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
Are you an employer or IT professional who wants to use your skills and experience to help inspire the next generation? Get involved with IT education by signing up for e-skills UK’s IT Ambassadors scheme.
Why IT Ambassadors?
Fewer students than ever are choosing to study IT-related degrees at university and the sector is experiencing shortages as a result. IT Ambassadors aims to harness the enthusiasm of people who work in technology to inspire more students to take up rewarding careers in IT.
Who can get involved?
From games designers to business analysts, software developers to project managers, IT professionals at any stage of their careers can become IT Ambassadors.
What will I be doing?
You’ll be supporting IT education and careers activity in schools and colleges across the UK. Ways you can get involved include:
giving a careers talk in schools
hosting visits to your company for students
providing information about your company for a student careers website
providing work experience for students
How IT Ambassadors works
1. Find an activity
Businesses and individuals can explore the e-skills activity pages to find a suitable way to get involved with schools. If you’re an individual volunteer, you can find something that matches your interests, experience and availability. If you’re a company you can find a range of activities designed to suit a variety of business interests.
2. Get advice and guidance
A range of resources to help you engage with schools are available. Everything from templates to case studies and guides are available for download on the e-skills activity pages.
3. Connect with a school
The IT Ambassadors scheme is a partner of the STEM Ambassador programme. You can find a local school to work with through STEMNET’s network of schools. For Tyne and Wear schools contact stempoint@ncl-coll.ac.uk
If you’re planning to work on an individual basis with students in schools you’ll be eligible for a free CRB check as part of the STEM Ambassador programme.
Visit: www.e-skills.com/itambassadors
Start exploring our activity pages to find a way you can get involved with IT Ambassadors.
Can you help explain the concepts that students find hardest to learn?
“Often, the best teaching goes unnoticed and unrewarded. Britain’s Dream Teachers, created by Jamie Oliver and YouTube, aims to identify and celebrate inspiring teaching and help students get to grips with the toughest topics.”
YouTube has asked more than a thousand students and teachers as well as subject experts at Edexcel, the UK’s largest awarding body, to come up with what they consider to be the toughest topics at GCSE and Standard Grade in Maths, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography and History.
The identified topics in Biology are: What is the role of DNA in cloning and evolution?; How does nerve transmission work?; Which enzymes catalyse what substrates and how do I remember them all?
In Chemistry: How are polymers structured?; How do I test for ions in a compound?; How do you balance a chemical equation?
In Physics: How is radioactivity used in everyday life?; What is electromagnetic induction and how does it work?; How do I calculate forces and momentum and what equations do I need?
Now the question is have you got the answers?
If you’ve got an effective way of teaching one of the toughest topics make a short video of your idea and post it up on YouTube so other teachers and students can learn from your approach. You could also win a £10,000 prize split between you and your school, and the winning teachers with a group of students will be invited to an award ceremony at Google’s UK headquarters.
Upload your video by midnight on 5th April when all entries will be judged by a panel of subject specialists including previous Teaching Award winners. The results will be announced on 13th April.
Inventing The Future: CAS Northumbria University Sixth Form Conference
A one day taster session giving an insight into the fascinating innovations in Computer Science for Sixth Form and FE students and Maths and IT/Computing teachers.
Northumbria University,
Rutherford Hall,
Ellison Building,
City Campus,
Newcastle
Friday 18th March 2011
10am – 3pm
Northumbria University School of Computing, Engineering and Information Sciences (CEIS) and Computing At School (CAS) bring you an exciting day, which showcases future and emerging computing technology. Activities will include:
“Being Human in the Digital Age” – Abi Sellen, Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research
Northumbria University School of CEIS – why apply here?
Showcasing cutting-edge computer technology research
Industry speaker – computing in the real world
Information Security – Siraj Shaikh, Coventry University
Although the day is aimed at students, teachers can benefit from the presentations as CPD.
Volunteering programme helping IT employers to inspire students
IT Ambassadors aims to harness the enthusiasm of people who work in technology to inspire more students to take up rewarding careers in IT.
"We’re helping employers to provide meaningful support to schools by sharing our lessons learnt from the many activities that we have organised for schools. We provide companies with best practice materials such as template activities, presentations and hints and tips for volunteers that e-skills UK has acquired through years of experience."
Visit IT Ambassadors to make the most of the resources available. The scheme is also partner of STEM Ambassadors. Contact itambassadors@e-skills.com to be kept up-to-date with news and any opportunities in your area.
County Durham based multimedia specialists Lush Places Media have created a unique and interactive TV workshop using cutting edge technology.
A portable television studio with the latest ‘virtual’ computer generated set gives groups a rare opportunity to experience life in the high pressure world of broadcast news.
The course, flexible enough to appeal to primary school children through to college students and corporate team building teams, gives an insight into the decisions that need to be taken to ensure a programme gets ‘on air’ to deadline.
Groups will have to use teamwork, leadership and decision making skills to choose the content and write scripts. Everyone will then audition in front of the camera and autocue before final roles are allocated as the clock counts down towards transmission.
The final programme will be recorded ‘as live’ and made available to the client. Everyone involved will leave with a laminated certificate to prove they have taken part in Lush Places Media’s Lights! Camera! Action! experience.
Lights! Camera! Action! feeds into the curriculum with elements of IT, English, communications, arithmetic, media literacy and raising self-esteem.
For schools and colleges no worrying about transport costs and form filling. Lights! Camera! Action! comes to them, providing value for money and flexibility.
The sessions will be led by award winning journalist, broadcaster, presenter and multimedia trainer Andrew Glover, Director of Lush Places Media.
