In my view the key to improved science literacy is to catch children at that phase when they are fascinated with dinosaurs, or astronomy, or robots, or what have you, and foster that attitude of interest and exploration. Certainly most scientists that I know (myself included) became scientists because we never "grew out of" that curious infatuation with knowledge. The question is how is that to be accomplished when it seems that the school system has difficulty in turning out students with a rudimentary grasp of the basics?

I do a great deal of talking with curious members of the public, as do my colleagues. We actually do see the results in terms of the acceptance and support from most of the public. Of course there are always those who disagree, but that's not a bad thing. Actually we've surprised some parties by explaining the disagreements we have amongst ourselves, so that they have come to realize that we *don't* have all the answers and are learning as we go. The time commitment for this is quite staggering, however. Realistically it's also only effective on a local level, and frankly it cuts into our work time. Perhaps there needs to be new amalgamation of science and management as a career: the scientifically trained P.R. person.