On 27th March and 18th April local heats The Royal Society of Chemistry (Analytical branch) competition were held at Sunderland and Northumbria University respectively. A total of 54 students from 18 schools in the region competed and the winners were announced as:  Emmanuel College in Gateshead and Central Newcastle High School; with runner up Newcastle College.

“It was a wonderful success. We had double the number (of teams) this year… The university sponsored lunch, provided a student ambassador, and a work placement student. There was a wonderful young and fresh feel about the whole competition!” – Roger Reeve at Sunderland University.

Emmanuel college and Central Newcastle High School will now be judged along with 4 other winners for a chance to go to the final.

Calling teachers! STEMNET would like to know more about your club and what you would like from the STEM Clubs Network. To make your voice heard about what you value about the STEM Clubs Network and what more you would like from it, please complete the online survey. You can find the survey here:www.keysurvey.com/survey/430489/ba2e/.

A limited number of grants of up to £500 are available for you to have a STEM E&E activity take place at your school in 2012, to be chosen from those listed in these online STEM Directories.

The aim of STEM Directories Grants Scheme is to foster the use of the STEM Directories, enable wider access to activities listed and support STEM teachers.  The scheme is designed not only to raise awareness of E&E activities but to support your professional development and enhance the experience in your school by helping integrate E&E activities in curricular practice. All state-funded schools in England are eligible to apply. Applications are particularly welcome from both schools in underprivileged areas and high achieving schools, but the successful applicants will be chosen at random from the eligible applicants.

For more information, please look at the Grant Terms. To apply, fill out an Application Form. The deadline for this round is 5pm on Thursday 31 May 2012.

This is a competition for 11-16 year olds to design a video game.

The competition is split into 2 categories, the concept award and the making award.

The concept award is geared towards students who like the way video games look and enjoy creating their own set of video game characters and inventing a whole new world for them to live in.

The game making award is for students fascinated by how video games get made and enjoy using some of the game making software available to create their own mini games at home.

Students don’t have to choose between them however and can enter both.

Students can enter as a team of three, as a pair or on their own.

Students can take a look at last year’s contestants and see what sort of games made it into the top 10. They can also look at the ‘Make a Game’ page and have a go at creating your very own game right now.

Keep your eyes peeled on the website for more updates. Students can also attend workshops taking place this Summer across the UK. Find out more here.

Attention teachers! Did you know that you can borrow samples of Moonrock and Meteorites?Well you can! With the science and technology facility council’s Loan Scheme.

Valuable samples of moon rock and soil were brought back to Earth by NASA’s Apollo astronauts. STFC is the only authorised source for the loan of this precious material to educational or scientific organisations within the United Kingdom. Four educational packages are available free of charge (including special security delivery/collection) for short term loans of lunar samples and meteorites.

The samples were collected during NASA’s manned space missions to the Moon in the late 1960′s and early 1970′s. During these missions the Apollo astronauts brought back to earth 382 kilograms of lunar material. NASA decided to use a small proportion of the rock and soil to develop lunar and planetary sciences educational packages.

They are of interest to everyone from a young child to a geology student. Each package also contains different examples of meteorites, put together by the Natural History Museum. Some sets have sectioned samples, and every set has chunk-sized pieces of meteorite that can be handled. Comprehensive support material is included with each loan. Hundreds of schools, colleges, universities, museums and astronomical societies throughout the UK have enjoyed the samples since the scheme began. Please give them at least four months notice. For further information and how to apply for a loan, read the notes for borrowers + application then visit the frequently asked questions.

How you can help and get involved:

• Help write up 12 weeks of lesson plans based on “Scratch”. Email Linda if you can help with this.
• Sign up here as a teacher if you’re interested in hearing when the curriculum is ready.
• Sign up here to volunteer at your local club to teach coding.
• Sign up here if you’re interested in sponsoring the project.

Newcastle Bright Club is the thinking person’s variety night, blending comedy, music, art, new writing, science, performance, and anything else that can happen on a stage. The Centre Life are welcoming along some of the north east’s finest academics, researchers and students for a variety night like no other.

Newcastle Bright Club

Training session

Weds 25 April

12.30pm-2.30pm

Centre for Life – meet at main visitor reception

A great public engagement opportunity for north east based students and researchers!

Footage of some previous Newcastle Bright Club acts can be found below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6_1n3nDOOg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8V8XAcrqj4

If you’re interested in finding out more or even taking part in Newcastle Bright Club please get in touch with Sheela Joy on sheela.joy@life.org.uk or 0191 243 8292.

Lectures, updates, workshops, manufacturers, publishers and more. Sessions for those new to the subject and experienced teachers.

Durham University
21 June 2012
9.30 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.

Sponsored by: The Institute of Physics, Science Learning Centre North East and Durham University

Book via: Nicola Hall, tel 0191 370 6200
e-mail: n.l.hall@durham.ac.uk
web: www.sciencelearningcentres.org.uk/northeast

Cost: FREE with lunch and refreshments included. Places must be pre-booked through the Science Learning Centre North East. (Failure to attend without prior notice will incur a £25 administration fee.)

All postgraduate engineers (MSc to professors) based in the UK working in any engineering area, either in academia or industry, are eligible.

You need to be available on the following dates:
- Workshops: London 26 June; Aberdeen, 3 July; Manchester, 12 July (10h – 16h30).
- British Science Festival: 7-9 July
- Develop poster: ~25h spread throughout July and August (this is just a rough estimate, more or less time might be required)

Only up to 34 applications will be selected.

The British Science Association will consider how well your proposal is written, if you have a clear message you want to pass on to the general public and if the skills developed by this project will potentially benefit your and others in the future. They may also consider diversity criteria in similarly marked proposals.

You can apply using the form here.

A series of free regional events bringing together teachers and businesses to inspire students with the excitement and potential of STEM subjects.

Join local teachers and businesses at one of these informal events to explore how to work together to engage secondary school students with the opportunities offered by STEM.

Real-world experience
Bring practical experience and contemporary applications of STEM into school to engage students with the relevance of studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).

Employability skills
Create STEM challenges to help students develop vital skills for future employment including communications, project management, team-working and problem-solving.

Networking
Build connections across the local community working with businesses, teachers, students and parents to raise the profile of STEM industries and careers.

Your regional event:

Middlesbrough: 30 May at Teesside University. 4.30pm – 7pm.
Come along at 3.30pm for a welcome from the Dean of the School of Science and Engineering and a tour of their cutting-edge facilities.

There are 12 events being held round the country, for details of other dates and venues and to book your free places visit: www.stemnet.org.uk/bis or call 07531 810881

Everyone is welcome to attend, whether you are experienced in engaging students with STEM or looking for guidance and support to begin Putting the Business into STEM Education.

The site went live last week, featuring information and data entry pages for their global experiment, and dozens of resources exploring chemistry in sport. The global experiment will test the effects of sports drinks on athletic performance and encourage participation in students of all ages. Children in school and at home are encouraged to take part, ideally before the start of this year’s London Olympics!

Alistair Brownlee, twice world champion triathlete and former chemistry student, introduces the global experiment site and talks about the role chemistry played in his own education and how chemistry is vital to his sport.

!

Dragonfly Productions is looking for people to take part in a new popular history and engineering series for Channel 5…

Are you a die-hard engineering enthusiast? Do you have the skill and ambition to recreate historical innovations?

“Beat the Ancestors” is a new, exciting series that sees a team of modern-day men and women battling against history’s most ingenious minds.

Their challenge: to rebuild iconic inventions that changed history: from siege engines to gunpowder mills, early automobiles to invasion crafts.

The ultimate test: can they use their modern knowledge to improve on the original design?

If this sounds like an exciting challenge, please contact Dragonfly Productions at:
beattheancestors@dragonfly.tv or 020 3487 1214

Cisco and STEMNET are challenging 11 to 16-year-olds to use their maths and science skills to plan a major sporting event in their local area.

Go to www.mathsandscience2012.co.uk/challenge2012 to find all the details and a step-by-step guide to the challenge, including:

• Teacher notes
• A starter activity
• Presentation advice
• Videos of Olympic athletes introducing Challenge 2012
• Videos of organisers explaining the design and construction of London 2012 sites
• Olympic and Paralympic sports fact-sheets

Bring London 2012 to life in your classroom!

The full list of Nuffield Foundation Bursary Placements open to A Level students in the North East is now available here: nuffield Placements 2012

Here’s the list…
List of Nuffield Bursary Placements available for Summer 2012

Placement 1 – Pharmaceutics: dosage form design
Placement 2 – Pharmaceutics: dosage form design
Placement 3 – Sutainability and ethics
Placement 4 – Porous materials, functional materials
Placement 5 – Public Enagagement- the science of chocolate
Placement 6 – Chemistry history and promotion
Placement 7 – Microbiology
Placement 8 – DNA Chemistry
Placement 9 – A Level Chemistry Outreach Materials
Placement 10 – A Level Chemistry Outreach Materials
Placement 11 – Development of a range of A-level Chemistry learning support activities utilising the Cambridge Structural Database
Placement 12 – Development of a range of A-level Chemistry learning support activities utilising the Cambridge Structural Database
Placement 13 – Development of a range of A-level Chemistry learning support activities utilising the Cambridge Structural Database
Placement 14 – Dyson Physics
Placement 15 – Forensic Anthropolgy in Second Life
Placement 16 – Forensic Skeletal Investigaton
Placement 17 – Forensic Chemistry
Placement 18 – Drug Testing
Placement 19 – Drug Testing
Placement 20 – Medicinal Chemistry
Placement 21 – Medicinal Chemistry
Placement 22 – Antibacterial Agents
Placement 23 – Antibacterial Agents
Placement 24 – Science Communication / Web Technologies
Placement 25 – Science Communication / Web Technologies
Placement 26 – Transport: RailNewcastle
Placement 27 – A Review of the Influence of Metallurgy of Nitinol on its Mechanical Properties
Placement 28 – Green Potential of Urban Environments
Placement 29 – Carbon Capture in Urban Environments
Placement 30 – Thermal Energy and Water(Placement tbc)

To apply email us at ambassadors@ncl-coll.ac.uk

The Collective Memory aims to share informal learning and evaluations from public engagement activities, responding frequent requests from the science communication community that we should all do this. Collective Memory offers the opportunity to share experience from a wide variety of public engagement initiatives with the option to back these entries up with formal evaluations. Using the Collective Memory will enable you and your organisation to build up a record of your projects and learn from others across the field, bringing up the quality of initiatives across the board. There’s no shame in sharing what didn’t work as well as what did – it’s what you learnt, and all of us can learn, from doing the project that’s important.

