Paving the Way in Science

Mia Morris

' We must forever conduct our struggles on the high plane of dignity and discipline' …..
Dr Martin Luther King Junior

'The seeming endemic poverty and poor quality of life in Black communities will only be overcome when your young people have professional mobility beyond the limited stereotypical professions of sports, music and the arts.'
Dr Liz Rasekola

Science and scientific endeavour is critical in all of our lives. Everyday there is an out pouring of information into our lives. From when we get up in the morning until we go to bed, we are nurtured and harnessed by this critical body of work.

The media is dominated by scientific breakthroughs - DNA, GM foods, vaccines for children, cure for illnesses. The top employers in the world are primarily the pharmaceutical and medical companies.

Our young people are keen and eager to learn but need to develop a good overall understanding and appreciation of Science Engineering and Technology. The hope is that they will embrace it in the same way that they are about design and technology and performing arts.

This article aims to give you insight to people who are working across frontiers and are delivering pioneering exciting and innovative solutions.

Dr. Elizabeth Rasekola is a chemical engineer, with 18 years work experience in industry, both in her native country, Nigeria, and currently in the United Kingdom. She has had a long-standing interest in the education of African-Caribbean students, particularly in Maths, Science and Technology and is the founder of the UK-based African-Caribbean Network for Science & Technology.

One of the reasons that Dr Rasekoala set this up was because as she puts it
'The seeming endemic poverty and poor quality of life in Black communities will only be overcome when your young people have professional mobility beyond the limited stereotypical professions of sports, music and the arts'.

She is also the initiator/developer of the Ishango Science Clubs and the RESPECT Campaign. The African-Caribbean Network for Science & Technology is a national educational charity (NGO), set up in 1995 by Black professionals working in the various fields of Science, Engineering and Technology (SET), to advance the educational achievements and career aspirations of Black youth in these fields, where Blacks are very much under-represented, due to the inequalities of their educational outcomes in mainstream education in Britain.

Dr Rasekola says that the 'SET fields provides ample opportunity for Black youth to enhance their life chances and opportunities, by working in professions, which are highly paid, internationally mobile and provide lifestyle-enhancing benefits. '

Dr Rasekola is adamant that: 'Underpinning this under-representation in SET careers is the educational attainment of Black youth in Science and Maths subjects in the school system. The current underachievement of Black youth in these subjects, is a profound challenge to the education system and Black parents. For their part, Black parents have to engage more effectively and assertively with schools and teachers in order to change the dynamics of the classroom environment for their children. They also need to provide leadership to their children through demonstrating in their own lives, their commitment to educational advancement, literacy and numeracy. There is no point in exhorting your children to read, for example, when they never see you reading yourself, or when there are no books in your home.

The challenge as she puts it is not just in the UK but globally hence her work in setting up initiatives in South Africa, to support the drive to enhance Public Understanding of Science, and the educational attainment in Maths, Science & Technology, of South African youth.

Young people visit the Midwifery section of City University

For her part, the challenge of the under-representation of Blacks in SET, was one which she decided with the support of others to address, through setting up the African-Caribbean Network for Science & Technology (ACNST). The ACNST has been working nationally through groundbreaking initiatives such as the National RESPECT Campaign, and the Ishango Science Clubs, to raise the attainment and career aspirations of Black youth in SET subjects and fields.

The Ishango Science Clubs provide Black youth with a supportive environment in which to engage and sustain their motivation, interests and goals in SET. Many young people who have passed through the Clubs have gone on to university to undertake SET courses. A key factor in the success of the National RESPECT Campaign and the Ishango Science Clubs, has been the opportunity for Black youth to interact with Black SET role models. This has enabled the youth to challenge the stereotypical expectations of them from schools, the media, and British society in general. When Black youth see role models who look like them, it sends a powerful and affirming message that they can achieve, too.

