Turns of Phrase: Café Scientifique

It sounds a dauntingly highbrow term, but the intention is just the opposite - to demystify science and help people engage with it. The technique is based on the discussion of topical scientific ideas with interested people in determinedly non-academic surroundings. The Cafés sum up their intentions with a maxim, too long to be considered a slogan, "We want people to be as opinionated about science as they are about football". Informal meetings are usually held in cafés or bars; a guest speaker talks briefly on a topic and then leads a discussion. The first Caf? Scientifique was held in Leeds in 1998; its name was invented by the man who started it, Duncan Dallas. "I was reading the paper's obituary of Marc Sautet, the man who founded the cafés philosophiques in France," he recalls, "and I thought 'I'd like to do that'. But the British don't think philosophy is a real subject, so I opted for science instead." The scheme has extended with the help of funding from the Wellcome Trust from 2001 onwards. Most Cafés are in university towns and cities - the fifteenth, in Bristol, was inaugurated in April 2003.

Michael Quinion, do World Wide Words, a coisa que mais gosto de receber por e-mail depois das mensagens pessoais e do Bad Signal.