Benefits of using the Collective Memory site include:

• Building a portfolio of public engagement project evaluations which could be used to provide evidence for future funding
• Demonstrating your expertise in the field
• Using a structured framework for personal reflection and evaluation
• Contributing to and using a diverse resource that can provide guidance on a wide variety of projects, building on what others have learnt by doing
• Getting in touch with other practitioners to discuss learning from projects

The upgraded site now supports document upload – if you have a backlog of formal evaluations, why not share them online?

Please do have a look at the site (collectivememory.britishscienceassociation.org), explore what’s already on the site and take a few minutes to add your projects.

If you have any questions about Collective Memory, do get in touch with the site manager Toby Shannon – sis@britishscienceassociation.org

At the great North Museum from now until the 12th April, Newcastle University’s interactive Lego exhibition looks for answers to some of the greatest questions regarding the urban environment, population growth and town planning and design.

The project is involving the public in the construction of a giant Lego town. Around 110,000 bricks are being used to create the ‘mini-city’, which will take shape over the course of the exhibition and whose size, scale and purpose will be determined by the public working with University researchers.

Find out more here: http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/greatnorthmuseum/news/the-great-north-build-a-small-town-with-a-big-purpose/

Educational charity, The Smallpeice Trust is looking for current Year 11 students to apply for a place on a Low Carbon Energy residential course over the summer. They will gain experience of university and industry that will accelerate their personal development and their potential for greater academic achievement.

Yr 11, Low Carbon Energy
Newcastle University, 23rd – 26th July, 2012

The move towards a lower carbon economy requires us to develop a portfolio of low carbon energy technologies for the electricity, heat and transport markets. Sponsored by Senergy, a global energy services company, this course introduces you to the wide reaching opportunities in this fast changing sector and the difference you could make within this area of engineering.

What will I be doing?

• Learning about the different forms of low carbon energy including wind, waves and tide through a series of masterclasses and laboratory sessions
• Having question-and-answer sessions with leading experts from Senergy in low carbon energy and marine engineering
• Using state-of-the-art research facilities including wave tanks, wind-wave-current tanks and circulating water tanks to conduct tests and experiments
• Learning about the engineering challenges involved in capturing, distributing and storing energy from the environment
• Competing in teams to design-and-make the most effective and innovative low carbon energy capture devices, tested in commercial and research test facilities
• Benefiting from the experience and guidance of student mentors from marine technology and engineering

This course is subsidised and costs £225 which includes all accommodation, meals, course materials and fully supervised social activities. Students can apply directly from the Smallpeice website. Applications are reviewed and places allocated on a first come, first served basis.

> More info and apply here <

The time commitment would be less than one hour and there would be no travel involved: the communication would be done entirely by phone or email. You would be asked to send a few photographs to illustrate the text. You would be sent a list of standard questions, and a deadline by which a response would be appreciated. You would be sent both a draft for approval, and a copy of the final product.

If you are interested, please contact Richard Tarrant on richard.tarrant46@gmail.com.

A range of interactive workshops will provide the opportunity to explore some of the latest development in physics and new resources for teaching physics in the classroom.

There is a choice of four workshops, of which participants will need to select two from the following: “Physics and Toys”, ”ICT in the science classroom”, “Jolting the jaded – do physics” or “Seeing inside the body: practical medical physics activities and resources”. More information can be found here.

The day is being help at the Durham University
on 21 June 2012 from 9.30 a.m. – 4.00 p.m.

Participants can book by ringing Nicola Hall on 0191 370 6200,
or by emailing n.l.hall@durham.ac.uk.

The day is an excellent opportunity and is completely FREE, with lunch and refreshments included. Places must be pre-booked through the Science Learning Centre North East. (Failure to attend without prior notice will incur a £25 administration fee.)

The trail will be launched with a guided tour on Monday 12th March at 10am from the Lit & Phil (for more info:
http://www.newcastlesciencefest.com/programme.html)

How does it work?

From Monday there will be 46 unique QR code stickers in locations across Newcastle City Centre. Scanning the code will take you to a website with further information about the chemical relevant to that place or product. You might find an Ethanol sticker down the pub, or caffeine at the coffee shop, but the challenge is to find all 46, including some you may not be familiar with.

What is a QR Code?

A QR Code is like a barcode, but it links to a webpage. They are readable using free apps downloadable to any smart phone (e.g. BlackBerry, iPhone, Android, Windows Phone)

What if I don’t have a smartphone?

You can request a booklet which will be sent to you as a PDF to print out, then you can tick off the QR codes you find, making a note of their location.

How can I find out more?

A full list of the chemicals on the trail can be found here:
http://www.newcastlechemistrytrail.co.uk/, the locations of the QR codes are however top secret! There are also active facebook groups (search Newcastle Chemistry Trail) and a twitter feed (@NCLChemTrail).

Can I have a QR code to display?

Yes! If you would like to help increase awareness of chemistry and its importance to Newcastle’s history by displaying a relevant QR code at your workplace, your school or anywhere else you think may be relevant please do contact mail@newcastlechemistrytrail.co.uk, requesting the QR codes you would like to display.

Are you looking to improve and develop skills for maths outreach? Do you currently do public engagement in maths and want to improve, or are you looking to try and incorporate the ‘M in STEM’ into your work?

BIG’s forthcoming skills day helps dispel the myth that Maths is a difficult and scary subject, among communicators as well as the public, and we hope to make it easier for people to engage with and to see the kind of work being done to popularise maths, as well as learning approaches to delivering their own sessions.

There will be three very skilled Maths communicators running the day: Matt Parker, Joshua Award-winning maths communicator and ‘Stand-up mathematician’, Nicola Stock, Centre for Life and Dr Sara Santos, from the Maths Busking project.

The event will cost £50 for BIG Members and places are strictly limited to a maximum of 20. Non-members will need to join BIG first at an annual cost of £30.

For more information, or to register, click here

The Royal Academy of Engineering is seeking to appoint an experienced and resourceful teacher of a STEM subject who can enthuse other teachers and support the development of STEM in their local schools.

The aim of the Connecting Teachers project is to create a national network of support for STEM teachers, ensuring they have the knowledge and confidence to engage a greater number and wider spectrum of students in STEM. The role of the Teacher Coordinator involves establishing a network of local schools and providing support, guidance and training for the teachers of STEM subjects in these schools.

The Academy already has 16 Teacher Coordinators in post across the UK and is looking to add to this number. We are particularly keen to receive applications from mathematics and ICT teachers in the following regions:
• Northern Ireland
• North East
• West Midlands
• South West
• South Wales
• South East
• London

Applications are also welcome from teachers of the science subjects, D&T and engineering.

More details about the Connecting Teachers Project and the Teacher Coordinator role can be found at www.raeng.org.uk/about/jobs/default.htm.

Candidates should apply in writing to Dominic Nolan (Dominic.Nolan@raeng.org.uk) at The Royal Academy of Engineering, 3 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5DG. Please enclose a full CV and a letter outlining why you are suitable for the role and how you would set up and run a network. The CV must include the names and contact details of two referees.

Closing date: Monday 19th March (midday).
Interviews to be held on 2nd and 3rd April.

If you nominate a teacher, it is asked that you to provide evidence of their achievements and contribution to the life of their school or college, both in and outside the classroom. It is also expected that these teachers will have been involved with the wider teaching community in some way, such as providing professional development for local colleagues. Pupils’ own opinions and support can provide important evidence for the nomination. The nomination process closes at the end of May.

It is easy to nominate a teacher; just download the forms from the Institute’s website and return a completed version.

For more information: visit www.iop.org/teachersawards

The MetroCentre has it’s very own ‘Maths Trail’, a walk that takes you through the Centre solving mathematical puzzles and questions using Metro Units to measure. Thousands of children have completed the trail during the ‘Maths in the Malls’ events, and it has been such a success that it is now a permanent fixture in the Centre.

You can download the walk booklet here: http://www.mathsinthecity.com/sites/shopping-centre-maths-walk

Can you spare just one day to help celebrate and reward the hard work of budding young scientists and engineers from across the North East?

The Big Bang North East is the regional heat for the National Science & Engineering Competition. It’s going to be an amazing day! Students will be educated and entertained through science, engineering, maths and technology enrichment activities provided by the Science Museum’s Punk Science, STEM Ambassadors, local companies, universities and charities. Amongst all the activities, students will be pitted against each other to win nominations to the Big Bang National Fair, and the prizes that are on offer.

We need your help! Judges help us select the winners and encourage the competitors to greater things. We’ll be awarding 10 nominations to the Big Bang National Fair in March 2013, along with a wide range of prizes.

Judges are only required to attend on the day, and you can’t fail to be inspired by the fantastic young people who are exhibiting their projects. If you, or your organisation, want to get more involved, find out about other ways here:

http://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/northeast/get_involved.cfm

Come and help us make a difference to these young people, and look out for future Nobel Prize winners. Register online at http://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/northeast/register.cfm

or contact
Colin Wilkinson colin@coryluslearning.com 01642 740400

Where? Newcastle University
When? 4th July 2012, 9:15am – 3:30pm

All shows have three interactive talks, an interval and a lively Q and A session at the end. Many of the shows feature mathematicians, engineers and physicists, making this the ideal STEM outing for schools.

Maths Inspiration are at Newcastle Theatre Royal tomorrow (2 March 2012) from 1pm to 3:45pm. Tickets cost £7 per student. Email mail@mathsinspiration.com for more details.

The speakers will be Timandra Harkness, Matt Parker, Paul Shepherd and Mark Lewney doing talks on: “Maths in The Simpsons”, “How Maths Built the Olympic Stadium” and “The Maths of the Rock Guitar”.

