SET for BRITAIN SCIENCE IN PARLIAMENT Big Bang Peak Oil Annual Lunch sip Whitsun 2009 The Journal of the Parliamentary and The International Year of Astronomy 2009: Scientific Committee The Universe – yours to discover www.scienceinparliament.org.uk The Food and Environment Research Agency Regulation, Policy and Risk Policy and inspectorate functions for plant health, bee health and plant varieties and seeds Research and Assurance Robust scientific research, analysis and evidence for government and commercial customers worldwide Response and Recovery Advice, guidance and support as part of the nation’s capability to respond and recover in emergency situations Our purpose is to support and develop a sustainable food chain, a healthy natural environment and to protect the global community from biological and chemical risks. The Food and Environment Research Agency was formed on 1 April 2009 as an Executive Agency of Defra. For more information visit our website www.defra.gov.uk/fera or contact the office of our Chief Scientist Professor Nicola Spence 01904 462415 £5 million of additional funding was allocated in the Budget to science and SCIENCE IN PARLIAMENT mathematics education and £750 million to a new Strategic Investment Fund, which will be focused on emerging technologies and regionally important sectors, such as advanced manufacturing, digital technologies and biotechnology. A further £50 million has been set aside for the Technology Strategy Board and £250 million will be invested in low-carbon technologies. Set against these gains DFID has announced a cut of £10 million in its R&D budget, whilst the MoD’s Nuclear Weapons Capability Sustainment Programme will lose £170 million. sip On Budget day the Institute of Biology and the Biosciences Federation announced that their memberships have voted overwhelmingly in favour of The Journal of the Parliamentary and Scientific unification to form a new ‘Society of Biology’. We wish the new society well in Dr Brian Iddon MP Committee. Chairman, The Committee is an Associate Parliamentary its future work. Editorial Board Group of members of both Houses of We report in this issue of SiP on the Big Bang, the UK’s first annual national Science in Parliament Parliament and British members of the science fair celebrating young people’s achievements in science and European Parliament, representatives of engineering, which will be held next year in Manchester (11-13th March), and scientific and technical institutions, industrial on SET for BRITAIN, a poster session for young scientists and engineers whose organisations and universities. careers are emerging, which the P&SC has now adopted. Thanks to all those who have organised and/or funded these important events for young people. The US Research Advisory Committee established a strong dose-response link between Gulf War Illness and soldiers’ exposure to pesticides, insect repellents and pyridostigmine bromide (used against nerve gases). Now, Professor Robert Haley at the University of Texas has used the new technique of ‘arterial spin labelling’ to establish differences between veterans with and without the illness. Slowly it is being revealed that this is not a psychological disorder but is based on physiological changes in the white matter region of the brain Science in Parliament has two main objectives: (see Chemistry & Industry, 2009, 13 April, p 5). 1. to inform the scientific and industrial In the UK Patents Act 1977 provisions were made for employees named as communities of activities within Parliament inventors on patents to benefit from income to companies from patents of of a scientific nature and of the progress of ‘outstanding benefit’. In February this year the head of a research group and a relevant legislation; 2. to keep Members of Parliament abreast of bench chemist formerly at GE Healthcare were the first to benefit from this scientific affairs. provision, when the English Patent Court awarded them £1 million and £0.5 million ‘compensation’ respectively. CONTENTS PAIRING OF MEMBERS OF DO WE NEED MORE MULTI-SKILLED THE VANISHING FACE OF GAIA: PARLIAMENT WITH SCIENTISTS 2 SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS TO A FINAL WARNING 40 Dr Brian Iddon MP MANAGE ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND Book Review by Dr Stephen Henley THOUGHTS ON BECOMING CHAIRMAN CHANGE? 20 Seminar jointly arranged by DIUS and P&SC HOUSE OF COMMONS SELECT Ian Taylor MP 3 COMMITTEE ON INNOVATION, UK FUSION IN THE ERA OF FUSION UNCHARTERED TERRITORY: NICE, UNIVERSITIES, SCIENCE AND SKILLS 42 BIOSIMILARS AND GROWTH BURN 4 HOUSE OF COMMONS LIBRARY Professor Steve Cowley HORMONE 27 Dr Justin Warner SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT SECTION RETROFITTING EXISTING BUILDINGS 43 TO OVERCOME THE TRIPLE ANNUAL LUNCHEON OF THE PARLIAMENTARY AND SCIENTIFIC HOUSE OF LORDS SCIENCE AND CHALLENGE OF CLIMATE, ENERGY AND TECHNOLOGY SELECT COMMITTEE 44 SUSTAINABILITY 6 COMMITTEE 29 Professor Michael Kelly Guest of Honour Lord Taverne PARLIAMENTARY OFFICE OF SCIENCE CELEBRATING FOUR CENTURIES OF SET FOR BRITAIN 32 AND TECHNOLOGY 45 MODERN ASTRONOMY 8 VOICE OF