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53-789: The Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science ( ANZAAS ) is an organisation that was founded in 1888 as the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science to promote science. It was modelled on the British Association for the Advancement of Science . For many years, its annual meetings were a popular and influential way of promoting science in Australia and New Zealand. The current name has been used since 1930. Two of its founders include Archibald Liversidge and Horatio George Anthony Wright . In

106-424: A "debate", the exchange occurred after the presentation of a paper by Prof Draper of New York, on the intellectual development of Europe with relation to Darwin's theory (one of a number of scientific papers presented during the week) and the subsequent discussion involved a number of other participants (although Wilberforce and Huxley were the most prominent). Although a number of newspapers made passing references to

159-457: A clergyman at Bishopthorpe , Yorkshire and aided the movement for establishing an institution in Yorkshire for the cultivation of science. He constructed a laboratory, and occupied himself in chemical analysis, aided by his early friends Davy and Wollaston. In 1821, remains of prehistoric life found by William Buckland in the cavern of Kirkdale went to form the basis of a museum, connected with

212-678: A young people's programme, the CREST Awards which seeks to involve school students in science beyond the school curriculum, and to encourage them to consider higher education and careers in science. Huxley Summit Named after Thomas Huxley, the Huxley Summit is a leadership event run by the British Science Association, where 250 of the most influential people in the UK are brought together to discuss scientific and social challenges that

265-754: Is administered from the Wellcome Wolfson Building at the Science Museum, London in South Kensington in Kensington and Chelsea , within a few feet of the northern boundary with the City of Westminster (in which most of the neighbouring Imperial College London is resident). William Vernon Harcourt (scientist) He was born at Sudbury, Derbyshire , a younger son of Edward Vernon-Harcourt , Archbishop of York and his wife Lady Anne Leveson-Gower, who

318-477: Is critical that they increase the number of physics teachers, or it will have a detrimental effect on the number of future engineers and scientists. The Association's major emphasis in recent decades has been on public engagement in science . Its annual meeting, now called the British Science Festival, is the largest public showcase for science in the UK and attracts a great deal of media attention. It

371-511: Is held at UK universities in early September for one week, with visits to science-related local cultural attractions. The 2010 Festival, held in Birmingham with Aston University as lead University partner, featured a prank event: the unveiling of Dulcis foetidus , a fictional plant purported to emit a pungent odour. An experiment in herd mentality , some audience members were induced into believing they could smell it. The Festival has also been

424-445: Is the British Science Association's scheme to encourage students aged 5–19 to get involved with STEM projects and encourage scientific thinking. Awards range from Star Awards (targeted at those aged 5–7) to Gold Awards (targeted to those aged 16–19). Overall, 30,000 awards are undertaken annually. Many students who do CREST Awards, especially Silver and Gold Awards which require 30 and 70 hours of work respectively, enter competitions like

477-638: Is wrong to suppose that by foregoing technological and scientific education we shall somehow become a nation of artists, writers or philosophers instead. These two aspects of culture have never been divorced from each other throughout our history. Every renaissance, every period that showed a flowering of civilization, advanced simultaneously in the arts and sciences, and in technology too. Sir Kenneth Durham, former director of research at Unilever , on becoming president in August 1987 followed on from Sir George Porter saying that science teachers needed extra pay to overcome

530-684: The Committee on the Public Understanding of Science , or COPUS, to promote public understanding of science. Professor Sir George Porter became the president in September 1985. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1967 along with Manfred Eigen, and Ronald George Wreyford Norrish. When asked about the scientific literacy of Britain , he stated that Britain was the least educated country compared to all

583-598: The Kew Observatory was taken on for the purpose and Francis Ronalds was chosen as the inaugural Honorary Director. Kew Observatory quickly became one of the most renowned meteorological and geomagnetic observatories in the world. The Association relinquished control of the Kew Observatory in 1871 to the management of the Royal Society, after a large donation to grant the observatory its independence. In 1872,

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636-481: The West Indian station , for five years, his father allowed him to become a clergyman. He was a student of Christ Church, Oxford , in 1807, graduating B.A. in 1811 and M.A. in 1814, and remained a student of Christ Church till 1815. He was on good terms with Cyril Jackson , the dean and Dr. John Kidd , then a teacher of chemistry at his college, influenced him. On leaving university in 1811, Harcourt began duties as

689-607: The Yorkshire Philosophical Society , of which Harcourt was the first president. In 1824, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society . The first meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science was held at York in September 1831, and the general plan of its proceedings, and the laws to govern it, were drawn up by Harcourt, who was appointed general secretary. At the Birmingham meeting of

