The speakers accept that science cannot be insulated from society and have tackled , for example, the ethics of building spare body parts and the myths of global warming. It shows the public that not all scientists are over 50, male and grey-suited. It gives young people proper role models, because they can see that not all scientists are arcane and fusty . There used to be a big division between university and industry, and anyone who dabbled in industry was deemed to be sullying their hands. ''That culture doesn't exist any more. There are loads of spin-out companies, for example in pharmaceuticals.
Young researchers are attuned to that entrepreneurial way of thinking.
They think in terms of bullet points and soundbites,'' says Professor Greenfield. So important is this skill, she says, that it should be included in formal academic assessments. Dr Gibson, the MP for Norwich North and the former dean of biological sciences at the University of East Anglia, spends much of his time on television and radio patiently expounding on the risks of, among other things, GM foods and mobile phones. His patience runs out when we start chatting about scientists. Ask any of them if the sun will rise tomorrow, he says, and they will probably hedge their bets . ''Many science students don't even tell their parents what they are working on.