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New incubation centre to open at DaresburyCERN and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) will launch a CERN-STFC Business Incubation Centre based at the Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire this year. It will nurture small businesses with innovative ideas that are based on technologies developed through work in high-energy physics at CERN.www.stfc.org.uk

NASA challenge is taken up across the worldTeams from 17 countries and the international space station took part in NASA’s International Space App Challenge on 21–22 April to find solutions to space exploration challenges. Some solutions posted online were by teams from the Met Office in Exeter, the TOG hackerspace in Dublin and the International Space Innovation Centre in Oxford.http://spaceappchallenge.org

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May 2012

Maths in A-level goes on trial

The mathematics content in physics A-level is inadequately tested in exami-nations and awarding bodies differ substantially in how much maths is assessed, and at what level, in A-level science questions.

These are among the findings of a report, Mathematics Within A-level Science 2010 Examinations, pub-lished on 27 April. It was the outcome of a 22-month research project into physics, chemistry and biology A-levels led by the IOP on behalf of Science Community Representing Education (SCORE), of which the IOP is a member.

As well as identifying a mismatch between the requirements for maths content in science A-levels as set by Ofqual and what is actually exam-ined in practice, the study also found widespread support for enhancing the maths content. At physics A-level, for example, many in the science commu-nity wanted to see the reintroduction of topics such as differentiation and inte-gration, which are not currently part of the requirements.

The research, which covered England, Wales and Northern Ireland, looked at the physics, chemistry and biology A-level examination papers of summer 2010 from five awarding bodies – AQA, CCEA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC.

These were analysed in depth, look-ing at the areas of maths assessed, the proportion of question parts and marks that included maths, whether answers needed scientific understanding as well as mathematical skill, and the difficulty of the maths in the questions. Difficulty was judged by the number of steps in a calculation, the complexity of the ques-tion and the familiarity of the context.

The analysis, conducted by subject expert groups, showed that a large num-ber of the mathematical requirements were assessed in a limited way or not at

all in the 2010 exam papers. Those that were covered were assessed repeatedly and often at a low level of difficulty.

Where questions contained math-ematical content, these often required only simple recall of procedures or understanding of one mathematical area rather than understanding and use of several areas. A very small pro-portion of questions required students to use maths in an unfamiliar context. However, the vast majority of questions in the physics A-level papers that had mathematical content did require scien-tific understanding as well.

Comparison between the maths con-tent in science A-levels and the pre-16 curriculum and GCSE maths showed that students who did not take maths beyond GCSE would need to be taught some areas of maths within the science curriculum. The report says: “It is not always the case that science teachers will have the confidence and experience to teach this mathematics first-hand.”

The research also included an online survey of people in the teaching profes-sion, higher education and professional bodies for each of the three sciences,

and a telephone or written question-naire completed by a small group of representatives from industry. This looked at what respondents wanted to see in the maths content of science A-levels and what they believed were the important areas of maths that should be assessed.

Among the report’s recommenda-tions are a review of the maths require-ments at science A-level, with the science community advising on and approving these, working closely with the professional bodies; better informa-tion for students about the maths con-tent of science A-levels; a framework to regulate the way maths is assessed within science A-levels; and for the next review of GCSE maths to consider whether some of the maths content for science A-levels should be included in Key Stage 4 maths qualifications.

The IOP’s head of education pre-19, Charles Tracy, said:“What’s assessed has a big influence on what’s taught and if the assessments don’t include chal-lenging problems across a range of areas of mathematics, students will not be exposed to mathematical approaches or become fluent in them. This means they are not getting an authentic experience of physics – physics without mathemat-ics is not really physics – nor are they being adequately prepared for higher education.”l The report is available on the SCORE website at www.score-education.org.

“What is assessed has a big influence on what is taught.”

Heather Pinnell looks at a report on maths content in science A-levels.

Experts contend that the maths in A-level physics is not a good basis for further study.