742-471: The dole queue ... [Adding,] scientists have to be careful and consider the full implications of what they are seeking to achieve. The problem with some clever people is that they find cleverer ways of being stupid. In the year 2000, Sir Peter Williams had put together a panel to discuss the shortage of physics majors. A physicist called Derek Raine had stated that he has had multiple firms call him up asking for physics majors. The report they made stated that it

795-448: The submarine telegraph industry. Practitioners came to use their own standards established by wire coils: "By the late 1850s, Clark, Varley , Bright , Smith and other leading British cable engineers were using calibrated resistance coils on a regular basis and were beginning to use calibrated condensers as well." The undertaking was suggested to the BA by William Thomson , and its success

848-749: The 1990s, membership and attendance at the annual meetings decreased as specialised scientific societies increased in popularity. Proposals to close the Association were discussed, but it continued after closing its office in Adelaide. It now operates on a smaller scale but is beginning to grow. The Annual Meetings are no longer held. It holds lectures, for the medals and for other named lectures, both nationally and at state level. Each year it organises Youth ANZAAS, an annual residential scientific forum attended by senior secondary students from Australian schools and High schools. The Association awards two important medals;

901-450: The Advancement of Science ( BA ). The current Chief Executive is Hannah Russell. The BSA's mission is to get more people engaged in the field of science by coordinating, delivering, and overseeing different projects that are suited to achieve these goals. The BSA "envisions a society in which a diverse group of people can learn and apply the sciences in which they learn." and is managed by a professional staff located at their Head Office in

954-443: The Association had four sections: Physics (including Mathematics and Mechanical Arts), Chemistry (including Mineralogy and Chemical Arts), Geology (including Geography) and Natural History. During this second meeting, the first objects and rules of the Association were published. Objects included systematically directing the acquisition of scientific knowledge, spreading this knowledge as well as discussion between scientists across

1007-520: The Association purchased its first central office in London, acquiring four rooms at 22 Albemarle Street. This office was intended to be a resource for members of the Association. One of the most famous events linked to the Association Meeting was an exchange between Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce in 1860 (see the 1860 Oxford evolution debate ). Although it is often described as

1060-575: The Medal, which was first awarded in 1965. The Medal is awarded annually to a scientist who is the author of important contributions to anthropological, botanical, geological or zoological science, preferably with special reference to Australia. It is named after Ferdinand von Mueller , the German/Australian botanist who was Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne . Initiated in 1902, it

1113-547: The Mueller medal, named in honour of Ferdinand von Mueller , botanist and pioneer environmentalist, and the ANZAAS medal. The ANZAAS medal is awarded annually for services in the advancement of science or administration and organisation of scientific activities, or the teaching of science throughout Australia and New Zealand and in contributions to science which lie beyond normal professional activities. Sculptor Andor Meszaros designed

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1166-537: The Scriptures, to ignore the findings of Watson and Crick, than it was right for clerics of the last century to ignore the work of Darwin. Science today is all-pervasive. Without some scientific and technical education, it is becoming impossible even to vote responsibly on matters of health, energy, defense or education. So unless things change, we shall soon live in a country that is backward not only in its technology and standard of living but in its cultural vitality too. It

1219-526: The UK Big Bang Fair . Traditionally the president is elected at the meeting usually held in August/September for a one-year term and gives a presidential address upon retiring. The honour of the presidency is traditionally bestowed only once per individual. Written sources that give the year of presidency as a single year generally mean the year in which the presidential address is given. In 1926/1927

1272-489: The UK faces in the 21st century and to develop a link between scientists and non-scientists to ensure that science can be understood by society as a whole. On 8 November 2016, the British Science Association held the very first Huxley Summit at BAFTA, London. The theme of the summit was "Trust in the 21st Century" and how that would affect the future of science, innovation, and business. Media Fellowship Schemes The British Science Association's Media Fellowship provides

1325-568: The Wellcome Wolfson Building. The BSA offers a wide variety of activities and events that both recognise and encourage people to be involved in science. These include the British Science Festival, British Science Week, the CREST Awards, For Thought, The Ideas Fund, along with regional and local events. The Association was founded in 1831 and modelled on the German Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte . It

1378-459: The annual meetings. Additional sections were added throughout the years by either splitting off part of an original section, like making Geography and Ethnology its own section apart from Geology in 1851, or by defining a new subject area of discussion, such as Anthropology in 1869. A very important decision in the Association's history was made in 1842 when it was resolved to create a "physical observatory". A building that became well known as

1431-520: The association in 1839, Harcourt was elected president. The subject of his address was the history of the composition of water, supporting the claims of Henry Cavendish to the discovery by original documents, and vindicating the claims of science to freedom of inquiry. Another subject to which Harcourt directed his inquiries was the effect of heat on inorganic compounds. For 40 years, he worked to acquire glasses of definite and mutually compensative dispersions, for achromatic combinations. In this work, he

