Written evidence submitted by the Science Museum Group (COM0028)

 

How Government, scientists, the media and others encourage and facilitate public awareness of – and engagement in – science.

 

Issues:

 

 

1               Executive Summary

 

1.1              Key points

This response draws on and expands, evidence submitted to the Nurse Review of the Research Councils, and the Science and Technology Committee inquiry into the science budget.

 

1.2              Recommendations for Government:

 

2               Introduction

 

2.1              The Science Museum Group is a UK-wide organisation. We hold the world’s most important collection of scientific and engineering objects in four national museums: the Science Museum in London; the Museum of Science & Industry (MSI) in Manchester; the National Railway Museum (NRM) in York and in Shildon; the National Media Museum (NMeM) in Bradford; and storage sites in London and Wiltshire. With more than 5.5 million visits to SMG museums per year (around 40% outside London), our museums connect with diverse audiences, whose needs and expectations we understand.  Our outreach teams engage with a further 100,000 young people in schools and at festivals throughout the UK.  Millions more people experience SMG online and the Science Museum is, on average, the most Googled museum on the planet.

 

2.2              SMG is also an international organisation. Our curatorial teams are working from Moscow to India to Sierra Leone, and our education teams have recently visited countries such as China, South Korea, Brazil and Turkey. More than half a million people have seen our ground-breaking exhibition about the Large Hadron Collider, Collider: Step inside the world’s greatest experiment, in the UK, Paris, Hong Kong and Singapore, and it has yet to travel to Australia and Brazil. 230,000 online users from 199 countries participated in MSI’s citizen science project, #HookedOnMusic, which is contributing to research into Alzheimer’s disease.  We regularly lend artefacts from our collections overseas, collaborate on research and professional practiced. We work with organisations such as the GREAT campaign to support tourism and promote UK science and technology.

 

2.3              SMG is an acknowledged leader in informal STEM education. We set up the pioneering Children’s Gallery in 1931. Anecdotally, we know we have played an important role in the formative years of scientists such as Stephen Hawking and James Lovelock. More than 600,000 visitors to our Museums come in booked education groups. The Science Museum is the most-visited museum in the UK for education groups, welcoming 458,000 such visitors in 2105/16. The scale and variety of our activity is described in the document, Inspiring the Next Generation: a nationwide force for promoting STEM (www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/stem; hard copy available).  Our work is underpinned by leading academic research, working in partnership with Kings College London. As well as providing a rich and diverse offer directly to pupils, students and families through exhibitions, festivals, performance and other events, we run CPD programmes for c. 1000 teachers per year. SMG also trains hundreds of scientists in public engagement each year.

 

 

3              Issue:  Trends in attitudes to science, and public engagement with science

 

3.1              There is undoubtedly an appetite amongst the public for engagement with STEM. People are willing to spend their leisure time - and often their money - on enjoyable, enlightening experiences related to science and technology. The Science Museum Group is one of the foremost providers in this field.

 

3.2              In 2015/16 visitor numbers were up on the previous year at all of our Museums. The total number of visits was 5.55 million, up by 8% since 2012/13 (when the Group merged with MSI).

 

3.3              The Science Museum received 3.42 million visits, the most visits recorded in one year, and almost 70% growth compared to c. 2 million visits ten years ago (Box 1). In the same period, the number of independent adults (i.e. visiting without children) coming to the Science Museum has doubled.

 

Box 1: Science Museum annual visit numbers 2005/06 – 2015/16

3.4              The 11% increase in visits at the NMeM in 2015/16 was especially gratifying. This was the biggest year-on-year increase achieved by any SMG Museum and it follows an explicit shift towards a more STEM-focused offer.

 

3.5              SMG Museums are free to enter, but as Grant in Aid continues to decrease in real terms, the importance of increasing other income increases. Voluntary donations are solicited and our visitors’ generosity continues to astound, now raising nearly £3 million across the Group in 2015/16. Visitors are also willing to pay for special exhibitions and events; for example, 2015/16 the Science Museum introduced adult sleepovers and the pilot events were quickly sold out at £180 per head; tickets for  our new TEDx event in June 2016 recently went on sale and sold out within 1 minute.