Inspired by this year’s Aurora Borealis and, as part of the Newcastle ScienceFest 2012, volunteers at the Star and Shadow will attempt to recreate (at least) 3 light experiments that changed our view of the world.

1. Recreating Alhazen’s experiment with candles and an ‘o’ sized hole, volunteers will see if they too can disprove the ‘husk’ theory of light (c965, Basra). How can all those light particles get through that hole? And why the heck IS the image upside down?

2. In the doorway of the Star and Shadow, volunteers will use paint and mirrors to recreate Brunelleschi’s demonstration of the perspective illusion (c1420, Florence).

3. With Newton’s mechanical theories sweeping the Western world, volunteers will, like Goethe, pick up the prism and say ‘hang about, this doesn’t actually make sense!’ (1790, Weimar). Join them in the attempt to make their own colour shadows – If Newton was right about colourific rays, then how could a yellow-orange light produce a shadow containing other colours?

Other experiments may arise on the day, depending on weather conditions, your ideas, and the results discovered.

The British Science Association is launching an ideas challenge for 5 – 14 year olds asking them to invent a multi-terrain global racer that uses renewable power.

Pupils will need to invent one method of transportation that can carry themselves and two friends across a range of challenging terrains in their global adventure! The race could last many weeks, so vehicles will need to be large enough to carry supplies.

Racers must be presented in the form of a poster with a drawing of the invention accompanied by an explanation of how it works. Full teacher’s notes will be provided.

Entries will be judged by a panel and the best researched and explained in each category will win a selection of prizes.

Macmillan and Kingfisher Childrens’ Books are generously providing £25 worth of books for each age category. There is also a Nintendo DS up for grabs for each of the younger age categories plus a Nintendo 3DS for the winner of the 11-14 age group. The closing date for all postal entries will be Monday 2nd April 2012.

For full details go here: British Science Association School Competition

North East based social enterprise, Open Engineering Solutions, is launching a new innovative concept designed for children & young people who want to consider a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) and employment.

"The new science educational tool, OpenVirtualSTEM, will make it easier for all children and young people to learn STEM subjects, particularly in physics, maths and coding (programming), where these subjects are most devalued. In addition, it will be used to help raise their aspirations, strategic thinking and improve their employability skills, so they could have an understanding of the real world of work."

Open Engineering Solutions first new product is available at www.open-engineering-solutions.co.uk. The official launch to schools and colleges will take place at Newcastle City Library, Newcastle upon Tyne on Thursday 1st of March, 2012, when STEM Ambassadors and teaching staff will be joined with STEM Outreach at Newcastle College and the IMechE. Greenpower North East will also be officially, launching their activities in Newcastle on the same day with Open Engineering Solutions. Yetunde, will be present at the OpenVirtualSTEM meeting to give information and advice.

Scientists, social scientists, engineers and clinicians can experience life in the heart of the newsroom by applying for a British Science Association 2012 Media Fellowship.

Spend 3-8 weeks this summer working with hosts including the BBC, Guardian and Nature to produce accurate, well-informed news about developments in science, and work alongside the UK’s top science editors in the British Science Festival Press Centre.

Return to work with media confidence, contacts, and first-class communication skills.

“I came away brimming with ideas, skills and advice for my researcher peers and I met some amazing people with the same values and drive as me. It was extremely interesting, educational and fun I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the world outside their research bubble.” Media Fellow

Apply online from 16 January – 11 March 2012

We welcome applications from researchers at all stages of their career and for eligibility criteria, experiences from past Media Fellows, and the online application form go to

www.britishscienceassociation.org/mediafellows

Sponsored by RCUK, Wellcome Trust, BBSRC, STFC and the IET

Can your students become national champions?
Will they claim maths glory for your school?

Mangahigh’s National Science and Engineering Week Maths Challenge is your students’ chance to shine!

Register your school at www.mangahigh.com to participate.

In conjunction with the British Science Association, Mangahigh is running a unique free competition for all UK schools, for the duration of National Science & Engineering Week. The school that scores the most points during NSEW (9th-18th March 2012)  will be crowned National Champions, and will receive medals and certificates, presented in person on 12th June by eminent mathematician and TV star, Professor Marcus Du Sautoy!

Featuring more than 550 different lessons, 16 mathematics games and 55,000+ maths questions, Mangahigh is a free-for-schools maths resource that uses games-based techniques to inspire students to greater efforts in their mathematical studies.  Teachers can easily activate their school at www.mangahigh.com and immediately get their students started on Mangahigh’s exciting free resources.

Take centre stage as a science presenter!

Prove it is the online video competition for all ages created for National Science & Engineering Week 2012.

If you fancy yourself as the next Brian Cox or the next Alice Roberts get involved and film yourself explaining one aspect of our world in motion in 30 seconds.

The British Science Association want to collect as many stories of our world in motion as they can so, whether you want to use your video to talk about plate tectonics, social media,the solar system, or about anything to do with motion, be part of the national buzz for NSEW and take part in Prove it!

How to get involved?

Take part in Prove it in four easy steps.

1. Film or create a 30-second video or animation explaining any aspect of our world in motion. Remember to come up with a catchy title!

2. Upload and register your video on the BSA website, or if you are from a school, on Films for Learning

3. Wait for 24 hours then watch your video and vote for the videos you like best on the You Tube Channel.

4. Keep liking and rating videos and wait to hear if you are a winner! The videos with the most likes/ highest Films for Learning ratings will be shortlisted for the final judgement from a celebrity panel!

You have until midnight on 19th March 2012 to get your entries in!

What’s the prize?

There are some fantastic prizes for the best videos in a number of different categories. For schools there is a class VIP visit to meet Natural History Museum Scientist Dr Caroline Smith, (and to see the Tissint Meteorite!) plus class flying experiences at AirKix indoor Sky diving centres up for grabs! For anyone over the age of 16 there are three camcorders up for grabs; a Sony Handycam DCR-SR58E Camcorder for the talented First Prize winner and two Panasonic HX-DC1 (White) Upright Full-HD Camcorders for two runners up.

The overall winner (from any age category) may even be mentioned on BBC’s Bang Goes the Theory!

More details here:
http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/web/NSEW/GetInvolved/NSEWActivities/Proveitcomp.htm

Learn more and register: www.mathsandscience2012.co.uk/challenge-2012

Download your Challenge 2012 resources
www.mathsandscience2012.co.uk/challenge-2012

Register your teams online
www.stemchallenges.net/register

Registration is open from 27 February to 15 May 2012.
Teams must register by 15 May 2012 to take part.

Sign up for email updates!
www.mathsandscience2012.co.uk

Don’t miss out on the latest news on the Challenge and the Out of the blocks series.

National Science & Engineering Week: Events and activities for everyone, 9–18 March 2012

In 2012, National Science & Engineering Week explores “our world in motion.”

National Science & Engineering Week shines the spotlight each March on how science, technology, engineering and maths relate to our everyday lives and helps to inspire the next generation of scientists with fun and participative activities.

With over 4,500 events and activities attended by 1.7 million people in 2011 and generating over £1m in press coverage, this is the UK’s widest grassroots celebration of all things science and engineering. You can join the celebration by attending an event or taking part in our national activities.

EWB-UK Outreach Workshops

Date(s): 23rd February 2012 (21:00) to 31st December 2012 (21:00)

Behind the Scenes Tours of the Natural Science Stores
Date(s): 17th March 2012 (10:00) to 17th March 2012 (11:30)
Date(s): 17th March 2012 (11:00) to 17th March 2012 (12:30)

Lecture: Evolution, Extinction and The Lost Humans
Date(s): 15th March 2012 (18:00) to 15th March 2012 (19:00)

Saving the Spoon-Billed Sandpiper
Date(s): 13th March 2012 (19:00) to 13th March 2012 (20:15)

Tackling Species Extinction
Date(s): 12th March 2012 (19:00) to 12th March 2012 (20:15)

Red Kite Ramble
Date(s): 10th March 2012 (10:00) to 10th March 2012 (13:00)

A Great Late Night
Date(s): 10th March 2012 (18:00) to 10th March 2012 (22:00)

The Engineering Challenges of Sustainable Transport
Date(s): 14th March 2012 (18:15) to 14th March 2012 (20:30)

Designing the Dynamic
Date(s): 8th March 2012 (09:00) to 15th March 2012 (17:00)

ScienceFest Weekender
Date(s): 10th March 2012 (10:00) to 11th March 2012 (18:00)

Armstrong the Electrical Wizard
Date(s): 14th March 2012 (11:00) to 14th March 2012 (13:00)
Date(s): 14th March 2010 (14:00) to 14th March 2010 (16:00)

Nature Party at Moorbank Botanic Garden
Date(s): 11th March 2012 (14:00) to 11th March 2012 (17:00)

Newcastle ScienceFest12
Date(s): 8th March 2012 (10:00) to 15th March 2012 (22:00)

Undress: Redress
Date(s): 8th February 2012 (09:00) to 7th April 2012 (23:00)

A Real CSI/Forensic Science Investigation
Date(s): 12th March 2012 (08:00) to 23rd March 2012 (15:00)

Behind the Scenes: Hydro Walk
Date(s): 15th March 2012 (11:00) to 15th March 2012 (13:00)

Just Add Water
Date(s): 11th March 2012 (11:00) to 11th March 2012 (15:00)
Date(s): 17th March 2012 (11:00) to 17th March 2012 (15:00)

CSI Forensic Science Investigation Workshop KS2, KS3, KS4
Date(s): 9th March 2012 (09:00) to 18th March 2012 (16:00)

The Thomas Hepburn
Date(s): 15th March 2012 (10:00) to 15th March 2012 (17:00)

Rocks from Space
Date(s): 16th March 2012 (19:30) to 16th March 2012 (21:00)

Night Sky Observing
Date(s): 16th March 2012 (21:00) to 16th March 2012 (22:30)
Date(s): 16th March 2012 (21:00) to 16th March 2012 (22:30)

Cleveland & Darlington Astronomical Society Meeting
Date(s): 9th March 2012 (19:15) to 9th March 2012 (21:00)

There’s lots to do including planting seeds, creating mini greenhouse-type sculptures for your plants, painting with plants as well as some creative writing. Everyone is welcome activities are suitable for 4 to 104+ year olds! Some work will be displayed as part of an exhibition at the end of the project.