Interactions May 2012

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Teams of science students from the UK and the Middle East met in London in March as part of the Big Science Challenge competition, which was created by the British Council with support from Rolls-Royce. The idea for the competition came from the IOP, whose interna-tional relations manager, Dipali Bhatt-Chauhan, was one of the judges for the UK entries.

For the challenge, students aged 11–16 were asked to identify a problem related to water supply in a country or region and find an original and innovative solution. The problem could exist in their own or another country, and entries had to show evi-dence of international collaboration. A number of IOP members helped in the challenge as “science champi-ons” or as judges in their countries.

The competition was open to teams of up to five students from

UK schools and schools in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Winning teams from the

Middle East won a trip to the UK for five days in March, where their itin-erary included talks and activities at the Science Museum and the Royal

Institution (RI), visits to the London Eye, and an overnight trip to the Rolls-Royce headquarters in Derby. Prof. Jim Al-Khalili gave a keynote speech at the RI and was also a judge.

The UK finalists also took part in the week, and at a prize-giving and judging ceremony at the RI, a team from Cumberland School, Plaistow, in East London heard that they had won the UK prize, which includes a five-day trip to Dubai. The team, pic-tured on the London Eye, were (left to right): Petros Akin-Nibosun, Yousef El-Tawil, Ishrat Jahan, Oluwatobi Olaitan and Trieu Minh Ho.

Bhatt-Chauhan said: “The idea of the competition was suggested and developed by the IOP, to introduce the concept of entrepreneurship and innovation at school level within mid-dle eastern countries and promote the importance of science and tech-nology for economic development.”

Businesses should have a better experience when seeking partner-ships with universities. This was one of the proposals in Prof. Sir Tim Wilson’s report, A Review of Business-University Collaboration, that were debated at an event organised by the R&D Society at the Royal Society on 29 March and sponsored by the IOP and the University of Surrey.

Wilson was commissioned by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills to produce the independ-ent report, which makes more than 30 recommendations, including an

expansion of sandwich degrees, encouraging structured internships for all undergraduates, and enabling more opportunities for postdoctoral research staff to undertake extended work experience.

It also recommends that enrol-ment of students that are fully spon-sored by employers should not be subject to student number controls and that consortia of further educa-tion colleges or a national organisa-tion working with employers should be able to gain the power to award foundation degrees.

Wilson, giving a keynote speech at

the debate, said: “Some universities provide incredibly strong entrepre-neurial support for their communi-ties. Universities are under-exploited agents for economic growth. We have come a long way in the last 10 years but unless we invest in univer-sity-business collaboration we will be sub-optimal.”

A panel of guests, including Prof. Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, vice-chancel-lor of the University of Cambridge, and Prof. Brian Cantor, vice- chancellor of the University of York, gave their views on the report.

Sam Beale, head of technology

strategy at Rolls-Royce, said that there needed to be a culture change in universities to place more value on industrial experience.

Trevor Francis, chief technology officer of Byotrol, said that the report had stimulated many questions, such as how we could get the bal-ance between vital, free-thinking research and research targetted to and relevant for small- and medium-sized enterprises and how to ensure that businesses were not driven to work with universities in Europe rather than the UK by lack of funding.www.bis.gov.uk/publications

A comprehensive report about the current state of plasma science in the UK and its future challenges has been prepared by the IOP’s Plasma Physics Group and published by the Institute. UK Plasma Visions: the state of the matter is based on exten-sive consultation with the plasma community, including a question-naire conducted by the group in 2010 that sought input from all

plasma researchers in the UK.Along with detailing the breadth

of UK plasma science, its strengths, impact and funding, the report iden-tifies new challenges facing the field. These include scientific challenges and opportunities as well as issues such as securing trained staff and ensuring effective scientific inter-change between all plasma scien-tists and engineers.

In suggesting strategies for meet-ing these challenges, the report makes some broad recommenda-tions but also has many specific proposals, such as making the

case for strong UK participation in the ITER facility and completing the Mega-Ampere Spherical Tokamak (MAST) upgrade as an essential step in ensuring that the UK has a world-class magnetic confinement device.

