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SUMMARY:IMAGINE ... Working Together on Technology Solutions for Developin
 g Countries - Dr Patricia Osseweijer (Kluyver Centre\,  Delft University o
 f Technology)
DTSTART:20080219T170000Z
DTEND:20080219T183000Z
UID:TALK10788@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:8506
DESCRIPTION:Imagine was set up as a novel communication and awareness prog
 ramme to raise enthusiasm for science and technology amongst the public. I
 n an annual competition scientists are challenged to develop useful applic
 ations of their research for developing countries. Together with school st
 udents these ideas are tested and developed into a Business Plan. Each yea
 r during a scientific conference a winning plan is selected to be carried 
 out. Over the years the Imagine programme has shown that both scientists a
 nd school students are highly motivated to work on projects for developing
  countries\, but that they need encouragement and assistance to develop th
 eir ideas. Because the project feeds back to the scientific community and 
 aims at maximum media attention it addresses important issues of scientifi
 c responsibility in global development.  \n\nImagine started in 2004 with 
 as winning project\, the production of biodiesel from algae in Mozambique.
  This project was implemented with initial funding from the Imagine progra
 mme\, but later attracted substantial more funding from various sources. I
 n 2005 a farmer developed the extraction of avocado oil from overripe avoc
 adoes in Kenya and in 2006\, the redevelopment of a plantation in Surinam 
 to produce valuable colouring compounds was selected to be realised. In 20
 07 the plan to grow mushrooms on waste materials won to be carried out in 
 Ghana. The success of the competition has led to the establishment of the 
 Imagine Life Sciences Foundation which is liaised to the Delft University 
 of Technology (3\,4).\n\nImagine is not only based on applications of soun
 d science in developing countries\, it has also developed from novel insig
 hts in science communication studies. From the biotechnology debate of rec
 ent years in Europe we know that the vast majority of people generally are
  not really interested in science\, do not understand it and do not want t
 o unless they have a personal need to. In spite of many attempts to increa
 se public interaction and dialogue\, opinions remain unheard as most are n
 ot attracted or affected by these rather rational attempts.  Imagine uses 
 what I have called the Three-E model: Entertainment (getting attention)\, 
 Emotion (identification) and Education (information and skills for (future
 ) decision-making). The students are keen to be involved in the contest\, 
 are very motivated when they identify with the problems in developing coun
 tries for which they need the science. Its emotive combination of school c
 hildren working with scientists on developing country applications certain
 ly appeals to the media and hence via it demonstrates the science and its 
 beneficial use in developing countries to the much larger group of people 
 who cannot otherwise be reached. The Three-E model is a simple approach ap
 plicable to many kinds of issues and not limited to biotechnology alone.\n
 \nPatricia Osseweijer has a PhD in science communication and a masters deg
 ree in molecular biology. After several years of management at the Departm
 ent of Biotechnology of Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands 
 she was appointed as Managing Director of the Netherlands public-private p
 artnership Kluyver Centre for Genomics of Industrial Fermentation in 2002.
  Driven by her interests in the responsibility of scientists in society an
 d their role in public interaction she initiated a new research and educat
 ion group on society issues in biotechnology. As Programme Leader of the S
 ociety programme in the Kluyver Centre she developed an integrated social 
 science programme which aims to define and quantify future societal issues
  to develop novel forms of public communication. \n\n
LOCATION:St Edmund's College\, Garden Room
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