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Date Posted: 01:48:26 12/09/10 Thu
Author: BB
Subject: Re: Being a goldie oldie (or a silver fox)
In reply to: Gilly 's message, "Being a goldie oldie (or a silver fox)" on 16:11:01 11/23/10 Tue

I finished my course at the beginning of October Gilly. It's an MSc in Communicating Science. I passed and the graduation ceremony is next week.

I loved it, even though (or perhaps because) I was by far the oldest in the class. We visited Broadcasting House in London to watch a BBC Radio 4 science programme being recorded; designed and ran some family science workshops in a museum in Swansea; put together an issue of a new popular science magazine......and had numerous debates about science, pseudo-science and religion.

For my dissertation I studied the science content of the political party manifestos for the UK general election. I was surprised to discover that only a tiny number of politicians have scientific backgrounds, and yet they all contribute to policy decisions about stem cell research, climate change, GM foods, energy production and the culling of badgers to control tuberculosis (etc.). They have a small army of scientific advisers who they often seem to ignore.

Best of all, for the module on the history of science communication, I made a discovery of my own regarding the source of inspiration for a famous fictional "mad scientist", and I've started work on a book on that subject. It's unlikely to make me a millionaire, but pulling it all together from the historical records is extremely satisfying.

I'm earning a bit of money from technical consultancy drawing on my years of experience as a paint chemist.

I had my 53rd birthday this week and I'm not sure I could tolerate a full-time nine-to-five job any more. Consultancy work, some freelance science writing, a part-time job of any sort that gets me out of the house, and working on the book will do me fine. Oh, and being a grandad, of course.

My belt has been tightened (I'm considering braces) and my financial plan is suitably austere, but I am, I think, master of my own destiny. Still, as John Lennon sang, "life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans". In other words it could all go tits-up.

BB

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