1484-584: The association's patron was King George V and the president was his son Edward, Prince of Wales . The vice-presidents for the Leeds meeting at this time included City of Leeds Alderman Charles Lupton and his brother, The Rt. Hon. the Lord Mayor of Leeds Hugh Lupton . The husband of the brothers' first cousin once removed - Lord Airedale of Gledhow - was also a vice-president at the Leeds meeting. The organisation

1537-484: The beginning of the Great Depression , the Association's focus began to shift their purpose to account for not only scientific progress, but the social aspects of such progress. In the Association's 1931 meeting, the president General Jan Christiaan Smuts ended his address by the proposal of linking science and ethics together but provided no means to actuate his ideas. In the following years, debate began as to whom

1590-420: The exchange, it was not until later that it was accorded greater significance in the evolution debate . One of the most important contributions of the British Association was the establishment of standards for electrical usage: the ohm as the unit of electrical resistance , the volt as the unit of electrical potential , and the ampere as the unit of electrical current . A need for standards arose with

1643-415: The facility and perform beamline experiments that complement their lectures. A 67th Meeting was scheduled for Hobart in 1998 but did not proceed. British Association for the Advancement of Science The British Science Association ( BSA ) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for

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1696-522: The gentry of Yorkshire and the members of philosopher societies in this country". The newspaper published the names of over a hundred of those attending and these included, amongst others, eighteen clergymen, eleven doctors, four knights, two Viscounts and one Lord. From that date onwards a meeting was held annually at a place chosen at a previous meeting. In 1832, for example, the meeting was held in Oxford, chaired by Reverend Dr William Buckland . By this stage

1749-465: The home to protest and debate. In 1970 there were protestors over the use of science for weapons. The Association organised and held the annual Science Communication Conference for over ten years. It was the largest conference of its kind in the UK, and addressed the key issues facing science communicators. In 2015, the BSA introduced a new series of smaller events for science communicators, designed to address

1802-482: The machine will actually be utilized for, and that more work would need to be done to bring the design up to a standard at which it is guaranteed to work. The Association introduced the British Association (usually termed "BA") screw threads , a series of screw thread standards in sizes from 0.25 mm up to 6 mm, in 1882. The standards were based on the metric system , although they had to be re-defined in imperial terms for use by UK industry.  The standard

1855-581: The opportunity for practicing scientists, clinicians, and engineers to spend a period of time working at media outlets such as the Guardian, BBC Breakfast or The Londonist. After their time with the media placement, the fellows attend the British Science Festival which will offer these practitioners valuable working experience with a range of media organizations along with learning from a wide range of public engagement activities and be able to network with academics, journalists and science communicators. CREST Awards

1908-492: The opportunity to visit world-class facilities where cutting edge research is undertaken and meet leading scientists. Recent forums have been: The ANZAAS – Australian Synchrotron Inaugural Winter School was launched in July 2009. The four-day program aims to give young researchers – Honours, Masters and early PhD students – an understanding of synchrotron techniques and operation for research purposes. Participants attend lectures, tour

1961-402: The other advanced countries. His idea to solve this problem would be to start scientific education for children at the age of 4. He says his reason for such an early age is because that is the age when children are the most curious, and implementing science at that age will help them gain curiosity towards all disciplines of science. When asked why public ignorance to science matters, his response

2014-482: The proceedings of a meeting of the Association in Newcastle upon Tyne by organizing an impromptu session where she introduced rational dress to a wide audience, her speech being noted in newspapers across Britain. In 1903, microscopist and astronomer Washington Teasdale died whilst attending the annual meeting. The Association's main aim is to make science more relevant, representative and connected to society. At

2067-460: The public perception of science was furthered in 1985 when the Royal Society published a report titled The Public Understanding of Science. In the report, a committee of the Royal Society determined that it was scientists' duty to communicate to and educate the public. Lord George Porter, then president of the Royal Society, British Association, and director of the Royal Institution, created

2120-419: The responsibilities of scientists fell upon. The Association adopted a resolution in 1934 that dedicated efforts to better balance scientific advancement with social progress. J.D. Bernal , a member of the Royal Society and the British Association, wrote The Social Function of Science in 1939, describing a need to correctly utilize science for society and the importance of its public perception. The idea of

2173-664: The same issues as the Science Communication Conference but for a more targeted audience. In addition to the British Science Festival, the British Science Association organises the British Science Week (formerly National Science & Engineering Week), an opportunity for people of all ages to get involved in science, engineering, technology and maths activities, originating as the National Week of Science, Engineering and Technology. The Association also has