It’s completely FREE.

Image borrowed from http://sewliberated.typepad.com/sew_liberated/tutorials/

They will be visiting schools in North East England from 30th April to 4th May. The shows available to schools in the area will be A Rough Guide to Engineering (KS3).

A show day can comprise of up to three performances in total. This whole day of shows is available to schools for just £75+VAT. The shows are performed in the school hall and can be presented to as many pupils as you choose to bring to the venue.

For more information and to book: www.sciencemadesimple.co.uk

Educational charity, The Smallpeice Trust is looking for Year 9 students to apply for a place on a residential course over Easter. Students can apply to attend a foundation ‘Engineering Experience’ course and ‘Engineering Construction’ course. They will gain experience of university and industry that will accelerate their personal development and their potential for greater academic achievement. Students can apply directly from the Smallpeice website. Applications are reviewed and places allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Yr 9 Engineering Experience, 2-4 April 2012, University of Nottingham

This popular ‘foundation course’ is perfect for those who want to find out more about engineering and the exciting career opportunities available. You will get to work with engineers from leading companies across the UK and solve real engineering challenges.

• Analysing products, studying the roles they perform and the characteristics that make them effective
• Designing and building products using a range of different materials and control systems
• Learning the practical applications of the techniques and processes you will be using
• Understanding the importance of budgets in developing designs and materials, allowing you to calculate the financial implications of your decisions
• Collecting data from your project and analysing it to make better decisions
• Working alongside real engineers from industry, drawing on their knowledge and putting your new skills into practice

This course is priced at a special introductory rate of £95 which includes all accommodation, meals, course materials and social activities.

Year 9 Engineering Construction, 2-5 April 2012, University of Wolverhampton

This brand new course gives you the chance to be mentored by real-life engineering construction professionals.

You will find out about the diverse career opportunities available; from professional engineers, project managers and supervisors, to technicians, craft engineers and semi-skilled operatives. Can you rise to the challenge?

• Exploring the world of engineering construction through a series of hands-on workshops and demonstrations
• Meeting and working with real-life engineers from leading companies like Doosan Babcock, Foster Wheeler and Siemens, drawing on their expertise and putting your new skills into practice
• Working in a team on a design and build project, giving a practical insight into this field
• Collecting data from your project and examining it to make better decisions and evaluate performance
• Understanding the importance of financial management in developing designs and materials, allowing you to calculate the budgetary implications of your decisions
• Gaining an understanding of the wide range of career opportunities that you could explore and salary potential

This course is priced at a special introductory rate of £95 which includes all accommodation, meals, course materials and social activities.

For more information visit: www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk

Byker

The Roadshow will launch with a special after school event. Join time travelling ‘Doctor Death’ and his wicked blend of historic remedies for your sneezes and wheezes. Warning: This show promises blood, guts, gore and a lot more!

• Fri 24 February
• 3-4pm Picnic and science demos
• 4-5pm Pantomime – Dr Death and the MediEvil Medicine Show
• Venue: Byker Community Centre
• Time: 3pm-5pm
• Suitable for ages 7+
• Free

The show has a limited capacity – pick up your free tickets from the Byker Community Centre in advance to guarantee a seat

Cowgate

Bjorn the Polar Bear and his minders Ursula and Arthur will be coming to Cowgate for three very special performances. Bjorn is an incredibly life-like, playful puppet who loves to be petted and stroked. Throughout the day, there’ll also be a free picnic and science demos including an inflatable planetarium and live cookery.

• Sat 25 February
• 12noon-2pm Picnic
• 11am-4pm Science Demos
• 12.30pm, 2pm, 3.30pm Polar Bear
• Venue: Cowgate Community Centre
• Time: 11am-4pm+
• Suitable for all ages
• Free

No pre-booking. Just turn up on the day.

Fenham

The Roadshow will culminate at the Beacon – an exciting redevelopment of the former West Road Fire Station. This will be the building’s first public event.

Lots of exciting activities are planned including both Bjorn the Polar Bear and the Dr Death and the MediEvil Medicine Pantomime.

Between shows, you will be able to make your own UV torch to take home, help knit the solar system and enjoy a free picnic.

• Sun 26 February
• 11.30am, 1.30pm, 3.30pm Polar Bear
• 12.30pm, 2.30pm Pantomime – Dr Death and the MediEvil
• Medicine Show
• 2pm-2pm Picnic
• 1am-4pm Science demos
• Venue: The Beacon, West Road
• Time: 11am-4pm
• Suitable for all ages
• Free

No pre-booking. Just turn up on the day.

Held within National Science and Engineering Week the STEM @ Sunderland Event is a hands on showcase event highlighting STEM careers and building the links between education and industry. Aimed at year 12 students with an interest in STEM careers and those who are considering university progression the event is open to schools and colleges from across the north east region. Delivered as a joint venture between The University of Sunderland, STEM Outreach at Newcastle College and RTC North Ltd; students will engage in employer led workshops across the four STEM disciplines. Participating companies include:

• Proctor and Gamble
• BT
• 3M
• EDF energy
• Thorne Lighting
• NHS careers
• NHS Pathology labs
• SABIC
• Siemans

Additional activities will be provided by ICE and Go Motorsports with a series of stimulating and exhilarating activities also offered by the University of Sunderland including Real Man Simulation (Sim Man) and Xsens MVN Biomech Suit.

Held at the Sciences Complex, City Campus, University of Sunderland; groups students will have access to regional and national employers, advice on STEM careers and university progression routes including funding advice and an insight into STEM opportunities.

Information for teachers

• Open to 10 x year 12 students (per institution) interested in STEM careers and university progression
• Interactive sessions delivered by companies and STEM ambassadors and supported by university students
• Opportunity to meet and talk to current STEM employers encouraging education and industrial links for the school / college and employer contact, information and advice for the student
• Access to University information and advice throughout the day
• All students will receive 6 x 30 minutes taster workshops with sessions allocated to schools in advance
• It is anticipated that 18 schools from across the region will take receive a place therefore allocation given on a first come first served basis
• Unfortunately lunch is NOT provided therefore packed lunches must be brought by individuals

Registration

For further information and to register your school for this event please contact STEM Outreach at ambassadors@ncl-coll.ac.uk

The second round of the 2012 Public Engagement Grant Scheme from the Institute of Physics is now open for applications. The grants are worth up to £1000 and aim to support physics-based outreach activities in the UK and Ireland throughout 2012. Activities should provide engaging experiences of physics to public audiences – grants will not be awarded to projects aimed at solely delivering the curriculum to school pupils.

More information about the grant scheme, including application forms, guidelines and summaries of past projects, is available online at http://www.iop.org/about/grants/outreach/page_38843.html

The theme for this year is ‘impact’ and the varied programme of talks and workshops will examine impact in various forms from a wide range of public engagement viewpoints. As always there will be ample time for networking, making new contacts and exchanging ideas.

This year, the programme is further enhanced by a special edition of the hugely popular Science Showoff and the programme closes with a gig from geek songstress Helen Arney.

If you’d like to attend the Science Communication Conference, make sure you book before 2 March to take advantage of our Early Bird day rate of £135.

Concessions and a small number of bursaries are available, and for information about the Conference, the online programme and how to book, please visit: www.britishscienceassociation.org/ScienceCommunicationConference

Monday 13th February
11:00 am until 3:00 pm
Great North Museum: Hancock

“Come and explore the hidden world of algae at this interactive family fun day. Experts from the British Phycological Society will be on hand too, looking at seaweeds and beasties under the microscope and classifying plants to find out what algae are used for, including those we can eat! This fun day will cover a range of algae from different environments and open your eyes to their hidden world.”

No booking is required for this event.

There’s a very good post about the “Mind the Gap” initiative over at the Official Google Blog here.

Within our region, Sunderland College are hosting an apprenticeship open week.

They’ve asked employers and Apprentices they work with to share their experiences, openly and frankly so you have the facts you need to decide whether an Apprentice will be good for your business. Employers will also be able to talk to the college’s specialist employer teams about training requirements.

The sessions run all day so anyone can pop in when it’s convenient to them, and food and refreshments will be available between 8am to 9am and 5pm to 7pm each day, so you can grab breakfast or a light tea on the go.

You can register online at http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/2732610311.

Alternatively, you can contact ambassadors@ncl-coll.ac.uk if you are a teacher interested in holding an apprenticeship event, or if you are an employer looking to outreach to schools and colleges about apprenticeships.

Teams submit their ideas on the training of Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) operators and could win a free, five night residential course at the School of Engineering, Cranfield University (starting on 22 July 2012).  Three teams will share a £5000 prize fund at an award ceremony and reception to be held in London at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in November 2012.

Full details at www.aerospacechallenge.org

These are online competitions, in which students submit questions for the scientists and engineers. The scientists and engineers are then voted for by students, and are slowly evicted Big Brother style, until eventually, a winner is crowned!

For information for both teachers and for scientists and engineers please use the following links:

I’m A Scientist.

I’m An Engineer.

If you’re 13 to 18 years old, you can enter by submitting your entry by 1 April 2012 for your chance to win fantastic prizes. This video tells you a little more:

Here are instructions on how to enter and rules:

STEM challenge 8 asked students to find out where and how more disabled people could take part in Paralympic sports.

Following regional competitions, seven schools from across the UK were invited to the national final at the Royal College of Surgeons on Wednesday 11th January. Each team of students aged 11-14 competed in a Dragon’s Den style pitch before a panel of expert judges. Finalists included:

• Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, West Midlands
• The Community College Whitstable, South East
• The Nelson Thomlinson School, North West
• Two teams from Parklands High School, North West
• Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College, North West
• Washington School, North East

STEM Challenge 9, supported by The Paralympic Torch Relay Team – who aim to re-energise the nation after the Olympic Games and build excitement across the UK in the run up to the Paralympic Games – challenges 11-14 year olds to create a spark which lights the Paralympic Flame through the energy of human endeavour.

