Public Engagement Small Award Winners
Successful applicants in Round 99B (Autumn 1999)
1. Professor J C Brown, University of Glasgow, Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Kelvin Building, Glasgow, G12 8QQ. Telephone: 0141 3305182 Fax: 0141 3305183 Email: [email protected]
£2,600 THE MAGIC OF THE COSMOS: A pilot scheme, to be run by two young astronomers, will present a suite of science "magic" shows using magic effects to illustrate and help explain remarkable phenomena in the cosmos. Subject areas to be explored will include relativity, quantum mechanics, optics, high-energy astrophysics and cosmology. The shows for schools, science festivals and roadshows will be designed to be memorable, intriguing and amusing for the audience.
2. Professor C E Gough, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Birmingham, Edgebaston, Birmingham B15 2TT. Telephone: 0121 4144669 Fax: 0121 4144719 Email: [email protected]
£5,000 PROJECTS FOR THE MILLENNIUM ‘FROM QUARKS TO THE COSMOS EXHIBITION’: To develop high quality presentation materials illustrating various topics in particle physics and astrophysics for inclusion in the Science Funfair 2000 "From Quarks to the Cosmos" – this is to be held in Birmingham and is expected to reach 25,000 young people. It is hoped that scientific and communication ideas from the event will assist the local lottery-funded science centre, Discovery Centre at Birmingham Millennium Point, to include such topics in science presentations.
3. Professor M G Green, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX. Telephone: 01784 443454 Fax: 01784 472794 Email: [email protected]
£3459 MEASURING THE MUON LIFETIME: An exhibit will be constructed to demonstrate the existence of the muon particle and measure its lifetime. The apparatus required is quite simple. It will be available for general audiences as part of the national Particle Physics Exhibits Project (PPEP) resources, and can be used in the Masterclasses held by the particle physics community each spring.
4. Mr D Hollomby, The Alsop High School, Queens Drive, Liverpool L4 6SH. Telephone: 0151 2256981 Fax: 0151 5211044 Email: [email protected]
£3,000 LIVERPOOL CHILDREN’S ASTRONOMY WEBSITE: A World Wide Web site on astronomy for primary and secondary school children developed by year 6 and 7 students. The site will encourage other schools to contribute projects and will be linked to the National Grid for Learning. An end of year magazine displaying the some of the best projects will be sent to local libraries, schools and students families.
5. Dr T R Mason, Armagh Planetarium, College Hill, Armagh BT61 9DB. Telephone: 02837 524725 Fax: 02837 526187 Email: [email protected] £4,000 YOUR PLACE IN SPACE: A contribution to Armagh Planetarium to construct an exhibit of the Solar System at several different scales. This will be aimed at giving school children and the public an awareness of the scale of the Solar System and the larger universe.
6. Dr R Massey, Royal Observatory Greenwich, Greenwich, London SE10 9NF. Telephone: 020 8312 6735 Fax: 020 83126734 Email: [email protected]
£4971 UPGRADE OF 28-INCH TELESCOPE: To upgrade the 28 inch aperture refracting telescope in use at the Royal Observatory Greenwich (ROG) to make it more accessible to its public audiences. The enhanced telescope will be usable during daylight hours as well as at night, and user groups will include school parties, GCSE students and general public.
7. Dr J. McFall, Bristol University, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL. Tel 0117 928 8772 Fax 0117 925 5624 email [email protected]
£5150 BABAR MAGIC CUBES: further production of the ‘magic’ cubes describing the BaBar particle physics project and its science. These were extremely popular, fascinating students, journalists and science-inclined general public, and demand has been so high that the project team will make a fresh supply, especially for use at educational meetings and the research community’s Masterclasses.
8. Mrs M McGlynn, Head Teacher, St Francis Primary School, 430 Old Rutherglen Road, Glasgow G5 0PA. Telephone: 0141 429 3687
£300 SCIENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY: A contribution towards shared educational resources for a network of three Glasgow schools that are encouraging their pupils with an interest in astronomy. The schools are in an area of regeneration, which is close to a new Science Park.
9. Mr S Naylor, Institute of Education, Manchester Metropolitan University, 799 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 2RR. Telephone: 0161 2472306 Fax: 0161 2476392 Email: [email protected]
£5,000 CONCISE Project (Concept Cartoons In Science Education): To develop high quality presentation materials illustrating various topics in particle physics and astrophysics for inclusion in the Science Funfair 2000 "From Quarks to the cosmos".
10. Dr J Pillinger, Planetary Sciences Research Institute, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA. Telephone: 01908 655049 Fax: 01908 655910 Email: [email protected]
£9,650 BEAGLE 2 AND YOU: A project to provide an upgraded World Wide Web site and a stand-alone screen display to promote the Beagle2 mission to Mars. This is a lander which will look for signs of life on Mars, and is due to be part of the European Space Agency’s ‘Mars Express’ mission, set for launch in 2003. The current project will design, compile and implement dedicated web pages providing information on the mission and its science. Also, to translate this information from the web pages into stand-alone on-screen display material. The Website is at http://beagle2.open.ac.uk. 11. Mr B Porter, Physico Theatre, 15 Townsend Street, Haslingten, Rossendale, Lancashire BB4 5DF. Telephone: 01706 215463 Fax: 01706 215463 Email: [email protected]
£6,237 Over the Moon: To produce a video version of the theatrical play "Over the Moon" which promotes current basic knowledge of the universe, specifically illustrating achievements in space and sustaining the memories of the 1999 eclipse.
12. Dr Paul Roche, Education Manager, National Space Science Centre, Mansion House, 41 Guildhall Lane, Leicester LE1 5FQ. Telephone: 0116 2530811 Fax: 0116 2616800 Email: [email protected]
£5,000 THE REMOTE CHALLENGER LEARNING CENTRE: Purchase of equipment to run mobile Challenger Learning Centre activities around the UK. The first Challenger Learning Centre outside the USA was opened recently at Leicester by David Blunkett. The Centres commemorate the crew of the Challenger Shuttle, and involve children or adults working in teams during simulated space missions. The ‘remote’ version is an outreach extension of this, which has mobile equipment that will be used in schools, science festivals, conferences, summer schools, etc.
13. Dr P J Sellin, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5XH. Telephone: 01483 876814 Fax: 01483 876781 Email: [email protected]
£750 LIFTOFF! THE STUDENT PAYLOAD COMPETITION: School children will be given first hand experience of the principles behind rocket launching and an insight into the science of space flight. The project team will run a rocket launch competition for 13-15 year olds and develop an educational science programme based around a rocket project. This will include producing classroom resources for teachers, worksheets for student teachers, and a lecture for schools, cumulating in a launch day competition.
14. Dr C E Skilling, National Association of the Education of Sick Children, 18 Victoria Pack Square, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PF. Telephone: 0181 9808523 Fax: 0181 9803447 Email: [email protected]
£3,000 ICE COLONY ALPHA - AUDIO MATHS PROJECT "SPACEBOX": To provide help with science studies for children who are regularly away from school because of serious illness or medical conditions. The project team will distribute astronomy kits, developed in an earlier pilot scheme, to these children while in hospital or home and provide them with personal support via telephone, fax and Electronic Mail.
15. Mrs S Talbot, Arnold Schools Limited, Highfield House, Whittingham Lane, Haighton, Preston PR2 5SL. Telephone/Fax: 01772 652102.
£540 EUREKA 2000: A two day event aimed at junior school children that will involve hands on displays, science theatre and competition promoting solar system and space science.
On the 18th March there will be a major exhibition at Arnold School and open to the whole local community. 16. Dr P M Watkins, School of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Birmingham, Edgebaston, Birmingham B15 2TT. Telephone: 0121 4144625 Fax: 0121 4146709 Email: [email protected]
£5,500 VIDEO OF THE ATLAS EXPERIMENT: To contribute towards the production of a professional quality video of the ATLAS experiment (one of the main experiments at the coming Large Hadron Collider at CERN). The UK version of this international production will be available to the 200 or so UK schools participating in the Particle Physics Masterclasses and to all UK Particle Physics groups.
STFC Small Awards Scheme Winners 2000A
STFC Small Awards Scheme
Mrs JL Patching, Swinton Comprehensive School, East Avenue, Rotherham, S64 8JW
Tel: 01709 570586 Email: [email protected]
£500 STIMULATING AN INTEREST IN ASTRONOMY
A contribution to the cost of hiring a stardome at an inner city school, principally to foster an interest in Astronomy in pupils from a cluster of Primary schools, but also to be extended to secondary school pupils to encourage older pupils to consider taking science degrees. The stardome will also be used to brief and update involved teachers.
Dr NA Hutton, School of Education, University of Sunderland, Gray Road, Sunderland, SR2 8JB
Tel: 0191 515 2379 Email: [email protected]
£600 COMSET CONTINUATION (SPACE)
COMSET was a Millennium Award project, run by The Royal Society and British Association, to increase the understanding of scientific and technological issues by developing three university/community linked programmes in Sunderland. This Award will provide teaching support to the Sunderland Women's Centre for approximately 60 community representatives to deliver the 'Earth in Space' unit. This is the most challenging of the three units, owing to the community's lack of experience and confidence in this area of science.
Dr MA Barstow, Physics & Astronomy Department, Leicester University, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH Tel: 0116 252 3492 Email: [email protected]
£3500 SEEING STARS II - ASTRONOMY & SPACE SCIENCE FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED
An extension to work already undertaken to make Astronomy more accessible to visually impaired people. The existing Braille Astronomy Guide is to be extended to include topical material on space and astronomy, with associated teacher notes, and a planetarium programme is to be developed for the visually impaired, based on the 'Seeing Stars' book but accessible to all ages.
Professor JC Brown, Physics & Astronomy Department, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QW
Tel: 0141 330 5182 Email: [email protected]
£7500 COSMOLOGY MEETS COMEDY
A contribution to the costs of writing and producing a comedy about science, to be performed at the 2000 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This would reverse the usual comedy trend, by portraying the scientist as a romantic hero in order to break down prejudices against science, and to introduce the audience to astronomical and cosmological ideas and principles in an accessible form.
Mr PJ Dunne, Department of General Education, Preston College, Fullwood Campus, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 8UR
Tel: 01772 225593 Email: [email protected]
£4450 FULWOOD EXTENSIVE AIR SHOWER ARRAY PROJECT
This pilot project will develop a cosmic ray extensive air shower array, based on Preston College and two neighbouring secondary schools. The array will be capable of making real measurements on showers associated with cosmic ray primaries, and the project aims to stimulate the pupils' interest in particle physics, astrophysics and instrumentation topics (such as electronics and engineering).
Mr RW Wall, Physics & Astronomy Department, Manchester University, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL
Tel: 0161 275 4092 Email: [email protected]
£500 12th ANNUAL UKSEDS SPACE CONFERENCE A contribution towards the costs of this annual conference. It is principally aimed at university students with an interest in space science, although there are attractions targeting schoolchildren and the general public.
Mrs L Fosker, Robert Manning Technology College, Edinburgh Crescent, Bourne, Linconshire, PE10 9DT
Tel: 01778 42 2365 Email: [email protected]
£600 SCIFEST-EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE FAIR
A contribution to the cost of an Educational Science Fair at Bourne, aimed at children between the ages of 7 and 18, with an evening session dedicated to the general public. The event aims to raise the general awareness of, and foster an interest in, a wide range of sciences, but particularly in Astronomy.
Dr JD Gillies, Publications Division, CERN, CH - 1211, Geneva 23, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 767 63 33 Email: [email protected]
£5000 BRINGING THE ORACLE OF DELPHI TO THE UK
This project aims to bring the Oracle of Delphi, a play performed at CERN by the theatre company Mimescope, to the UK for performances at the Science Museum and the Edinburgh Science Festival. The play combines art and science to particularly investigate the Big Bang and the matter/antimatter relationship. It gives an interpretation of British scientist Paul Dirac's investigations and thoughts, as he realises that he has predicted the existence of anti-matter.
Mrs S Chaplin, Jodrell Bank Science Centre, Jodrell Bank, Lower Withington, Macclesfield, SK11 9DL
Tel: 01477 571339 Email: [email protected]
£8000 ACCESSING THE LOVELL RADIO TELESCOPE
An Award to assist towards the mounting of an interactive exhibition at the Jodrell Bank Science Centre, designed to answer the most frequently asked questions about the Lovell Telescope and MERLIN, and to bring the public closer to the Observatory staff and their work. Physical access to the Telescope will be enhanced, together with the public's understanding of the workings of radio telescopes, both individual and arrays, and the roles of those scientists involved.
