Policy
Should we save the panda?
by Rebecca Nesbit, Press Officer at the Society of Biology This week I added a poll to the Society of Biology website in honour of our upcoming debate during Biology Week: ‘should we save the panda?’. I admit I haven’t yet voted, because I don’t know what to say. If I look at the question … Continue reading
Sharing best practice in Higher Education
Eva Sharpe, HE Policy Officer This summer, the Heads of University Biosciences held its first Parliamentary Summer Reception in the House of Commons, co-hosted by Andrew Miller MP, Dr Julian Huppert MP and Mark Lancaster MP. The event celebrated HUBS becoming a Special Interest Group of the Society of Biology, bringing members together with the … Continue reading
Our Public Forests
Following the Comprehensive Spending Review in 2010, where the Defra budget was cut by a whopping 30% (the government average was 19%) Environment secretary Caroline Spelman MP announced plans to sell off the Public Forestry Estate: 258000 hectares of publicly owned woodland that currently costs £20 million to manage. This sell-off was met with fierce … Continue reading
Campaigning for libel reform
Guest blog from James Lush, Policy Officer at the Biochemical Society Is has been a very busy couple of weeks for openness. First there was the Government-commissioned Finch Group report on open access to research publications. Then there was the Royal Society report ‘Science as an open enterprise’. And on Wednesday, the libel reform campaign … Continue reading
Science, sport, and politics combine for Parliamentary Links Day
Around 250 MPs and distinguished scientists gathered at the House of Commons to discuss Science and Sport, as the Society of Biology hosted the biggest ever Parliamentary Links Day. House of Commons speaker Rt Hon Jon Bercow MP opened the event, telling delegates that although there was a ‘great distance to travel’ in terms of … Continue reading
Whose Impact is it Anyway?
Guest post by Ceri Margerison, Policy Manager at the British Ecological Society ‘Whose Impact is it Anyway?’ was the question that the latest in the ‘Talk Science‘ series of events at the British Library tried to address on Tuesday evening. The event, a panel discussion chaired by William Cullerne Bown of Research Fortnight and in … Continue reading
GM crop debate: where to go from here?
On Sunday I donned my ‘Don’t Destroy Research’ badge and joined Sense About Science at the Take the Flour Back protest. Take the Flour Back had pledged to ‘decontaminate’ a GM crop trial at Rothamsted Research by entering the field and destroying the crop. Our aim was to show support for the scientists who had … Continue reading
Ecological and economic perspectives on sustainable agriculture
This week, the Natural Capital Initiative ran a workshop to discuss how ecologists and economists can collaborate to increase sustainability in agriculture. Two keynote presentations outlined how farmers could be given incentives to protect environmental goods and services. These came from the perspective of ecologist Professor William Sutherland (University of Cambridge) and economist Professor Ian … Continue reading
On postgraduate education – James Lush
I recently stumbled upon an article from the February 9th, 1952 edition (guess why?) of Nature, in which the Vice Chancellor of the University of Leeds was reported holding forth on ‘Postgraduate Studies in the Universities’. Said VC, Mr C.R. Morris, was reportedly adamant that “young men and women do not… sufficiently realise the importance, … Continue reading
Voice of the Future 2012
Earlier this month 120 young people masqueraded as members of the House of Commons Science and Technology committee. We were given the unique opportunity to quiz a stellar (in Parliamentary terms) line up on the future of science in Britain. The signs that we were being taken seriously were good; on a day when his other … Continue reading