Discussion

Communicating Science & Technology

Welcome to the international conference Communicating Science and Technology and the Science Media Festival. The conference, which will take place at the University of Tromsø June 6-9 2006, will focus the question of declining recruitment to the natural sciences. It seeks to engage the private sector in a debate about what this means for society as a whole.

The University of Tromsø is situated far above the arctic circle, in a part of Norway that has been largely dependent on the primary sectors and fishing. The wish to diversify the economy coupled with recent discoveries of oil deposits in the region, has lead to a new focus on technological development.

At the same time, however, the interest in science among the younger generation has declined. Fewer and fewer students enroll in the sciences classes. The region therefore faces the question of reconciling the goals of the policy makers with the realities of the educational system. How can development occur if no one has the qualifications to be innovative?

This declining interest in science is in fact the symptom of a general trend in European societies. Thus what was initially a local problem, is actually a question of national, even international, importance. This is the backdrop against which this conference is set. It is hoped that the conference will attract journalists, media experts, policy makers, educators, and industrial representatives with a vested interest in the subject, and engage them in a fruitful debate to find out what they think.

Excursions

Presentations

Media festival