Dr JD Pollard, Treviglas Community College, Bradley Road, Newquay, Cornwall, TR7 3JA
Tel: 01637 872076 Email: [email protected]
£2500 CORNWALL SCHOOLS ASTRONOMY PROJECT-GCSE ASTRONOMY
This project will produce a complete, paperless ICT-based package to deliver GCSE Astronomy to students and the general public, supplied partly (although not exclusively) via BT Learning Online product (BTLO).
Dr DI Steel, Joule Physics Laboratory, University of Salford, University Crescent, Salford, M5 4WT
Tel: 0161 295 3981 Email: [email protected]
£2000 COMMUNICATING ROCKET SCIENCE
This Award is to enable the continuation of Dr Steel's pilot project to produce the weekly 'Ask a Rocket Scientist' column in the Manchester Evening News, and to both upgrade and extend the column to other local newspapers, BBC Radio North, and the University of Salford web site, and to possibly leading to access to the national press.
Mrs J Fitzjohn, The Education Business Partnership, PO Box 18, Llandysul, Carmarthenshire, SA44 4YD
Tel: 01239 711593 Email: [email protected]
£4800 NASA JOHNSON SPACE CENTER PROJECT-2000
An extension to an existing project forming part of the BT NASA programme. This aims to encourage pupils' and schools' use of information communication technology by developing partnerships between primary schools in Wales and elementary schools in USA. The NASA Space Science Project component of the programme involves five participating Welsh teachers travelling to the Johnson Space Centre to take part in a two-week workshop with American teachers.
Dr SVC Cobb, School of M3EM, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD
Tel: 0115 9514147 Email: [email protected] £3000 VIRTUAL RADIOACTIVITY LABORATORY FOR SECONDARY EDUCATION
This Award will contribute to the costs of revising and extending the existing Virtual Radioactivity Laboratory (VR RadLab) into a CD ROM which can be easily run on a standard PC at most schools, and distributing this CD-ROM demonstrator to 5000 UK secondary schools. The aim is to help schools to teach about radioactivity in a 'virtual' way, because Health and Safety regulations limit the use of real radioactive sources in schools. A survey will be used to gain feedback and evaluate the general potential of VR in science education.
Mr I Simmons, Inspire, St Michaels Church, Coslany Street, Norwich, NR3 3DT
Tel: 01603 612612 Email: [email protected]
£4000 HERSTMONCEUX ASTROGRAPHIC DISCOVERY PROJECT
A project to repair both the 13-inch Astrographic Telescope at the Herstmonceux Science Centre and the dome in which it is housed. This will then be used to continue the fostering of interest in children already initiated via the Centre's Space Experience Days, and for the needs of special interest groups from the general public.
Mr CJ Axon, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Bath, Claverton Down, BA2 7AY
Tel:01225 323248 Email:[email protected]
£5000 MUSIC OF THE SPHERES
A contribution towards the costs of performing the play 'Music of the Spheres' and its associated hands-on workshop at a number of venues in the South and West of UK, and the 'Creating Sparks' exhibition at the BA Annual Festival 2000. This play celebrates the lives of William and Caroline Herschel, who combined interests in both science and music, and therefore aims to enhance the public image of science by highlighting the integration of science with the rest of society.
Mr J Moreland, 54 Ashley Drive, Whitton, Twickenham, TW2 6HW
Tel: 020 8893 8865 Email: [email protected]
£2032 SPACE SCIENCE: CONTINUITY AND PROGRESSION
The 'Earth and Beyond' element of the Science National Curriculum between Key Stages Two and Three has been criticised by the last three Chief Inspectors' Annual Reports. This project aims to develop teacher understanding of continuity and progression in this element. The activity will focus on two Primary schools and two Secondary schools, developing strategies and producing a curriculum pack of ideas that would aid the continuity of teaching 'Earth and Beyond' in Key Stages Two and Three.
Dr M Afzal, The Kings School, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2ES
Tel: 01227 595693 Email: [email protected]
£1500 NATIONAL SIXTH FORM 'FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE' CONFERENCE
A contribution towards the 2001 'Frontiers of Science' conference (a biennial event, an integral part of the Science Research Initiative) to be held at The King's School. Speakers at the conference, which aims to inspire the sixth-formers attending to pursue science beyond school and into a career, will include Sir Roger Penrose FRS, and Sir Martin Rees FRS.
Dr M Jardine, Physics & Astronomy Department, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, KY16 9SS
Tel: 01334 463146 Email: [email protected]
£4500 SUPPORT FOR ASTRONOMY ROADSHOW
A project to provide continued support for the Astronomy Roadshow, which is provided by the University of St. Andrews, and consists of a Starlab planetarium, a portable computerised telescope, a notebook computer and video projector, and display boards and posters. Use is primarily directed at schools, although evening shows are undertaken for the general public.
STFC Small Awards Scheme Winners 2000 B
STFC Small Awards Scheme
Prof. PIP Kalmus, Physics Dept., Queen Mary & Westfield College, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS
Tel: 020 7882 5042 Email: [email protected]
£2,000 PARTICLE PHYSICS LECTURES
This Award is for Professor Kalmus to continue and upgrade his successful talks on particle physics to a range of audiences by the purchase of appropriate computing and demonstration equipment .The talks, usually given to schools, teachers and general audiences, include the topics 'Particles & the Universe' and 'Antimatter'.
Dr MJ Lavelle, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA
Tel: 01752 232729 Email: [email protected]
£1,200 MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATIONS AND SELF-LEARNING PACKAGES
An Award to fund the non-equipment costs of producing and giving professional-quality presentations on particle physics and related science to a range of audiences throughout Devon and Cornwall. These talks will be given to schools, colleges and adult education centres.
Mr A Walker, Physics and Astronomy Dept., Edinburgh University, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ
Tel: 0131 650 5237 Email: [email protected]
£900 PPEP EXHIBITION AT EDINBURGH SCIENCE FESTIVAL
A contribution towards the cost of enabling the Particle Physics Exhibit Project to appear at the Edinburgh International Science Festival in April 2001.
Mr BJ Keenan, 49 Pilgrims Way West, Otford, Sevenoaks TN14 5JQ
Tel: 01959 524808 Email: Not Available
£4,000 SCALE MODEL OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM
A project to create a scale model of the solar system, with planets in their correct relative positions as at midnight, Millennium Day, within the parish of Otford. A short guide will be produced, and the model will be supported by an exhibition in the Village Heritage Centre.
Dr M Rahman, Physics and Astronomy Dept., University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow G12 8QW
Tel: 0141 330 6349 Email: [email protected]
£7,500 BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGY SPIN OFF FROM THE LHC A scheme to construct an inter-active display to exhibit to the general public one of the potential impacts of LHC development on healthcare and quality of life. Any member of the public will be able, under supervision, to compare the X-ray images from a commercial CCD system, used in dentistry, and the photon counting pixel detector, probably by imaging a tooth.
Dr MM Grady, Mineralogy, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD
Tel: 0207 942 5709 Email: [email protected]
£5,000 THE VIRTUAL METEORITE EXHIBITION
A project to produce a meteorite exhibition on the Web, displaying highlights of the Natural History Museum's national collection to an extended audience, and producing both supplementary information on related fields of interest and educational material for teachers.
Dr PJ Sellin, Dept. of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5XH
Tel: 01483 876814 Email: [email protected]
£500 LIFT OFF ROCKET GUIDE FOR ASE CONFERENCE
The 'Liftoff!' programme, supported by a previous Small Award, was devised to foster an interest in Space Science and Technology amongst Year 9 pupils, principally by virtue of a competition to design, build and launch a rocket kit. Approximately 150 pupils from 9 school groups took part. This Award is for the costs of re-printing 200 copies of the Teachers' Guide for distribution at the 2001 ASE Conference, thereby extending the lifespan of this successful project.
Mr MP Lawrik-Thompson, Norwich Astronomical Society, Lingwood, Norwich NR13 4LU
Tel: 01603 716771 Email: [email protected]
£2,950 DIGITAL IMAGING EQUIPMENT PURCHASE
An Award for the purchase of digital equipment, to complement the self-financed purchase of a computerised telescope by the Norwich Astronomical Society. This will enable a more 'hands-on' approach by the many childrens' groups visiting the telescope, and a planned remote link to the Society's clubhouse will facilitate access for disabled visitors.
Dr TJ Ponman, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Egbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT
Tel: 0121 414 6448 Email: [email protected]
£5,000 BIRMINGHAM SCHOOLS' WEBSITE, PHASE TWO
A contribution to extend and improve the website developed at Birmingham University, partly funded by STFC, which provides teachers and students of A-level Physics with material supporting the A-level syllabus but which is based on the Newton-XMM X-ray Satellite Observatory. The website will be extended to offer similar coverage for the Astronomy and Cosmology options to that currently provided for physics.
Dr AC Baker, Physics & Astronomy, University of Wales, Cardiff, PO Box 913, Cardiff CF2 3YB
Tel: +44 29 2087 5121 Email: [email protected]
£4,000 THE CARDIFF RADIO OBSERVATORY
A project to build and operate the Cardiff Radio Observatory, a public-access radio telescope at Cardiff University. All aspects of the project will be accessible to the public, with a fully- interactive website being used to marshall the information. The project aims to raise the public's awareness of scientific research and to stimulate interest in science education and science careers.
Mrs PM Beatty, Fernhill Road, Bootle, Liverpool L20 6AQ
Tel: 0151 922 3798 Email: Not Available
£360 SPACE
A project to take all (approx 120) Year 7 pupils at an inner-city school to Jodrell Bank to visit the Science Centre and 'Solar System Planetarium Show', and to take part in the 'Sir Isaac and the Orbiting Apple' demonstration lecture. This aims to help the pupils' understanding of Key Stage 3 Science on Space and Gravity, as well as the History of Science.
Mr AT Rolls, CCA @ McLellan Galleries, 270 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3EH
Tel: 0141 353 1315 Email: [email protected]
£2,200 A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME A contribution towards the staging of a dramatic interpretation of Stephen Hawking's book at the Tramway Theatre in Glasgow in June 2001, with associated workshops before the performances. The project aims to raise the public awareness of particle physics and the fact that it underpins every other science and technology
Prof JD Barrow, DAMTP, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA
Tel: 01223 766696 Email: [email protected]
£5,000 CONNECTIONS IN SPACE: FROM THE QUANTUM TO THE COSMOS
A project to assemble and mount an exhibition about many aspects of space, combining perspectives from science and art. It will display and explain conceptions, representations, uses and pictures of space from the sciences and the arts, and will display at several sites around the UK, including Cambridge, Bristol and Greenwich.
Prof KJH Phillips, Space Science Dept., CCLRC, Chilton, Didcot OX11 OQX
Tel: 01235 446424 Email: [email protected]
£1,410 WOMEN IN ASTRONOMY AND GEOPHYSICS BROCHURE
A project to produce a brochure to encourage young women to pursue careers in astronomy and related subjects by highlighting the recent achievements of female astronomers and giving practical advice to young women contemplating such careers. The brochure would be distributed to RAS members, at RAS meetings, at STFC exhibitions, to astronomy societies, schools, HEIs etc, and advertised through the appropriate publications.
Dr N Marshall, 26 Whitethorn Mews, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire FY8 3XE
Tel:01524 32010 Email: [email protected]
£2,800 GCSE ASTRONOMY GUIDE
A project to produce an updated book/study guide aimed at both pupils and teachers to support the new GCSE Astronomy syllabus, which will be first examined in 2003. This will improve the book (produced in 1996 with the aid of STFC funding). The completed 64-page book will be distributed to all centres entering candidates for GCSE Astronomy in recent years.
Mr A Hon, 29 Croome Drive, West Kirby CH48 8AD
Tel: 07733 266 665 Email: [email protected]
£2,000 'GENERATION MARS' EDUCATIONAL YOUTH COMPETITION
A contribution towards the promotion of a nationwide competition combining artwork, music, sculpture, writing and knowledge. The competition is aimed specifically at 11-18 year olds with no interest in space, and aspires to kindle an interest in space exploration, particularly the exploration of Mars.