The key features of the National RESPECT Campaign (2000-2001) will involve high profile poster launches/conferences and school/community based promotional activities involving Black SET professionals as role models in Manchester, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, Bristol, Northampton and London.

Another key aspect to the engagement of Black people with science is that of science and society debate, communication and ethics. The public debate and discourse on challenging scientific breakthroughs such as GM food, cloning, etc, should not just be limited to the white middles classes in Britain. Black communities must be engaged in this debate, and contribute their perspectives, concerns and vested interests, which are just as valid as those of other groups in society. It is in order to counteract this marginalisation of the voices of Black communities in science and society debate, that we have launched with funding from government, the Delivering Inclusion in Science Communication (DISC) project, to bring ethnic minority communities into the mainstream of scientific debate.

ACNST are running a national mapping of activities, needs, barriers and interests of BME organisations with regard to Science Communication/Promotion, and science issues. The under-representation of ethnic minority communities in science communication/promotion and science and society debate in Britain, is particularly profound, and the African-Caribbean Network for Science & Technology (ACNST) and the British Association for the Advancement of Science (the BA) .

A number of activities have been planned this Autumn in Birmingham Manchester and London organized by the network and the British Association for the Advancement of Science and is co- ordinated by consultants. The Delivering Inclusion in Science project, aims to bring together over a two year period the Black Minority Ethnic voluntary sector and Science Communication Companies and specialist so that there can be a dialogue and also build good sustainable and mutual relationships.

Whilst we sometimes get into a rut with hearing that we do not have any role models especially men from the Caribbean community. It was nice to hear of the achievements of Dr Donald Palmer who is a Lecturer in Immunology at the Royal Veterinary College, University of London and an Honorary Lecturer at Imperial College, London. Dr Palmer is also a Visiting Lecturer at Wolverhampton and Cambridge, Universities. Donald attended Ernest Bevin School Tooting; he left with CSE's and went to university after studying an Ordinary National Diploma in Medical Sciences at South London College.

He did his undergraduate studies at Bradford University, his postgraduate (MSc in Immunology) studies at King's College London and obtained his PhD at the Medical Research Council Clinical Science Centre, Northwick Park Hospital. Prior to his appointment at the RVC, Donald spent several years as a post-doctoral research fellow in the laboratories of Imperial College, London and Imperial Cancer Research Fund (now known as Cancer Research UK). Truth be known Donald was hooked into Science at an early age. 'I had a paper round primarily so I could get my hands on Marvel comics, I simply loved Silver Surfer, X-Men, Black Panther but my favourite hero was Spiderman (incidentally, Peter Parker is a scientist). My parents supported my interest and bought me a chemistry set for my 13th birthday. "Rather ironically, I spend a fair amount of time in the laboratory now''.

His main area of research is trying to understand how the immune system develops. His work has been published in international and national scientific journals. His other major commitment is teaching and he is involved in the organizing, teaching and the supervision of students both at the undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Throughout his career he has been awarded various accolades and was recently a recipient of an Excellence in Teaching Award from Imperial College, London. He regularly gives time locally to mentor and support young people (his major message is 'self determination') plus love, organizing innovative activities, demonstrating to young people how Science can make a difference in their lives. 'More of our young people have the aptitude but I suspect are reluctant to show their true interest, as they do not want their peers seeing them.'

This subject area covers such a broad spectrum, from the obvious such as Medicine to understanding how the environment works. Naturally it influences our lives and so it is important that our community are aware of the many scientific developments. Moreover, you really cannot lose by studying Science'. Dr Palmer goes on to stay the teaching of Science can often be tricky as there is concern raised in various quarters in regards to the fact that so few teachers select Science.

Hence one of the reasons that the government has introduced golden hellos to graduates wanting to teach Maths or Science. David Bromfield, journalist, broadcaster and teacher taught in Lambeth for a number of years until he got the opportunity to platform his abilities by winning the BBC Talent contest. As a result he worked on Tomorrow's World, BBC Byte size and presented on BBC London as the Science and Education correspondent. David is now appointed as Deputy Head of Urseline High School Wimbledon, 'I will still keep both careers going as it is important that young people are able to get a better understanding of the role of Science in all aspects of our lives. The most important Science breakthrough is around ante natal, and pediatrics as I have a young family and have benefited personally from these services..

