How often does science come with the kind of baggage which suggests it's so worthy despite being boringly serious; important to industrial development but not mainstream to society, or fascinating if only you had enough grey matter to take it all in?
Science - more often than not - comes pre-packaged with such tones or with propagandistic connotations. So much so that its role in releasing the imagination and as an essential and wonderful part of our cultural fabric is buried or not easily discernible.
Researchers at the University of the West of England in Bristol work on rectifying such imbalances, and are responsible for one idea which is causing a stir in UK cities.
Science on the Buses started in Cardiff and was extended to five other cities. It is the brainchild of biochemist Dr Frank Burnet, and was developed by a team from the university's school of interdisciplinary science, known as graphic science.
A series of four science messages initially were carried in poster form on buses but, according the head of the school, Dr Chris Philippidis, they go beyond a simple statement of factual information. The viewer comes away with an unexpected, memorable experience. It's "science as an expressive resource, not just a statement of fact".
Campaign co-ordinator Ms Lynda Wookey said the project aims to encourage people to think about science and show them "they know more about science than they thought, and that it is relevant to their lives".
Take, for example:
Cloning:
Identical twins are clones and have the same genes.
Identical twins look the same, but behave differently.
Cloned Hitlers wouldn't behave the same,
They might look like Hitler, but behave like Charlie Chaplin.
Such poster messages do reach their target. She estimated some 130,000 people in Dublin, for example, would see the posters during one month should 10 per cent of buses feature them. But in addition to intriguing text, the poster is highly designed and words are laid out in verse format.
The messages are aimed at young people, notably a clubbing audience, but not exclusively so. The background colours are the "reds, purples, pinks" associated with the clubbing scene, Dr Philippidis explained.
In a sense, the process involved sidling up to the public with an invitation to ponder but was "not spoon-feeding facts", Dr Philippidis noted. Rather the messages come with thematic meanings.
The project was supported with funding from the UK Millennium Commission and led to Dr Burnet receiving a "Millennium Fellowship" from the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, in recognition of the success of the project.
And it fits with the school of inter-disciplinary science's mission to look at science as a cultural phenomenon. But it goes beyond the current (and necessary) preoccupation with the public understanding of science. It evaluates and promotes, for instance, science in a public space but with a critical perspective. The "Millennium set" was followed by other posters on chemistry supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry, and some on physics commissioned by the Institute of Physics.
With the science on the buses initiative, there is also an opportunity to reach into the imaginary world, an approach reflected in other work at the school. Projects include the development of a CD-ROM of a time machine for young people, or a quantum sculpture involving two physicists and two sculptors, which Dr Philippidis is involved in.