The report was compiled to “com-municate the breadth of activity and ambition within the plasma science community in the UK and to inform potential research collaborators, funders and policymakers”, it says.

The full report and a summary can be downloaded from the Plasma Physics Group section of the IOP’s website at www.iop.org.

Public debate tackles plans for business-university links

Report has vision of plasma science

An east London team, UK winners of the Big Science Challenge, ride the London Eye.

Science task links UK and Middle East

Interactions May 2012

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UK Plasma Visions: the state of the matter

An Institute of Physics report | April 2012

Report prepared by the Institute of Physics Plasma Physics Group

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Nobel prizewinner William Phillips was the guest speaker and pre-sented the Rosse Medal to a post-graduate researcher at an event held in Dublin on 30 March by the Institute of Physics in Ireland.

Phillips gave a demonstration lec-ture entitled “Time, Einstein and the Coolest Stuff in the Universe” and was also interviewed as a “physicist in the chair” by the IOP’s former hon-orary treasurer, Tony Scott.

The lecture and interview were part of a day-long programme that included a research round-up from universities and institutes in Ireland, and five-minute presentations by 10 postgraduate physics students who were finalists competing for the Rosse medal. The 10, who explained their research and answered ques-tions about their work, had been nar-rowed down from 60 students who had displayed posters on the previ-ous day.

At a dinner that evening the prize

was presented to Nina Berner, a graduate of the University of Bremen, who is carrying out research on the fabrication of molecular nano-structures at Trinity College Dublin. Phillips was on the judging panel for the medal with the IOP’s honorary secretary, Stuart Palmer, Grainne

Sheerin of Google, and Prof. Cliona O’Farrelly from Trinity College Dublin.

Phillips won the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics for the development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light and currently works at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the US.

Hundreds of school students ques-tioned physicists and space sci-entists online in the latest “I’m a Scientist Get Me Out of Here” event on 12–23 March.

The IOP sponsored two of the eight “zones” in the competition, in which students post questions to scientists and vote for those who have been the best at answering and engaging with them. Scientists are voted out until there is a remaining winner in each zone, who receives a £500 prize to spend on science communication.

In the IOP-sponsored Quantum Zone nearly 300 questions were

asked, ranging from the sublime (“is it possible to have an anti-photon?”), to the seemingly ridiculous, (“do you believe in flying pigs and if not do you think they will ever evolve?”). The winner was Martin Zaltz Austwick, a lecturer in advanced spatial analysis and visualisation at University College London. The other scientists in the zone were James Boone, Suzanne McEndoo, Robert Thompson and Marcus Gallagher-Jones.

The IOP also sponsored the Space Zone, in which more than 500 ques-tions were asked, including “what do

aliens look like?” and “where does time go?”. The winner was Adam Stevens, a research student at The Open University’s Planetary Science and Space Research Institute. The other scientists in the Space Zone were Nazim Bharmal, Leila Battison, Karen Masters and Catherine Rix.

Live chats with students and sci-entists were held, including one with the IOP’s 16–19 group members.

The next “I’m a Scientist…” that has IOP zones is on 25 June – 6 July, for which volunteer scientists can register until 11 May. For details, visit http://imascientist.org.uk.

Physicists make impact in online contest

Nobel winner bestows medal

Interactions May 2012

Four IOP fellows were elected as fellows of the Royal Society (RS) in April, including Hermann

Hauser (left), an honorary fellow of the IOP who is distinguished by the RS for being an innovator and serial entrepreneur.

Prof. Michele Dougherty (right), professor of space physics at Imperial College London, is distinguished for her scientific leadership of the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn. She received the IOP’s 2007 Chree Medal and Prize.

Distinguished for imaginative and influential contributions to quantum gravity is Prof. Christopher

Hull, (left) professor of theoretical physics at Imperial College London. He was awarded the IOP’s 2003 Dirac Medal and Prize.

