From zombies to zebra fish, barnacles to bubbles, superheroes to sustainability…you’ll find them all in the British Science Festival Young People’s Programme Monday 9 – Thursday 12 September 2013 at:
Newcastle University
Northumbria University
Woodhorn Museum
Sunderland Museum
Newcastle City Learning Centre
Age 7-11: Turn everyday objects into smart devices or find out how science has saved lives
Age 11-14: Get blown away by explosive demonstrations or relax in a café made from waste
Age 14 -16: Investigate cutting- edge science from clinical trials and crowdsourcing to social diffusion and virtual reality
Age 16 -19: Discover how chocolate wrappers can clean up the atmosphere and whether science could make us superhuman
With over 80 activities at 5 venues across the North East, there really is something for everyone. Visit www.britishsciencefestival.org to register for updates, see the full programme and book your places.
Bookings open on 7 May 2013 and places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Bookings will only be accepted via the online system. Although the event is free, cancellation charges apply once bookings are confirmed. Full conditions of booking are available in the programme and via the booking system.
The British Science Association has published a new guide for teachers about STEM project work. It’s likely to be of most interest to secondary teachers of STEM subjects who use (or would like to use) student-led project work as a way of teaching or doing extra-curricular activities. It’s been written by Linda Scott, an experienced CREST Coordinator and teacher educator at the University of Worcester, and supported by Intel.
Excite… Inspire… Celebrate! The Big Bang North East
Wednesday 3 July 2013 at Newcastle University
BOOKINGS NOW OPEN!
Join us for a celebration of science, engineering and maths in the North East
• Enter pupil project work to win cash prizes and places at The Big Bang UK 2014
• Bring a group of pupils for a fun, exciting and inspirational day out
Enter the Competition
Do your pupils have science, engineering or maths project work they want to show off? The Big Bang North East includes the regional heats for the National Science + Engineering Competition. There is over £1500 prize money up for grabs and the best projects will win a place at The Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair 2014. Find out more and register here http://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/northeast/
Visit the fair
Bring a group of pupils for a fun, FREE, day out. Visit the fair for a full day (10am-2.30pm) and enjoy a selection of activities which including science shows, hands-on workshops, drop-in zones and inspirational talks. Headliners are the Science Museum’s crazy comedians, Punk Science, who return for 2013 with The Most Disgusting Show in the World.
Find out more and book here http://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/northeast/
Each March thousands of secondary schools take part in National Science & Engineering Week to stimulate pupils’ interest in STEM subjects, encourage them to consider STEM careers and to raise the profile of their school. The free downloadable resources below make taking part easy and can also provide an engaging way for you to work with scientists and engineers. To access these and more register here.
Get set, demonstrate competition
National Science & Engineering Week are on the hunt for the very best demonstration ideas for science teachers and technicians. The new Get set, demonstrate competition is now open for nominations. Just use the easy online form to submit a video that you think shows an amazing demonstration.
Activity packs Free packs full of science and engineering hands-on activities and projects are produced each year for National Science & Engineering Week, and are available to download all year round.
4 packs are exclusively for secondary schools:
Genius Inventions This wide range of activities is mainly aimed at 14-16 year olds. With strong curriculum links, the activities cover ground-breaking inventions in three science disciplines, helping put students’ scientific knowledge into the context of invention and discovery.
Musical Moods Whilst the theme of this activity pack is around the topic of sound, these creative activities also link to electricity, human biology and behaviour and are suitable for students from the age of 11-16. Some cross-curricular activity might be possible with your Music department.
Future Morph These careers focussed activities are mainly aimed at 11-14 year olds. They engage students with the lives of real life scientists and help put their science learning into a personal context. The resources fit with some elements of “How
Science Works” and could contribute towards outstanding/good practice in terms of providing a broad science curriculum.
Rockin’ Crystals With activities suitable for students aged 11-16, this varied pack includes hands on experiment and activity ideas. Activities link to those parts of the KS3 and KS4 chemistry curriculum that relate to states of matter and structure of materials.
Case studies Secondary school case studies provide accounts of some of the best events and activities that have taken part during National Science & Engineering Week since 2009 and will give event and activities ideas for organisers.
How-to-guides
Ideal for first-time organisers, these guides present step-by-step instructions in how to arrange publicity, how to organise an NSEW event or activity and where to find funding.
To access these and more register here. It only takes a few minutes to get started.
Eligible schools can apply for £200 funding to run activities for (National Science and Engineering Week) NSEW 2013. Free resources and support are available to help make your school’s activities straight forward and spectacular.
The British Science Association’s Kick-Start Fund is designed to help schools in challenging circumstances create a buzz around science, inspire staff, pupils and parents and make NSEW the best week of the year!
Is my school eligible?
