12 March 2024 – Voices of the Future 2024 – organised by the Royal Society of Biology
Photo credit: Royal Society of Biology
Voices of the Future is an annual event that gives people in the early stages of careers in STEM an opportunity to quiz sitting politicians on areas of science policy that are important to them.
Attendees to the event are nominated by their respective learned societies with each having a designated question asker and a slot within 3 sessions in which they called to ask their question(s). Each session consists of a new panel of parliamentarians.
Questions in the first session were asked to Chi Onwurah MP, long-standing Shadow Minister for Science, Research and Innovation and chartered Engineer. There was a focus on parliament’s role in facilitating international partnerships within STEM, the importance of diversity in innovation, and the STEM Skills gap.
The second session was hosted by members of the House of Commons Science, Innovation & Technology Select Committee – Katherine Fletcher MP (Fellow University of Nottingham biology graduate), Stephen Metcalfe MP, and Carol Monaghan MP. The importance of good science communication and improving science education were both raised in this session and discussed in terms of both how the government can encourage people to think critically about what information is available to them, and how scientists bear a great amount of responsibility in making complex topics accessible. The regulation of AI was also discussed in depth.
The Viscount Stansgate Dr Stephen Benn – former RSB director of parliamentary affairs – and Lord Drayson – former Minister of Science and electric world land speed record holder – hosted the final session. Representing the Genetics Society, I asked about how Parliament should be involved in regulating the use of medically sensitive information held by private companies, in the context of personal genome sequencing. The potential value of these databases was stressed in terms of the positive impact they could have in understanding human health, but the need to keep a close eye on who is getting access to this data was also raised. Other questions in this session explored how education can be reformed to prepare students for the rapidly changing STEM landscape and the ensuing general changes in society.
It was a privilege to represent the Genetics Society at this event and a fascinating insight into the world of science policy. This felt like an opportunity for early career scientists to really make their voices heard and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity to attend future iterations.
More information is available through the Royal Society of Biology’s report here.
Alec Lewis, Genetics Society Postgraduate Student Representative.
Alec is a 3rd year PhD Student at the University of Nottingham, on the Nottingham BBSRC doctoral training partnership. His PhD looks at the evolution of “mirror-imaging” a unique developmental phenomenon in snails in which the body plan can be inverted across the Left-Right axis. The project makes use of population genomics, phylogenetics, and comparative transcriptomics as tools for identifying the underlying genetics that regulate this particularly dramatic polymorphism. The project also extends into the ecology and developmental biology of the snails.
Alec also completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Nottingham, graduating in 2020 before taking time out and working for Kent County Council Adult Social Care ahead of starting his PhD in October 2021.