Distinguished for the design, construction and exploitation of the CMS experiment at CERN is Prof. Tejinder S Virdee (right), professor of physics at Imperial College London. He won the IOP’s 2009 Chadwick Medal and Prize.

The Institute has expressed its regret at the death of Prof. Maxwell Irvine, a former vice-president of the IOP, who died on 24 March at the age of 73. A tribute will be published on the Obituaries page on MyIOP.

Prof. Julia King, who was the chief executive of the IOP in 2002–04, and Prof. Sir Richard Friend, an honorary fellow of the IOP, have been appointed to the council of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. The appointment is with effect from 1 April 2012 and they will serve for a four-year term until 31 March 2016.

News in Brief

William Phillips (left) and Nina Berner with the Rosse Medal at the award ceremony.

The IOP has published two new sta-tistical reports: Physics Students in UK Higher Education Institutions and Research Income of Physics Cost Centres in UK Higher Education Institutions.

The latter report highlights how dependent physics research is on

public funding and how vulnerable it is to changes in the resources avail-able. Unlike biological sciences and medical research, physics does not receive substantial funding from charities, the report says, nor does it attract as much income from com-merce and industry as some subjects that are closer to developing prod-ucts for the market.

Both reports can be downloaded from the publications section of the IOP’s website at www.iop.org.

Reports highlight key figures for HE

February 2012

Statistical Report

Research Income ofPhysics Cost Centres in UKHigher Education Institutions

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The individuals honoured were chosen by the Phillips Award Committee, which met in April.

Among the possible markers of distinguished service that the com-mittee looked for were: innovative ideas or activities that have made a major contribution to the IOP’s objec-tives; a leading role in one or more of its groups, divisions or branches; a leading role in its formal governance through Council, boards or commit-tees; or a significant contribution to the IOP’s external influence.

The award was established in memory of Major C E S Phillips, who was one of the founders of the Institute in 1920 and served as honorary treasurer in 1929–45. He was a distinguished pioneer in medical physics and was president of the British Institute of Radiology in 1930–31 as well as honorary secretary of the Royal Institution in 1929–45.

Lisa Jardine-WrightLisa Jardine-Wright has worked tire-lessly and crea-tively to expand the reach and range of activities organ-ised by the East

Anglia Branch, most recently as the branch’s chair.

As part of her outreach activi-ties at the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, Jardine-Wright runs the annual “Physics at Work” week, attracting more than 2000 second-ary students from across southern England. Although this has run for many years, she makes a huge com-mitment to ensuring, and expanding, its success each year.

She has also taken the branch’s annual physics event, historically held in Cambridge, to a local school in Ipswich, with further expansion to Norwich this year. The event attracts

young children from age five and up with a range of activities, talks and demonstrations, with the most recent attracting approximately 400 people.

Jardine-Wright has pioneered the use of video conferencing tools to reach schools across the region and well beyond, and she instigated the “Three Minute Wonder” competition held in January.

Colin LatimerColin Latimer has made significant contributions to the Institute for nearly 40 years. He has been a committee member, secretary

and chair of the Atomic and Molecular Interaction Group, the Institute of Physics in Ireland (1980–89) and the Division of Atomic, Molecular, Optical and Plasma Physics (DAMOPP)

(1999–2005).As chair of DAMOPP he played a

pivotal role in the establishment of a new national conference following the International Review of Physics in 2005. He has served on Council as a division representative (2002–06), and as honorary treasurer (2007–11), in which role he brought fresh thinking to IOP procedures, challenging accepted norms and encouraging officers and committee members to reconsider practices.

He is honorary treasurer of the European Physical Society and has been a member of IOP Publishing’s board and the management board of the New Journal of Physics, and hon-orary editor of Journal of Physics B.

Latimer has contributed not just a huge amount of time to the IOP, but also flexible thinking and a range of creative ideas that have improved the IOP’s activities and its role in the physics community.

The first winners of the Institute’s new Phillips Award have been announced. The award, which was launched last year, recognises individuals who have given distinguished service to the IOP.

awards4

Graduating this year? Don’t forget to regrade your IOP

membership!

