are now employed in medical schools and there has been recent growth in the proportion of physical anthropologists in anthropology departments who claim some aspect of biomedical anthropology as a research interest. Increasingly, physical anthropologists are focusing their research on cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in America. These distinct trends are partially a result of the nature of physical anthropology and its unique biocultural perspective. However the growth of applied anthropology, the present academic marketplace, and the availability of research funds are probably also contributing factors. The emergency of biomedical anthropology holds promise for the future of physical anthropology and for its current employment crisis. Careers with academic and nonacademic organizations engaged in biomedical research appear to be a viable alternative to careers in departments of anthropology, for biomedical anthropologists. This will entail some reorientation of graduate training for physical anthropologists. More emphasis will have to be placed on substantive biomedical subjects, research methods, and data management and analysis.     

Graduate education and the role of the physical anthropologist in biomedical teaching and research

There is a place for the physical anthropologist in biomedical teaching and research because of the special and unique skills possessed by this individual. However, eventual success in the health sciences environment requires the student to obtain the knowledge and background for functionally oriented teaching and research. Students interested in a biomedical teaching and research career must prepare themselves methodologically and theoretically. This requires: (1) teaching qualifications, (2) an increased emphasis on methodology and technology, (3) an increased emphasis on research and experimental design, (4) appropriate interdisciplinary courses which provide the background for both teaching and research, (5) increased interaction with graduate faculty active in research, and (6) the latitude to adapt the graduate program to meet these specific needs. Students who finish their graduate training with a marketable skill, and who can apply their unique talents to a specialized area, will have broad appeal in the job market and will considerably strengthen their career opportunities.     

The Canadian general internist: education and future role.

Available manpower data indicate that for the forseeable future there will be a continuing requirement in Canada for specialists in general internal medicine. While these specialists will be located predominantly in community hospitals, they will also be needed in university medical centres. The major roles of the general internist will be (a) to provide consultative service to primary care physicians and to other specialists, (b) to provide continuing care to patients with complex serious illness and (c) to participate in intensive care, particularly in community hospitals. Therefore training programs in this specialty must provide adequate experience in consultative medicine in both university and community hospitals, an opportunity to follow up patients with chronic serious illness over long periods, and experience in a variety of intensive care settings including surgical intensive care units. In some university departments the organization and supervision of training programs in this discipline have been carried out by a division of internal medicine that has equal status with other specialty divisions within the department. This seems to have been a salutory development.     

The role of the biomedical physicist in the education of the healthcare professions: An EFOMP project

The role of the biomedical physicist in the education of the healthcare professions has not yet been studied in a systematic manner. This article presents the first results of an EFOMP project aimed at researching and developing this important component of the role of the biomedical physicist. A background to the study expands on the reasons that led to the need for the project. This is followed by an extensive review of the published literature regarding the role. This focuses mainly on the teaching contributions within programmes for physicians, diagnostic radiographers, radiation therapists, and the postgraduate medical specializations of radiology, radiotherapy, interventional radiology and cardiology. Finally a summary list of the specific research objectives that need to be immediately addressed is presented. These are the carrying out of a Europe-wide position audit for the role, the construction of a strategic role development model and the design of a curriculum development model suitable for modern healthcare professional education.     

The role of the IOB in the future of biological education

The Teacher Assessment Scheme (TAS) is a form of school-based assessment that has recently replaced the external practical examination in AL Biology of Hong Kong. This study aimed at understanding the problems encountered by teachers in implementing this innovation. Over 300 teachers expressed their concern about different aspects of the TAS in a questionnaire of 25 items and two open-ended questions. The responses showed that the teachers were deeply concerned about the lack of resource materials and training, as well as the heavy workload involved in designing and assessing practical activities for their students. Other key concerns included the impact of the scheme on student learning, the fairness of school-based assessment, and the need for a critical review on the implementation of the scheme. However, the teachers had a relatively low level of concern on their role in revising or improving the scheme. This paper also considers whether the levels of concern in different areas might change as the teachers gain experience in TAS.     

Science and society: Frozen delight

In the April, 1985 issue of Bio Essays, F. Vella presented an evaluation of the recent GPEP report, concerning medical school education in the United States. Here, Hilliard Jason and Jane Westberg present an additional discussion of the issues.     

A strategic development model for the role of the biomedical physicist in the education of healthcare professionals in Europe

This is the third of a series of articles targeted at biomedical physicists providing educational services to other healthcare professions, whether in a university faculty of medicine/health sciences or otherwise (e.g., faculty of science, hospital-based medical physics department). The first paper identified the past and present role of the biomedical physicist in the education of the healthcare professions and highlighted issues of concern. The second paper reported the results of a comprehensive SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) audit of that role. In this paper we present a strategy for the development of the role based on the outcomes of the SWOT audit. The research methods adopted focus on the importance of strategic planning at all levels in the provision of educational services. The analytical process used in the study was a pragmatic blend of the various theoretical frameworks described in the literature on strategic planning research as adapted for use in academic role development. Important results included identification of the core competences of the biomedical physicist in this context; specification of benchmarking schemes based on experiences of other biomedical disciplines; formulation of detailed mission and vision statements; gap analysis for the role. The paper concludes with a set of strategies and specific actions for gap reduction.     

Epigenetic determinism in science and society

The epigenetic “revolution” in science cuts across many disciplines, and it is now one of the fastest-growing research areas in biology. Increasingly, claims are made that epigenetics research represents a move away from the genetic determinism that has been prominent both in biological research and in understandings of the impact of biology on society. We discuss to what extent an epigenetic framework actually supports these claims. We show that, in contrast to the received view, epigenetics research is often couched in language as deterministic as genetics research in both science and the popular press. We engage the rapidly emerging conversation about the impact of epigenetics on public discourse and scientific practice, and we contend that the notion of epigenetic determinism – or the belief that epigenetic mechanisms determine the expression of human traits and behaviors – matters for understandings of the influence of biology and society on population health.     

Images in the dialogue between science and society

In France, over 45 millions people watch TV every day for more than 3 hours. Science and image get well together since most TV watchers trust this media and rely on it (more than on any other source) for their scientific information. This emphasizes the power of images, which do not always deliver information, but can be naively regarded as creating communication. Image is necessary and an event which does not generate images is a non-event. Images are more than just a support for scientific messages: technologies have produced an enormous amount of images which allow us to uncover the mysteries of the world and Universe, their beauty and delicacy. We can be fascinated by the discovery of the invisible world which surrounds us, and science has truly generated artistic masterpieces even though we should remember that its primary goal is to understand the world rather than to create images.