The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) is sponsoring a photography competition as part of its 200th anniversry celebration in 2008.
The intention of the photography competition is to share the magic of science (meaning all sciences including the social sciences and the humanities) with the world. Magic should be widely interpreted … from one-off scientific breakthroughs, photos of people, action pictures to everyday events, as long as it triggers the imagination and answers to the theme. (from the competition announcement)
“The KNAW aims to stimulate public interest in science.” I am delighted to see KNAW sponsor this competition. It is complementary to efforts in the United States like the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science and the Year of Science 2009 project that seek to do much the same thing.
As Natalie Angier points out in her recent book, The Canon, “Childhood...is the one time of life when all members of an age cohort ae expecte to appreciate science.” It's time that we make science appreciation not just something for kids, but something for everyone.
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