Smarter UK (360G-Wellcome-093486_Z_10_Z)

Our vision is informed by an evaluation (see attached) of the pilot, a People award run with great success in schools in Bristol and Glasgow. Learning from the evaluation will inform re-development of the project. The script will be revised in close partnership with a renowned playwright, Toby Hulse, (who has a great deal of experience working with and writing for young people). The vision for Smarter UK is a sustainable dialogue event, (stimulated by an introductory drama - a format which Graphic Science devised and used with considerable success for a previous Society Award ?Meet the Gene Machine?), which is integrated into the repertoire of our delivery partners and will continue to reach young people after project completion. Smarter UK will enable young people to explore the social and ethical issues surrounding pharmacological brain enhancement, (with reference to the role of neurotransmitters in memory and the effects of drugs on the brain). It will be delivered to 9000 13-16 year olds in schools across the UK. A rich and well tested suite of associated classroom resources, available through a dedicated website, will also help teachers to explore new ways to stimulate discussion about contemporary scientific issues. Neuroscience researchers will be teamed with professional science presenters in the ?Neuroscience Cities? - Bristol, Cardiff, Cambridge and Edinburgh, along with Oxford (due to its strong Neuroscience community). We hope the experience, and the provision of engagement training, will help achieve an embedded culture of engagement with schools into the practices of participating neuroscientists.