Dr F Diego, Physics & Astronomy Dept., University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
Tel: 020 7679 3512 Email: [email protected]
£4,000 MOON PHASES, A PILOT PROJECT
A pilot project to produce a prototype box containing a number of items; the aim being to explore factual and conceptual aspects of the phases of the Moon, using the methods and philosophy of expository and discovery learning. This pilot project is targeted at schoolchildren aged between 5 and 10 years old, with the intention of further developments to reach an adult audience.
Mr G Lewis, Ladymead Community School, Cheddon Road, Taunton TA2 7QP
Tel: 01823 331243 Email: [email protected]
£400 INDUSTRY WEEK PROJECT - SPACE SCIENCE
A contribution to Ladymead Community School's annual Industry Week. The funds will be used to visit the National Space Science Centre and undertake a 'mission' in the Challenger Learning Centre, to visit a local industry working in the space field, and to attract a visiting speaker, all with the purpose of bringing to life the UK Space Industry and highlighting the relevance of the matter taught in school.
Mr Robert Mizon, Mizar Astronomy, 38 The Vineries, Colehill, Dorset BH21 2PX
Tel: 01202 887084 Email: see this web page (link opens in a new window)
£5,000 NEW DOME FOR SCHOOLS' PLANETARIUM A contribution towards the costs of replacing the Mizar Travelling Planetarium, a 'Starlab' Inflatable Dome, which has been operated for five years throughout South Central England, reaching an audience in the region of 32,000 people.
Mrs R Bairsto, Erasmus Darwin Foundation, Darwin House, Lichfield WS13 7AD
Tel: 01543 306 260 Email: [email protected]
£600 HEAVENS ABOVE
A project aiming to work with teachers to provide an interactive introduction to astronomy for local 11-14 year-old schoolchildren in support of Key Stage 3 of the National Curriculum. This will be achieved by holding an Astronomy Day involving local astronomical societies and a local theatre group.
N.B. Due to certain circumstances Mrs Bairsto was unable to accept this Award.
Dr I Mann, Physics Department, University of York, Heslington, York YO1 5DD
Tel: 01904 432240 Email: [email protected]
£6,092 SCHOOLS POP-BOTTLE MAGNETOMETER NETWORK (POP-MAGNET)
A project to create a Schools Pop-Bottle Magnetometer Network (Pop-MagNet) which will allow school pupils to make measurements of space weather disturbances for themselves. This will give children an insight into the dynamic space environment of the Earth by performing some very basic remote-sensing from the classroom. Schools can use the AuroraWatch UK e-mail alert system to identify periods of potential significant magnetic activity.
STFC Small Awards Scheme Winners 2001A
STFC Small Awards Scheme
Mr S G Allen, 18 Baxter Road, Hingham, Norfolk NR9 4HY
Tel: 01953 850571 Email: [email protected]
£1,734 FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF PROJECT 'ORACLE'
Project 'Oracle' (Observing, Recording, Automated, Celestial, Learning Experience) replaced the secondary mirror of an 8.5 inch reflector telescope with a CCTV camera to allow recorded real-time astronomical images to be shown to audiences in Norfolk and Suffolk. This development will add a STV system to allow a greater range of fainter astronomical objects to be displayed. The targets are young people, families and teachers.
Mr D Baker, 5 Queens Court, Lower Clarendon Street, Derry BT48 7AH
Tel: 07803 831264 Email: [email protected]
£3,000 STFC SCIENCE IN THE COMMUNITY
An Award to develop the STFC Science Programme of the Millennium Festival of Science and Innovation, held in Derry in 2000. The 2001 Festival will include planetarium shows, and will display the work of the UK Research Councils to both schools and the general public, aiming to generate interest in scientific careers.
Mr S J Brown, Milton Abbey School, Blandford Forum DT11 0BZ
Tel: 01258 880484 Email: [email protected]
£1,000 DORSET SCHOOL SCIENCE FESTIVAL
A contribution towards the costs of the third Dorset School Science Festival, described as 'a mixture of a trade fair and a village fete'. The theme of the PUST component will be '2001 A Space Odyssey', and the festival encourages children to come with parents rather than with organised school trips, in order to encourage both children and parents to extend their interest in, and understanding of, science.
Note: This event was postponed to 2002 owing to the Foot and Mouth outbreak.
Dr J L Collett, Physical Sciences Division, Hertfordshire University, College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB.
Tel: 01707 286073 Email: [email protected]
£3,898 THE RUNAWAY PLANETAR
An Award to create a teaching video on astrophysics for 'A' level students, using the scenario of a rogue planetar expelled from a distant planetary system within our galaxy. Students will work with fragmentary and sporadic data and limited resource materials to gradually build up a scientific picture of the events taking place.
Mrs J Fitzjohn, Education Business Division, Careers Wales West, Pensarn, Carmarthen SA31 2BT
£2,712 NASA JOHNSON SPACE CENTER PROJECT 2001
An Award to support the participation of one teacher in the Space Center Project, part of the BT-NASA Programme. The purpose of this programme is to encourage pupils and teachers to use information & communication technology by developing partnerships between schools in Wales and the USA. The Award will enable one teacher to accompany the two project leaders to the Center. The Welsh and American teachers will interact with NASA scientists, engineers, astronauts and education specialists.
Ms S P Flanagan, 62 Chigwell Road, South Woodford, London E18 1NN
Tel: 020 7739 7324 Email: [email protected]
£980 ASTRONOMY EDUCATION AT SCIENCE TEACHER MEETINGS
An Award contributing to a project to enable the Association for Astronomy Education (AAE), a charitable organisation, to participate directly and actively in important science events in order to promote and enhance the relevance of Astronomy within educational environments.
Prof. M G Green, Physics Department, Royal Holloway, Egham Hill, Egham TW20 0EX
Tel: 01784 443454 Email: [email protected]
£4,350 PARTICLE PHYSICS SUMMARY SHEETS (UPDATE)
The Particle Physics Summary Sheets for Schools were originally developed in 1995 through a PUST Small Award, and have proved extremely successful with both the intended audience of 'A' level students and many other recipients. This Award is for a major update and presentation improvement.
Mr P Ingram, 10 Williams Close, Ely, Cambridge CB7 4FQ
Tel: 01353 661734 Email: [email protected]
£135 ASTRONOMY FOR SCHOOLS
An Award to assist Mr Ingram with visits to schools with a package of astronomical tables and information tailored to (English) National Curriculum Key Stages 2 and 3. The package has been tested with Cambridgeshire schools and approved by the Cambridgeshire LEA.
Dr R Jarman, Graduate School of Education, The Queens University of Belfast, 69/71 University Street, Belfast BT7 1HL
Tel: 02890 335941 Email: [email protected]
£5,000 SPACE SCIENCE NEWS 'SPECIAL EDITION'
A project to produce a 'Space Science Newspaper (Special Edition)'. This will be an anthology of authentic space science articles from the recent annals of the Belfast Telegraph. Associated with each article will be a set of specifically generated classroom activities for teachers to use to fire the imagination and interest of pupils.
Mr S Kadifachi, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University College London, Charles Bell House, 67-73 Riding House Street, London, W1P 7PP
Tel: 020 7679 9018 Email: [email protected]
£4,500 STFC SCIENCE AT THE UCL SCIENCE CENTRE
A contribution to the running costs over three years of the UCL Science Centre, which runs a high-profile programme of evening lectures aimed at under 15-18 year-old physics students and the general public, attended by approximately 2000 people each year. The Centre is also involved in some other activities, some of which will be expanded as a consequence of this Award. New initiatives may include afternoon lectures for 11-16 year-olds, and a 'hands-on' experiments centre for schools at UCL.
Dr D J Lennon, Isaac Newton Group, Apartado de Correos 368, Santa Cruz De La Palma, Tenerife 98700, Spain.
Tel +34 922 425441 Email [email protected]
£8,120 DISCOVERING THE COSMOS FROM LA PALMA
The Isaac Newton Group will run a pilot scheme to make astronomical images taken with the 1m Kapteyn Telescope available to the public quickly, but without compromising the data proprietary rights of the researcher who made the observations. There will be new Web pages on the ING site and 'mirror' pages on a UK site. Archives of images will contain processed 3-colour images. All images will be offered to the public, museums, planetaria and other educational institutions.
Ms S-K Liu, Public Affairs Department, Institute of Physics, 76 Portland Place, London W1B 1NT
Tel: 020 7470 4800 Email: [email protected]
£5,000 UNCLE ALBERT SHOW
'A Trip Round the Universe with Uncle Albert' is a pantomime performance about space and astronomy, incorporating special effects. Aimed at children between 8 and 14 years, it is performed by Professor Russell Stannard, and is based upon his best-selling Uncle Albert series of childrens' books. The performance was a huge success when premiered at the 'Creating Sparks' festival in London in September 2000. This Award will contribute to the costs of performing the show at the Baysday associated with the British Association's Festival in Glasgow. There will be two shows on 5 September 2001 - for young people and for families.
Dr A Q Morton, Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2DD
Tel: 020 7942 4169 Email: [email protected]
£5,500 DISPLAY OF ALEPH AND DELPHI COMPONENTS
A contribution to support the design and installation of a display at the Science Museum, based upon key components from two of CERN's LEP detectors - the ALEPH Inner Tracking Chamber and the DELPHI Vertex Detector. The display will facilitate public appreciation and understanding of the LEP project and the LHC project, hopefully building upon the interest in particle physics sparked by the 'Building the Universe' Touring Exhibition's period at the Science Museum. (The Museum also plans a 'CERN archive' at its site at Wroughton near Swindon).
Dr R New, School of Science and Mathematics, Sheffield Hallam University, Howard Street, Sheffield S1 1WB Tel: 0114 2253034 Email: [email protected]
£3,235 SKYWATCH
A project to encourage the public to participate in a range of observing projects at the University's Star Centre, with access both to direct and remote astronomical observation, and high quality astronomy presentations. Findings from the projects will be presented in an open conference, via the web, and at follow-up events.
Dr G A Russell, Aberdeen College Planetarium, Gallowgate Centre, Gallowgate, Aberdeen AB25 1BN Tel: 01224 612323 Email: [email protected] £6,083 INNOVATIVE SHOWS FOR THE MOBILE PLANETARIUM
An Award to develop four innovative planetarium shows, incorporating poetry, music and storytelling, for use with an already-purchased mobile planetarium. This will extend the potential audience of schools, science festivals, road shows and other events. The new shows will be made available, free of charge, nationally to other mobile planetaria.
Ms H C Scoffield, 13 Mundella Terrace, Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 5HX Tel: 0191 2658830 Email: [email protected]
£750 UK SEDS 13th ANNUAL STUDENT SPACE CONFERENCE
A contribution to the costs of this year's conference, entitled 'Moon on a Stick, Get a Handle on Space', and to be held at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. A main theme of this conference will be the growing commercialism of space, and will feature talks, an exhibition, outreach, an astrodome, and hopefully a live satellite link with the International Space Station. There will be a one-day workshop for schools, including a competition to design space- and Mars- habitats.
Dr A M Shaw, Techniquest, Stuart Street, Cardiff CF10 5BW
Tel:029 20 475 475 Email: [email protected]
£3,000 PLANETARIUM POST-VISIT ACTIVITIES
Techniquest runs a comprehensive programme using both its on-site planetarium and three mobile planetaria. This is a contribution to a project to provide a booklet which will be given out at the end of planetarium shows to capitalise on the interest generated by the experience. The booklet will be designed and written to be easily understood by three main target audiences, namely families, Key Stage 2, and Key Stage 3. The booklet will also be in an easily photocopied format, to enable teachers to reproduce it for use at school.
Mr P K Shaw, Science Dept, Grove School, Stafford Street, Market Drayton TF9 1HF
Tel 01630 652121
£500 FLIGHT AND ROCKETS
A contribution to a project using model aircraft and rockets to develop an understanding of the physical principles involved in aircraft and rocket flight. This will increase the relevance of physics and space studies at both Key Stages 3 and 4, and 'A' level.
Mr K A Strachan, Lancaster Girls Grammar School, Regent Street, Lancaster LA1 1SF
Tel: 01524 32010 Email: [email protected]
£1,000 ASTRONOMY MASTERCLASS FOR SENIOR PRIMARY PUPILS
A contribution to a project to run 'masterclasses' for able pupils from local primary schools. A course of approximately 20 one-hour sessions would include a mobile planetarium visit and a visit to the University of Central Lancashire's observatory. The lesson plans and resources produced will be made freely available to others as well as directly to the school's partner primary schools, and via the school's website.
