|
Harry Kroto,
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State
University
A joint event with the Royal Society of Chemistry
For both politicians and publics, the present level of
ignorance about Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) is
a recipe for disaster - but how do we strike a balance
between the humanitarian possibilities of SET and the
dangers of new technologies?
One way is through initiatives like
Vega,
which streams science lectures, interviews,
discussions and other communications, and the new
GEOSET site. These sites use the power of the
Internet to break down barriers between scientists and the
publics, particularly with young people, the decision-makers
of the future. These efforts have triggered a worldwide
reaction from teachers of the "GooYouWiki-World" generation
who can use these methods to combat ignorance cheaply.
Professor Sir Harold Kroto obtained a BSc in Chemistry
(1961) and a PhD in Molecular Spectroscopy (1964) at the
University of Sheffield. In 1990 he was elected a Fellow of
The Royal Society and in 1996 he was knighted for his
contributions to chemistry and awarded the Nobel Prize for
Chemistry together with Robert Curl and Richard Smalley.
Since 2004, he has been on the board of the Scripps
Institute Board of Scientific Governors. He was elected to
the National Academy of Sciences in 2007. |