To be eligible for a grant schools must fit into at least one of the following criteria:
have a high proportion (30% or more) of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds
have a high proportion (30% or more) of pupils eligible for free school meals
be a small school based in a remote and rural location
How do I apply?
All you need is an idea for an event or activity to run during the Week. For help with activity ideas, visit the grant activity page here.
The Big Bang Fair 2013
London’s ExCeL Centre
14-17th March 2013.
With over 65,000 people expected on site across the 4 day event, The Big Bang is now the largest single celebration of Science & Engineering for young people in the UK. As the Fair extends to four days for 2013, they are expanding the Club Showcase to over 150 clubs to form the largest showcase of its type in the country.
A club can be selected to:
A) Compete in a clubs competition held Thursday 14th and Friday 15th March 2013 with awards handed out at the National Awards Ceremony on the evening of Friday 14th (school and college days) in the ExCeL Auditorium including UK Club of the Year.
B) Participate in the UK Showcase on the Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th March (Family days) and be eligible for People’s Choice Awards presented on Sunday 17th March 2013.
C) A combination of A and B Compete and Participate for all four days Thursday 14th to Sunday 17th March 2013
To be eligible for either of the above the club must participate for at least two days (Thursday and Friday or Saturday and Sunday). Any club available for all four days will be eligible for both.
The clubs selected will receive: Food vouchers per day
A clubs show box
Access for all students to book into activities at The Fair
Participation certificates for all students participating
Please note clubs will be able to participate for one day but will only be eligible for: £50 worth of food vouchers per day
Access for all students to book into activities at The Fair
Participation certificates for all students participating
Club Bursaries
All clubs selected will be provided access to apply for a bursary for travel and accommodation. The link to the online bursary application process will be provided to clubs upon notification that their application was successful.
Please note that bursaries are only available to clubs that prove they have exhausted all reasonable attempts to obtain the funding elsewhere. This includes, school funds, Parents and Teachers Associations, Local Education Authorities, local businesses and education charities. Evidence of formal written requests and refusals or part funding offered will be required as part of your submission.
If your club will require funding to participate we strongly suggest all clubs begin this process of application prior to the formal application link being provided in December. Please note that the bursary application deadline will be Friday 25th January and all evidence will need to be submitted by this date in order to be considered for a full or partial bursary.
Once the exams are over summer term is all about trips. If you haven’t booked yours yet, then you’re in luck! You can have a fun, free day out at the Big Bang North East.
This annual celebration of all things STEM will be held at Newcastle University on Wednesday 4 July and there are still a few places available for both visiting schools and projects stands.
Visit the fair – come along 10am-2.30pm to enjoy a packed programme including a selection of these highlights
- Two amazing science shows: Punk Science’s ‘Know it all?’ and Science Junkies ‘In the Zone’
- Hands on workshops including catapults, radio technology, cryoscience, sustainability and cell biology
- Two drop-in activity zones with giant bridges, robots, sports science and the ever popular ‘Welding with Chocolate’
Enter the competition: if your pupils have project work they’d like to show off they could win hundreds of pounds in prizes and places at the national Big Bang Fair
This year the CREST Awards turns 25! CREST are looking to find at least one award holder from each year since 1986 to help us celebrate the occasion. Whether you received a CREST Award last week or back in the 80s, you can join the CREST Alumni Network.
The British Science Association will keep you up to date with the latest CREST news, events, winners’ trips, competitions, funding and other opportunities.
Application is now open for the British Science Association’s Strictly Engineering between 5 April-16 May 2012 (midnight).
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.
The British Science Association would like to invite you to add evaluations of your latest activities and events to the Collective Memory; collectivememory.britishscienceassociation.org
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?
Excite… Inspire… Celebrate!
Newcastle University, 4th July 2012
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:
This out-of-the-box poster competition is a simple way to take part in National Science & Engineering Week, either as homework or a class project.
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.
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.
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!
Here’s a quick run-down of National Science and Engineering Week events open to the public and schools in the North East. Click on the links to view full descriptions of the events
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.
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)
British Science Association offers £200 for schools who are interested in organising an event in Science and Engineering Week (NSEW) in March 2012. Applications are open for schools in “challenging circumstances”.
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.
Excellent event for STEM Ambassadors, teachers and other volunteers interested in doing something science or engineering-related during the National Science & Engineering Week in March 2012.
British Science Association will be running a session in Newcastle for all people interested in organising some NSEW 2012 activities. Information Session is a great chance for anyone to find out more about NSEW first hand, get hold of a whole range of resources and exchange ideas with other organisers in the area.
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
The Big Bang North East 2011
New College Durham, 12 July 2011
Book Now!
