The James Watts of the future?

October 27th, 2008

As Inverclyde experienced its own little hurricane last Thursday, I was able to seek shelter at GreenockAcademy.

The occasion was a visit by the Lab in a Lorry, a mobile science project that looks to engage and enthuse young people with the world of science.

It was interesting watching the pupils try their hand at some of the interactive experiments and fun watching their reactions to what they discovered.

As it happened, it was the second event I had hit upon that linked education with science in our area.

Just a few days before, the Heritage Lottery Fund put up a £43,000 grant to allow 300 primary school children in Inverclyde to explore and celebrate the life of our own inventor, James Watt.

As we all know, he was born here in 1736 and his achievements ushered in the Industrial Revolution and really put Greenock on the map.

These two initiatives are reminders that our success in the past was based on human endeavour and innovation, and only that spirit will ensure future success.

So it was gratifying to see our young people learning about science and taking such a strong interest in it, and hopefully they can continue that tradition.

Who knows, maybe one of those pupils will grow up to be as famous as James Watt one day?

Given the enthusiasm and talent I saw for myself at GreenockAcademy, I certainly wouldn’t bet against it.