'When I teach Science and present information as a journalist , I always try and make the information as relevant and as interesting as possible as I want young people to explore and investigate and develop a thirst for knowledge.'

Sonji Clarke works at St Thomas as a senior consultant in gynecologist and obstetrician young people need to look after their health and well being, they also need to be supported and nurtured. I always had an interest in Science as a child, I remember having a doll at a young age and wanted to explore more about my doll I wanted to know how they got it to talk and move.

'I feel that significant breakthroughs in medicine probably relate to new and improved diagnosis and treatment of cancers. The sexy stuff, though is in molecular biology, gene manipulation and the human genome project as that impinges on all areas of medicine, probably. Cure for HIV and the other deadly viruses (eg Ebola) are also important. The important things that parents can do are:

• Cooperate with the school and their science curriculum. Discuss what the children are learning at home.
• Help the children to understand that science and technology are all around them, whether it's cooking or how the computer or car works. Even cultivating plants and vegetables or looking at bugs in the garden.

Just to think she goes on say 'if science was ignored, the things that we now take for granted would never have been invented. The light bulb, telephone, computers. Electricity, aeroplanes. Consider the effect of global warming. Animal conservation or plant conservation. The study and prediction of earthquakes etc. The list is endless. Science is exciting AND FUN!
I am involved with my local church and have been for some considerable time so I am able to give a hand when and where possible in encouraging young people to look at this field of work, and I know that I am a good example. I was able to speak to a group of young people from schools in Lambeth and shared with them my story and experiences, it was an enjoyable and worthwhile experience especially as maybe one day we will see some young people training to be Doctors via the Access to Medicine scheme run by Kings College.

In all of this, my most positive influence has been my mum. All of my family, my brother and my sisters are high achievers, when we all could so easily have been another set of statistics. I believe you should go for your dreams. Stretch yourself. The sky is the limit as long as you don't limit yourself!'

We close the article with wise words from 25 year old Yaa Adjei a freelance Science writer and curriculum facilitator, she regularly writes on issues in relation to the field. An Imperial College graduate with a M.Sc., Science Communication Masters. 'The Science Communication course has enabled me to understand the origins of Scientific thought, ethics and controversy. I also learned how science, the public and media interact and how current issues that affect society are handled. This course has enabled me to gain insights into the world of print journalism and produce news and feature articles. I also learned the importance social and political influences of national and international policy formation.

I think it is important for young people to have an awareness of how the world around them works. Science is not unconnected from real life - it forms an integral part. I think it is important for people to be aware of the influences scientific advancement have on our everyday lives. People should gain an informed opinion in areas of science, for example Nutrition and Healthcare. When a Scientific controversy occurs, the problem facing people is deciding whom to trust, and finding the ways to evaluate different points of view.

I knew from a very young age that I wanted to work in Science as 'there are so many career opportunities within science, it is important to find out about the choices, before making a decision. Working within the scientific arena helps a person enhance their research skills. Having good research skills is useful for everyday life, especially since we are living in a technological multi-choice age. The skills gained within learning scientific disciplines help people make informed opinions.'

The area of work in Science I work in is very exciting and has a promising future … 'I work within Science Communication and the world of Science Communication is steadily growing.
I hope parents and young people will read this article and consider how best to take advantage of the free tourist attractions available, including the Science Museum, for inspiration. Having access to encyclopaedias or general knowledge books, or even parent controlled Internet sites with online science education enrichment activities. The Planet Science, and BBC education websites are examples. More info on www.ishangohouse.com; www.wellplaced.co.uk; www.rvc.ac.uk; www.kcl.ac.uk/accesstomedicine