#Bigben shoes how to

#Bigben shoes how to

This scheme ‘helps scientists understand how politicians think and work and therefore how to communicate with them more effectively’, he explains. Then, ideally, the MP visits the scientist’s place of work.Īustrian MEP Paul Rübig has taken part in the pairing scheme twice: in 2007 and in 2011. A dozen scientists, with at least 10 years research experience, are selected to spend a few days in Brussels shadowing an MEP and being introduced to the mechanics of the policymaking processes there. STOA – the department responsible for assessing scientific and technological policy options for the European parliament – offers an MEP–scientist pairing scheme that is very similar to the Royal Society’s. The European parliament plays an important role too. Of course, it’s not just policy made in the UK parliament that impacts on UK research. You might not agree with what do, but does give you a better appreciation of why they do things the way they do.’ Brussels bound ‘There is decision-making that directly affects us in terms of funding, education, business, environment, health, and it helps if we understand something about how the decision-making process happens. ‘It has given me a different perspective on decision-making in parliament’, she says. Perry describes the experience as ‘a revelation’. ‘She met some second year undergraduates in the laboratories and spoke to some final year students about their experiences of university, chemistry and Nottingham, and about what they were going to do next,’ says Perry. Greenwood then visited the university, meeting Perry’s research team and learning about the research being carried out there.

This included listening to a debate on fracking, attending health questions in parliament, having people from the constituency question her on various local matters and attending a conference on the future of the rail network.’ Perry also spent a day shadowing Greenwood in Nottingham. ‘I went to all of the various activities that Lilian was involved in. The scientists then spent time shadowing their partner MPs in Westminster. You might not agree with MPs, but the pairing scheme gives you an appreciation of why they do things the way they do Input from relevant scientists is often sought at both these.

There were also mock meetings of the science select committee and the ‘Cobra’ emergency council, which meets to plan the government responses to urgent incidents. ‘It was suggested that this was something where either we or our research groups could get involved,’ says Perry. called Postnotes – for MPs on topical scientific topics are prepared with input from active scientists.A presentation from the director of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (Post), for example, informed the participants how four-page briefings At the beginning of the week we were given a tour of Westminster and introduced to the parliamentary system, explains Perry. In 2014, Carole Perry, a professor of chemistry at Nottingham Trent University, was paired with the MP for Nottingham South, Lillian Greenwood. A reciprocal visit then takes place in the research labs. Each year 30 scientists – selected from both academia and industry – spend a week in Westminster learning how parliament works and shadowing a partner MP or senior civil servant. The venerable Royal Society in the UK offers a scheme that pairs active scientists with at least two year’s Post-PhD research experience with their local MPs. These fellowships are also useful stepping stones for those exploring the possibility of leaving the lab for policy or science communication roles. Globally, learned societies are working to address this by funding pairing schemes and fellowships that enable scientists to get an inside view of how government functions and to build productive relationships with policymakers. There are, for example, very few UK MPs with scientific backgrounds to bridge the gap between the communities. But equally parliamentarians are rarely well informed scientifically or familiar with how research is conducted. Many in the scientific community do not understand well the policymaking process. Meanwhile, policymakers lament the perceived inability of scientists to view their work within a wider context that accounts for social, economic and cultural factors. Scientists can get frustrated when they think funding is flowing in the wrong directions or they feel those in charge are failing to grasp the science at the heart of contentious issues. Scientists and policymakers often clash publicly. Policymakers and scientists can learn a lot from each other