Just log in and choose from three options:• Associate member – for early

career physicists (including postgraduate students).

• IOPimember – this digital membership is perfect for anyone with an interest in physics.

• Still an undergraduate? – if you are continuing your undergraduate studies please let us know so we can extend your free membership.

Regrading is easy!From April 2012, all you need to do is go to www.myiop.org, log in and then follow the instructions.

Unless we hear from you by 30 September 2012 your current student membership will expire in October 2012.

Supporting CarersThe IOP Carers Fund has been recently established to support members to attend IOP meetings, events or conferences that they might not otherwise be able to attend because they have the responsibility of caring for someone.

Any IOP member is eligible to apply for a grant of up to £250 to help fund additional care arrangements necessary to enable their attendance at IOP meetings, conferences or events.

For further details and to find out how to apply, see www.iop.org/diversity or e-mail carersfund@iop.org.

First awards made for service to IOP

Interactions May 2012

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NEW FELLOWSStephen Axford, Kenneth Hawick, Gerard Markx, Paul McDonald, Robert Page, Royston Paynter, Daniel Segal, Alan Woodward.

NEW MEMBERSDavid Adams, Nurudeen Amusat, Timothy Barraclough, Simon Batchelor, David Bell, Anthony Bird, Damodhar Borde, Konstantinos Bourdakos, T Browell, Clara Carelli, Dick Carroll, Andrew Carter, Benjamin Chan, Matthew Cochrane, Matthew Cole, James Cresswell, Paul Dakers, Michael Danda, Katie Davis, Mark Dean, Andrew Fenwick, Emily Gleeson, Colin Grant, Harry Grundy, Harry Guttridge, Gillian Haigh, Neil Heraghty, Richard Hill, David Keenan, Roger Kendall, Constantinos Lazarou, Anthony Lee, Tivadar Mach, Carol Marsh, Helen McAneney, Thomas Meersmann, Anthony Miller, Arthur Missira, Karim Nasr, Francisco Orta-Gomez, Benjamin Papandreou,

A J Parker, David Procter, John Proctor, Stephen Rablen, Sabriye Raif, Quentin Ramasse, Peter Roberts, James Robinson, Stephen Rowley, Riccardo Sapienza, Bryan Simon, David Simpson, Gerald Stancey, Laurence Taff, Jagannathan Thirumalai, Derek Thorpe, Emma Tonkin, Arnesh Vijay, Karen Ward, Robert Way, Peter Wearn, Benjamin Williams, Owen Williams, Loong Wong.

IN MEMORIAMRobert Albutt, Peter Denton (Northwood), Leslie Drain, Evan Edryd Jones (Cardiff), John Charles Kelly (Australia), Anthony Spence Merriweather, Richard Murley, John Henry Parkinson (Derbyshire), Leslie Robert Shepherd (Dorset), Bernard Walter Soole, Robert W Summerville (US), Gertrud Thompson (Australia).

MEMBER NEWSIOP member Alan Hodgson has

been awarded the 2012 HP Image Permanence Award, which is given for outstanding contributions that advance the longevity of photographic and fine-art images created by modern digital methods. The citation also recognises his volunteer work for societies and groups including the IOP’s Printing and Graphics Science Group.

ANNOuNcEMENtSl The Institute is running a number of free workshops on applying for IOP chartered status. The two-hour sessions, which are open to IOP members only, are being held at venues around the UK. They cover topics including the benefits of chartership, the differences between CPhys and CEng, and tips for making a successful application. Places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. For further details including a list of dates and venues, visit the IOP’s website at www.iop.org

and click on “Join the IOP” and “professional designations”, or e-mail cpd@iop.org.l The IOP is offering opportunities for people to work for the Institute as interns this summer, based at its offices in London. Three places are available: one in science policy, one in business and innovation policy and one in diversity projects. There will be a written application and interview process. Candidates must have recently completed an undergraduate degree in physics in the UK or Ireland, or be about to enter their final year of such a degree in October 2012. The internship will be for two to three months starting in July 2012 onwards, during which the IOP will provide an allowance. Visit the education section of the IOP’s website at www.iop.org and click on “higher education and research” then “fellowships and intern schemes” for further details. The deadline for applications is 28 May.

