Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

British Science Association

 
British History: British Association for the Advancement of Science
Home > Library > History, Politics & Society > British History

This peripatetic body, founded in 1831, has been important in promoting public awareness of science. The Royal Society was London-based and like a gentleman's club; the Royal Institution fashionable and expensive. Provincial pride and fear of scientific decline were important factors in its establishment; the first meeting was in York, then came Oxford and Cambridge, and then commercial and industrial cities.

Search unanswered questions...

Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Wikipedia: British Science Association
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
"BAAS" redirects here. For the surname, see Baas.
British Science Association Logo

The British Association for the Advancement of Science or the British Science Association, formerly known as the BA, is a learned society with the object of promoting science, directing general attention to scientific matters, and facilitating interaction between scientific workers. Membership is open to all.

Contents

History

Foundation

It was founded in 1831 and modelled on the German Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte[1]. The prime mover was William Vernon Harcourt, following a suggestion by Sir David Brewster, who was disillusioned with the elitist and conservative attitude of the Royal Society. Other founders included JFW Johnston.[2] The first meeting was held in York on 27 September 1831 [3]. From that date a meeting was held annually at some place chosen at a previous meeting.

One of the more memorable meetings held by the association, was the 1860 meeting at Oxford, where the now famous debate between Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce took place (see the 1860 Oxford evolution debate). This meeting is widely viewed[who?] as the turning point in the evolution debate.

Ironically, perhaps the Association's most momentous influence on science was in 1878 when a committee of the Association recommended against constructing Charles Babbage's analytical engine [4].

The Association was parodied by English novelist Charles Dickens as 'The Mudfog Society for the Advancement of Everything' in The Mudfog Papers (1837 – 38).

Annual Festival of Science

The Association's major emphasis in recent decades has been on public engagement in science. Its annual meeting, now called the Festival of Science, is the largest public showcase for science in the U.K. and attracts a great deal of media attention. It is held at UK universities in early September for one week, with visits to science-related local cultural attrcations. 2009's Festival will be held at the University of Surrey.

National Science Week

In addition to the Festival of Science, the British Science Association organises the UK National Science and Engineering Week, an opportunity for people of all ages to get involved in science, engineering and technology activities.

The Association also has a young people's programme, which seeks to involve school students in science beyond the school curriculum, and to encourage them to consider higher education and careers in science.

Name change

In 2009 the Association rebranded itself and now uses the trading name British Science Association instead of the BA. [5].

Recent Presidents of the British Science Association

Former Media Fellows

  • 2009: Dr. Rosie Chance, BBC Countryfile
  • 2009: Dr. Sudeep Chand, BBC Radio
  • 2009: Dr. Simon Choppin, The Guardian
  • 2009: Ms. Lori Frater, BBC Wales
  • 2009: Dr. Kate Mandeville, The Times
  • 2009: Prof. Pat Monaghan, The Scotsman
  • 2009: Prof. Jeremy O'Brien, The Irish Times
  • 2009: Dr. Griet Scheldeman, BBC Radio
  • 2009: Dr. David Schley, Times Higher Education
  • 2009: Dr. Mark Sergeant, Mirror & Science Media Centre
  • 2009: Dr. Fiona Tomkinson, Nature


See also

References

  1. ^ The German organisation was founded in 1822, see Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte (German language Wikipedia article).
  2. ^ David Knight, ‘Johnston, James Finlay Weir (1796–1855)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
  3. ^ BA website - History page part 1
  4. ^ Report of the BA committee on the Analytical Engine of Charles Babbage: "appointed to consider the advisability and to estimate the expense of constructing Mr. Babbage's Analytical Machine, and of printing Tables by its means"..
  5. ^ Robert Winston, New Scientist, 3 Feb 2009

External links

Video clips


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

Copyrights:

British History. A Dictionary of British History. Copyright © 2001, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "British Science Association".  Read more