 

3.6              Another tranche of people gives significant amounts of time to volunteer with SMG. In 2015/16, 850 volunteers from diverse backgrounds put in nearly 72,000 hours across SMG, both behind the scenes and front of house.

 

3.7              In total, there were 12.5 million visits to the SMG websites in 2015/16, compared to 10.8 million in the previous financial year. We have pioneered online games that have gone on to win awards; for example, Rugged Rovers (see Box 5) and Launch Ball. We are working with the BBC, alongside the Wellcome Trust and the Royal Society, on the New Age of Wonder project which will be driven by digital.

 

 

4               Issue:  Increasing public engagement in science by 'new audiences'

 

4.1              SMG continually strives to reach new audiences. It should be borne in mind, though, that attracting regular visits, and re-engaging ‘lapsed’ visitors, are also indicators of success. In 2014/15, the proportion of general admissions visitors (i.e. excluding booked groups) making their first visit to SMG Museums ranged from 29% at NMeM in Bradford to 55% at the Science Museum in London, with NRM and MSI getting 41% and 46% respectively.

 

4.2              The numbers at the Science Museum are consistent with those of London’s other major national museums and are affected by high levels of overseas visitors (also a success indicator). Among UK visitors, 22% of family visits and 36% of independent adults were first-timers, the latter reflecting a successful strategy of building up the adult-oriented offer.

 

4.3              Science is part of culture. This needs to be asserted loudly and regularly, since culture is too frequently seen as synonymous with visual and performing arts, and literature. It would be helpful for government to avoid this trap itself and to be alert to it in others; science must not be treated as an afterthought in cultural agendas (and vice versa). As cultural organisations, museums have particular opportunities to bring new audiences to science, especially in light of findings that visitors to science museums are likely to be interested in culture generally[1], and an upward trend in museum-visiting[2]. Museums are trusted sources of information and learning[3], and social spaces for diverse audiences. And museums are well-placed to straddle the full spectrum of culture. The arts can be an effective way of introducing people to science topics, and of offering new perspectives to those with an existing interest. All SMG sites collaborate with creative people and organisations on innovative and inspiring outputs to engage people with science and the way it impacts our lives. This is exemplified in the Science Museum’s new Mathematics Gallery. The design, which itself embodies mathematical principles, is by Zaha Hadid Architects and its launch in December 2016 is expected to be a significant event in London’s cultural scene. A regular (and growing) cultural highlight in Manchester  is MSI’s annual Manchester Science Festival (Box 2), whilst in 2015/16 the NRM enjoyed a particularly close collaboration with York Theatre Royal (Box 3).

 

4.4              SMG Museums all have active strategies and programmes for targeted audience segments, including those in formal education (see section 6) and those that are currently under-represented. NMeM has a specific ambition to be the regional and national centre of excellence for engaging under-represented communities with STEM, and visitors are responding positively; see Box 4.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             

4.5              The contemporary science festivals in Bradford, mentioned in Box 4, and three similar events at MSI demonstrated once again that sustained effort is required in order to engage with and attract under-served audiences; sustainable relationships need to be built. The nature of project funding means that all too often the progress which is made within individual projects is very difficult to embed more permanently. A longer term commitment on funding such programmes is required to make a real difference.

 

 

5               Issue:  Science coverage in the media and broadcasting

 

5.1          Beyond its 5.5 million visitors annually, the Science Museum Group can play a central role in bringing STEM to the general public by providing a platform, e.g. for the launch of Tim Peake’s Principia launch celebrations, enjoyed by 11,000 people and  4,000 schoolchildren in the Science Museum, and by the audience of BBC Stargazing Live, broadcast from the Museum; by providing spectacle, from the Queen’s first Tweet to the inaugural run of the restored Flying Scotsman (enjoyed by 100,000 bystanders and global TV audiences); and through scholarship, such as the discovery of the world’s oldest colour film at the National Media Museum.

