Special talk
Creating a Culture of Innovation and Science
Join our special talk on Creating a Culture of Innovation and Science by our two distinguised speakers.
Reserve your seat today.
| Time | Programme |
| 13.30 - 13.40 hrs. |
Welcome Mr. Andrew Glass, Country Director, British Council Thailand |
| 13.40 - 14.10 hrs. |
Keynote: Creating a Culture of Innovation and Science in Thailand Dr Pichet Durongkaveroj, Minister of Digital Economy and Society |
| 14.10 -14.55 hrs. |
Special Talk 1: Communicating science knowledge to society in a creative and innovative way Quentin Cooper Making science relevant to everyday life is important, as it points to what we as a society can do to improve our understanding of and engagement with science. This session will discuss how to communicate scientific knowledge beyond traditional methods. |
| 15.10 - 15.55 hrs. |
Special Talk 2: Image of Scientists Quentin Cooper Quentin will touch on the public view of scientists and their labs. He will discuss why, for all that science has done to change the world in the last 50 years, the popular conception continues to be that it's all about “strange old men in lab coats with bubbling test tubes”! Quentin will explore some of the reasons why this mistaken image is so persistent, and will also suggest some ways by which it could be corrected, one of which is FameLab, a science communication competition that changes the image of scientists. |
| 16.00 - 17.00 hrs. |
FameLab Thailand Live Audition If you think you can explain a scientific concept to a general audience, in just three minutes, then why not enter? Enter the first Live audition in Bangkok. To join the audition, please register here: https://www.britishcouncil.or.th/famelab/enter-competition |
Speakers' Profile
Dr. Pichet Durongkaveroj
Minister of Digital Economy and Society
Dr. Pichet Durongkaveroj is the Minister of Digital Economy and Society, having previously served as Minister of Science and Technology and Secretary General of the National Science Technology and Innovation Policy Office, Ministry of Science and Technology. He has a PhD in Public Policy and Management from the University of Pennsylvania.
Quentin Cooper
One of the most familiar and popular voices of science in the UK, Quentin is a regular presenter of The Forum on BBC World Service and hosts a huge and diverse range of events in the UK and abroad. He’s been described by The Times as both “the world’s most enthusiastic man” and “an expert on everything from pop music to astrophysics”, by the Daily Mail as someone whose “wit and enthusiasm can enliven the dullest of topics”…and by Jeremy Paxman as a “jammy so & so”*.
Quentin’s “major contribution to the public understanding of science & engineering” has been formally recognised in the last couple of years with honorary doctorates from Edinburgh University and Heriot-Watt University, as well as by being made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. His first degree is also from Edinburgh University where he studied Artificial Intelligence and Psychology, and he went on to get a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism Studies from University College Cardiff.
Quentin also hosts the UK and International finals of FameLab, rated as “the world’s leading science communication competition” by BBC World Service, and “the best time we’ve had in months” by Nobel prize-winning co-discoverer of DNA James Watson.
* Paxman’s response to a correctly guessed answer from Quentin during Christmas University Challenge semi-finals, January 2015