The Owers Lecture
Dr. Stan Owers has, since 1995, been researching the place and perception of technology in society and education, and concludes that our culture fails to recognise its importance. The Owers Lecture was inaugurated to strengthen the debate and raise the importance of this issue.
The coalition government have argued that economic recovery depends on a manufacturing renaissance - what part can the innovations proposed in the University Technical College movement play to address this need?
Kate Sim presented her work teaching robotics with Prof Stephen Heppell responding.
Jamie Tuplin and Pete Williamson from Barking and Dagenham talked about their implementation of Diplomas and Engineering in particular, Mick Waters of QCA responded.
Jeff Roche described his school career and influences leading to a course in Innovative Manufacturing at Loughborough University, Dr Raj Rajagopal, Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology responded.
Dr Ian Gibson gave a wide-ranging exposition of the concerns he had for science and technology education, ranging from 'Two Cultures' to 'Inquiry-based Learning'.
Dr Stan Owers identified a conflict between two strands of our culture. On the one hand we are totally dependent on our tool-and-technology-culture to function as individuals and as a society. But on the other hand the value judgments of the majority in our society disparage our tool-and-technology-culture.