BS: Do you think there's a general movement in the science community to do this?
TS: In the science community - that is too difficult a question. There research councils are trying to foster this kind of thing. That is they set aside a small proportion of their research budgets - in order to persuade researchers to go out and publicize, not just to the research community but to the general community the kinds of things that they are doing. And so that, within that part of it - there is a move towards it. I don't know how successful it is but at least it is a move with money behind it.
I think the universities promote themselves mainly I dare say from a recruitment point of view. That is, the more that science becomes if you like part of the general cultural background, the more likely they are I dare say to have people who will want to come and do it, as a degree subject.
The science community. There's always been a lot of - shall we say pious pronouncement by lots of committees and organisations that represent science within the community. (COPUS) doesn't exist anymore but things like the Royal Society, things like the Royal Institution with their Christmas lectures and so on, there's always been something going on. I think that doing it in a location like this - adds an extra, I won't say dimension but add- adds an extra agency to this. And I think it's a successful one. That is, this place is full, a lot of the time. So we're doing something scientific for the general public and for the, for the schools general public.