Gerald Durrell Lecture 2002

Professor John Lawton, Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council, gave the Gerald Durrell Lecture at the Salters Institute on 10 April 2002 in the presence of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal.

Download (19 KB) a copy of Professor Lawton's lecture here.

The Master of the Salters' Company, Mr Jock Russell, said in the course of his introduction:

One of the Salters' Institute's principal objectives is to promote the teaching of chemistry and science. What makes us different is what is known as the Salters' Approach - that is 'teaching science in the context of its use in the real world, at the same time making it more accessible'.

Science, education and the environment are inextricably linked in a modern world that includes commerce and industry. They are all interdependent and, all of us who live, work and play in this world, have to recognise this reality.

Alongside our partners at the University of York, headed by our Salters' Professor, John Holman, we have been at the very forefront of science curriculum development for many years. We are the venture capitalists of science education, providing seed money and support so that new ideas can be tried out. Once their value has been established, and in addition to our own core funding, we bring in our friends in industry and other like-minded parties like the Nuffield Foundation to help.

The Durrell Wildlife's education team are collaborating on one of the core modules for the new Salters' Nuffield Advanced Biology course, which goes out to schools on trial this September. Professor Michael Reiss, the Director of the Salters-Nuffield Advanced Biology project was in Jersey last year and found that their approach mirrored precisely our own 'teaching science in the context of its use in the real world, at the same time making it more accessible'.

The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust website (www.durrell.org) is currently under construction.