The next generation of learners can take care of themselves

... it's the older generation that needs to learn new skills.

Go figure.

Now Inquirer.net reports that Helga Nowotny, Vice Chair of the European Research Council and Fellow at the Wissenschaftszentrum, Vienna, writes:

That she "spoke at science-related meetings on two consecutive days in different places in Europe. One was the official opening of a network of science centers in Vienna, linking decentralized activities in an interactive exhibition that tour Austria. The other was the Science Festival of Genoa, Italy, a young and hugely successful event with exhibitions and high-profile speakers throughout the ancient town."

She continues: "What struck me on both occasions was the sustained, and evidently successful, attempt to reach out to the two target groups upon whom the future of science and technology will depend. The first group is teenagers, who are deeply interested in all the new technologies and gadgets that surround them. They have made these technologies an integral part of their lives, but their relationship to science has remained distant. The other target audience consists of younger children, whose openness and inborn curiosity have not yet been stifled by formal schooling."

Read the syndicated article.