This is the year of Science (yes, with a capital S), the BBC and Channel 4 are awash with great primetime shows covering the history, the people and the facts of science. Those who have chosen not to watch Britain’s Got Talent or Over The Rainbow have been treated, in glorious HD, to the story of how science has shaped Great Britain: from copper-bottomed ships helping us defeat the French in the Caribbean allowing us to hold on to the valuable sugar plantations to the harnessing of steam power that drove the Industrial Revolution and code breaker Alan Turing laying the foundations for the first computer. The contribution of science to modern society is incomprehensible.

And yet numbers of students studying STEM subjects are falling, funding is being cut at our world class institutions and public trust in scientists is dwindling.

Inspiring the next generation of scientists, standing up against spurious claims and promoting the advantages of modern technology are all things that we, as young scientists, have a duty to do. As much as I’ve enjoyed The Genius of Britain, The Incredible Human Journey and Bang Goes the Theory, I realise that these programmes only reach a fraction of the audience, there are many more ways we can reach out and excite people with the wonders of science.

I recently ran a workshop for children where we extracted DNA from strawberries. The kids loved the smell of the fruit and the mess they could make with a pipette, but it was the parents who were asking what exactly DNA is for or how the same molecule can hold the instructions to make such diverse creatures as amoeba, strawberries and humans. Standing up for science is a battle that needs to be fought on all fronts, not just criticising when someone says something stupid but also engaging people so that they understand the facts of science and the issues surrounding it.

There are so many ways you can reach people who don’t usually get the opportunity to meet real scientists and find out how surprisingly normal they are! A variety of methods are needed for different ages and backgrounds, you can be fun and creative, think of unusual events, be random. Science Brainwaves are off to the Green Man Festival in August to host a stall in their Einstein’s Garden, we’ll be presenting science to inquisitive minds, young and old, whilst The Doves and Mumford and Sons play in the background.

So go out and stand up for science, in whatever way you can. What can be achieved is a society where people value science and view it as the essential foundation for the modern world. Without public support, politicians will find it too easy to slash science spending in favour of vote winning gimmicks. Science is core to all of our lives but as the voice of young science the ball is in our court to stand up and make sure it’s appreciated.