Physics Goes In Search Of 'Cool'

[zavvy]

<b>Physics Goes In Search Of 'Cool'</b><br /><br />LINK<br /><br />Einstein Year has been launched in the UK and Ireland to inspire the next generation of physicists. <br /><br />It is part of an International project - the World Year of Physics - and aims to demonstrate the relevance of the science to our everyday lives. <br /><br />It is also 100 years since Einstein put out three of the four papers that would change the way we viewed the Universe. <br /><br />Schools and universities in the British Isles are facing a crisis with many students shunning physics and maths. <br /><br />Indeed, all the sciences are struggling to persuade 11-16 year-olds that their fields are worth pursuing into further and higher education. <br /><br />Fewer than 29,000 opted to study physics at A-level in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2004. <br /><br />And although the numbers opting to follow a physics degree are holding up, there has a been a dramatic fall in the past decade of students applying to pursue physics as a teaching career. <br /><br />"It's no secret that physics is under pressure; it's not an easy subject," said Professor Sir John Enderby, president of the Institute of Physics, which is running Einstein Year. <br /><br />"On the other hand it is very relevant to so many other disciplines. We will be demonstrating to everyone how physics plays a part in so many aspects of our lives." <br /><br />Iconic launchpad <br /><br />The London launch of Einstein Year was publicised with a remarkable BMX stunt, something organisers hope many youngsters will appreciate. <br /><br />The manoeuvre - dubbed the "Einstein Flip - was devised by Cambridge University physicist Helen Czerski together with Ben Wallace, one of the UK's top international extreme-sports riders. <br /><br />It saw Wallace launch himself off a 2m-high ramp and spin backwards through 360 degrees while simultaneously folding his bike underneath him in