Closing date for registrations: Monday 23rd January. Schools wishing to enter this challenge can visit www.stemchallenges.net for further details.

To volunteer or to find out more information contact Helen Weddle on Helen dot Weddle at Newcastle dot ac dot uk

Trevor Baylis, who shot to fame when he created the clockwork radio, will lead The Science of Innovation during “Innovation Month” at an event on 24th January 2012.

With a career built on a lifetime interest of inventing, Baylis is well known for his inspirational approach. He will share his concerns surrounding the perceived neglect of invention in the UK and how great innovations can change the world.

Joining Trevor will be Professor James Hayton, the David Goldman Professor of Innovation and Enterprise at Newcastle University, who will focus on how the influences of intangible assets such as culture, human capital and human resource management practices impact on the innovation process.

Aimed at company leaders, managers and business owners in the North East, the event is free to attend and will take place at the Newcastle City Library from 6.30pm – 9.00pm.

To find out more please click on www.thescienceof.co.uk

All you have to do is ask your students to:

- identify local, national or global issues concerning water.

- design an innovative solution to one of these problems.

The competition close date is 3rd February 2012.

The Big Science Challenge was created by the British Council and Rolls-Royce.  Find out more about the competition, and get further guidance and support by clicking here. Or get further inspiration about the competition theme of water on the resources page.

Funds are available for projects working with students aged 5-18, as long as the project involves a UK school or college, and a practising scientist or engineer. The next round for applications closes on the 24^th of February 2012.

For more details about eligibility criteria and to find out how to apply via their online application system, go to http://royalsociety.org/partnership.

This prize is open to any UK teacher who teaches or supports Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) lessons. The nominee’s should not have science/technology outreach as their primary role, as NSEC wish to recognise those that undertake enrichment and engagement activities in addition to their regular teaching load.

They are looking for a teacher who shows enthusiasm, passion and energy for their work, commitment and dedication and good subject knowledge, all of which have been used to engage the students they work with. If you think you match this description, or you know a teacher who deserves to have their hard work in STEM acknowledged, then nominate them!

The winner will receive £500 and a certificate, as well as being invited on an experience trip.

If you would like to either nominate yourself, or nominate someone else go to: http://regional.thebigbangfair.co.uk/nsec/teachers_prize.cfm

Deadline for nominations is the 29th January 2012.

It might be a useful resource for those thinking of presenting their projects at The Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair. The deadline for entries for this years fair has passed, but it is never too early to start preparing for next year!

Here’s a picture of the event:

The event will be running on the 31st January. STEM Ambassadors will be representing their organisations or companies with an interactive talk or activity in 3 rotating sessions. The aim is to inform and inspire students about the amazing STEM related careers available in industry today and in the future.

In a recent survey, carried out by the school, the subjects of Science, Technology and Mathematics rated very highly as favourites amongst both the boys and girls. This career-based event aims to build on these results so that students are  better placed to make informed choices in relation to STEM subjects, and where those subjects can take them in the future,  having engaged with the STEM Ambassador network.

STEM Challenges are ten activities that have been inspired by London 2012. Each challenge focuses on a different aspect of the preparations for the Olympics.

The deadline to register for STEM challenge 9 is quickly approaching. The challenge, presented by STEMNET and the Paralympic Torch Relay Team, is challenging 11-14 year olds to create a spark to light the Paralympic Flame by the energy of human endeavour. Teams have the chance to win exclusive access to a Paralympic Torch Relay Challenge plus cash prizes to buy equipment for their STEM Club!

The Challenge is to design a spectacular human-powered invention for creating the spark which lights the Paralympic Flame. For the Challenge entries, pupils must produce a design for their device and present to a panel of judges. Pupils will need to provide enough evidence to convince the judges that their invention will work.

The deadline for team registration for STEM Challenge 9 is Monday 23^rd January at 5pm, and local judging sessions will take place on the 20^th to 28^th February.

The final STEM challenge will be launched on the 27th February so keep your eyes peeled for that too!

For a fact sheet, videos and information on how to enter your school click here.

The Association for Science Education (ASE) are holding their annual conference starting tomorrow (Wednesday 4th January) until Saturday 7th January 2012. The conference is a major event for those wishing to continue their professional development in areas of science education and is free entry to the exhibition.

The event is held at the University of Liverpool. Online bookings are now closed but you can still register on the day, at the conference.

Details on how to register, where to find the conference, and a list of workshops, talks, seminars and more can be found on the ASE website here.

NSEW Event Awards aim to reward the passion of event and activity organisers and showcase the very best in public engagement during NSEW.

Any organisation can nominate for an award, whether you are a school running a day of activities or a theatre launching a new production – as long as it takes place during NSEW: 9–18 March 2012.

Prizes

• £600 cash prize to the winner in each category.
• £200 cash prize to one runner-up in each category.

Categories

• Best Primary School Event: for events or activities organised by primary schools.
• Best Secondary School Event: for events or activities organised by secondary schools.
• Best STEM Institution Event: For events by those organisations (non schools) participating in STEM engagement on a regular basis.
• Best Community Event: For events and activities that include the local community and/or family audiences.
• Best Engineering-themed Event: For events and activities that are predominantly engineering themed.

Fore more details please check British Science Association website: www.britishscienceassociation.org

Source: www.britishscienceassociation.org

Date: Thursday, 15 December 2011
Time: 6.15pm – 8.00pm
Location: Rutherford Hall (B005), Ellison Building, University of Northumbria, Ellison Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST

6.15pm – 7.00pm – Complimentary Mince Pies and Wine: STEM Ambassadors and Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) teachers from Tyne and Wear and Northumberland schools, members of the IoP, and anyone with an interest in Science and Physics
are invited to join in our networking event. You will have a chance to share STEM experiences, talk about activities happening in schools and the local area, and perhaps even plan some events for 2012!
7.00pm – 8.00pm – Lecture: How Round is an Electron? Perhaps the electron is more easily grasped as a concept – but are we correct in imagining it to be a tiny round ball? Dr Tarbutt of Imperial College will be stretching our minds around this little considered matter.
The shape of an electron is important in physics because it is connected to the basic symmetries of nature. The first is the symmetry between the forward and backward flow of time. The second is the symmetry between matter and anti-matter. The talk will explore these connections, showing how extremely precise measurements, made in a small laboratory experiment, can answer some of the big physics questions.

Please let us know if you are planning to attend this event by emailing your name and organisation to: anna.fraszczyk@ncl-coll.ac.uk

Organisers:

A number of Teacher Coordinators (TCs) will be employed on a consultancy basis around the UK with the task of building up a local network of schools and teachers and linking in with other similar active STEM teacher networks e.g. Physics Teacher Network. The TCs will work with teachers to provide them with the tools to help illustrate to students the role of engineering in society and how engineers help shape our world and improve our lives.

The Academy are looking for teachers from across the UK who have a strong D&T, engineering or ICT background and would like to get involved in this role.

The TCs will not be expected to leave their current teaching role, the TC role would typically be ½ day a week in addition to their current teaching role.

For more information on the post and to download an application form, click here

The IET Education Fund is an annual fund, and will be accepting bids for funding from 1 January 2012 to 9 March 2012 for projects taking place 1 May 2012 to 30 April 2013. Awards of up to £5000 can be offered. Eligible projects must help to engage UK-based students aged 5-19 with Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects, and projects must involve more than one educational establishment. For more information and an application pack, please go to http://www.theiet.org/fund

Expressions of Interest to Tender are invited from organisations who would be interested in tendering for individual elements of the IET Faraday programme or for the delivery of all elements. Expressions of Interest are invited from individual companies or consortia.

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (The IET) is a world-leading professional members’ organisation for the engineering and technology sectors. The IET Faraday programme is a major part of the Education for Schools and Colleges programme which includes print resources; online, curriculum-linked engineering case studies, engineer profiles and accompanying teaching and learning resources; and, the annual IET Faraday Challenge Day competition.

The elements of the IET Faraday programme that are being offered out to contract are:

• IET Faraday Challenge Day competition – an annual competition currently consisting of 45 in-school, contractor-led, engineering-themed competition days for children aged 12 and 13, plus 12 similar events held at university venues for their linked schools. The contractors will be required to:
• develop the competition in collaboration with IET staff;
• manage and deliver the events at venues across the UK selected by the IET; and,
• produce a version of the competition that can be self-delivered by teachers (IET Faraday Challenge Day in a Box) for those schools who have not been selected for the main competition
• IET Faraday teaching resources – a collection of web-based engineering case studies that highlight cutting-edge examples of modern engineering and the engineers behind them. These are accompanied by on-line games for students and a range of lesson activities that are linked to the secondary curricular for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales for Science, Maths, D&T, ICT and Engineering Diploma.

Those submitting an Expression of Interest will be sent the Invitation to Tender document and examples of how the IET Faraday resources are presented. Expressions of Interest may be submitted, and we will continue to send out the documents up until the day before the deadline for tender submissions.

Expression of Interest should be submitted to Dee Halil dhalil@theiet.org and Gareth James gjames@theiet.org

The deadline for receipt of the final tender submissions will be 09:00 on 20 December 2012. The tender submissions will be reviewed and short-listing will take place. Those short-listed will be informed by 17:00 on 22 December. They will then be required to undertake a presentation to IET staff and advisors on Thursday 12 or Friday 13 January 2012.

Here is Sandra’s reflection on the event:
I went to the school at a pre-arranged time and met with a member of the maths teaching staff who took me to the first classroom. I delivered a 45 minute presentation to 15 year old students using a powerpoint presentation that I had prepared. The subject was roughly “how is numeracy that you learn at school relevant to my job”. I gave a half a dozen examples including trigonometry, measuring, accuracy, graphs, databases and charts.
After coffee break I went to deliver a more focussed presentation to lower sixth form students studying A level Mechanics and talked them through a real life project I am involved with relating the photos, drawings and diagrams to what they are studying.
I really enjoyed visiting the school and meeting the young students. I looked forward to doing it and the experience didn’t disappoint. The staff met me and took me through the school and the IT equipment worked in the first session but we had problems in the second session which did make the delivery much more difficult.
They students were (mostly) attentive and some even asked relevant questions. Of course some of them were too “cool” to take notice but this doesn’t bother me at all! I can vaguely remember my school days and might well have acted in the same way except no-one ever came to talk to us back then!
In the future, before I deliver similar events, I would email my presentations to the school ahead of the session to allow them to put them on the IT equipment before hand.
I would also build in exercises for the students to take part in.
I think the STEM outreach is essential to inspire young people to think more carefully about what they actually want to do after they leave school. I used to work in the university sector teaching undergrads and many of them “arrived” on enrolment day without a clue as to WHY they were there and WHY they’d chosen the course they were about to spend 4 years studying!

