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NOT many people know that the Royal Institution gave London its first one-way street. A night out at the RI was one of the hottest tickets in town. Charles Dickens, Prince Albert and every other Victorian celebrity fought for front-row tickets to hear Humphry Davy and his fellow pioneers of science. Their carriages so thoroughly clogged Albemarle Street that in 1808 they were instructed to proceed one way only.

Isn’t that a good question for a pub quiz? And perhaps that’s where popular presentations of science should be these days. Traditional science lectures are still put on with the intention of reaching out to the public and informing them about the latest scientific ideas, so they can make informed judgements about issues such as cloning and global warming. But most of the people who go are already interested in and knowledgeable about scientific issues. ¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵs are preaching to the converted.

¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵs need to think about alternatives to the traditional lecture format—and the good news is that this is already beginning to happen.

Science in the Pub is an Australian format that does exactly what the name suggests (¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ, 26 August 2000, p 44). Last year I found myself in the Harlequin Inn in Sydney discussing Fermat’s last theorem—which turned out to be easier to explain after a few pints. Britain’s Café Scientifique is a more genteel version of the Australian format. There are now nine cafés, from Newcastle to London. And hopes are high that moving science out of the lecture theatre will get a broader range of people involved.

My own effort in this direction is to present lectures in an arts venue—the Soho Theatre in London. But this is puny compared to the possibilities. Stephen Hawking regularly fills thousand-seat lecture theatres. So why doesn’t somebody arrange a run of such lectures in London’s theatre district, where they could reach a more diverse cross section of people?

I am still not sure, though, that such talks would reach the people science and scientists most need to interest: school-age students. Teenagers are abandoning science in huge numbers, and applications to science courses are falling drastically. There are positive signs. The RI is making a concerted effort to reach them. Last year, 24,000 children attended its lectures. The British government, for its part, recently launched its Science and Engineering Ambassadors programme, aimed at encouraging young scientists and engineers to spend time in schools talking about their research, helping with science clubs and supporting teachers in other ways.

None of this would be necessary in an ideal world. The fact is, though, that there is a dire shortage of qualified science teachers, so the scientific community needs to help in whatever way it can. Speaking to an eminent audience in a grand lecture theatre is a great thrill for any researcher, but they could have an equally rewarding experience and a more influential role in an ordinary classroom. Working with schoolchildren is not something that every scientist would be capable of, but those who could inspire, should inspire.