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2226-893: The scarcity of mathematics and physics teachers in secondary schools, and that "unless we deal with this as matter of urgency, the outlook for our manufacturing future is bleak". He regretted that headmasters and careers masters had for many years followed 'the cult of Oxbridge ' because "it carried more prestige to read classics at Oxbridge and go into the Civil Service or banking, than to read engineering at, say, Salford , and go into manufacturing industry ". He said that reporting of sciences gave good coverage to medical science, but that "nevertheless, editors ought to be sensitive to developments in areas such as solid state physics, astro-physics, colloid science, molecular biology, transmission of stimuli along nerve fibres, and so on, and that newspaper editors were in danger of waiting for disasters before

2279-456: The scientific factors involved in the incidents were explained. In September 2001 Sir William Stewart, as outgoing president, warned that universities faced " dumbing down " and that we can deliver social inclusiveness, and the best universities, but not both from a limited amount of money. We run the risk of doing neither well. Universities are underfunded, and must not be seen simply as a substitute for National Service to keep youngsters off

2332-493: The world, and to focus on furthering science by removing obstacles to progress. The rules established included what constituted a member of the Association, the fee to remain a member, and the process for future meetings. They also include dividing the members into different committees. These committees separated members into their preferred subject matter, and were to recommend investigations into areas of interest, then report on these findings, as well as progress in their science at

2385-464: Was It matters because among those who are scientifically illiterate are some of those who are in power, people who lead us in politics, in civil service, in the media, in the church, often in industry and sometimes even in education. Think, for example, about the enormous influence of scientific knowledge on one's whole philosophy of life, even one's religion. It is no more permissible for the archbishops of today, who advise their flocks on how to interpret

2438-405: Was a daughter of Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford and his second wife Lady Louisa Egerton. Her maternal grandparents were Scroop Egerton, 1st Duke of Bridgewater and his second wife Rachel Russell. Rachel was a daughter of Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford and the rich heiress Elizabeth Howland, daughter of John Howland of Streatham. After he had served in the navy, on

2491-473: Was designed by Walter Baldwin Spencer . Youth ANZAAS is an annual residential scientific forum for senior Australasian secondary school students from Years 9, 10, 11 and 12. This event is designed to provide students with a broad perspective on the aims and practice of scientific endeavour, ranging from satisfying curiosity and the drive to discover, to the application of science in the real world. It gives students

2544-497: Was due to the use of Thomson's mirror galvanometer . Josiah Latimer Clark and Fleeming Jenkin made preparations. Thomson, with his students, found that impure copper , contaminated with arsenic , introduced significant extra resistance. The chemist Augustus Matthiessen contributed an appendix (A) to the final 1873 report that showed temperature-dependence of alloys. The unit system was "absolute" since it agreed with previously accepted units of work, or energy: The Association

2597-574: Was founded during post-war reconstruction after the Peninsula war to improve the advancement of science in England. The prime mover (who is regarded as the main founder) was Reverend William Vernon Harcourt , following a suggestion by Sir David Brewster , who was disillusioned with the elitist and conservative attitude of the Royal Society . Charles Babbage , William Whewell and J. F. W. Johnston are also considered to be founding members. The first meeting

2650-540: Was held in York (at the Yorkshire Museum ) on Tuesday 27 September 1831 with various scientific papers being presented on the following days. It was chaired by Viscount Milton , president of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society , and "upwards of 300 gentlemen" attended the meeting. The Preston Mercury recorded that those gathered consisted of "persons of distinction from various parts of the kingdom, together with several of

2703-465: Was modified in 1884 to restrict significant figures for the metric counterpart of diameter and pitch of the screw in the published table, as well as not designating screws by their number of threads per inch, and instead giving an approximation due to considerable actual differences in manufactured screws. In 1889, a member of the Rational Dress Society , Charlotte Carmichael Stopes , stunned

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2756-511: Was parodied by English novelist Charles Dickens as 'The Mudfog Society for the Advancement of Everything' in The Mudfog Papers (1837–38). In 1878 a committee of the Association recommended against constructing Charles Babbage 's analytical engine , due to concerns about the current state of the machine's lack of complete working drawings, the machine's potential cost to produce, the machine's durability during repeated use, how and what

2809-743: Was supported by George Stokes . As a cleric, Harcourt became canon of York, and rector of Wheldrake in Yorkshire in 1824, and of Bolton Percy, Yorkshire, in 1837. The Yorkshire School for the Blind , and the Castle Howard Reformatory, and other institutions, owed their existence to him. In 1861, on the death of his elder brother, George Granville Harcourt , he succeeded to the Harcourt estates at Nuneham Courtenay in Oxfordshire , and his latter years were spent at Nuneham House among his books and in

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