THE FUTURE 47 Dr Robert Massey TRANSLATING THE VOICE OF ENGINEERING 34 SELECTED DEBATES AND THE INSTITUTE OF CORROSION – A Paul Davies PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS AND RUSTY PAST, A GOLDEN PRESENT AND ANSWERS 48 A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE 10 DARWIN’S ISLAND 35 Paul Lambert and Douglas Mills Book Review by Dr Ian Gibson MP EURO-NEWS 54 EDUCATION AT THE WELLCOME TRUST PARLIAMENTARY AND SCIENTIFIC SCIENCE DIRECTORY 55 Professor Derek Bell 12 COMMITTEE NEWS 35 SCIENCE DIARY 64 PUBLIC INVESTMENT IN R&D DURING THE BIG BANG FAIR 36 THE DOWNTURN 14 OBAMA – “WE WILL RESTORE SCIENCE Nick Dusic TO ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE” 38 HAVE WE PASSED PEAK OIL AND WHY Brian Ferrar, SIN, British Embassy, Washington DOES IT MATTER? 16 Addresses to the P&SC by Dr Steven E Koonin PUBLIC DIALOGUE ON STEM CELL and Steven Sorrell RESEARCH 39 Karen Gooch Front Cover Image by Max Alexander Science in Parliament Vol 66 No 2 Whitsun 2009 1 PAIRING OF MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT WITH SCIENTISTS Dr Brian Iddon, Member of Parliament for Bolton South East related policy should be well The policy process is not shadowing me in my day-to-day informed. one-way. It is imperative that our work. He has visited my young scientists have an constituency office and attended Champions of science in understanding of how science one of my busy Advice Parliament are not in policy is made within Parliament, Surgeries. I think he was abundance, yet the science- when and how they can engage surprised by the variety of the related issues behind legislation with the processes, and work that I undertake and the before Parliament are becoming appreciate the work that goes many skills that we have to have of increasing importance. Within into steering a Bill through as MPs in moving quickly from Dr Brian Iddon with the last 12 months MPs have Dr Chris Knight, Faculty of Life Parliament. By giving those one subject to another. Sciences, University of Manchester dealt with the Human young scientists with whom we Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, I have visited Dr Knight’s ‘pair’ an insight into the Climate Change Bill and the laboratories to find out about his Parliamentary procedures we will Energy Bill, all of which contain work and to give a talk to his It is becoming ever more provide them with the complex scientific issues that colleagues on ‘Science in important for scientists to knowledge to engage better in needed addressing. Parliament’. Dr Knight uses communicate their work to the policy making in future, when yeasts, which grow extremely general public and to engage For several years now I have they become the new leaders in rapidly, to investigate their with Parliamentarians. A number taken part in the Royal Society’s our science community. evolution, especially in a toxic of outside organisations, MPs ‘pairing scheme’, a scheme In the current session of alcoholic environment. By including learned societies and which aims to bridge the gap Parliament I have been paired growing yeast in increasing the Royal Society, have between Parliament and some with Dr Chris Knight, an concentrations of alcohol he recognised this and have set up of the best British young evolutionary biologist from the investigates how successive schemes to foster this scientists. I have found this Faculty of Life Sciences at the generations of yeast can engagement. Whether you are a scheme invaluable for University of Manchester. Dr develop a tolerance to it, ie how member of the Parliamentary maintaining my links with the Knight spent several days in they evolve. Dr Knight’s research and Scientific Committee, science community in my region Westminster, where he learned has important applications, for someone who is engaged in the and, for a small investment in about the political processes by example in teaching us how formation of science policy or a my time, there are valuable attending seminars organised by superbugs evolve in hospital Member of Parliament (MP) rewards. The scheme has the Royal Society, attending our environments, with a view to with an interest in this policy helped me, for example, with IUSS Select Committee interfering with their evolution. area, I am sure that you will my work on the Innovation, meetings, attending Prime agree that those involved in Universities, Science and Skills If, like me, you believe that all Minister’s Question Time and making decisions about science (IUSS) Select Committee. MPs, not just those with a scientific background, should learn more about the The Royal Society’s MP-Scientist pairing scheme has been running since 2001, with over 150 pairs taking part to date. Previous pairs have gone on to work together on local importance of science in our environmental issues, take part in events and write joint articles. A number of scientists policy making processes, then I have also gone on to have an active involvement in policy making through secondments encourage you to join the Royal to the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology and Government Departments.