FPS VI: Improving the image of physics: a challenge
Forty delegates met in Belgrade (RS) on 2 October 2014 in the marvellous surroundings of the University Rector’s Office for the EPS Sixth Forum Physics and Society.
By 16:00 Friday 3 October we were convinced that improving the image of physics will:
• Increase the support for physics research funding through increased appreciation of physics among the public and politicians;
• Increase the contribution of physics to the economy through increasing the number or physicists using their skills …
Editorial – Getting girls into Physics – are we saying the wrong things?
We are all keen to engage more girls in physics. And, certainly in the UK, there have been initiatives and large amounts of money thrown at this problem for the past 30 years. Yet the percentage of girls taking physics up to age 18 and as undergraduates has remained stubbornly at about 20%. We can only conclude that everything we have tried has made NO difference to the uptake of physics by girls.
Editorial — Improving the image of physics
Ask any child to draw a picture of a scientist and you will receive, from that proud, smiling child, a picture of an elderly male with mad hair and a white lab coat. You, too, will smile, as you will be mildly amused by how even the youngest child absorbs our society’s stereotypes so readily. You may then become slightly annoyed by the stereotypical image, but may reassure yourself that this young person will soon learn how much more diverse scientists are in the real world.
But how to excuse Google the same mistake? A search will provide a collection of images which are at least as…
