From pilot to preacher: sparking imagination early

It all started when my friend was 11. He didn't know it was going to happen, nor did his parents but it would change his life. It set him on a path towards a career and dominated his life decisions for a decade and a half. My friend Ken's father decided to take him to a small air show not far from where they lived outside Chicago. As one might expect he was very impressed walking through the collection of planes, sitting in the pilot's seat while trying to peer out the windscreen.

Then it happened. They chanced to be near a small plane when its owner decided to open up the wing luggage compartment. This was the moment Ken identified as the start of it all, the moment he choose his career – to start flying and become a commercial airline pilot.

It seems amazing to think that something so small, so insignificant could trigger that response in an impressionable youngster. He began looking for opportunities to visit a small local airport to see the planes take off and land. He helped some of the owners wash down their planes, a trade for being able to climb on board for a short flight circling the airport to dry off the plane.

As he grew older he began researching what to study in order to be hired by one of the big airlines, what might be advantageous on a CV and what he should study at school. He learned that involvement in sports was helpful as was engagement with school activities, so he worked hard to become a co-captain of the high school football team and also for the track and field team.

He attended a university with a built-in flight school, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, dubbed by Time magazine as the "Harvard of the sky". He passed all his flight ratings, from single to multiple-engined planes up to cargo jets, along with his navigation ratings.

This may seem an interesting, if pointless, aside were it not for the fact that history likes to repeat itself. Science Week Ireland 2014 just got under way and this morning is in full flight. It offers tours, talks, events in local libraries, science "magic" shows interesting enough to attract and entertain visitors of all ages. There are nature hikes, activities in schools and open days in universities, institutes of technology and companies that have a technology edge.

Bored nonchalance

It may seem like little more than good fun but there is a more serious intent behind it all. Just as happened with my friend who saw no more than the aviation equivalent of a car boot, there will be primary school pupils attending events during the week who will see something that captures their imagination. And there will be secondary school students who, despite an air of bored nonchalance, will actually have some fun and might come face to face with their future careers.

These things can't be predicted, they just happen, as they always have. This is why the State invests in Science Week through the organising body Science Foundation Ireland Discover. And along with the State's investment, companies and their employees participate, seeing this kind of investment in outreach as of value to them. The State and private sector alike hope to see a youngster captivated by an experiment that goes bang or another who gets a chance to look through a powerful telescope deciding that "yes, this science stuff can be interesting, I wonder if I could do this".

Every child doesn’t need to be transformed by science, only a small fraction of the many thousands who will participate in one or more of the hundreds of events taking place during the week. And hopefully the result will be a growing number who decide to study science, engineering and maths at third level. The question is will their parents support the decision or try to kill it off earlier on when it drifts towards talk of a future career.

Welcome reversal

A recent survey showed that students and therefore their parents did not really have a grasp of what opportunities might open up for a person with a science degree. The lack of an obvious career path encourages many parents to steer their children into “safe” subjects like business or law. There has been a welcome reversal of this trend over the past two years, largely because of the 25 bonus points given to students who pass higher maths. Let’s hope, however, that the Government can follow through its side of the bargain, ensuring higher education funding is maintained at a level that ensures there are career opportunities for students in academia but also in the private sector.

Whatever happened to Ken, you ask. Is he still flying? No, not as a commercial pilot. He unexpectedly packed it in and became an evangelist in the deep south.

See Science Week Ireland listings at science.ie