With COP26 just one year away, Glasgow Science Centre's chief executive Stephen Breslin is planning a number of projects and festivals to enlighten young Scots on the role science plays in saving the planet. By Colin Cardwell

This has been a momentous month for science. The gloom caused by the Covid-19 pandemic thankfully lightened somewhat with the approach of Christmas when the UK became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine after less than a year in development, paving the way for mass vaccination.

And not only that – researchers recently confirmed that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine is also safe and effective. 

The life-saving work achieved by scientists in the time scale involved has been breathtaking and can’t fail to inspire or rekindle an interest in the possibilities of scientific endeavour. 

Which the Glasgow Science Centre has been doing since it opened in 2001 and with the arrival of COP 26, the UN’s Climate Change Conference of the Parties hosted in Glasgow in November 2021, in partnership with the Scottish Government, GSC will play an integral part in engaging public interest and concern in the other great challenge of our time: eliminating the practices that threaten the sustainability of our planet itself. 

As the centre’s chief executive Dr Stephen Breslin has said: “There are still large sections of society who still think ‘science is not for people like us’. Science is for everyone. 

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“It can empower and enrich each and every one of us and any section of society that feels excluded from science, for whatever reason, is at risk of being marginalized and unable to access the many opportunities that science and technology creates.”

With that in mind, GSC will be a key location for COP26. The Our World, Our Impact programme at the centre, delivered with support from the  Scottish Government, is bringing the conversation into homes and schools through its five climate themes: Climate Justice; Our Planet; Food; Energy, Transport and Travel; and Our Green Futures.
Our World Our Impact features digital events and The Hub, an on-demand digital platform that has exclusive online content to encourage people to get involved in the climate conversation.

Crucial to the success of this is engaging young people. “GSC’s core remit is to engage the general public with science and technology and much of that is about encouraging young people to develop the skills to allow them to and progress into science and technology-related careers,” said Dr Breslin. 

The programme was rolled out to schools in October via GSC Learning Lab, an online learning programme, using STEM to support teachers in their delivery of the recovery curriculum, he explained. 

Delivered through quality and engaging video content, easy to use lesson plans and worksheets, and live sessions with GSC staff and industry professionals, the ten-week programme for primary schools focuses on the impact that humans have on our changing world and the interdisciplinary content features numeracy and literacy elements, outdoor learning experiences, family homework tasks and will develop students' scientific awareness and practical skills.

So far, schools in Glasgow City and Renfrewshire have taken part in this innovative programme and feedback has been overwhelming positive.

There are further plans for next year and in February 2021 GSC will launch its first digital science festival, Curious About Our Planet – again focusing on climate change – which follows its Curiosity Live science engagement event  in the venue which has proved extremely popular but has been postponed due to the current pandemic.

GSC’s move into becoming an educational digital content provider is a direct result of its success with GSCAtHome, an initiative which was launched when the UK went into lockdown in March and the country’s schools were shut. Every day at 10am, GSC offered free online science content across its social media channels, a project that ended its run in August when schools were reopened.

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GSCAtHome topped more than a million views through its 100 videos and has won multiple awards which include the  UK Social Media Awards, highly commended for Best Audience Engagement campaign; the UK Content Awards including Best Video Content Campaign and Best Content Series; plus the Global Content Awards Best Video content campaign, Best Social media content campaign and Best global content series.

As Dr Breslin says: “We've always worked in partnership with the Scottish Government and others and tried to present a consistent message by focusing on the science. We don't own the science – the science comes from all of our partners.”

Where GSCAtHome is concerned, GSC worked with aerospace giant Boeing and global skills body OPITO to engage schools and families during the national lockdown. The next module of GSC Learning Lab, said Dr Breslin, will involve AAC Clyde Space, Ecometrica and Skyrora to focus on the development of the space industry in Scotland. 

GSC has also worked with partners as diverse as Zero Waste Scotland, Skyscanner, Royal Navy  and the J.P. Morgan Foundation to create engaging science content for the public, including  its latest exhibition,  Idea No59 which examines how technology can be used to manage increasing demand for the Earth’s natural resources as the global population grows and economies develop. 

There are three themes: Resourceful Planet, Evolving Industry and Health and Care Reimagined with two more to be introduced in 2021. 

The underlying thesis is that Innovation is a process, one that starts with an inspired idea – but you must go through many iterations before you get it to where you want to be – and the number ‘59’ has no specific meaning other than it takes a number of ideas before you get to the end of that process. 

GSC could not have been achieved this without a huge £4.2 million programme of change, one  that aims to break down the barriers to engaging with science and which was made possible by a £2.9m grant awarded through the Inspiring Science Fund – a partnership between the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Wellcome Trust.

This, said Dr Breslin will make COP26 “a better event, but we would have implemented these  improvements in any case”. He added: “Our hope is that we can use the momentum of COP26 to really engage the nation in some of these vital issues. 

“We’re excited to be working with the UK Government to make the event as successful as possible. There will be a much more active engagement programme with the public leading up to and during the event. 

“And after the event, to create a lasting legacy that will inform attitudes to climate change.”

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'Meaningful experiences' will have a direct impact on climate awareness 

THE Glasgow Science Centre’s Our World, Our Impact programme which was launched in October is supported by the Scottish Government, which believes next year will be a critical time for action on climate and nature, with 2020 marking five years since the Paris Agreement. 

Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Roseanna Cunningham believes that working with GSC and others Scotland must use the opportunity of hosting COP26 in Glasgow to go further as a nation – as Team Scotland – and to inspire the rest of the world.

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“Our aim is for Glasgow to host a safe and secure COP26 that delivers a lasting legacy for the whole of Scotland and which maximises opportunities before, during and after the event in November 2021,” she said, adding that the Scottish Government’s partnership with GSC will be important in ensuring that the conference engages with a diverse range of people in Scotland. 

“The Glasgow Science Centre has a proven track record in engaging the public with science and empowering learning by creating meaningful experiences for people of all ages. They are well regarded in Glasgow and Scotland as a centre of excellence and have delivered successful events and community engagement programmes over many years,” she added.

“We are pleased to be working closely with GSC to deliver a community engagement programme on climate change ahead of COP26. 

“The programme is important in helping to demonstrate our commitment to the ‘people’ theme for COP26 that I announced earlier this year and engaging communities across Scotland in the solutions to climate change.

The Scottish Government, she said, had further plans during the lead up to COP26: “I have been clear that COP26 must be a milestone in global efforts to take action on climate change and set the world on course to a net-zero future. Following the postponement of COP26 to November 2021, it is crucial that we champion climate action at all levels in the run up to the event.

“We are working with delivery partners such as GSC to ensure the event in Glasgow is a success. The collaborative approach we take to tackling the global climate emergency is reflected in our themes for COP26 – ‘Just Transition’ and ‘People’.”

She stressed that as we deal with the Covid-19 pandemic it’s now more critical than ever to deliver a green recovery in Scotland, rebuilding a better future that has the country’s environmental ambitions at its heart. 

Scotland, she said, is at the forefront of this work: “COP26 provides the ideal platform to showcase the innovations, infrastructure, talent, collaborations and investment opportunities we have here.

“Our reputation and ambitious targets present a strong platform for delegates at COP to productively discuss further action on tackling climate change. 

“This year will be one to work together to build momentum and deliver meaningful action from all actors at COP26.”