Bring back bucket chemistry

As all the university offers have come out in the last couple of weeks, I have been broken-hearted to see that so many institutions have vacancies in the Science faculties even after they have lowered their entrance requirements.

This is so sad for science in Australia. If we don’t attract the ‘cream’ we will not be able to compete on the world stage and at the moment we can’t even attract the crud!

I know there are no quick fixes for this problem but in its heyday science was fun. I still remember fondly joining together lots of Quickfit glassware and experimenting. It was an adventure and I really enjoyed myself.

The schools in the sanitised, safe world of today’s teenager don’t allow for bucket chemistry — the parents and insurers would complain. Now the students find other ways to experience risk — drug-taking for example. At least in the olden days we tried (albeit unsuccessfully) to synthesise our own drugs.

Risk-taking and adventure have been part of the science world forever. Isaac Newton, one of the greatest contributors to scientific and mathematical advancement — you know, the laws of motion, calculus etc — spent his spare time trying to turn lead into gold. In later life he was extremely eccentric and it is conjectured that mercury poisoning, gained as a by-product of his alchemy, caused this. But at least he was having fun through science.

In some way scientific success has lead to the demise of science. Once anyone could propose a theory and then prove or disprove it — the science itself was accessible. Now so much is known that scientific discovery is incremental and relies on expensive equipment and lots of computer power.

Most scientists are masters of a very small area and they can realistically only communicate with others in their own very narrow field. Gone are the days when scientific discovery was on the front page of the newspaper and the wider community could enjoy the discoveries vicariously. Well, almost gone — we all remember the scientists claiming nuclear fission in on open beaker!

So the question is: how do we make science fun and accessible again? The secondary education system would seem a likely place to start but the OHS and insurance limitations have really nipped this in the bud. Also, science teachers tied to curricula and outcomes don’t have the time, resources or (in many cases) the will to enthuse students with the fun of their subject.

The universities could do more — but they are simply not getting the students.

Maybe we should go back to the primary schools. Surely we could create some hands-on ‘experiments’ that are not going to endanger the kids' safety but will allow them to have some fun.

Volcanos spewing sodium hydrogen carbonate and acetic acid froth, paper chromatography of the pigments in the headmaster's prize geraniums, a decent microscope so they can see the bugs in the pond, colour-changing indicators … Go easy on the ‘scientific method’ and statistical analysis just let the students enjoy themselves. A decade later we may have more talented, interested students choosing science for their first degree.