In an effort to foster understanding between scientists and parliamentarians, Mr David Howarth, MP for Cambridge, shadowed Dr Tamsin Mather from the University of Cambridge for a day.
In an effort to foster understanding between scientists and parliamentarians, Mr David Howarth, MP for Cambridge, shadowed Dr Tamsin Mather from the University of Cambridge for a day.
The Royal Society’s MP-Scientist Pairing Scheme was established to facilitate dialogue between the two groups. In November 2005, as part of the Royal Society’s programme, Dr Mather from the Department of Earth Sciences spent a week with Mr Howarth and other MPs at Westminster.
Dr Mather said: “The scheme was a great opportunity for me to see scientific issues from a different perspective and to understand more about how science interacts with politics. Communicating the uncertainties associated with scientific results effectively to politicians and the public seems to be a key challenge for scientists to overcome.”
During the visit, Mr Howarth met with Professor Ekhard Salje, Head of the Department of Earth Sciences, as well as other members of the department. He also participated in a volcanology lesson with school children from Ixworth Primary School led by Dr Mather.
Commenting on the visit, Mr Howarth said: “It is great to see the work the department does both in research and in providing a superb educational facility to children and young people in the area. The University and the museums are a fantastic resource for local schools and should be commended for their work in this area.
“I was also very interested to speak to scientists from the department about their work on climate change. This is one of the biggest issues facing Britain in the next few years and Cambridge is at the forefront of research on it.”
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