Human Technology: past, present & future

从最基本的工具到新科学的尖端应用，技术的实际应用一直是我们生活方式的基本组成部分。在2008年切尔滕纳姆科学节的一系列活动和实践演示中，我们希望通过增加EPSRC主题链来加强科学节的计划，与普通观众分享我们对这些主题的热情，展示科学和技术每天使用的一些方式，并探索一些新的研究领域，例如将快速原型技术商品化和使用机器人技术，这些技术的应用最终可能成为我们日常生活的一部分。通过讲座，主持观众讨论，现场研讨会和演示，我们将使一系列公众（直接接触多达4，500名成人和儿童）了解研究科学家的最新科学研究，并讨论他们提出的复杂的伦理和道德问题。这些活动将有大量非正式观众参与，并将针对不同年龄组。这些活动将建立在既定的切尔滕纳姆科学节形式的基础上，在过去七年中发展和完善，并在全国范围内被公认为公众参与的非常成功的模式。“工程”活动很难找到合适的商业赞助商，因此额外的资金将使我们能够策划我们无法举办的活动。此外，我们一向热衷于试验，也将借此机会探索更雄心勃勃和更具创意的“动手”公众参与方法，例如在节日场地内建立互动的早期人类定居点。艺术节致力于不断改进其方案，2007年评估的反馈意见建议，2008年应邀请更多来自工程和物理科学的演讲者。作为PI在咨询小组中的角色，他致力于通过该项目和资金竞标来领导这一倡议。对于参与该项目的其他EPSRC研究人员来说，参与如此高调和受欢迎的节日（每年吸引26，000名游客和超过300，000的全国新闻报道）将使他们能够参与一个大型，多样化，非专业观众。演讲者在切尔滕纳姆的经验通常是非常积极的，并收到了许多关于观众提出的问题的质量，工作人员的专业精神和良好的网络机会（5天内有300位演讲嘉宾）。

From the most basic tools to cutting edge applications of new science, the practical use of technology is, and always has been, a fundamental part of the way we live our lives. In a series of events and hands-on demonstrations at Cheltenham Science Festival 2008, we want to strengthen the Festival's programme by adding an EPSRC themed strand to share the passion we have for these subjects with a general audience, to demonstrate some of the ways science and technology are utilised every day, and to explore some new areas of research / such as the commercialisation of rapid prototyping and the use of robotics / whose applications may eventually also become part of our everyday experience. Using talks, chaired audience discussions, and live workshops and demonstrations, we will enable a range of publics (reaching up to 4,500 adults and children directly) to learn about the latest scientific research from research scientists, and to debate the complex ethical and moral issues they raise. The events will incorporate a substantial amount of informal audience participation, and will be targeted at different age groups. The events will build on established Cheltenham Science Festival formats, developed and refined across the past seven years and recognised nationally as a very successful model for public engagement. Suitable commercial sponsors for 'engineering' events are difficult to secure, so additional funding will enable us to programme events we would not otherwise be able to do. Furthermore, always keen to experiment, we will also take this opportunity to explore more ambitious and creative 'hands-on' methods of public engagement, such as an interactive Early Man Settlement in the Festival venue. The Festival is committed to continually improving its programme and feedback from the 2007 evaluation suggested it should feature more speakers from engineering and the physical sciences in 2008. In the PI's role on the Advisory Group, he is dedicated to leading this initiative, through this project and the funding bid.For the other EPSRC researchers involved in this project, participation in such a high-profile and popular Festival (which attracts 26,000 visitors and over 300,000 worth of national press coverage each year) will enable them to engage with a large, varied, and non-specialist audience. The experience speakers have at Cheltenham is generally very positive and many comments are received about the quality of the questions the audience ask, the professionalism of the staff and the excellent networking opportunities available (there are 300 guest speakers across 5 days).