Associations and Affiliations
Reviews of Undergraduate Astronomy and Geophysics in the UK
The RAS engages in activities to support university astronomy andgeophysics courses, and at the April Council meeting it was decided to undertake an investigation into the status of, and opportunities for, undergraduate astronomy in the UK. This decision followed a discussion at the Standing Conference of Astronomy Professors (SCAP) at the NAM in Milton Keynes in April. The review will be led by Professor Gordon Bromage of the University of Central Lancashire, and will be undertaken with the involvement of the SCAP with input from the Institute of Physics and other relevant bodies.
The British Geophysical Association, a joint association of the RAS and the Geological Society of London, has for some time recognized the need for a similar investigation on geophysical education in the UK in view of the mismatch between the growing importance of geophysical research and its commercial applications and the decline in numbers of UK undergraduate geophysics students. At the May Council meeting it was also agreed to support a review of undergraduate geophysics education, which subsequently has also been supported by the Geological Society. Professor Aftab Khan of the University of Leicester will lead this part of the review, linking closely with Professor Bromage. The reviews will cover such issues as:
o A survey of university provision in undergraduate and taught-masters courses in these sciences, covering all modes of learning including full-time, part-time and distance-learning;
o UCAS statistics and trends in these sciences;
o The promotion of astronomy and geophysics as a means of attracting
people into the physical sciences;
o The training of teachers in astronomy and geophysics and the provision of these subjects in secondary education;
o The use of astronomy and geophysics as a way to create transferable skills for scientists;
o The needs of academe, government and industry for astronomy and
geophysics graduates;
o Accreditation of astronomy and geophysics courses; and
o The role of the RAS, the Institute of Physics, the Geological Society, the British Geophysical Association and other such organisations in the promotion of education in these sciences.
The reviews will involve gathering information, comment and ideas by visits and questionnaires to appropriate people in HEIs, schools, government and industry. It is anticipated that the reports will be presented to the RAS and the Geological Society in summer 2005.
Anyone wishing to contribute views on the Astronomy review may do so to Professor Bromage at gebromage@uclan.ac.uk , and on the Geophysics review to Professor Khan at mak@le.ac.uk .
Review of Undergraduate Geophysics in the UK (details as submitted to "Geoscientist", September 2004)
The Geological Society, jointly with the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), has decided to undertake an investigation into the state and recent history of undergraduate geophysics in the UK. The initiative comes from The British Geophysical Association (BGA), a joint association of the RAS and the Geological Society and follows the decision of the RAS to undertake a similar investigation regarding astronomy. The need for a geophysical review has been recognised for some time in view of the mismatch between the growing importance of geophysical research and its commercial applications and the decline in numbers of UK undergraduate geophysics students. The review will be led by Professor Aftab Khan of the University of Leicester who will link closely with Professor Gordon Bromage of the University of Lancashire who will lead the one in Astronomy.
The review will cover such issues as:
o A survey of university provision in undergraduate and taught-masters courses in geophysics, covering all modes of learning including full-time, part-time and distance-learning;
o UCAS statistics and trends ;
o The promotion of geophysics as a means of attracting
people into the physical sciences;
o The training of teachers in geophysics and the provision of the subject in secondary education;
o The use of geophysics as a way to create transferable skills for scientists;
o The needs of academe, government and industry for
geophysics graduates;
o Accreditation of geophysics courses; and
o The role of the RAS, the Institute of Physics, the Geological Society, the British Geophysical Association and other such organisations in the promotion of education in these sciences.
The review will involve gathering information, comment and ideas by visits and questionnaires to appropriate people in HEIs, schools, government and industry. It is anticipated that the reports will be presented to the RAS and the Geological Society in summer 2005.