Sandra Hardwick is a Chartered Building Surveyor who specialises in energy assessment calculations of all types of buildings. She acts as a self-employed consultant to many Architects and property developers regarding how they can design and build construction projects in an environmentally conscious way. She also worked as a Senior Lecturer at Northumbria University for many years. Sandra is a member of Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and a STEM Ambassador.

The goal of the day was to build a wind turbine out of paper, nuts and bolts, blu tack, straws, tape, corrugated plastic, cogs and a generator. The winning team would be the one that produces the best cost/voltage ratio.

After the event Adam said: “My role was to facilitate and provide advice where necessary. I think the kids really enjoyed it.”

To read more about similar events check the link: http://www.siemens.co.uk/en/news_press/index/news_archive/siemens-creates-green-pioneers-in-schools.htm

Pictures by Adam Lord.

Chemistry at Work events are careers-based for Year 11s and under, which can also include Primary. Outside speakers who use chemistry in their working life give hands-on presentations to groups of students and during the day, the students move round until they’ve visited everyone. Smaller events (150-ish students) tend to be run over one day and you can bid for funding up to £800 per day. Larger events, where more schools are involved can last up to 3 days and the daily rate is the same (£800 x 3 = £2400). Chemistry at Work events can be run in a school where if possible other schools are invited, in industry, at a University or anywhere you think it would work. You don’t just have to run one event but if you are thinking of running a few, please bear in mind the time it will take to organise and also put in a separate form for each event.

The expression of interest forms for Chemistry at Work events need to be sent to chemistryatwork@rsc.org by 1st December 2011.

ChemNet events are for 16-19 year old chemists and are much smaller and tend to last a few hours rather than the full day. Ideally, they’d be 20-30 students per event and as with the Chemistry at Work events, speakers would give hands on sessions. You can bid for up to £500 per event with one form submitted per event.

The expression of interest forms for ChemNet events need to come to Joanna Buckley joanna.buckley@sheffield.ac.uk by 1st December 2011.

STEM Ambassadors can support chemistry events in your school for free! Fore more details please contact STEM Outreach team.

Source: RSC

Please note that all schools who attend the CPD will receive a free resource, ‘Engineering in a Box’ that contains hard copies of the resources produced by the Royal Academy of Engineering, and a selection of specialist resources worth over £75 to support the delivery of engineering in your STEM Club.

A STEM Ambassador who is an engineer that has worked in industry and now works with young people will be involved in the session.

Engineering in STEM Club Course Details

This free course is intended for anyone who is currently running or is considering running a STEM or STEM-related club (e.g. a science club, maths club etc.) and would like to include more Engineering into their programme of activities.

The session looks at creating positive images of engineering, and breaking down negative stereotypes to highlight the diverse and creative elements of engineering. It also offers a selection of activity ideas and access to support resources. The session has been developed with the specialist and non specialist in mind.

Come along, network with club leaders, get plenty of activity ideas and develop your club.

Light refreshments will be provided.

This course is offered free of charge through the Engineering Engagement Project from the Royal Academy of Engineering. By applying and accepting a place on this course your school will be automatically be signed up to the Engineering Engagement project mailing list. For more information visit www.raeng.org.uk/eenp

Source: Framwellgate School Durham

Nuffield Bursaries offer aspiring young scientists the opportunity to explore their chosen field of science, technology, engineering or maths during a 4 to 6 week summer placement. North East placements are offered by leading local and national businesses, scientific industrial research institutes and all of our excellent local universities.

More information here: Nuffield in the North East

The Challenge is to design a spectacular human-powered invention for creating the spark which lights the Paralympic Flame. For the Challenge entries, pupils must produce a design for their device and present to a panel of judges. Pupils will need to provide enough evidence to convince the judges that their invention will work.

For more information go to: www.stemchallenges.net

Source: Image from Google Image search (www.google.co.uk) for “scientist”

STEM Outreach is recruiting! We are looking for 1 person to join our Newcastle College STEM Outreach team. People with some interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) are invited to apply.

More information on the website:
http://www.ncl-coll.ac.uk/media/jobfiles/SIX%206009%20STEM%20Outreach%20Admin.pdf

With a resident population density of approximately two people per square mile, it’s perhaps not surprising that Northumberland National Park has some of the darkest skies in the region. The opportunities for star gazing are infinite and at this latitude, even the Aurora (Northern Lights) can be seen on those rare occasions of intense solar activity. Many people consider dark skies as contributory factor to the area’s sense of tranquility; however, it is a special quality that cannot be taken for granted. The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England. (CPRE) has published Light Blight maps for the last 20 years, and though Northumberland is still considered the darkest County in the UK, its percentage of area with truly dark skies decreased by 28% and its average night time brightness rose a whopping 1,000% between 1993 and 2000. And this trend is unfortunately still on the increase!

Following recent, successful conversations with the Kielder Observatory and other Astronomical Societies, we are considering whether to secure Dark Sky Reserve status for Northumberland National Park, to complement Kielder Water and Forest Park’s bid to secure Dark Sky Park status.

The application to achieving either status requires a high degree of commitment from the main organisations overseeing and financing the process, but more importantly, it is the roles of volunteers that will be critical to making this happen, particularly those with specific skills/experience. We would like to know if there are any volunteers out there who may have the following skills, and would like to have their names put forward for being involved in this project.

· Project management
· Experience of project funding bids
· Data collection
· An interest/passion in astronomy/dark skies

We are still at a very early stage of this project, but I will be more than happy to talk to anyone about this exciting venture. Do not hesitate to contact Duncan Wise from Northumberland Nartional Park Authority) by phone on 01434 611521.

Source: Northumberland National Park info; NNP logo from
www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk

The five different themes which will help students begin their challenge are based around: shelter, food, transport, water and energy. The resources can be downloaded from the Practical Action’s website: http://practicalaction.org/crest

To find our more about CREST Awards check: http://stem-ncl.org/crest/secondary.php

Source: Practical Action website www.practicalaction.org  

The Royal Society of Chemistry

Do you know someone who has made a significant contribution to teaching the chemical sciences, developed innovative materials for students or is based in industry and has played a key role in promoting the chemical sciences in education?
They have a wide range of Prizes and Awards to acknowledge those undertaking excellent work. In recognition of their achievement award winners receive up to £2,000 prize money. Visit the RSC website for further details and to make a nomination.
Reward achievement: 2012 nominations open on 1 September 2011.
To view our full list of Prizes and Awards visit the RSC website.
Closing date for nominations is 15 January 2012

To find our more visit: www.rsc.org/EducationAwards 

Source: RSC Education Awards flyer

Engineering Staff from TyneMet College, 4 teachers from Norham Community Technology College and Jo Lyons from the North Tyneside Education Business Partnership recently met with Carl Hopper, Siemens Energy Services STEM Ambassador for a tour of the Siemens Energy Services Plant to discuss ways of actively driving the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) agenda in North Tyneside forward.

The visit enabled the group to share good practice and discuss related teaching and learning resources which will lead to enhancing and enriching the curriculum, both inside and outside the classroom, to motivate students towards STEM.

The STEM agenda is integral to the College’s growth and development plans, TyneMet is already a regional leader for Engineering and Technology, with a wide range of vocational courses at its Coast Road Campus, designed to up-skill and advance both employees and employers across the North East.

TyneMet’s partner college and dedicated A Level Sixth Form, Queen Alexandra, is one of the top performing colleges in the country for Science and Maths with 100% pass rate across many AS and A2 subjects including Maths, Further Maths and Physics.  More than half of Queen Alexandra’s students taking Physics and Further Maths are gaining the highest possible grades (A*, A or B).  Queen Alexandra Sixth Form College outranked all other English schools in its category for AS Use of Maths to win a prestigious ‘Good Schools Guide Award for 2011. This coveted A Level awards recognises teaching excellence: an accolade that further demonstrates the College’s commitment to outstanding results, support for our A Level students and vision for growth in STEM areas for the future.

Across industry, societies, charities, universities and government, there is a wealth of expertise, resources and commitment to inspire and engage students with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The STEM Framework aims to bring coherence to the wide range of activities on offer; creating a clear path for students and teachers to access the support available while enabling funders and providers to see where they can make a difference.

Mick Burton, Head of Engineering at TyneMet, said:

 “Collaboration between industry and education is essential and underpins the College’s commitment to providing outstanding education and training so that students, the local area and employers can succeed and prosper.”

For advice and guidance on courses still available at TyneMet College and Queen Alexandra Sixth Form College, call 0191 229 5000, email enquiries@tynemet.ac.uk or alternatively visit the website www.tynemet.ac.uk

Photo – Left to Right

Gary Eiles, Teacher in Engineering TyneMet College, Carl Hopper, Siemens Energy Services STEM Ambassador, Mick Burton, Head of Engineering TyneMet College, Stephen Moore, Head of Technology Faculty Norham Community Technology College, Jo McClean, Science Teacher Norham Community Technology College, Nick Hinder, Technology Teacher Norham Community Technology College, Stephen Jackson, 2^nd in Maths Norham Community Technology College.

Source: TyneMet College press release

The National Park’s Audience Engagement Project needs growing support from Voluntary Rangers and volunteers to help more people (both numbers & type!) to enjoy Northumberland National Park.
The latest opportunity to help out and do something a bit different is Moorland Indicators of Climate Change Initiative (MICCI)

What is MICCI?
Very basically the project gets young people out to measure the depth of peat, take soil samples and send data to be analysed by www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk So not only is it fun & educational for those involved, but it the data analysis is an output that will benefit other areas of the organisation’s work such as biodiversity and archaeology

Where did it come from?
This project has been running in the Peak District National Park for the past 4 years. Have a look at http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/learning-about/learning-projects/climatechangeproject for a bit more background.