Mr C M Tracy, 16 Cranbourne Road, Hatfield, AL10 8AP
Tel: 01707 258075 Email: [email protected]
£7,500 AN INTRODUCTION TO A WORLD OF PARTICLES
A contribution to a project to extend the electronic resource 'A World of Particles', available on schoolscience website (link opens in a new window).' which was itself produced with the support of a PUST Small Award. ISE will add a mini e-source at a lower scientific level, entitled 'An Introduction to a World of Particles', targeting young people aged 13-16. The existing material on 'A World of Particles' (suitable for able GCSE and A-level students) will be kept up-to-date, for example by adding adapted articles from STFC's Frontiers magazine and by adding a 'Frequently Asked Questions' database.
Dr J A Wilson, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT
£3,532 SPARK CHAMBER DEMONSTRATIONS AT SCHOOLS
A three-year programme of schools visits, demonstrating the transportable spark chamber built with help from STFC via a previous PUST Small Award. Postgraduate research students in the Department will help with the visits, which include a presentation and a supporting Website
STFC Small Awards Scheme Winners 2001B
STFC SMALL AWARDS SCHEME
Mr D Bowdley, Abraham Darby School, Hill Top, Madeley, Shropshire TF7 5HX. Tel: 01952 432081 Email: [email protected]
£3,000 MULTIPLE SCHOOL BASED - LUNAR, METEORITE AND SPACE SCIENCE PROJECT.
A project to enable a wide range of Shropshire schoolchildren, from primary to sixth form level, to study lunar samples, meteorites and space science, based around the STFC Lunar Samples Loan Scheme. Teachers will have the opportunity to design activities around the samples without the need to take on the responsibility of individually borrowing the samples from STFC, and will be informed of the increasing number of resources now available to them for the teaching of astronomy and space science. Both teachers and students alike will learn of the work performed in the fields of astronomy and planetary science, and of the recent advances in knowledge.
Ms V A Brightman, National Space Centre, Exploration Drive, Leicester LE4 5NS.
Tel: 0116 258 2114 Email: [email protected]
2,822 THE DEVELOPMENT AND LAUNCH OF 'SWIFT' - RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS.
A project to inform visitors to the National Space Centre (NSC) about the forthcoming 'Swift' mission to study the phenomenon of Gamma Ray Bursts, and the UK's involvement both in this mission specifically, and within space missions and research generally. There will be a permanent but updateable exhibition panel within the 'Space Now' section of the NSC, linked to the 'Space Now' section of the NSC website. This will enable the public to follow a mission through development and testing, and through to a successful launch. Further activities are also planned for the actual day of the launch. British involvement is through Leicester University, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, and Southampton University.
Dr S K Dunkin, Space Science and Technology Division, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0QX
Tel: 01235 446861 Email: [email protected]
£7,100 PROVIDING MEDIA RESOURCES TO PUBLICISE UK PLANETARY SCIENCE.
An Award to enable the UK Planetary Forum to raise the public profile of British planetary scientists and their activities via media leverage. A web-based resource and an annual media briefing will provide easy access for journalists and broadcasters to information about UK involvement in this area, and to ensure that UK planetary scientists are readily available as contacts to the media. The aim is to make the UK media more aware of the attractiveness of planetary science to the UK public.
Professor A Evans, School of Chemistry & Physics, Lennard-Jones Laboratories, University of Keele, Keele ST5 5BG.
Tel: 01782 583342 Email: [email protected]
£5,726 TAKING THE SUN TO A LARGER AUDIENCE.
An Award targeting 11-16 year olds, their teachers, and the general public. This will be achieved by taking a portable telescope to schools to display the Sun, by underlining the broader relevance of astronomy by demonstrating how the study of an object like the Sun impacts on many other aspects of young students' studies, and by extending Keele's public viewing periods at the University Observatory, by opening at weekends for solar viewing.
Dr G Farmelo, Science Communications Division, Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London. SW7 2DD.
Tel: 020 7942 4800 E-mail: [email protected]
£5,000 DIALOGUE EVENT CONCERNING ASTRONOMY AND SPACE SCIENCE.
The underlying philosophy of science communication in the UK is changing from the traditional top-down model (in which scientists talk to the public) to a model in which the public can engage in an even-handed dialogue with scientists. This Award will fund two pilot events, these being 'Is There Anybody Out There?' on the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI); and 'Why Believe the Big Bang Theory?' The audience will be invited, assisted by a moderator, to quiz a group of scientists, with the aim of learning how the public can best benefit from such dialogue events.
Mr R J Fielder, Kelham Museum, Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust, Alma Street, Sheffield S3 8RY.
Tel: 0114 201 0613 Email: [email protected]
£9,340 STAR MATTERS - ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN AROUND 'BUILDING THE UNIVERSE'.
An Award to develop activities and teaching resources to enhance STFC's 'Building the Universe' touring exhibition, both during its visit to Kelham Island Museum and thereafter. They will be made freely available to other sites visited. Children aged 7 to 13 will be specifically targeted, although the resources are also expected to assist other children, teachers, and particularly family groups. The resources will also be offered to schools, with sessions, if required, on a self-financing basis.
Dr M B Hindmarsh, Dept of Physics & Astronomy, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QH.
Tel: 01273 678934 Email: [email protected]
£1,400 'A' LEVEL PHYSICS AND THE SUSSEX EDM CENTRE.
The Sussex Electric Dipole Moment (EDM) Centre will open during National Science Week in March 2002. This project will run a competition for 'A' level students participating in the 'USE-Physics' Lab experiments, concentrating on atom trapping technology. The competition winners will participate in a special experiment to inaugurate the lab, and will receive their awards at the official opening. The aim is to generate interest amongst 6th formers in the science behind the Centre.
Ms G M Leaper, Crossways Infant School, Knapp Road, Thornbury BS35 2HQ.
Tel: 01454 867280 Email: [email protected]
£500 SCIENCE YEAR AT CROSSWAYS INFANT SCHOOL.
An Award to finance the visit of the 'Explorer Dome' from the @Bristol Science Centre to Crossways Infant School. The visit is part of a Science Year plan of activities above and beyond the children's science curriculum, addressing the themes of 'Ourselves'; 'Materials'; 'Light/Dark'; 'Senses'; 'Food for a Healthy Life'; 'Changing Materials'; 'Animals'; and 'Plants'.
Professor A G Lyne, Nuffield Radio Astronomy Laboratories, Jodrell Bank, Macclesfield SK11 9DL.
Tel: 01477 572640 Email: [email protected]
£5,000 PUBLICISING THE REBIRTH OF THE LOVELL TELESCOPE.
A contribution to a project to produce a video and brochure promoting the £2.1M upgrade of the Lovell Telescope (LT) at Jodrell Bank Observatory (JBO). The video will feature a brief history of the telescope, the upgrade, and a look to the future. The finished video will be played continuously in the Jodrell Bank Science Centre, will be made available to schools, will be used at graduate and undergraduate fairs, and will provide a source of archival material for visiting TV and film crews visiting the JBO.
Dr D McMullan, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA. Tel: 01752 232720 Email: [email protected]
£3,600 EXPOSING THE ELECTRON.
A project building on the success of the 2001 National Science Week exhibition organised by the University of Plymouth's Particle Physics Theory Group at the Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery. This larger event will be centred on the theme of 'the electron' and will utilise appropriate elements from the PPEP collection, together with new display materials, with a scientist continually present to guide visitors and to answer their questions. These materials will also be used to support Masterclasses across the South West and public lectures, such as the programme of lunchtime lectures held at the City Museum. Assistance will also be provided with the costs of transporting school parties from the more rural areas of the South West.
Dr J Mason, Cambridge AWiSE, 12 Hills Avenue, Cambridge CB1 7XA.
Tel: 01223 247827 E-mail:[email protected]
£500 WOMEN AND SCIENCE DAY, 16/3/2002, IN CAMBRIDGE NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK .
Cambridge AWiSE is due to run its seventh 'Women and Science Day' during National Science Week 2002, in the Examination Room in the Arts School. This Award will support the running costs of the event, including the visit of a mobile planetarium.
Ms B Parker, Simon Langton Girls School, Old Dover Road, Canterbury CT1 3EW.
Tel: 01227 831425 Email: [email protected]
£5,000 NEW 'AS' LEVEL IN THE HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE.
Support for the development of STFC-related modules of a proposed new 'AS' level course in 'The History and Philosophy of Science'. This is intended to provide an attractive and accessible qualification to complement mainstream science courses for sixth formers and adult learners, which will hopefully attract students who otherwise would not have considered the wider ideas, excitement and workings of science. The course will focus on the human face of science, and will hopefully prove attractive to many students otherwise opting for humanities courses, as well as increasing scientific literacy.
Mrs J Poutney, Childrens' Music Workshop, 35 Brookfield Mansions, Highgate West Hill, London N6 6AT.
Tel: 020 8342 8900 Email: [email protected] £5,000 LIVING ON ANOTHER PLANET - 'ALL SUMMER IN A DAY'.
'All Summer in a Day' is a short opera composed by Alec Roth for performance by children. Based on a Ray Bradbury story, it considers the impact of environment on a class of young children growing up as colonists on Venus. This project plans to bring together children from several schools to give a fully staged performance of the opera in the Great Hall at Imperial College (ICSTM). Input will be from a collaboration of the Childrens' Music Workshop and other artists and musicians, with three scientists from ICSTM who will provide science background briefings and notes for teachers. ICSTM students will also visit schools in a dual role as musicians/ scientists and engineers. Schoolchildren will also make presentations on the science they have learned at the performance, and a website will be maintained throughout by ICSTM.
Mrs D Renney, Cheltenham Science Festival, Town Hall, Imperial Square, Cheltenham GL50 1QA.
Tel: 01242 775874 Email: [email protected]
£3,000 DIALOGUE EVENT AT CHELTENHAM SCIENCE FESTIVAL ON 'LIFE IN SPACE'.
A contribution to a dialogue event to be held at the first Cheltenham Festival of Science, being organised by Cheltenham Arts Festivals. The event will be entitled 'Is There Intelligent Life in Space, and Should We Spend Money Trying to Find Out?' The dialogue will be between the audience and a Panel of experts known to have differing views on the subject. This pilot study should help event organisers and STFC to develop effective methods for dialogue
Mr D J Smith, Armthorpe School, Mere Lane, Armthorpe, Doncaster DN3 2DA
Tel: 01302 831582 Email:n/a
£600 MEASURING THE HALF-LIFE OF MUON PARTICLES IN COSMIC RAYS.
A contribution to a project by a group of 'A' level students to measure muon half-life using 'cosmic ray telescopes' at different heights. The students devised the project by using the internet to interrogate a network of contacts to generate ideas. The students, from a Doncaster pit village with no culture of scientific understanding, will be encouraged to present their results to a variety of audiences, including fellow students, families, and the local community.
Mr D R Smith, Physics & Astronomy Department, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH. Tel: 0116 2523519 Email: [email protected] £1,000 EDUCATIONAL SATELLITES CARD GAME.
An Award to fund a pilot study to develop a card game entitled 'Voyager: Satellites', aimed at providing secondary school children and the general public with information about the large number of Earth-orbiting satellites in an entertaining way. Astronomical, Space Science and Earth Observation satellites will be featured, whether past, current or future. A successful pilot study could lead to the development of further games, including possibly 'Voyager: Interplanetary Probes'.
Dr D I Steel, Joule Physics Laboratory, University of Salford, University Crescent, Salford M5 4WT.
Tel:0161 295 3981 Email: [email protected]
£2,000 ROCKET SCIENCE FOR THE MASSES.
An Award principally to fund Dr Steel's weekly 'Ask A Rocket Scientist' column published in the Manchester Evening News on Saturdays. This is used to distribute information largely about astronomy and space science, particularly British activity in these fields, to a large audience. The Awards will also assist in the funding of Dr Steel's public talks and visits to schools to give presentations and demonstrations.
Mr R Taylor, The City Technology College, PO Box 1017, Cooks Lane, Kingshurst, Birmingham B37 6NZ.
Tel: 0121 770 8923 E-mail: [email protected]
£2,000 OUT OF THIS WORLD.