Editor Heather Pinnell, Production Editor Alison Gardiner, Art Director Andrew Giaquinto. Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London W1B 1NT, UK. Tel +44 (0)20 7470 4800; fax +44 (0)20 7470 4991; e-mail interactions@iop.org; web http://members.iop.org.

Teachers Awards 2012for teachers of physics (secondary) and science (primary)

Entry deadline 31 May 2012

Do you know an inspirational teacher? If you know a teacher who deserves recognition, please nominate them for an award. We are looking for teachers who inspire in their pupils and colleagues a love of physics or science in the primary context. It is not a competition, but rather a wish to spotlight and

celebrate the work of teachers in the classroom.

Nomination is easy – for more information and the forms, go to www.iop.org and click on “Teachers”

5notices

Interactions May 2012

notices

Research Student Conference FundThe fund provides financial support to

research-student members to attend international conferences and major national meetings.

Apply for up to £250 during the course of your PhD.

Applications are considered on a quarterly basis and should reach the Institute by 1 March, 1 June, 1 September or 1 December.

For further information, visit www.iop.org or e-mail supportandgrants@iop.org.

INTMay12p5v6.indd 5 25/04/2012 16:06

6 reflections

Physics and medicine are well matchedA series of five papers co-ordinated with the help of the IOP, Physics and Medicine, were published in The Lancet on 20 April. These highlighted the many ways in which physics has revolutionised medical practice, from the development of disciplines such as electrophysiology, biomechanics and ophthalmology, to the techniques made possible by the discovery of radiation and radioactivity.

The 110th anniversary of the date on which Marie and Pierre Curie first refined radium chloride also fell on 20 April – a good occasion to cel-ebrate the long and happy marriage between physics and medicine. I’d like to use the occasion to make two proposals to keep that marriage thriv-ing and productive far into the future.

First, most if not all of the physics-based techniques and technologies described in the series derive from the discoveries of basic physics research conducted purely and simply to inves-tigate the nature of our world and to expand the frontiers of knowledge.

For example, one of the most effective ways of treating malignant

tumours remains radiotherapy – high-energy radiation including not only X-rays but also beams of particles, such as electrons, protons and other nuclear particles produced by accel-erators that were originally developed as “atom smashers” to investigate the structure of atoms and nuclei.

Understanding, generating and manipulating radiation has been made possible by basic physics research. I urge the government and other funders to recognise that con-tinued support for that research will deliver corresponding advances in medical technologies in future years.

Second, for medical practition-ers to make full use of modern physics-based technologies, it would be hugely beneficial to have a sound understanding of the physics involved. Basic physics was once a compulsory element in undergradu-ate medical education in the UK, with exemption for students with an A-level in physics. This requirement was dropped in the 1980s, although physics remains part of the medical degree syllabus elsewhere in Europe.

In the UK today we have reversed the long-term decline in the number of students taking A-level physics or the equivalent. We’re seeing record numbers of qualified physicists enter-ing teacher training, with the pros-pect – albeit some years in the future – that this country will have enough specialist physics teachers to ensure that every child has access to a high-quality physics education.

Against this background, I would ask medical schools to consider restoring the requirement for appli-cants to hold A-level or equivalent qualifications.

The Physics and Medicine series clearly demonstrates the potential to diagnose and treat increasing numbers of patients, with increasing effectiveness, using physics-based techniques. Understanding the phys-ics that underpins these techniques would be a real advantage to medical practitioners, and to their patients.

Peter Knight is the IOP’s president. This is an edited version of an article that appeared in The Lancet in April.

“Physics was once a compulsory element in undergraduate medical education in the UK.”

Interactions May 2012

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