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PARLIAMENTARY LINKS DAY, 25 JUNE 2013 SCIENCE AND DIVERSITY

The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotlands National Academy and is a product of the Scottish Enlightenment, having formed in 1783. It has a multi-disciplinary Fellowship of more than 1500 spanning science & technology, arts, humanities, social science, business and public service. This breadth of expertise makes the RSE unique amongst the UKs academies and learned societies. The RSEs mission is the Advancement of Learning and Useful Knowledge. We undertake major Inquiries on issues of national and global significance. We provide independent and expert advice across a wide range of topical issues, many of them science-related, and make a significant contribution to the formulation of public policy in Scotland. We contribute to the development of educational and economic policies. We support primary and secondary education and engagement with the young a recent major development of which has been the creation of the RSE Young Academy of Scotland 1. We encourage research, entrepreneurial activity and international exchanges. With support from the Scottish Government, the RSE publishes Science Scotland 2, which highlights the best of science and technology from Scotland. subjects, and to increase the number who rise to senior positions in universities, research institutes, government, business and industry. The RSE has looked to the Scottish Parliament to help address this issue, along with action at a Westminster and EU level. The Scottish Government across all Directorates and portfolios welcomed the work of the RSE on this issue. The Scottish Government agrees that a coordinated, collaborative and cooperative approach provides the best chance of success and have formed the Strategic Group for Women and Work to provide leadership and maintain the momentum the Tapping All Our Talents report has provided. The report has acted as a catalyst for significant activity over the last year: The First Minister announced in March 2012, new funding for the Scottish Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and technology (SRC) and confirmed continued funding for Close the Gap. Scotlands first Womens Employment Summit was held in September 2012 Funding of 250,000 for CareerWISE Scotland, a campaign to support more girls and women to take up and retain jobs in STEM occupations, announced in September 2012.

Tapping All Our Talents

The majority of women with qualifications in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects do not work in STEM areas. This is in contrast to men. The consequence is a serious loss to the economy. This needs to be addressed. In 2012 the RSE published a report, Tapping All Our Talents 3 by an expert working group, chaired by distinguished astrophysicist Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell. The report highlights the loss of talent of qualified female scientists to both the public and private sector in Scotland representing a loss of individual opportunity and a cost to the Scottish economy. The report recommends creating a strategy to increase the proportion of women qualified in STEM
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Science Education in School

The RSE is a member of, and provides support to, the Learned Societies Group on Scottish Science Education 4, which represents a collaboration of the learned scientific societies and professional bodies with a focus on science education in Scotland. This is a collaborative group which identifies, discusses and takes action on common issues relating to the major reforms in the delivery of science education in Scottish schools. The membership comprises: Royal Society of Chemistry, Institute of Physics, Society of Biology, Association for Science Education, British Computer Society, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scottish Schools Education Research Centre and the Engineering Policy Group in Scotland.

http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/794_The+RSE+Young+Academy+of+Scotland.html http://www.sciencescotland.org/ Tapping all our Talents Women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (April 2012) http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/1027_Report.html http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/1076_LearnedSocietiesGrouponScottishScienceEducation.html

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The Group has identified interdisciplinary learning in STEM education as a priority area. While interdisciplinary learning has been envisaged as an important curriculum element for many years, little progress has been made in Scotland towards its implementation. The Group is well placed to take action in this area. The RSE Education Committee and the Learned Societies Group recently responded 5 to the General Teaching Council for Scotland proposals for changes to entry requirements to programmes of initial teacher education in Scotland. The RSE and the Learned Societies Group are concerned at the notable absence of a requirement for applicants to primary education teacher programmes to have a science qualification. The responses also highlight the need to change the culture and strengthen requirements in relation to mathematics education, which is the language of science. In collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry and the British Computer Society respectively, the RSE has produced teacher and learner materials that exemplify Chemistry6 and Computing Science7 aspects of Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland. While the focus is on developments in Scottish school education, the materials are being used widely across the UK and also internationally.
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Enlightening the Constitutional Debate Science and Higher Education

The RSE has recently responded8 to the Scottish Science Advisory Council request for views on what are the key questions and issues for science and engineering in Scotland in the independence debate. The possible impacts of constitutional change upon Science and Higher Education is one of several topics to be considered in a series of discussion events9 being organised this year by the RSE and the British Academy with the aim of enlightening the constitutional debate. A public discussion seminar10 at the University of Aberdeen on 17 October will examine the possible affects of Scottish independence upon the ability and ease with which students are able to cross the border to take up Higher Education opportunities, and how this might affect the accessibility of Higher Education for those in the UK and those in Scotland. The seminar will also look at Research Funding in the sciences, and will ask how UK Research Councils will decide to allocate funding in the event of Scotland leaving the UK.

Responses available from: http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/news/news.php?id=153 Chemistry Materials: http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/1033_ChemistryPacks.html Computing Materials: http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/1034_ComputingScience.html http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/cms/files/advice-papers/2013/AP13_07.pdf http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/1061_EnlighteningtheConstitutionalDebate.html http://www.royalsoced.org.uk/1067_ScienceandHigherEducation.html

Additional Information and References

Any enquiries about this Briefing Paper should be addressed to the RSE Consultations Officer, Mr William Hardie (Email: evidenceadvice@royalsoced.org.uk) Responses are published on the RSE website (www.royalsoced.org.uk).

The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotlands National Academy. It is an independent body with a multidisciplinary fellowship of men and women of international standing which makes it uniquely placed to offer informed, independent comment on matters of national interest.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotlands National Academy, is Scottish Charity No. SC000470