A contribution to a joint venture between The City Technology College and The Centre for Science Education at Sheffield Hallam University, to develop the personal capabilities of children from eight primary schools through cross-curricular project work. Each participating school will receive funding for textbooks on the subject of space, to be used during the schools' literacy hours in order to extend the usual science curricular content. The work of the pupils will then be demonstrated at a 'Celebration day' when pupils from all eight schools and the City Technology College, together with families, will come together using the remaining funding from the project. The College and schools will disseminate project results to other schools.
Mr M Woolcock, CPR Success Zone, Camborne Community College, Trevu Road, Camborne.
Tel: 07866 129090 Email: [email protected] £7,450 MARTIAN MINING OPERATIONS AT THE CAMBORNE 'EDUCATION THROUGH SPACE CENTRE'.
A project to equip the College's new educational facility with a range of robotic equipment, to create a 'Martian Mining Base' that schools can use as a highly themed setting for hands- on science and technology lessons. A fixed 'Martian landscape' will be created within a state-of-the-art 'Classroom of the Future' being built at Camborne Community College, and the project will be expanded to work with Camborne School of Mines' Holman Test Mine facility. Students will be introduced to the principles of planetary exploration, space science, robotics, engineering, and astronomy, using for example, the Faulkes and Liverpool Telescopes.
STFC Small Awards Scheme Winners 2002 A
STFC Small Awards Scheme
Miss E A Ballard, Vanishing Point Theatre Company, 270 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3EH.
Tel: 0141 353 1315 Email: [email protected]
£4,526 A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME.
A project aiming to merge aspects of science and theatre to create an educational, entertaining and ultimately exciting work capturing the 'childlike wonder' of Stephen Hawking's book. Participants will enter environments in which they will be invited to explore the ideas of the book both viscerally and cerebrally. The work in progress presentation last March, supported by a previous Small Award, received critical acclaim, and this Award will finance four performances of a full production at Tramway, Glasgow in October 2002.
Dr J Becklake, Observatory Science Centre, Herstmonceux, BN27 1RP.
Tel: 01323 832731 Email: [email protected]
£5,000 NATIONAL ASTRONOMY WEEK.
An Award to enable the Observatory Science Centre to administer and co-ordinate the publicity for National Astronomy Week (link opens in a new window) (23 - 30 August 2003), and to provide an information service to the general public, teachers, the media, and astronomy societies. The website (at www.astronomyweek.org.uk) will be developed (including links to other websites), and leaflets and posters will be produced.
Dr S B Chapman, BAAS, 23 Savile Row, London, W1X 2NB. Tel: 0207 973 3057 Email: [email protected]
£6,000 ASTRONOMY PROJECTS FOR BA CREST AWARDS SCHEME.
The 'BA Crest Awards' (link opens in a new window) is a project-based accreditation scheme promoting creativity in science and technology. It is run nationally by the BA, but is delivered locally by 13 CREST Regional Directors working with SETPOINTs. This Award will fund the development of a booklet of project ideas related to astronomy. Projects could include making a working model of the Solar System (at Bronze Award level), making a reflecting or refracting telescope (at Silver Award level), or making a telescope instrument (at Gold Award level).
Mr S P Davies, Educational Services, Worcestershire County Council, IATS, PO Box 73, Worcester, WR5 2YA. Tel: 01905 766142 Email: [email protected] .
£1,500 WORCESTERSHIRE FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE.
A contribution towards the costs of the STFC science components of the week-long Worcestershire Festival of Science, held in June 2002. This aimed to promote and raise the profile of science among local young people, to encourage a desire to study science further, and to celebrate the good work already underway in local schools. Sponsored events include a lecture by Professor Russell Stannard, a visit by the Science Museum Outreach Team, and a 'Physics Challenge' competition for teams of Year 12 students.
Dr M M Dworetsky, Physics & Astronomy Dept, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT.
Tel: 0208 959 0421 E-mail: [email protected]
£5,000 SOLAR ASTRONOMY AND DAYTIME OBSERVATORY VISITS FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN AT KEY STAGE 3.
A project to support a programme of daytime observing for local school groups at the University of London Observatory (link opens in a new window) at Mill Hill. The programme is aimed at mainly Key Stage 3 pupils, and will relate to their study of the Sun and planets, and the physics curriculum unit on the behaviour of light. One telescope will be used for direct visual observing of the Sun's chromosphere, with a second used for white light observing. The Award will be used mainly to pay for the services of Dr Francisco Diego as guide and presenter.
Mrs L Fosker, Science Department, Robert Manning Technology College, Bourne, PE20 9DT. Tel: 01778 422365 E-mail: [email protected]
£500 SciFEST 2002- AN EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE FAIR.
A contribution towards the cost of hiring a 'Stardome' for an Educational Science Fair involving four Bourne schools. Aims of the event include providing opportunities for active participation in aspects of science that cannot easily be conducted in a school environment but enhance and extend the science curriculum, and organising a significant and memorable event for both students and the public to be involved in science and introduced to new concepts alongside current theories. The 'Stardome' will be used to enable participants to experience Earth and space-related activities.
Dr AGM Gaud McKee, Passerelle Science-Cite, 30 qu. Ernest- Ansermet, GENEVA 4, 1211, Switzerland.
Tel: +44 22 345 25 17 or +41 76 345 25 17 Email: [email protected]
£7,500 BRINGING 'INTO THE ANTIWORLD' AT THE EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL.
In 1999, a collaboration began between CERN and Mimescope, a theatre company founded on the concept of marrying art and science to make scientific thought accessible to all. This resulted in the play 'The Oracle of Delphi' (re-christened 'Into the Antiworld'for the English version) about a mythical Paul Dirac and his realisation of the implications of the prediction of antimatter and an antiworld. This was performed for the first time in the UK last year at the Bloomsbury Theatre, London to a total audience exceeding 1,000 people. This Award will fund a performance of the play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2002, presenting a unique opportunity to reach an audience without scientific knowledge, or possibly even initial interest.
Ms J Hartnell, Greendown School, Grange Park Way, Swindon, SN5 6HN.
Tel: 01793 874224 Email: [email protected]
£500 BRIDGING THE 'SPACE' BETWEEN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
A project allowing a member of Greendown Community School to visit local primary schools, to carry out investigative work based around the NASA/STFC Lunar Samples. This work will then be built upon during the students' first week of induction into Greendown School. The project will ease the transfer of primary pupils to secondary school and will provide an exciting focus for investigative work to be carried out during the induction period in secondary schools. Access to the lunar and meteorite samples will aid their understanding of both meteorite impacts and the problems of space exploration.
Mr A J Heywood,National Space Centre (link opens in a new window), Exploration Drive, Leicester, LE4 5NS. Tel: 0116 261 0261 Email: [email protected]
£8,100 'STARZ'.
A project to produce a planetarium programme catering for the demands of Key Stage 4 National Curriculum for Science. This programme will explore stellar evolution from birth to death, looking at the Sun as a typical main sequence star. The presenter-led programme will utilise imagery drawn from UK projects such as XMM Newton and SOHO to draw attention to the strong British involvement in space. Displays in the NSC will enable visitors to investigate the current status of these missions, and educational trails around the Centre will be developed. Teachers' Information packs will be available, both at the Centre and from the website prior to the visit. The videos produced will be made freely available to other UK centres.
Mr D J Hillier, Royal Observatory Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ.
Tel: 0131 668 8406 Email: [email protected]
£5,000 PILOT CPD PROGRAMME FOR 5-14 EARTH AND SPACE.
A pilot Continuing Professional Development Programme for teachers of the Scottish 'Earth and Space' 5-14 Curriculum, based upon findings of market research into the needs of Scottish science teachers. It involves collaboration with educationalists and teachers to build upon the inspirational value of both ROE itself, and science and technology. The project addresses the third strand of the repositioning of the ROE Visitor Centre (link opens in a new window) (the other two being new exhibitions presenting the ROE's heritage and modern astronomical science and technology, and outreach to schools and community groups).
Ms F J Holland, KU SEDS, School of Engineering, Kingston University, Roehampton Vale, London, KT2 6BD.
Tel: 07929 282408 E-mail: [email protected]
£1,000 UK SEDS 14th ANNUAL STUDENT SPACE CONFERENCE.
A contribution towards the cost of this event, having the theme of 'International Co- operation in Space'. The conference will take advantage of Kingston University's excellent links with Russia and its space activities, and will give special emphasis to the International Space University (link opens in a new window) (ISU) of which Kingston University is the only current UK Affiliate Campus. Planned activities include lectures, an outreach workshop for local schools based upon an Astrodome portable planetarium, a half-day rocketry workshop presented by MARS, and a Space Exhibition for universities with space-related courses and space companies.
Dr C J McFee, Space and Climate Physics, MSSL, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, RH5 6NT.
Tel: 01483 204229 Email: [email protected] £1,355 HANDS ON THE SOLAR SYSTEM- AN ASTRONOMICAL EXHIBITION.
A project to mount an exhibition at Godalming Museum (link opens in a new window) for one month, presenting the current state of understanding about the Solar System, and aimed principally at the 8-13 year old age group. The exhibition will be based around a series of posters, describing each planet together with other bodies. These will link to the many successful space missions involving MSSL, including Soho, Yohkoh, Solar-B, Cluster, Cassini, and the forthcoming Mars Express/ Beagle 2. Four themed days will involve a number of activities including talks and demonstrations.
Dr C K Mackay,HH Wills Physics Laboratory (link opens in a new window), University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TL.
Tel: 0117 928 8772 Email: [email protected]
£5,000 TAKING A REAL-TIME COSMIC RAY DETECTOR TO THE PUBLIC.
A contribution towards a project to purchase a portable, real-time cosmic ray detector, and to use this in effective visual demonstrations of modern physics phenomena in schools in the South West and South Wales, to attract students, teachers and the general public to the excitement of particle and nuclear physics. In particular, demonstrations can reveal the presence and properties of elementary particles such as electrons, photons, muons, hadrons and their interactions. Physical quantities such as charge, velocity, momentum, energy and the effects of special relativity can be revealed visually.
Dr A M Shaw, Techniquest, Stuart Street, Cardiff, CF10 5BW. Tel: 029 20 475 460 Email: [email protected]
£2,000 SHARING METEORITES TO ENRICH LEARNING IN SOUTH WALES.
Techniquest (link opens in a new window)'s current outreach programme includes events on astronomy for schools and other visitors on-site, and schools via the Starlab programme. This has involved using STFC's Lunar Sample Loan Scheme to enrich the Earth in Space programme for Key Stage 3 (11-14 year old) audiences. This Award will enable Techniquest to purchase a set of meteorite samples. This will both facilitate their own programmes and those of the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Cardiff University, and other local organisations will be invited to book the samples for their own events.
Mr J R Tate, The Spaceguard Centre, Llanshay Lane, Knighton, LD7 1LW.
Tel: 01547 520247 Email: [email protected]
£4,760 THE SPACEGUARD CENTRE
The Spaceguard Centre (link opens in a new window) aims to act as the Faulkes Telescope node for Mid/ North Wales, and is actively supporting the Faulkes Telescope project by assisting with one of the key research project areas, that of 'Near Earth Objects'. This project will provide funding for equipping the Centre with a network of five PCs to enable multiple access to the Internet. This will allow full participation in the Faulkes and Liverpool Telescope projects, as well as providing for access to other web-based educational material and software.
Mr C M Tracy, 16 Cranborne Road, Hatfield, AL10 8AP.
Tel: 01707 258075 E-mail: [email protected]
£4,500 BIG BANG ANIMATION AND RADIOACTIVITY WEB RESOURCES
A project to enhance the three related particle physics resources on the 'Schoolscience' website (link opens in a new window), by writing and developing an animation of the Big Bang aimed at Key Stage 4 pupils. This will allow users to drag a cursor along an interactive timescale, and have the effect of smoothly moving through a time tunnel back to the beginning of the universe, seeing representations of the major events in the universe's history.
Mr R Whale, Science Department, Hayesfield Technology College, Upper Oldfield Park, Bath, BA2 3LA.
Tel: 01225 4270005 Email: [email protected]
£620 DEVELOPING ROLE PLAYS ABOUT THE LIVES OF CAROLINE AND WILLIAM HERSCHEL.