Join us for a celebration of science, engineering and maths in the North East
- Enter pupil project work to win cash prizes and places at The Big Bang 2012
- Bring a group of pupils for a fun, exciting and inspirational day out
Enter the Competition
Do your pupils have science, engineering or maths project work they want to show off? The Big Bang North East includes the regional heats for Young Engineers for Britain, CREST awards and the National Science & Engineering Competition. There is over £1500 prize money up for grabs and the best 10 projects will win a place at the prestigious national fair, The Big Bang 2012.
Find out more and register here www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/northeast
Visit the fair
Bring a group of pupils for a fun, FREE, day out. Visit the fair for a full, or half, day and enjoy an exciting science show, hands-on workshops and inspirational talks from young people who have succeeded in STEM. Groups will also tour the competition stands – perhaps it will inspire them enter The Big Bang North East in 2012!
Find out more and book here www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/northeast
Congratulations are in order for 10 projects from schools in the North East who competed in the regional Big Bang fair in July. They are going forward to compete in the National Science and Engineering competition at the Big Bang fair held at London’s ExceL on 10th – 12th March 2011. Shows including ‘Brainiac Live’, ‘Bang Goes the Theory’ and activities like ‘Amoeba to Zebra’, ‘The Ever Wondered Why Roadshow’, ‘Grow Your Own Body Parts’ and ‘Hydraulics for Frolics’ will be taking place at the event.
For more information on The Big Bang fair, to register your attendance and book tickets please visit www.thebigbangfair.co.uk.
Congratulations and the best of luck to the following schools and their projects:
School
Project
Central Newcastle High School
EES Project
Emmanuel College
Automatic Curtain
Emmanuel College
The Nyctolight
Emmanuel College
Frequetherapy
Emmanuel College
Electronic Musical Keyboard
Emmanuel College
Electronic Safety Device for Bike Users to Wear
Newminster Middle School
Which Tattoos Last the Longest
Queen Elizabeth High School
Gun Barrel Movement on a Challenger Tank
Sacred Heart High School
Liver Disease
St Bede’s RC School
Safety First Warning Lights
STEM Outreach would also like to congratulate and wish the best of luck to Corylus Learning’s Colin Wilkinson and Sarah McLusky at Sparks Education who will be co-ordinating the Big Bang North East at New College Durham on 12th July 2011. For more information on next year’s regional Big Bang fair feel free to contact Colin at colin@coryluslearning.com or Sarah at sarah@sparkseducation.co.uk or visit www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/northeast/
Do you teach some young scientists or engineers who deserve recognition? If they are 11-18 with a great project or invention…enter the National Science & Engineering Competition today. There is over £50,000 of prizes, including cash awards and trips abroad – plus the prestige of winning a high profile competition for your school or college and the teachers involved.
The lucky finalists will be invited to showcase their work to around 24,000 students, teachers, journalists and VIPs visiting The Big Bang: UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair in London in March 2011. Here your students can mix and compete with the country’s best – and gather tips and advice from working scientists and engineers from all fields in business and research. With plenty of individual and team prizes up for grabs, there are lots of opportunities for all students, and the two winning individuals in the senior category will be crowned the UK Young Scientist of the Year and UK Young Engineer of the Year.
For the first time, NSEC is offering a prize for specialist schools, sponsored by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT). Eligibility is wider than simply schools who have student competitors and it has a separate application process (via SSAT). Any school with a STEM specialism (Maths & Computing, Science, Technology or Engineering) can apply. Details are on the NSEC website:
The North East Science Alliance (NESA) provides people who work in science communication and education the opportunity to network, share ideas and form collaborations. The informal meetings typically start at 7pm, after refreshments have been served, with short presentations about current projects, research or other schemes of interest from a variety of speakers.
NESA also promotes the opportunity to network with contacts, and this is carried out with plenty of time at the face to face meetings, but also via a Google Group that allows members to share news, job opportunities, discuss current issues and pass on information.
The aims of the NESA are:
to promote public dialogue about science in its broadest sense
to raise the profile of public engagement activities in North East England
to encourage the co-ordination of public engagement activities in North East England
to promote collaboration in accessing funding, staging activities and making the most of all of our resources to maximize public engagement with science
As a member of the NESA you will be able to attend the quarterly meetings, give presentations and share information as well as taking advantage of this excellent networking opportunity.
Membership of NESA is free and open to anyone working to engage the public with science; the network is run by volunteers and relies on the generosity of hosts, presenters and organisers providing assistance free of charge to operate. To join, and learn about future meetings, please sign up at: http://groups.google.com/group/ne-science-alliance For more information, please visit the British Science Association website, which hosts information about the network: http://www.britishscienceassociation.org/nesa
Things are really hotting up for Big Bang North East! Blue Peter science presenter Steve Mould will be presenting the awards ceremony, featuring regional finalists of the Young Engineer for Britain Competition and CREST Awards. Steve will also be performing some of his favourite experiments in front of a live audience of school pupils from the North East.
See Blue Peter science presenter Steve Mould on YouTube:
