THE PHYSICIST IN THE EUROPEAN KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY : A UK
PERSPECTIVE Peter Williams Chancellor, University of Leicester and
Chairman, NPL
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So what is the European Knowledge Society?
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..building this..to accomplish this.. .to create this I used to
use this..
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Increasingly, science in the Knowledge Society is focused as
much on the creation of wealth as on the quality of life and our
understanding of our universe
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.with physics, engineering and mathematics
indistinguishable
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FTSE 250 Technology Business No. Companies However in the UK,
80% of the top listed companies are not specifically technology
based
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Though physics is just as useful here.. .as here
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Elsewhere in Europe the picture is slightly different
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Mining Oil & Gas Finance Media/Soft Services Support Svc
Pharma/bio IT HardwareEngineering Aero and where are the emerging
tech stars of tomorrow? M AIM Companies With Neue Markt gone and
Nouvelle Marche under new management, where will Europe find the
companies of tomorrow?
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What about the interaction between these.
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And their effects on this.. Hurricane Katrina (courtesy of
NOAA)
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Global warming the facts Courtesy of Anthony Cohen, Open
University 2006
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Recent CO 2 data Mauna Loa
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..and nor have they before!
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The solutions? The solutions all rely on new physics based
industries
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So where are the physicists of tomorrow? And can we capture
their imagination?
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At age 16, not on the radar.
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..and growing only slowly
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though not on the endangered species list
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At A level, Maths is showing a bounce
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though Physics is flat
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...despite recent optimism Physics A level results finally on
the increase and with good future prospects IOP 16 August 2007
After more than 20 years of steady decline in examination entrances
for A level physics, numbers are now on the increase. A pattern is
emerging as the number of candidates for both A and AS level
examination figures has gone up.
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as are undergraduate numbers
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So is money becoming a factor with young people? Stimulating
Physics & the IoP
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..and it gets better with age!
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..and you can bank the premium!
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So we need to inspire the young..
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Time is that wherein there is opportunity, and opportunity is
that wherein there is no great time Hippocrates, 460-357BC The
Future?