A project to develop a series of role plays in collaboration with the Herschel Museum, for school parties visiting the museum. Targeted at secondary school students, these plays will reflect the lives of William and Caroline Herschel, the 18th century astronomers and discoverers of Uranus. Teaching materials, and a video will be produced, for sharing with other schools planning a visit to the museum.
Successful applicants in Round 2002B
Prof. JD Barrow, Cambridge University, DAMTP, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB3 0WA Tel: 01223 766696 Email: [email protected] £2,000: MATHS & SCIENCE TEACHING: VIDEO-CONFERENCING LINKS WITH PRIMARY SCHOOLS A contribution to support the 'Motivate' programme, developed by the Millennium Maths project. There are video conference links between a University researcher in maths, science or engineering and a primary or secondary school. The schools may then do some work on the topic discussed. Motivate has already involved 65 schools across the UK, including several in areas of social disadvantage. Any lectures and problems set are also published on the Web, so the programme is accessible for use in classrooms by schools not directly involved in the video conference. PPARC-funded science areas will be included in the programme.
Ms R Bertz, Satrosphere Ltd, The Tamsheds, 179 Constitution Street, Aberdeen, AB11 6LU. Tel: 01224 640340 Email: [email protected] £1,500: COSMIC EVENTS - SCIENCE OF THE SKY AT SATROSPHERE As part of Satrosphere's education programme, travel-sized exhibits will be used in programmes aimed at local schools. Children will go on a trail of Satrosphere's Earth and Space hands-on exhibits, then the Cosmic Dome show will take them on a tour of the planets and stars. Most of the school groups are in the 5-14 age range. The exhibits and Cosmic Dome will later be taken around the region as part of Satrosphere's outreach programme.
Ms S Brumpton, The Making Place, 3 Exmoor Street, London, W10 6BE. Tel: 020 8964 2684 Email: [email protected] £3,000: EARTH, SUN & MOON WORKSHOPS The Making Place is a purpose-built science and technology centre for children, teachers and families. It will extend its programme for Year 5 primary school pupils by adding a workshop on 'Earth, Sun and Moon' and by producing large quantities of 'Orrery Kits'. Over 10,000 children per year visit the centre.
Dr JL Collett, Physical Sciences Division, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB Tel: 01707 286073 Email: [email protected] £3,000: UK ASTRONOMY IN HAWAII The award will allow creative photographer Nik Szymanek to spend two weeks on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, obtaining images of UK telescopes there, the setting of one of the world's greatest observing sites, and night sky images. Nik will work with Dr Douglas Pierce-price, UK outreach officer at the Hawaii telescopes. The images will be published in articles etc and made available to all. Nik's website is http://homepages.tesco.net/~nik.szymanek/ccdland.htm where images will be placed.
Mrs C Conheeney, Science Dept, Tapton School, Darwin Lane, Sheffield, S10 5RG. Tel: 0114 2671414 E-mail: [email protected] £570: AN EVENING IN SPACE The evening targets late primary and early secondary school pupils and their families. It will include a visiting Stardome, talks by visiting Sheffield University scientists, demonstrations of the PPARC lunar samples and meteorites set, plus design and demonstration of rockets. Tapton school will invite local feeder primary schools to participate.
Dr GD Cowan, Physics Dept, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill, Egham, TW20 0EX. Tel: 01784 443452 E-mail: [email protected] £4,600: ASTROPHYSICS SUMMARY SHEETS The project is to design a set of summary sheets covering important aspects of modern astrophysics in a form suitable for A-level students. The design will draw on the very popular Particle Physics and Cosmology summary sheets that Holloway have produced. Topics may include telescopes and instruments, life cycle of stars, evolution of universe, extra-solar planets, black holes and gamma-ray bursts, and links to particle physics. One set will be sent to all Heads of Physics in schools teaching A-level physics with an invitation to order copies in bulk.
Mrs SC Doran, Science Faculty, Francis Bacon School, Drakes Drive, St Albans, AL1 5AR. Tel: 01727 859352 Email: [email protected] £546: THEATRE AND PLANETARIUM PRESENTATIONS FOR YEAR 7, 9 AND PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS The school will have an astronomy presentation in a visiting Stardome as part of pupils' studies of the Solar System and Beyond for age range 11-14. Most of the pupils live in urban areas where viewing the night sky is made difficult by light pollution. In addition, two local primary schools will visit Francis Bacon to use the Stardome. Secondly, the 'Quantum Theatre for Science' touring group will visit Year 9 classes: the performance covers the topics of gravity and space, albeit in the form of a 'zany cabaret'!
Dr JM Flynn, Physics & Astronomy Dept, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, S017 1BJ. Tel: 023 8059 2081 Email: [email protected] £1,350: PARTICLE PHYSICS WITH COFFEE AND HOBNOBS A pilot project to investigate the effectiveness of a friendly 'coffee morning' environment, in which carers of primary school aged pupils meet with a scientist and a professional educational consultant. The carers would be offered the chance to find out what their children study in the Earth & Space part of the curriculum, and later to consider modern developments in space science, astronomy and particle physics. This would mostly take place as informal discussion and dialogue.
Mrs J Foster, SETPOINT, Essex, 9 Marshbarns, Bishops Stortford, CM23 2QN. Tel: 01279 652811 Email: jayne,[email protected] £2,500: ALL ABOARD FOR A MISSION TO MARS The aim of the project, run by SETPOINT Essex, is to stimulate pupils interest in science and technology using a touring roadshow which travels within the LEA area. All equipment is carried in a Space Van. Young people can take part in activities centered around designing a mission to Mars, with a lander. The target audience is late primary and 11-14 year olds.
Mr P Hale, SETPOINT Wales, 15 Centre Court, Treforest Industrial Estate, Pontypridd, CF37 5YR. Tel: 01443 824 293 Email: [email protected] £4,540: GETSET/BETSET ASTRONOMY & SPACE WORKSHOPS The Girls/Boys Entering Tomorrow's Science Engineering and Technology programme includes workshops on technology-based subjects. Over 1000 pupils have participated in Wales. The current project will add a workshop on astronomy and space, letting young people discover how space probes gather data about planetary surfaces; how astronomers measure asteroid rotation periods; 'communications', 'impact cratering', 'signs of life' and 'image transmission'. It is planned to run 10 of these workshops per year, each with 80-120 children. The activities will be disseminated through the SETNET network.
Mrs JL Harwood, Thomas Hardye School, Yeovil, BA20 2HE. Tel: 01305 266064 E-mail: [email protected] £507: PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF ASTRONOMY The award supports the schools' teaching of astronomy and programme of events with the local community. The programme includes an 'Exploratorium', visits by a travelling planetarium, talks by local astronomers, visits by 6th formers to a local observatory, and an annual field trip to the UK telescopes on La Palma, Canary Islands.
Dr KG Isaak, Physics Dept, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HE. Tel: 01223 33 92 42 Email: [email protected] £4,000: SCHOOLS @ MULLARD RADIO ASTRONOMY OBSERVATORY, CAMBRIDGE This project will extend the programme of schools' visits to the radio astronomy observatory, currently limited to 6th forms, to the 11-16 age range. The observatory's outreach programme includes tours of the site, introductions to radio and optical astronomy, with display material. There is an annual Open Weekend which can attract over 3000 visitors. The award will fund three undergraduate summer studentships to develop poster and computer-based presentations and equipment for this programme.
Prof. SF King, Physics & Astronomy Dept, Southampton University, Highfield, Southampton, S017 1BJ. Tel: 023 8059 2056 Email: [email protected] £10,000: JOURNEY THROUGH TIME - A SOUND AND LIGHT EXTRAVAGANZA The aim is to produce a 'light and sound' extravaganza on CD-ROM using images and graphics to depict a journey back to the Big Bang. The CD will be sent to all secondary schools with the suggested use as a 'starter activity' for a science lesson (recommended now by Government as part of the new 11-16 strategy). The CD will also be made available to science centres around the UK. The 'show' starts with what we see today wit the Hubble Space telescope, and we journey back, watching simulations of galaxies forming and colliding, for example, through the formation of atoms to the first three minutes. Finally, a leap to CERN and its use of particle collisions today.
Dr MJ Lavelle, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA. Tel: 01752 232720 Email: [email protected] £5,000: WEIRD WORLDS: THE EXCITING FACE OF SCIENCE A contribution to an 8-week long exhibition Weird Worlds: The Exciting face of Science arranged by the University and the City of Plymouth in March/April2003. Physicists from the University will attend events and mount displays, and discuss issues with visitors. There will a special concentration on particle physics during the 5th week, when display apparatus loaned from the PPARC-funded national Particle Physics Exhibits Project will be on show, with university researchers as explainers.
Dr CJ McFee, Space & Climate Physics, MSSL, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, RH5 6NT Tel: 01483 274111 Email: [email protected] £2,520: THE SKY IS NO LIMIT - SCIENCE WEEK 2003 Contribution to a two-day exhibition at Horsham Town Hall, aimed at the general public and local schools. Staff from MSSL will promote their space science and engineering activities, including the missions SOHO, Cluster, SWIFT, Cassini/Huygens, Mars Express and the Beagle2 lander. There will be science and engineering talks on both days, targeted at age ranges 10-13 and 14-18.
Mrs AV Murphy, Midlands Area Science Network, National Federation of Women's Institutes, C/o 63 Stafford Road, Stone, ST15 OHE Tel: 01785 813416 E-mail: [email protected] £695: WI SPACE CASCADE CONFERENCE The aim is to increase awareness of space science and astronomy amongst members of the Women's Institute, by holding a one-day conference at the National Space Centre at Leicester. The delegates share what they learned with WI members in their own Federation area, and with the general public if appropriate. The conference will include a tour of the Centre, workshops on rocket science and on meteors & impacts on planets.
Dr GT Roberts, Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cyrmru, Maes yr Haul, Cross Inn, Pontyclun, CF72 8AG. Tel: 01443 228196 Email: [email protected] £5,000: INTERACTIVE EXHIBITION OF SPACE SCIENCE AT NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD OF WALES The award will support exhibitions at a Science and Technology Pavilion at the National Eisteddfod, held annually early in August. A major theme of the Pavilion will be Space, Astronomy and Collisions with Near Earth Objects. In collaboration with the Physics Department at Aberystwyth, the Eisteddfod will include information on current space science, including a mechanical model of the Solar System and Meteorite collisions.
Mr DHA Sandford-Smith, Curriculum Director, Association for Science Education, College Lane, Hatfield, AL10 9AA. Tel: 01707 283003 Email: [email protected] £4,000: RIDE ON A COMET This award will be use to develop a lesson to accompany the launch of the Rosetta, the European space mission to study and land on a comet. A lesson plan and resource materials will be disseminated to 500 teachers who subscribe to a pilot 'topical science on demand' service ('Science UPD8'). It is hoped that the materials will be used by at least 100 teachers and 6000 pupils aged 11-14. The lesson will cover the purpose and science of the mission, helping pupils understand the composition of comets ('atoms, elements and compounds') and their role in the Solar System. Web pages, Pupils Sheets and Teachers' Notes will be put on the Website The Association for Science Education Website (link opens in a new window)
Mr CM Tracey, Industry Supports Education, 16 Cranborne Road, Hatfield, AL10 8AP. Tel: 01707 258075 Email: [email protected] £7,000: A PARTICLE UNIVERSE This project will provide a free interactive resource on the Web for post-16 physics students. The resource will be built around a 'timeline' of the Big Bang, telling the story of the evolution of particles and showing how discoveries of the 20th century helped us build up this picture. The resource adds to the 'World of Particles' (GCSE-level) already supported by PPARC and on the School Science Website (link opens in a new window).
Public Understanding of Science and Technology
Successful applicants in Round 2003A
Mr S Anwar, Cove School, Cove, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 9RN Tel: 01252 542397 E- mail: [email protected] EARTH & SPACE LEARNING ENHANCEMENT PROJECT - AWARD £500 A proposal to hire a planetarium to deliver a number of sessions to Cove School Year 7 pupils and Year 6 pupils from Cove School's feeder primary schools. There will also be twilight sessions for members of the general public, with preference to parents of involved pupils. The intention is to combine the Planetarium sessions with the loan of the PPARC lunar and meteorite samples to enhance the learning and understanding of Earth and its place in the universe, and to instil awe and wonder at mankind's achievements in reaching the Moon.
