- David Baas (born 1981), American football center
- Ian Baas (born 1982), race car driver
- Johann Hermann Baas (1838-1909), German medical historian
- Maarten Baas (born 1978), Dutch furniture designer
- Sheryl Baas (21st century), Beauty pageant winner
See also
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Last updated on Friday June 20, 2008 at 16:20:44 PDT (GMT -0700)
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History
It was founded in 1831 and modelled on the German Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte. The prime mover was William Vernon Harcourt, following a suggestion by Sir David Brewster, who was disillusioned with the elitist and conservative attitude of the Royal Society. The first meeting was held in York on 27 September 1831 . From that date a meeting was held annually at some place chosen at a previous meeting.
One of the more memorable meetings held by the association, was the 1860 meeting at Oxford, where the now famous debate between Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce took place (see the 1860 Oxford evolution debate). This meeting is widly viewed as the turning point in the evolution debate.
Ironically, perhaps the BA's most momentous influence on science was in 1878 when a committee of the BA recommended against constructing Charles Babbage's analytical engine .
The Association's major emphasis in recent decades has been on public engagement in science. Its annual meeting, now called the Festival of Science, is the largest public showcase for science in the U.K. and attracts a great deal of media attention.
In addition to the Festival of Science, the BA organises the UK National Science and Engineering Week, an opportunity for people of all ages to get involved in science, engineering and technology activities.
The Association also has a young people's programme, which seeks to involve school students in science beyond the school curriculum, and to encourage them to consider higher education and careers in science.
Recent Presidents of the BA
- 2007-08: David King
- 2006-07: John Browne, Lord Browne of Madingley
- 2005-06: Frances Cairncross
- 2004-05: Professor Robert Winston, Lord Winston of Hammersmith
- 2003-04: Dame Julia Higgins
- 1993-94: Dame Anne McLaren
- 1980-81: HRH the Duke of Kent
- 1979-80: Frederick Dainton, Baron Dainton
See also
- Café Scientifique
- Royal Institution
- Science Abstracts
- Science Festival
- National Science Week
- Scandinavian Scientist Conference (1839-1936)
- 1860 Oxford evolution debate
External links
Reports of the meetings 1877-90 are available on
References
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Wednesday October 08, 2008 at 03:03:38 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation
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