 Why do it in Northumberland?

Our Border Mires are internationally important and have an unbeatable (we think but let’s prove it!) depth of peat. Some schools have already shown interest in helping us collect consistent data on peat depth in our park.

What is the volunteers’ role?

We need volunteers to assist staff, teachers and university students on field trips to carry out the peat depth sampling. These trips will take place next March to coincide with science week (weather depending). To enable interested individuals to do this we are running a training session this autumn.

MICCI TRAINING SESSION

DATE: Friday, November 11th
TIME: 10.30am – 4pm
VENUE: Twice Brewed Inn, Bardon Mill, Hexham, Norrthumberland, NE47 7AN, plus site visit

AGENDA:
Indoor session at Twice Brewed Inn (back room)
10.30-11 Background & how MICCI works (Chris Robinson, Learning and Discovery Officer at the Peak District National Park)
11-11.30 Peat in Northumberland, including a showing of Our Beautiful Bogs (Gill Thompson)
11.30-12 How will MICCI work in Northumberland? (Mandy Roberts)
12- 1pm Lunch (provided) & travel to site

Site Visit at National Trust land south of Peel Crags.
1pm-3.00 Practice Field Trip
3.00-4.00 Travel back to Twice Brewed for warm-up, coffee & quick discussion.

If you are a STEM Ambassador or a teacher interested in this training session please contact STEM Outreach team on 0191 200 4453.

Chantry High School, Suffolk has won the most recent STEM Challenge! The competition asked students from across the UK to work in teams to design a smartphone app which can be used by visitors at London 2012.
STEM Challenges are a series of competitions designed to encourage young people aged 11-14 to use the skills learnt in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths lessons to help prepare for the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games. STEMNET (The Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths Network) works in partnership with major organizations to nationally manage each Challenge for UK Secondary Schools.

STEM Challenge 7, supported by BT- the Official Communications Services partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games – asked students to help make London 2012 Everyone’s Games by designing an app that provides useful information, communicated and accessed in the best way possible in order to contribute to a great Games experience for all.
Following regional competitions, eight schools from across the UK reached the national final at the Natural History Museum on Thursday 20th October. Each team of students aged 11-14 competed in a Dragon’s Den style pitch before a panel of expert judges. Finalists included:

• Bushey Meads School, Herts & Luton
• Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, Hereford & Worcester
• Broxburn Academy, East Scotland
• Chantry High School and Sixth Form Centre, Suffolk
• All Hallows Catholic High School, Lancashire
• Gosforth Central Middle School, Northumberland & Tyne & Wear
• Kesgrave High School, Suffolk
• The Harvey Grammar School, Kent & Medway

The winning design, presented by Chantry High School, was commended for its professional finish and in-depth technical knowledge. The team won £1,000 worth of equipment for their STEM Club and an experience prize awarded by BT. Second place was awarded to Team Oxidise from Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, Hereford who received £750, the third place team from Broxburn Academy, East Scotland were awarded £500. The judges were looking for a creative, innovative idea which also applied the Olympic and Paralympic Values to the project, as well as a display of excellent teamwork and the development of inspirational ideas.

The STEM Challenges have received the London 2012 Inspire Mark and are part of Get Set, the London 2012 education programme. The first STEM Challenge required students to consider some of the steps involved in designing a National Handball Centre for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the second was to design a glove suitable for rowing, canoeing or sailing. The third STEM Challenge invited students to explore approaches to anti-doping laboratory techniques. The fourth Challenge asked students to pitch their plans for sustainable travel from their schools to forthcoming Olympic and Paralympic Game venues. STEM Challenges 5 and 6 focused on designs for leading GB paratriathlete, Jimmy Goddard and paralympian Rachel Morris.
STEM Challenge 8, sponsored by Deloitte, is now underway and invites students to explore Paralympic sports available in their local areas and propose ways in which more people can get involved! Schools wishing to enter this challenge can visit www.stemchallenges.net for further details.

Source: STEMNET’s press release

Teachers’ workshop: Motivating critical thinking of young people in issues surrounding energy production and use.
Date: Thursday 24th November 2011
Time: 4:15pm to 6:30pm
Venue: The Meadows. Waterville Road. North Shields. Tyne & Wear, NE29 6BA. http://www.meadowwellconnected.org.uk
Travel: Next to Meadow Well metro station (see map attached)
Price: Free
Registration Deadline 15th November
Buffet and refreshments available on arrival.
Please register for this event so that we know how many people to expect: http://forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=2303

Project Background:
The ‘North East Schools: understanding Energy and Sustainability’ project aims to develop a sustainable programme in Energy Education through Newcastle University engagement with Schools, Councils and Museums in the North East.
Programme activities include: taster sessions, identification of resources (online questionnaire), development of resources (including teachers’ workshops), and delivery of activities at schools.
If you have time, please fill in the online questionnaire to ensure the event meets your needs and expectations. http://www.survey.bris.ac.uk/newcastle/beaconenergyteachersq

The purpose of this workshop:
• Capture your views on energy related educational resources
• Provide training in energy management (including a tour of renewable energy facilities at the Meadows)
• Showcase some of the energy educational materials we are developing: workshops, lesson plans, pupils’ findings, outcomes. This will include a presentation of findings from the Whitley Bay High School yr9 workshop on ‘Can you help improve your school’s energy efficiency?’
Identify educational resources associated with our core expertise in energy research at Newcastle University
This workshop has been developed in collaboration with North Tyneside Council, and supported by Whitley Bay High School and The Meadows.

If you would like more information about the project, please contact:
Dr Elisa Lopez-Capel , Research Associate in Energy Biosciences at Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability (elisa.lopez-capel@ncl.ac.uk) http://www.beaconnortheast.org.uk/projects/18/ne-schools-understanding-energy-and-sustainability-project
If you would like more information about The Encompass tool and Energy management, please contact: Mike Keenlyside, Environmental Sustainability Officer at North Tyneside Council.

During last school summer holidays 32 students from across the North East took part in amazing projects working with some of the region’s leading Higher Education Institutions and organisations at the forefront of STEM. Having succeeded against stiff competition, the students received funding from the Nuffield Foundation Bursaries Programme (coordinated in the North East by Newcastle College STEM Outreach).

More about Nuffield Bursaries here

Around 100 teachers, students, parents, STEM Ambassadors and Nuffield project providers met last week at Newcastle College Performance Academy to celebrate the work of Nuffield students and their mentors. They were treated to some entertaining demonstrations of “Famtastic Plastic” by students, Reece Hughill and Aleksandra Slebzak, with their Mentor Anne Willis of Northumbria University.

The event was also a great opportunity for Teachers and STEM Ambassadors (trained and CRB checked volunteer professionals who work in schools throughout the country) to talk about enrichment in schools and forge relationships to bring “real life” STEM into the classroom.

The STEM Ambassadors and teachers networking event with Nuffield theme was supported by Nuffield Foundation and Royal Society of Chemistry and many chemistry projects were displayed. This ChemNet type event allowed people to talk about Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths behind the Nuffield projects and about STEM in schools.

The event was supported by:
- STEM Ambassadors
- Nuffield Foundation
- Royal Society of Chemistry
- The Wolfson Foundation
- Newcastle College

Pictures by: Dominic Gange dominic@gangephoto.co.uk

Newcastle-based social enterprise Open Engineering Solutions is carrying out a survey about skills shortage and youth unemployment levels, including female participation in science and engineering. WE encourage all STEM Ambassadors, teachers and other STEM-oriented individuals to spend 5 minutes and help with the research.
Link: www.surveymonkey.com/s/KVZHPNY
The survey is open until 31 October

Thank You!

Newcastle Science City is leading the way in supporting the development of business and innovation in this field, and through the Community Science Team at Centre West, is working to bring the city’s world class scientific and technological achievements into the lives of the people who live here.

Newcastle Science City has joined with Newcastle City Council’s Arts Development Team to create a collaborative project on the theme of ‘sustainability’.

The project will pair up two artists with two scientists who will then work with two community groups from Newcastle to create artworks and to educate about sustainability.

It aims to bring this vital area of scientific research to life for the people and communities of Newcastle by enabling them to access and engage with it in a practical, exciting and hands on manner.

Timetable
The project will start in the Autumn of 2011 and conclude by 31 March 2012

Proposals
We are looking for a science partner who would be interested in collaborating with an artist to work with a community group on an experimental and innovative project that inspires, educates and raises the profile of creativity and sustainability.

Proposals should include:
· Your CV
· Information about your science background / speciality / interest
· Why you are interested in the project
· Your experience of working with hard to reach communities

Please note: Successful applications will be subject to an enhanced CRB check and reference check before appointment

Budget
The overall budget for this project is £10 000 and we anticipate that it will be split equally between the science and art aspects of the project (£5 000 per area). The budget will cover all staff costs, materials, events, promotional materials etc.

Deadline for proposals: 30 September 2011
Interviews will be held on 12 October 2011

Please send proposals to:

Rhianne Dixon
Centre West
Community Science Team
28 Hawthorn Terrace
Newcastle
NE4 6RJ
rhianne.dixon@centre-west.com

Source: NESA group

Parents can find schools by name, keyword or location or browse via an interactive map. Each school has its own mini-site with a range of useful information such as spend per pupil and test and exam results. Parents can also compare their school with others nearby – or with any other school in England.

For more information, visit http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/search
Source: SchoolsNorthEast Newsletter 13/09/2011

In 2011, our Kick- Start Fund helped 500 schools run events and activities that reached over 85,000 people. Teachers reported that it:

•invigorated staff, pupils and parents
•raised the profile of science and technology at school
•engaged pupils with subjects across the curriculum
•stimulated disengaged pupils with science.

How to apply?
All you need is a basic idea for your own NSEW events and activities and the enthusiasm to get it off the ground. However, we can only fund 500 schools and this is a very popular scheme so you will need to ensure your ideas are sound.

Project ideas
Please check the website below.