Prof. M E Bailey, Armagh Observatory, College Hill, Armagh, N. Ireland, BT61 9DG Tel: 028 3752 2928 E-mail: [email protected] THE HUMAN ORRERY - AWARD £3,000 A project centred on an outdoor exhibit featuring an accurate scale model of the positions and orbits of the six naked-eye planets, two comets, and an asteroid. This thought provoking and interesting exhibit will explain and promote solar system astronomy, whilst linking to other sciences, including mathematics. In particular, it will help explain Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion in a fun and interesting way, with accompanying leaflets and activity sheets. The exhibit is expected to involve around 10,000 visitors every year, and also lends itself to copying at other locations, either as a permanent or temporary exhibit, indoors or outdoors.
Mr D Baker, Festival of Science and Innovation, 21 Bishop Street, Derry, BT48 6PR Tel: 028 71 286700 E-mail: [email protected] DIALOGUES AND DEBATES - AWARD £3,590 A project to promote dialogue and debate about key areas and hot topics in PPARC science, ranging from particle physics to cosmology. The aim is to facilitate interaction between scientists/ writers and young people and the general public, but to escape the usual formal academic settings for venues more usually associated with leisure and entertainment, such as theatres, restaurants and public houses. Two 'question time' events, with a panel of scientists interviewed by a local media presenter in front of an audience, will have edited highlights aired on BBC Radio Foyle.
Dr D G Cussans, University of Bristol, HH Wills Physical Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, Avon, BS8 1TL Tel: 0117 928 8772 E-mail: [email protected] AN AFFORDABLE COSMIC RAY DETECTOR FOR EDUCATION - AWARD £7,000 A proposal to address one of the fundamental problems facing the communication of particle physics - making the invisible visible. By using relatively inexpensive technologies, the project aims to put devices capable of detecting cosmic ray-muons into the hands of schools and higher educational institutes without relying on the availability of second-hand, large HEP apparatus. Using two detectors in coincidence the rate and angular distribution of cosmic ray-muons can be measured and air-showers can be observed - thereby involving ideas of both particle physics and astronomy.
Ms L Dunlop, Science Faculty, The Grove School, Darwell Close, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, TN38 9JP Tel: 01424 431691 E-mail: [email protected] LIFT-OFF HASTINGS - AWARD £2,000 Lift-off Hastings aims to engage young people and families with rocket science through the provision of interactive, hands-on rocket science activities. The programme is aimed at the Grove Rockets Club, pupils at local feeder primary schools, and the wider community. The latter will be achieved by the holding of rocket play activities at the regular 'Play in the Park' events held in Alexandra Park in Hastings during August, and interactive rocket science shows and a 'rocket science' exhibition at Herstmonceux Science Centre.
Dr M M Dworetsky, University College London, 553 Watford Way, Mill Hill, London, NW7 2QS Tel: 020 8959 0421 E-mail: [email protected] ASTRONOMY IN THE CLASSROOM: SCHOOL VISITS FOR KS2, KS3 AND KS4 - AWARD £5,000 This proposal will continue and expand the pilot study, funded via a previous Small Award, which began in October 2002. In response to a slightly disappointing take-up by schools in the pilot, the applicants are widening the geographical area, and increasing the available dates and times for the Solar Astronomy and Daytime Observatory visits to coincide with improving weather conditions and higher position of the Sun in the sky. Dr Diego has devised a range of lectures for school visiting lectures. Furthermore, the media, schools and general public are to be involved in visiting the Observatory during the transit of Venus in 2004.
Dr K E R England, University of Manchester, Jodrell Bank Observatory, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 9DL Tel: 0161 275 3830 E-mail: [email protected] INTERPRETATION BOARDS FOR NEW OBSERVATION PATHWAY AROUND LOVELL TELESCOPE - AWARD £9,800 The Lovell Telescope has recently undergone a major upgrade, which has significantly improved its performance and secured its operation for the foreseeable future. Visitor facilities, currently used by an average of 130,000 people per year, are now also to undergo radical redevelopment. The first stage will involve removal of the existing Science Centre buildings, the opening of an interim Visitor Centre, and the development of a 'country park' type of access to the Telescope. This Award is for the design and development of twelve outdoor interpretation boards for the first phase of this observation pathway.
Dr L M Green, Department of Applied Sciences, University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan, CF37 1DL Tel: 01443 482865 E-mail: [email protected] ALIEN WORLDS - AWARD £1,000 A project aiming to use the excitement and wonder of astronomy to teach the key skills of mathematics and information technology to underprivileged post-16 groups in deprived areas of the South Wales valleys. This will be achieved via a series of community courses, entitled 'Alien Worlds' with the theme of 'Life in the Universe'. The course is set at NVQ Level 3, and successful completion will give students 20 credits towards a degree qualification. The course uses robotic telescopes, therefore complementing the Faulkes and National Schools Observatory project, with simpler but personal projects. Purchase of bilingual planispheres, binoculars and hand-held spectroscopes with this Award will allow the undertaking of simple observational projects in both solar and evening astronomy.
Dr M Lancaster, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT Tel: 0207 7855 472095 E-mail: [email protected] A COSMIC RAY DETECTOR FOR SCHOOLS TALKS - AWARD £3,400 An Award to address the question frequently asked at the end of particle physics talks in schools: 'How do we know this is real?' The project aims to produce a durable and easily portable cosmic ray detector that can illustrate, in a highly visual manner, the existence of cosmic rays and their trajectories. The proposed detector will utilise state of the art equipment in order to highlight the cutting edge technology deployed in particle physics experiments. Support materials, including posters, web-based materials and small scintillator pieces, will be produced to assist schools in further classroom discussions, and to educate schoolchildren in the physics of cosmic rays and particle detection.
Dr H E Mason, Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB3 0WA. Tel: 01223 337898 E-mail: [email protected] SUN/TREK TOURS THE UK - AWARD £6,000 Sun/Trek (previously SolarMax) is a programme of promotional and educational materials designed to promote Solar Physics and Solar-Terrestrial Physics (STP). It aims to explain the latest research, with information about space missions such as the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and Cluster, and to provide educational resources linking these science areas with the UK schools' curricula (11-15 year olds). This Award is to enable the local promotion of Sun/trek throughout the UK via a mobile display and the services of young and local solar researchers. At each location small and targeted workshops would also be held for both teachers and schoolchildren, using twilight sessions and INSET training days.
Dr R T Mist, ECSITE UK, c/o The BA, 23 Savile Road, London, W1S 2EZ Tel: 01483 420261 E- mail: [email protected] SCIZMIC, THE SCIENCE DISCOVERY CLUB NETWORK - AWARD £3,640 Science and engineering clubs are a recognised way of raising both the profile of science in schools and the aspirations and achievements of students. A programme already initiated with funding from Planet Science has allowed the development of eight 'Exploring the Solar System' events at science centres across England. PPARC funding will allow the extension of this project into Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Innovative resources, each based on a solar system planet, will be designed, developed, trialed and distributed. Each science centre event will include a talk from a postgraduate student or post-doctoral researcher, at least one hands-on workshop, to include activities that can be repeated or continued by the school after the event, and a chance to explore without charge an area of each science centre.
Ms J L Northway, Spacefund, Observatory House, St. Radigunds Street, Canterbury, CT1 2AA Tel: 01227 459485 E-mail: [email protected] KIDS IN SPACE DISADVANTAGED SCHOOLS TOUR - AWARD £6,977 An Award to support a tour of the award-winning 'Kids in Space' show, focussing on twenty- five financially and socially disadvantaged primary schools in Lancashire and the Isle of Thanet in Kent. The show is a fun and memorable event for 4-11 year olds, both leaving a lasting impression and instilling a genuine interest in space. About 20,000 children have already seen the show; this project will allow the show to reach between 2,500 and 3,750 further children, bringing the solar system to life in a way that is both educational and inspirational.
Dr S Serjeant, School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent at Canterbury, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NR. Tel: 01227 827346 E-mail: [email protected] TWO KENT SPACE SCHOOLS IN AUGUST 2003 - AWARD £1,200 An Award to fund two Space Summer Schools at the University of Kent in August 2003 for around 70 schoolchildren aged 14+. The aims of these Summer Schools are : to inspire students from all backgrounds about astronomy, astrophysics and space science; to promote and explain the internationally recognised frontier research funded by PPARC; to encourage links between local schools and university educators; and to encourage dialogue and debate between cutting-edge researchers and the general public. The design, construction and launch of model rockets will feature strongly in the schools, overseen by the Kent Amateur Rocket Team (KART).
Mr D Smith, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH. Tel: 0116 252 3519 E-mail: [email protected] SCIENTIFIC SATELLITES EDUCATIONAL CARD GAME - AWARD £4,500 A contribution towards a project to develop a pilot study, itself funded by an earlier Small Award. This pilot study developed an educational card game called 'Voyager: Satellites'. This was based on 32 satellites, past and present, covering a range of both scientific goals and funding space agencies. The card game has now been trialed in three local schools, and this Award is for the extended production of the developed cards and associated companion notes.
Dr V J Smith, HH Wills Physical Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TL Tel: 0117 928 8740 E-mail: [email protected] POSITRON PEEPSHOW - AWARD £5,300 An Award to develop a display for museums, schools and science centres, exhibiting Paul Dirac's contribution to our understanding of the world, to commemorate the recent centenary of his birth. The Award will fund the building of a small continuously-sensitive cloud chamber, placed between the poles of an existing magnet, to contrast the behaviour of beta+ and beta- particles emitted from respective radioactive sources. The exhibit therefore follows the method employed by Anderson in the original observation of the positron. When completed, the exhibit will be available for loan to other bodies, including the existing Particle Physics Exhibits Project, funded by a PPARC National Award.
Dr H J Walker, Space Science Department, CCLRC, Chilton, Didcot, OX11 OQX Tel: 01235 446490 E-mail: [email protected] UPDATE AND EXTENSION OF 'CAREERS FOR GIRLS WITH A VISION' - AWARD £2,155 The brochure 'Careers for Girls with a Vision - Astronomy and Geophysics' was launched in November 2002 with funding from a previous Small Award, and input from the Royal Astronomical Society. Addressing the concern that many science-inclined girls are dissuaded by pursuing scientific studies by negative stereotyping, young women describe their work and motivation, and talk of balancing careers with family life. There are also profiles of more senior scientists. This Award, together with RAS funding, will enable both updating of the brochure to include representation of an ethnic minority, and production of further brochures and A3 posters.
Ms C M Watson, Science Line, International House, 7 High Street, Ealing, London, W5 5DB Tel: 020 8799 9045 E-mail: [email protected] IMPROVING CLARITY OF INFORMATION VIA PHYSICS ANIMATIONS - AWARD £4,500 Science Line provides free science information via its telephone helpline and website, using its team of experienced scientists. This Award will enable improvement of 'Night Patrol', one of the more popular sections of the website, increasing its accessibility by the addition of animations and illustrations. This will be achieved both by reproduction of existing material supplied by other organisations, and the development of original material, in-house. Science Line will take the opportunity of forging lasting partnerships with such organisations as the National Space Centre, the British Astronomical Association and Jodrell Bank Science Centre.
Dr M A Whalley, Newcastle Community High School, Ostend Place, Westlands, Newcastle- under-Lyme, ST5 2QY Tel: 01782 297428 E-mail: [email protected] THE WESTLANDS SUN DIAL - AWARD £569 A project to construct a sundial, covering an area 4m x 4m, on wasteland adjoining Newcastle Community High School and neighbouring Westlands Primary School. The schools are located in an area of social deprivation and associated low aspirations among young people. This project will hopefully raise the profile of science as a subject, and increase the interest of both pupils and parents. Once constructed, other local primary schools will be invited to take part in sundial workshops.
Successful applicants in Round 2003B
Mrs SJ Rose, Eden Court Theatre, Bishops Road, Inverness, IV3 5SA Tel: 01463 239841 Email: [email protected]
Award: £5,000
DOME-SOLAIS
A project to offer presentations in a portable planetarium to schools throughout the Scottish Highlands. This Award will kick-start the project by use of the portable planetarium, through tours and through staff development. All presentations will be scripted by Highland Council science teachers, who will also produce the accompanying notes. The presentations will be performed by Eden Court Theatres own team of youth theatre arts workers, based in outlying parts of the Highlands.
The children and young people in the Highlands are disadvantaged by the remoteness of the region, and because of transport difficulties they lack the access to opportunities that their peers in more urban or central areas may benefit from. But the wide horizons and long winter nights with skies unaffected by light pollution makes an early understanding of what they can see important for their education, enjoyment and appreciation of their environment.
