ExcelScient » In The News

Royal Society recommends heavy investment in scientific research

ExcelScient — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:39:45 +0000

The UK must invest heavily in scientific research if it is to maintain its economic competitive advantage, according to a report by the Royal Society published today.

It comments that “there is little doubt that advances in science and technology will continue to transform the way we live, create new industries and jobs, and enable us to tackle seemingly intractable social and environmental problems”.

Additionally, the report warns that the UK’s current advantage is in danger as other countries ramp up spending in science to boost their economies. The Royal Society make 6 recommendations:

Recommendation 1: Put science and innovation at the heart of a strategy for long-term economic growth

Recommendation 2: Prioritise investment in excellent people

Recommendation 3: Strengthen Government’s use of science

Recommendation 4: Reinforce the UK’s position as a hub for global science and innovation

Recommendation 5: Better align science and innovation with global challenges

Recommendation 6: Revitalise science and mathematics education

Read the full report here.

University Education: Quantity or Quality

ExcelScient — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:10:24 +0000

The Association of Graduate Recruiters has published a general election manifesto calling on all political parties to abolish the target for getting 50 per cent of all under 30s into higher education.

According to Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, “the [50%] target has affected standards and damaged the quality of the student university experience”. Writing in The Telegraph, Gilleard says that the aim should be for young people to study at universities “on the basis of academic ability and achievement”. So, should the emphasis be on quantity or quality? Is the 50% benchmark a fatalistic target to set and is it pushing down university standards in order to achieve that goal? Or are we raising the general standard of education within the UK by encouraging more youngsters to increase the level of their skills?

Professor Steve Smith, president of Universities UK and vice-chancellor of the University of Exeter, and Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, talked to BBC Radio 4 to debate whether the rising number of university graduates is devaluing degrees. Listen here.

Space Sector R&D Finance Should be Increased

ExcelScient — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:34:10 +0000

A report prepared jointly by industry, government, and academia says that greater investment in the space sector will position the UK for future success.

The Space Innovation and Growth Strategy identifies key market opportunities – from internet provision via satellite to space tourism.

Andy Green, CEO of Logica and chairman of the Space IGT, on BBC news said: “What it would do [...] is give us a real opportunity to create wealth, jobs and taxes which will pay back the investment handsomely.”

“The UK has established a strong position and it’s quite clear that without government and industry working together that position will erode. I think we need to be realistic about that; we’re at a kind of tipping point.”

Missing the Point

Lisa Hall — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:30:50 +0000

Tories have been embarrassed over leaving out a decimal point in recent statistics this week.

The Conservative party claimed no less than three times that, of women in deprived areas, “54% are likely to fall pregnant before the age of 18, compared to just 19% in the least deprived areas.” The error was spotted by the Labour party, who noticed that the figures actually showed that 54.32 per 1000 women aged 15-17 years old fell pregnant, leading to a correct 5.4% statistic.

But this seems to be a common error. Searching the web for “decimal point error” leads to some fascinating (and equally concerning) stories, including a Pittsburgh water company who sent out immense bills when a third party contractor forgot the decimal point separating dollars and cents. In 2006, HBoS found a decimal point error in their unit pricing data that had existed for four years and it is thought that Clerical Medical paid out £11.6m in error, while other customers were deprived of £5.6m.

But this is not a recent problem. Winston Churchill’s father, Lord Randolph Churchill, who was Chancellor of the Exchequer, is quoted as saying, “I never could make out what those damned dots meant”.

Interpreting figures is an important skill and, while it is not one needed by everyone, shouldn’t handlers of statistics and data be trained to even this low level of mathematics?