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An astronomer from The Australian National University who developed an
innovative science education program in the UK has been named winner
of a prestigious physics prize.
Dr Charles Jenkins from the Research School of Astronomy and
Astrophysics at ANU has been awarded the 2007 Kelvin Medal for
Physics by the London-based Institute of Physics (IoP), which
praised his leadership of the Lab in a Lorry project.
Dr Jenkins devised the mobile physics education truck while working
for technology-development company Schlumberger in the UK in 2001.
“I overheard a young student describing a physics experiment that
hadn't gone to plan in the classroom, and realised that these ‘dead
alleys’ were really missed opportunities to explore science in all its
richness and complexity,” Dr Jenkins said.
“The Lab in a Lorry project was a chance to create a mobile laboratory
supervised by volunteer physicists who could show young people that
science could stand on its own feet – that mistakes, false trails, the
unexpected, are an integral part of the scientific adventure, and that
children have a curiosity and freshness which makes them natural
scientists.”
The lorry project was put together by scientists at Schlumberger's
research labs in Cambridge, England, with help from the Cavendish
Laboratory in the University of Cambridge, and the local branch of the
Institute of Physics. The funding came from the Schlumberger
Foundation and the IoP, who subsequently commissioned three lorries.
“The lorries are still touring and have had over 42,000 visitors since
we started. It's great to be honoured by the IoP in this way, but the
true reward is knowing that thousands of young people are discovering
that physics is a vibrant and fun field of discovery,” Dr Jenkins
said.
Dr Jenkins will receive the Kelvin Medal at a ceremony in London in
January 2007. The award is made annually for outstanding contributions
to the public understanding of physics.
ANU Media Office: Simon Couper 02 6125 4171, 0416 249 241
To hear an MP3 of Charles Jenkins interviewed on local
ABC radio, click
here.
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