UK tech pioneer Maggie Philbin on Twitter

Last night on Twitter, I managed to connect with someone I have been a huge fan of for a very long time.

I’m talking about the respected tech journalist, broadcaster and science advocate Maggie Philbin.

Maggie’s infectious love of technology helped to inspire me and many, many others to get involved in ‘tech.  After all,  Maggie was the first person on UK television to demonstrate the word’s first truly mobile phone, car navigation system and countless other gadgets we take for granted today.

I was going to list Maggie’s TV and radio credits here – before realising it would be pointless; unless of course, the point is to end up with Carpal tunnel.

The TeenTech project

What I was not aware of until recently, is the pioneering work Maggie does, helping teenagers get involved in science and technology, through the highly-acclaimed TeenTech project.

Maggie puts it like this:

“In Britain we have a history of viewing scientists as remote loners, who pursue their unfathomable work in dusty laboratories. In an era where many children aspire simply to “be famous” and where winning “X Factor” is seen as the ultimate goal, it’s vital for the science and engineering community to raise their profile and use powerful role models to help young people understand the reality of these professions.

It’s heartbreaking to think of the amount of talent and innovation going to waste, simply because children and their families haven’t the faintest idea what an engineer or technician actually does.”

By the way, TeenTech will run again in 2010, as part of Science Week. I will post full details on both Science Week and TeenTech, closer the time.

If you are interested in technology or science, I strongly recommend you follow Maggie on Twitter.

Photo credit: Maggie Philbin

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