Science Alive 2017: “This Pale Blue Dot”
4-17 March 2017
Science Alive is jointly organised by the British Council, the Hong Kong Science Museum, the Education Bureau and the Hong Kong Education City Limited, and sponsored by the Croucher Foundation. Every year for the past 24 years, Science Alive has invited leading UK academics and communicators in various fields of science to engage Hong Kong’s students, teachers and the public in activities that promote a wider understanding of science.
The birth of the global environmental movement, and with it environmental education, started with the publication of ‘Silent Spring’ by Rachel Carson in 1962. Eighteen years later, the world was given a unique glimpse of the Earth from space through a photo that was almost never taken. A photo that scientist Carl Sagan insisted be taken, one that would endure to be a symbol of the Earth’s fragility and vulnerability. This photo, or the anticipation of seeing it first-hand, may have been on the mind of UK astronaut Tim Peake as he ascended into space in 2015. Fast forward to present day: the Earth is still under threat, from its water to its forests, and from its air to its biodiversity. It is us humans, living and depending on the Earth, who are the reasons why it is under threat. This year, Science Alive will highlight the importance of appreciating, understanding and acting to preserve the beauty and complexity of the Earth, this ‘pale blue dot.’
Registrations open now. Please find the registration link below each activity introduction.