21 lines
3.3 KiB
Markdown
21 lines
3.3 KiB
Markdown
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title: "Young Scientists Journal — The Future of Science"
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date: 2016-11-07
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---
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One bright October morning, instead of engaging in particle physics with Mrs Dedman, I was on a train bound for Canterbury. I was on my way to The King’s School, Canterbury, to attend the *Young Scientists Journal Lecture*. Arriving, I entered through a castle-like arch and took a seat in a large and impressive hall.
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The day certainly kicked off with a bang as we had an address from none other than Sir Martyn Poliakoff (CBE, FRS), the vice-president and Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society! Poliakoff is a leading scientist on the cutting edge of green chemistry, and specialises in the applications of supercritical fluids (gases that are so highly compressed they begin to behave partly like liquids). He has been instrumental in the replacement of environment-harming organic solvents with supercritical gas solvent systems on an industrial scale. Oh, and also he travels the world making engaging scientific YouTube videos, known as the Periodic Table of Videos: <http://www.periodicvideos.com/>.
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After this fantastic address, the attendees broke off into smaller groups for pre-chosen lectures and workshops. My first choice was ‘Careers in Space’ in which I learned a significant amount about the possibilities of careers in the space sector. The workshop was taken by a member of the *UK Space Agency*, and as a result we also learned considerable amounts about the developments the *UK Space Agency *has made. For example, did you know a British astronaut will be launching to the ISS on 15th December 2015? To my shame, I didn’t — until that workshop. Not only did I learn about our astronaut, but I also found out about other developments, such as the Skylon, which UK research and development agencies, funded by our government, are pushing.
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My second address was intriguingly titled ‘We’re all Doomed’. It turned out to be a powerful presentation on the realities of climate change and the pace at which we are headed towards irreversible temperature rises and most likely our doom. However, the melancholy mood was intentionally lifted by the speaker who closed on a positive note, highlighting that we can fix situations like this and have done so in the past. For example, a global cooperation prevented further growth of the ozone hole, and indeed as of this point it has nearly healed. So, the future isn’t all doom and gloom, despite the presentation’s title; provided we, as a species, pull together as we have done in the past, the worst damage of climate change can be averted. Global leaders are aware of this and recent talks have yielded a first draft of a possible international policy on climate change. The UN recognises it is critical we keep global temperature rises under two degrees, and is taking action to ensure we do.
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Overall, it was a very exciting and educational day, and I look forward to next year’s conference. Indeed, I will be investigating the possibly of a school trip to next year’s event: watch this space! Until then, remember, there’s always more to learn.
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The journal’s site is here: <http://ysjournal.com/.> I’d advise you give it a look.
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*Originally published at *[*www.thenetworkhe.com*](http://www.thenetworkhe.com/the-young-scientists-journal.html)*.*
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