Deadline
All applications must be submitted through the online form by 5pm on 28 October 2011.

Interested?
Visit British Science Association website for full details and supporting materials: http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/web/NSEW/NSEWFunding/smallgrants.htm

Source: Science e-lert, September 2011

This workshop is specifically aimed at those with more than 20 hours of experience of science communication over the past 5 years, but is open to anyone with an interest in developing their science communication skills. Please feel free to pass this information on as you see fit. Places are limited to a maximum of 20 to ensure that all participants are actively involved throughout the workshop. If you would like to participate in this training please book a place by completing the form available at: http://forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=2171
This training session will be lead by Wendy Sadler & Gareth Smith from science made simple Ltd.

Date: Monday 26th September 2011
Time: 9.30pm – 4.30pm (Registration from 9.15am).
Venue: Room OC218, Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics, Durham University Science Site, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE
Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Source: NESA group

 “Lab in a Lorry is an interactive mobile laboratory which gives young people (11-14 year olds) the opportunity to explore science through open-ended experiments. Volunteers guide the students through the experiments (oil and viscous liquids, sound and resonance, light scattering and colours, climate change and energy sources, optoelectronics) and makes sure everyone gets to be involved through hands on experience.”

If you are interested please contact STEM Outreach or visit Lab in a Lorry website: www.labinalorry.org.uk for more details.

The challenge is aimed at young people aged 11 – 19 years old (key stages 3, 4 and 5), and involves 3 to 6 team members working together to design and build a radio controlled 4-wheel-drive (4×4) vehicle to set specifications, that can successfully negotiate a specially designed test track that emulates that of real life and what a full scale 4×4 vehicle can do. Teams entering the challenge will spend a number of weeks designing, researching, building and project managing their 4×4 vehicle to enter it into a regional heat to compete against other schools from their area. Regional winners will be selected via a judging process to go through to the National Final where they will compete again but this time against the other regional winners to challenge to become the 4×4 in school Technology Challenge UK National Champions.

Registration for the 4×4 in Schools Technology Challenge 2011/12 season is now open and the 2011/12 Rules & Regulations and Challenge Handbook are now available to download from the 4×4 in Schools website. I am delighted to announce that following the success and high standard of entry from the 2010/11 season, the 2011/12 Regional Finals will be held in February (dates T.B.C) and the UK National Final will be held at the Big Bang Fair on Thursday 15th March 2012 at the Birmingham NEC.

For more visit: www.4x4inschools.co.uk/

Aims
Ementoring is a flexible way to volunteer and an opportunity for you and your mentee to develop new skills. By sharing your experiences, you can support other people to grow in confidence and explore options for their future. All you need to be a mentor is a willingness to help other people and an online connection. Because ementoring is done online, you can do it at a time and place that suits you.

Who are we looking for?
Mentors can be from all levels, working in an engineering related profession or with an engineering background, and from a variety of ethnic/cultural backgrounds and social classes. Ideally you would have progressed up through the further education route or have knowledge of the further education sector. You will need to be enthusiastic, passionate about Engineering, want to help other people and have a willingness to share your experiences and insights to help encourage young people in further education to remain committed to a career in engineering. It will be helpful, but not essential, if you were an existing STEM Ambassador and have previous experience of working with young people.

What is involved?
Once you have registered and completed your training, the Bright Links engineering team will match you with up to four mentees who will be students in further education colleges who are studying engineering courses at Level 2, Level 3 and possibly Level 4. They will be looking for advice and support around study skills, apprenticeships, engineering careers, applying to university and much more. You will communicate with your mentees through the safe and secure Bright Links ementoring website, which will have its own engineering section dedicated to this Engineering Further Education ementoring project. To be effective you need to be willing to spend between 30 minutes and 1 hour a week supporting your mentees.

Next Steps
Become a mentor: If you think you’ve got what it takes to be a mentor, apply to the Bright Links engineering programme today at www.brightlinksengineering.org

EMentor Recruitment Flyer

EMentor Recruitment Flyer Addendum

Date: Wednesday 21^st September 2011

Time: 9.30pm – 4.30pm (Registration from 9.15am).

Venue: Room OC218, Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics, Durham University Science Site, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE
Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Icebreakers and Games:

Successful science communication activities and events depend on making their target audiences feel comfortable and at ease. Icebreakers and the use of games formats are popular and effective ways of encouraging participation and engaging different types of audiences. In this training session you will have the opportunity to try a variety of icebreaker techniques and games e.g. DEMOCS, quiz show and board games formats etc. Please feel free to bring along an activity you have used to share with the group, or an idea that we can help you develop further!

This workshop is specifically aimed at those with more than 20 hours of experience of science communication over the past 5 years, but is open to anyone with an interest in developing their science communication skills. Please feel free to pass this information on as you see fit. Places are limited to a maximum of 20 to ensure that all participants are actively involved throughout the workshop. If you would like to participate in this training please book a place by completing the form available at:

http://forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=2170

This training session will be lead by Ben Johnson & Louise Webb from Graphic Science Ltd.

Ben Johnson, Graphic Science

Ben has been involved with Science Communication and Education for over 15 years and is Managing Director of Graphic Science Ltd, one of the most innovative and influential consultancies in the field. Ben specialises in direct hands-on engagement, designed to promote dialogue about science and engineering. He has worked extensively in schools researching, devising and delivering drama based projects and curriculum enhancement resources on topics as diverse as Robotics, Bioethics, Climate Change and currently, Engineering. Ben also has a strong portfolio of evaluation and research, conducting scoping studies and external evaluations for clients including EPSRC, NCCPE, BIS, The British Council, The Royal Society, The Wellcome Trust, Cheltenham Festivals Ltd, COPUS, STEMNET, The Open University, the Association for Science Education, At-Bristol and the Bristol Natural History Consortium.

Louise Webb, Graphic Science

Louise is Training and Project Development Consultant at Graphic Science. Prior to this she was Head of Skills Development at the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres where she has specialised in the development of engagement in informal learning settings; from science centres to youth groups. After working as a postdoctoral research chemist for the EU, Louise has spent the last 12 years as a professional science communicator for organisations including Techniquest Science Centre and the British Science Association. She has developed and managed highly successful national projects including Go For It! with sciZmic Space and Science projects. She has also managed the learning and programmes package for the Wellcome Trust funded Inside DNA touring exhibition project, developed science shows, workshops and other public engagement activities for a variety of audiences.

This training is part of the Embedding the Benefits of Innovation in Disadvantaged Communities project, which is a joint initiative between The University of Durham and the County Durham Development Company. It is part financed by the European Union’s ERDF Competitiveness programme 2007-13, securing £0.49m of ERDF investment through the Regional Development Agency One NorthEast. The ERDF programme is bringing over £250m into the North East to support innovation, enterprise and business support across the region.

Source: NESA group

Date: Thursday 1^st September

Time: TBC

Location: Lit & Phil in Newcastle

The Literary & Philosophical Society (Lit & Phil) is the largest independent library outside of London, housing over 150,000 books.  A wide selection of current fiction & non-fiction can be found alongside historical collections covering every field of interest, including science.  It is located in a outstanding Grade II* listed building in the centre of Newcastle and is currently working to make itself known to the wider population in the city of Newcastle.

To raise their profile and attract a new audience to this beautiful building, they have asked the Community Science Team at Centre West to help them deliver a one-off event providing a unique opportunity for families to be given access to its building and to explore its resources.

 They are looking for two or three science-based, hands on activities to enthuse and excite people about science.

If interested please contact Rhianne Dixon at Rhianne.dixon@centre-west.com with a brief outline of the activity and your costs.

Source: NESA group

Examples of our local North East past projects include:

Comparing and Applying Renewable Energy Sources 
by Northumberland Church of England Academy

Sun Worshipper? No Respecter! 
by The Thomas Hepburn Community School

Making Bugs “Super” 
by Moorside Community Technology College

You can read more about case studies here:
http://royalsociety.org/education/partnership/case-studies

The next round opens on 5 September 2011 and closes on 4 November 2011.

More: http://royalsociety.org/education/partnership

Source: Royal Society website http://royalsociety.org accessed on 22/08/2011

http://www.raeng.org.uk/education/eenp/engineering_resources/stem_club_resources.htm

For more information please contact Engineering Engagement Project (EEnP) Team via email: eenp@raeng.org.uk

Date: 13th October, 2011
Time: 18:00–20:00
Location: Moorbank Botanical Gardens, Claremont Road, Newcastle, NE2 4NL
To book your place please visit: http://nsew-newcastle.eventbrite.com

To find our more about some of this years Nuffield Foundation Science Bursary projects click here: http://stem-ncl.org/nuffield/placements2011/placements.php

Picture: Jonathan Winn from Durham Wildlife Trust with Nuffield student at Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve Visitor Centre (Chilton Moor, Houghton le Spring, DH4 6PU)

STEM Outreach organises a CREST assessment training for volunteers who would like to judge CREST projects in the future. New as well as more experienced individuals are more than welcome to attend the session. We will learn how to assess Bronze, Silver and Gold CREST projects and how to talk to students about their findings. The training will be delivered by Colin Wilkinson. Details of the training session are below:

Date: Wednesday 31st August 2011
Time: 5-7pm
Venue: 616 Parsons Building, Newcastle College, Scotswood Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7SA

All welcome!

STEM Ambassadors programme is a UK-wide scheme for STEM professionals and people with interest in STEM. Volunteers are CRB checked, inducted and insured and they deliver minimum 1 STEM-related activity in schools every 12 months. STEM Ambassadors represent small and large companies, universities and other organisations. Interested in becoming a STEM Ambassador?

If yes, you will need to follow the 3 steps listed below:

1. register on the STEMNET website: https://db.stemnet.org.uk/register.cfm

2. complete online CRB application

3. attend induction session and ID check

Details of the next induction for our new STEM Ambassadors from Tyne & Wear and Northumberland are below:
Date: Wednesday 31st August 2011
Time: 3-5pm
Venue: 615 Parsons Building, Newcastle College, Scotswood Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 7SA

To register your interest please contact STEM Outreach office via email ambassadors@ncl-coll.ac.uk or call: 0191 200 4453.

All welcome!