 

 

6               Issue:  Encouraging young people to study STEM subjects and take up STEM careers.

 

6.1              SMG is a major player in STEM education and in the vanguard for informal learning. 1.7 million children visit our Museums each year, A total of 605,000 visits were made to SMG Museums as part of education groups in 2015/16. This includes 458,000 to the Science Museum, more than to any other UK Museum. Of these, 381,000 Science Museum visits were by under-18s in formal education. These figures equate to 736,000 instances of participation in on-site learning[4], 416,000 by under-18s.

 

6.2              Learning is embedded in our galleries and exhibitions, drawing on decades of experience and research. Our events programmes are innovative, effective and popular, and our people are sought out from across the world for professional speaking, training and advice. Located at the intersection of formal and informal learning, SMG has a direct impact on millions of families, teachers and members of the public, young and old. 

 

6.3              Attracting and retaining new entrants to STEM careers is essential for the UK’s future prosperity and wellbeing. But SMG’s wider mission is to deepen and expand science literacy in the UK. It is SMG Learning’s purpose to enrich the lives of a large and diverse audience by igniting their curiosity in science, and by using the principles of “science capital”. Science Capital is a concept conceived by researchers at King’s College London, and developed through groundbreaking collaborative research with SMG and BP in a £2.4 million, five-year project. The organising principle of enhancing science capital offers a vision of enriching people’s lives as well as enhancing their contributions to society, beyond merely ‘feeding the STEM careers pipeline’.

 

6.4              SMG does participate in projects and programmes that overtly encourage young people to choose STEM in their study and career options. One such is the Engineer Your Future project at the Science Museum, part of the Government’s Your Life campaign and visited by more than 700,000 people since December 2014 – see Box 5. At the NRM Tomorrow’s Engineers was a highlight of the summer 2015 programm, part of the nationalTomorrow’s Engineers Week. Along with professional bodies such as the Institute of Mechanical Engineers we delivered quality learning for nine local secondary schools.

 

6.5              MSI holds the contract for the Greater Manchester STEMNET programme with over 1,100 enthusiastic volunteers working in over 95% of Greater Manchester’s state secondary schools. The STEM ambassadors have participated regularly in linking schools with MSI and supporting the delivery of new contemporary science programming. At April 2016. STEMNET ambassadors funding has only been confirmed to July 2016 and uncertainty over the future for this highly successful national scheme poses a significant challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.6              Evidence is growing that informal STEM education has impact: A Wellcome Trust study showed that informal learning stimulates interest in science, as well as an appreciation of its social, cultural and historical context. Informal learning experiences can also improve attainment levels and build learners’ knowledge and skills.  Participation in science-based extra-curricular activities is related to better student performance; greater science efficacy; and a greater enjoyment of learning about science. Interest is key to student engagement with science. Museum learning experiences trigger and sustain interest in science. SMG believes that the role of informal learning is still underplayed in many discussions of the STEM skills shortage (e.g. the Perkins review and a 2015 STEM education special in the journal Nature).

 

6.6              Nationwide efforts on STEM engagement are fractured and balkanised across different Government departments (BIS, DCMS, DfE) and many different institutions and organisations. Wheels are constantly being reinvented. Government efforts are not joined up. Projects are often discrete and short-term. The whole remains less than the sum of its parts. We believe that greater synergies could be achieved from government spend on STEM education and engagement by rationalising the proliferation of initiatives, and focusing on schemes that have genuine reach and impact; SMG delivers, and has the networks for spreading good practice. There are opportunities for more focused ‘top down’ initiatives to complement formal STEM education, amplify the impact of the science base and raise awareness of the importance of science which, through technology, is the biggest force in modern culture.  SMG’s nationwide reach and unparalleled experience can leverage resources and achieve real impact. 

