Interesting People mailing list archives
MEGALAB UK
From: David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>
Date: Mon, 7 Feb 1994 04:57:49 -0500
I thought the attached UK Government (Cabinet Office) announcement might amuse you - note the toal absence of any mention of data networking (or of any warnings about telecomms overload)! cheers ----------------- MEGALAB UK: A SAMPLE OF 18 MILLION PEOPLE IS AVAILABLE FOR YOUR RESEARCH Can you propose a scientific experiment which requires the cooperation of many millions of people? We want your outline within the next week for an experiment that must be simple to carry out and generate new findings for science. The Science Minister, William Waldegrave, is supporting the search for a mass experiment, to be staged during the National Week of science, engineering and technology 'set7' 18-27 March 1994, as part of the programme of nationwide events which aims to give science a higher profile among the general public. The experiment will bring together the resources of The Daily Telegraph, and the BBC's Radio One and Tomorrow's World. A panel of distinguished judges will select the best proposals for experiments which require mass participation, one or more of which will be conducted during science week, live on Radio One and Tomorrow's World. We are looking for ideas for mass experiments the public can perform quickly in their immediate surroundings. Although we seek ideas that are tailored to print, radio or TV, we are most keen to find ideas that exploit all three media. POTENTIAL RESOURCES AT YOUR DISPOSAL * Preliminary fieldwork, pilot sampling, canvassing of public opinion through a Gallup opinion poll/multiple choice questionnaire with rapid turn-round are available in the science pages of The Daily Telegraph, which will monitor progress towards the experiment, and follow through afterwards as required. Daily readership: 2,700,000. Specific fields of research which might take advantage of the print medium: literacy, cognitive and visual skills, memory, search for local flora and fauna. * On the day of the experiment, sustained access to the daytime Radio One audience of up to 10 million. Opportunities to assess responses and check them as the day progresses. Instant feedback over telephone lines. Specific fields of research which might take advantage of radio: cognitive and aural functions, physics and psychology of sound, perception, memory. * Access to the audience of Tomorrow's World: 6 million. Instant feedback over telephone lines. Specific fields of research which might take advantage of television: cognitive and visual functions, physics and psychology of light and colour, visual perception, memory, field work. * The home surroundings and workplaces of the relevant audiences can be exploited in obvious ways, eg, to demonstrate or test physical phenomena and domestic technology. The experiment should address a genuine scientific question and should generate results which are interesting and useful. Biologists, anthropologists and geneticists might find ways to map population densities, clusters, hereditary traits, search for unusual flora fauna and so on. HOW TO ENTER Outline your proposed experiment on one side only of A4 paper. Non standard formats will be disqualified. Closing date, Wed 9 February 1994. State in order: 1 - YOUR NAME, ESTABLISHMENT, ADDRESS, TEL & FAX NUMBERS. 2 - THE CATEGORY OF SCIENCE OR TECHNOLOGY. 3 - DEFINE THE SECTION OF THE POPULATION WHOSE PARTICIPATION IS MOST NECESSARY. 4 - OUTLINE YOUR EXPERIMENT. 5 - POSSIBLE OR INTENDED OUTCOME. 6 - INDICATE ITS ORIGINALITY. Post your entry to: Megalab UK, Dept 1, PO Box 320, Derby DE3 5YZ. Issued by Press Office Office of Public Service and Science Cabinet Office 70 Whitehall London SW1A 2AS
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