 

 

7                Issue:  Public dialogue and consultation in science and technology areas of policy-making

 

7.1              SMG believes that there is scope and appetite to greatly increase both the quantity and quality of public discourse around science policy, research and practice. Despite acknowledged progress in recent decades and honourable exceptions, STEM public engagement models are still very much deficit-based; science communication is largely directed at the public, and it is the public who are expected to change as a result. Improved connections between scientists and citizens, and between society and research and innovation, are assumed to flow from such initiatives, but there are no good examples of established practices that enable citizens to influence the actual innovation and research processes. 

 

 

7.2              We are working with other major European science museums and research organisations to investigate and generate greater and more meaningful connections between society and science.  A tangible example is Beyond the Lab, an exhibition and events programme to be launched at the Science Museum  in 2016. The offer explores public participation in medical research and will be shown in 29 countries.

 

7.3              SMG’s ambition coincides with that of the BIS, the Government Office Science,  the Research Councils, and others. It also complements the European Commission’s Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) framework. SMG museums provide a nexus and a neutral ground for engagement between the public, academia, Government and industry. The Science Museum is already working with these bodies – and others - to pilot activities and test methodologies, albeit on a relatively small scale at this stage. SMG, in common with other science engagement bodies, regularly puts on dialogue events, and uses a range of established and novel methods to stimulate thinking and discussion. Some examples are given in Box 6.

 

7.4              In the last two or three years, we have increasingly provided opinion and data back into research and policy-making, but too often the impact is limited to the few tens or hundreds of participants. SMG has the experience and the opportunity to play a major role in scaling up ’open science’, drawing on our huge - and growing - audiences. . The potential prize is a virtuous circle in which a better informed and confident citizenry contribute to better decision-making and outputs (better research), which are communicated back to the public, who are more receptive to innovation and better-equipped to contribute to future research.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8                Government’s fostering public engagement and trust of science more widely, and high quality media reporting of science

 

8.1              The most effective way to improve general scientific literacy and trust in science is through public participation and engagement with science.  SMG has pioneered interactive science interpretation for over 80 years, starting with its flagship museum in South Kensington, and was the first in Europe to set up a sleepover programme, the first to tour science and technology exhibitions to shopping centres and the first with a resident science comedy troupe. 

 

8.2              As mentioned, at the strategic level it would be more efficient to coordinate existing public engagement initiatives and work with external partners that are well established and demonstrably successful, rather than repeatedly launch new ventures in this crowded arena.

 

8.3              The SMG Museums’ offer is distinct from science centres; they are free, enjoy a nationwide infrastructure; place emphasis on heritage that can enthuse future generations; and manage the biggest STEM projects of their kind. They can provide: a nexus for engagement between the public, academia, Government and industry, and a neutral ground for high level interactions; a repository for key legacy objects and ephemera from the efforts of this generation of scientists to help raise public awareness and to inspire future generations;  resources for schools and HEI; and  opportunities for to act as a ‘showcase’ for researchers, bringing their latest work to the attention of a wider audience, and exploring sensitive issues from GM to nuclear. 

 

8.4              In short, our museums help restore science to its central place modern culture. When it comes to media reporting, given that people trust museums highly (at a time when there is distrust in government, media and business), museums can provide a greater role in providing what is regarded as authoritative and reliable information.

 

 

April 2016

 

[1] Public Attitudes to Science 2014 (BIS): there is a single set of people who undertake  both science and arts cultural activities, confounding the ‘two cultures’ cliché,

[2] Taking Part Quarter 2 2015/16 statistical release (DCMS): 52% of UK adults had visited a museum/gallery in the previous year in 2015/16, compared to 42% in 2015/06

[3] Public perceptions of – and attitudes to – the purposes of museums in society 2013 (Britain Thinks for the Museums Association): Museums trusted position is unique, in contrast to government and the media, which  are seen as biased and operating under agendas.

[4] A DCMS performance indicator; one visit may include more than one instance of participation.