After the initial tour, there will be in-service opportunities for teaching staff in the region to enable them to make use of the equipment at their school.
Dr A Charalambous, Physics & Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT Tel: 020 7679 9016 Email: [email protected]
Award: £5,000
Science outreach through young artists @ CERN
A project to celebrate the 50th anniversary of CERN, bringing together the worlds of art and science & technology to make use of the wide media cover for the celebrations. Young artists studying at prestigious UK art schools will be taken to CERN, to produce works inspired by their visit. These will be exhibited at the art schools, a Young Artists@CERN exhibition, and at the celebrations themselves. Further plans may include websites, a Touring Exhibition, and a video documentary. In addition to the UK initiative, a number of European art schools will also be involved. The exhibitions will be supported by display materials explaining the science behind the artworks.
Mr D Cockbaine, Dorset Asset & Valter Prize Trust, 60 Broadwater Ave, Poole, Dorset BH14 8QH Tel: 01202 745715 Email: [email protected]
Award: £600.00
Schools project: Detection and measurement of cosmic radiation
A project to pilot the construction of a simple Geiger counter and counting circuit that can be used to measure cosmic activity, from plumbers materials. This will demonstrate to schools that a Geiger counter is relatively easy to make from easily available materials, and that the electronics are also readily available. It is hoped that this will initiate and sustain schools interest in particle physics.
Mr KD Skeldon, Physics & Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Kelvin Building, Glasgow G12 8Q Tel: 0141 330 2047 Email: [email protected]
Award: £7,000.00
One small step, many giant myths - Debunking moon hoax theories
A project directed at the increasingly significant number who harbour doubts that the Moon landings actually took place, believing them to be hoaxed as part of a NASA conspiracy. The Award holder has identified that a common thread running through Moon Hoax books, websites and documentaries is a poor grasp of the basic astrophysics on which the claims are based, instead drawing analogies to conditions on Earth. This project will adapt the simple experiments described by author Philip Plaitt, in a series of lectures, to both stem the tide of belief in Moon Hoax theories, but also to stimulate interest in science and the use of scientific experimentation.
Dr A Sopczak, Dept. of Physics, Lancaster University,Lancaster LA1 4YB Tel: 01524 593615 Email: [email protected]
Award: £9,974.00
The Lancaster Particle Physics Package
The Lancaster Particle Physics Package was developed through a previous Small Award in order to introduce particle physics experiments into the classroom. The interactive package covers a wide range of aspects of teaching particle physics, and has proved to be very successful, reaching thousands of school students and the general public. This Award will able updating of the package, to reflect both the experience gained in the practical application of the package, and the rapid improvements in computer technology, particularly faster CPU speeds and improved graphics capabilities.
Dr GT McKee, School of Systems Engineering, University of Reading, PO Box 225, Whiteknights, Reading, Berks RG6 6AY Tel: 01189 318609 Email: [email protected]
Award: £4,385.00
A UK/Mars station network
A project to establish four Mars Stations, a concept developed by the Planetary Society to give both schoolchildren and adults the experience of actively exploring an unknown, remote environment. A Mars Station comprises a diorama, a physical simulation of a specific geographical area of Mars that can be explored remotely via the Internet. A Red Rover, composed of lego components, allows the website visitor to explore the diorama by driving the rover around the terrain. Visitors can be set challenges, such as retrieving samples. The UK network of Mars Stations will contribute to the international effort, led by the Planetary Society, to establish a global network of such stations.
Mr BA Notarianni, Northumberland Astronomical Society, 9 The Fairway, High Hauxley, Northumberland NE65 0JW Tel: 01665 712795 Email: [email protected]
Award: £3,000.00
Discover Space
The Northumberland Astronomical Society has been running a public outreach programme for the local community for two years. This Award is to help overcome the inherent difficulties in organising outdoor visual observation sessions for large groups of people. The Award will contribute to plans including mounting CCD cameras on the telescope with a video camera to enable the projection of real-time images onto an indoor screen. A website will be created to encourage those members of the public inspired by the presentations to pursue their interest further. The society will also launch the NASTRO 75 Binocular Challenge, in which participants must observe 50 of the 75 objects listed as being observable from the UK throughout a year.
Dr PD Roche, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, Cardiff University, PO Box 913, 5 The Parade, Cardiff, South Glamorgan CF24 3YB Tel: 029 2087 5121 Email: [email protected]
Award: £7,000.00
Exploring meteorite mysteries
A project which aims to tap into the inherent excitement of handling ancient meteorites in order to stimulate interest in astronomy, particularly at this period of planetary science activities. Using meteorite samples purchased under a previous Small Award, the Award holder will collate a number of sets of eight meteorite samples, representing examples of the main classes of meteorite, suitable for simple analysis and investigation in a school laboratory. The packs will be supplemented by a CD-ROM, containing a number of PowerPoint presentations, plus a UK version of the NASA Exploring Meteorite Mysteries educational resource pack, which is pertinent to all ages from 10 18 years old.
Mrs DL Gault, 132 Knock Road, Ballymony, Dervock BT53 8AA Tel: 028 207 41712 Email: [email protected]
Award: £2,000.00
The Rovers Return
A contribution to a project in which a team of Year 12 students will initially undertake to design a Martian rover using Lego robotics units, before progressing to a vernier robotics system. A second parallel group of Year 11 students, working in parallel and sharing information, will investigate the extension of the first groups work to consider the evolution of the lander into a craft capable of landing and moving on Mars. This second group will not construct a working model, which would obviously be beyond the technical resources available, but will build a scale model but will provide technical specifications and a mission concept. Presentations by both groups will inspire other students before all Year 10 Physics students undertake a Lego robotics project in June.
Ms P John, School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, Hampshire SO17 1BJ Tel: 023 8059 2159 Email: [email protected]
Award: £540.00
The Light Express Roadshow
The Light Express Roadshow was developed to foster an enthusiasm for science, particularly among GCSE and A level age groups. The Roadshow uses a high-powered multi-wavelength laser light show, a highly visual lecture and demonstration, and a set of hands-on activities to demonstrate photonics applications as a free service to schools. This Award will enable the holders to encourage and enthuse a broader student group about the value of studying science, through exposure to demonstrations and interactive exhibits; to raise the profile of the Universitys School of Physics and Astronomy; and to benefit teachers by providing both support for the curriculum and the opportunity to meet university staff and accompanying post-graduate students.
Mr CM Tracy, 16 Cranborne Road, Hatfield AL10 8AP Tel: 01707 258075 Email: [email protected]
Award: £5,000.00
The Particle Universe A contribution towards the cost of a free, web-based resource to develop and complement the stories about particle physics found in the Inside Atoms resource. The Particle Universe will explore current theories about the origin and evolution of the Universe, stellar observations, the life cycle of stars, nuclear fusion and some quantum mechanical ideas. This will help teachers by specifically supporting the cosmology and astrophysics units in the new Physics AS and A2 courses. The resource will include interactive diagrams, animations and quick questions. The project also aims To capture the interest of post-16 year-old Physics students and to encourage them to study Physics at a higher level, and to capture the interest of non-Physics students and the general public.
Mr W McClune, Grad School of Education, Queens University Belfast, 69 University Street, Belfast, County Antrim BT7 1HL Tel: 028 90 335941 Email: [email protected]
Award: £9,900.00
Learning Science, Making News
This project proposes to capitalise on the large number of newsworthy events expected in the areas of astronomy and space exploration over the next two years. The aims are to make young people aware of how space science is presented in the media, to develop teachers experience and expertise in promoting partnerships between the scientific community, the media and their schools, and to contribute to the publics understanding of science via the reporting of astronomy-related topics in the Northern Ireland press, whether regional, provincial, local or community. Pupils from five schools, aided by science and media studies or English teachers, will research and write astronomy-related articles for publication. They will then be helped by an astronomy expert and a local journalist to develop their work further, with the eventual expectation of publication.
Dr RM Massey, Royal Observatory Greenwich, Greenwich, London SE10 9NF Tel: 020 8312 6735 Email: [email protected]
Award: £6,000.00
Stellar Evolution: The life and death of stars
A contribution to the updating and reprinting of the successful booklet Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of Stars, first produced by the ROG in 2001. This booklet describes the formation, evolution and death of stars, using images from the HST, ESO and AAO; and bespoke diagrams created by Dr Catchpole of ROG to explain astrophysical processes. The booklet supports the Earth and Beyond section of the English national curriculum at KS4, GCSE Astronomy, and the Cosmology and Astrophysics components of various A level syllabi. Although the booklet has a national focus, the producers have a key target of increasing the participation in astronomy, space science and physics-related education by students from socially-excluded backgrounds.
Mr S Ballard, Education Dept. Magna Science Adventure Centre, Sheffield Road, Sheffield, S. Yorks S60 1DX Tel: 01709 723103 Email: [email protected]
Award: £5,000.00
The World's largest expansion cloud chamber
This project aims to capitalise on the appearance of the Leeds Cloud Chamber (LCC) in the BBC Horizon programme The Hunting of the Quark. A continuously-working cloud chamber, fabricated on site, will be the focus of an exhibition about fundamental particles, to provide a teaching resource targeting KS1 and KS2 pupils. The graphical displays, text resources and content will be developed by AS and A2 Physics students from Wath Comprehensive School. A key achievement will be the involvement of post-16 year-old students in the creation of materials for a specific target audience. The Magna Centre will itself fund the accompanying display of the LCC itself, together with footage from The Hunting of the Quark showing the LCC in action
Successful Applicants in Round 2004B
Dr ME Aderin, Sira Technology Limited, South Hill, Chislehurst, Kent, BR7 5EH,
TEL: 01482 826 207 E-Mail: [email protected]
A TOUR OF THE UNIVERSE, AWARD £6,000
A contribution towards a project that will aim to encourage young people to consider a scientific career. The scheme will entail visits to schools (primary and secondary) by Dr Aderin. A series of talks and demonstrations will be given around a central theme, A Tour of the Universe. These will be very visual and as interactive as possible with small competitions and audience participation. The school visit will also include an opportunity for informal discussions with the students as part of their science classes. During these periods Dr Aderin will be available to share her experiences of being a professional scientist. The scheme will convey experience and enthusiasm to children who will benefit from seeing a female scientist from an ethnic minority group. This pilot scheme is set to run from April 2005 for a year and during this period 16 or more visits will be arranged.
Mr BE Anderson, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT. TEL: 020 7679 7803 E-Mail: [email protected]
ESTABLISHING A TOUR FOR THE YOUNG ARTISTS@CERN EXHIBITION, AWARD: £3000
A contribution towards establishing a UK tour of the exhibition of art work produced by the Young Artists@CERN project. This follows a PPARC Small Award which produced artwork exhibited at CERN as part of the official CERN 50th birthday celebrations. The UK tour will extend the use made of this existing artwork and is timed for Einstein Year (2005), which will raise interest in the tour and also the art/science. The young artists@CERN project targeted school-aged art and science pupils and a tour during 2005/6 will continue to include this group but will also reach a larger audience.
Mrs C Angharad, Institute of Physics, Ysgol Gyfun Cum Rhymni, Gelli Haf Road, Fleur de Lys, Blackwood, NP12 3JQ
Tel: 02920 756980 E-Mail: [email protected]
STARS IN YOUR EYES, AWARD £3,500
A contribution to sponsor activities in the Science pavilion, at the National Urdd Eisteddfod youth festival. The award will be used to hire Starlab from Techniquest as the central exhibit. Other related activities will be provided that will encourage young people to explore the relevance of physics is to them. Talks will be held for the general public, as well as for teachers at Key Stages 2 and 3, on a daily basis. Following the festival, schools will be visited to promote science using drama, the Starlab, speakers and competitions.
DR CJ Axon, The BA Bristol & Bath branch,
TEL: 01225 383 248 E-Mail: [email protected]
EINSTEIN COMES TO RADSTOCK, AWARD: £2,500 To celebrate Einstein year the BA Bristol and Bath Branch are working closely with Radstock Museum to organise various science-related events which have proved very popular with a wide cross section of the community including families, young people, and adults. The Einstein comes to Radstock project will include a special programme of Particle Physics, Astronomy and Space Science to celebrate Einstein year, including talks on topics related to Einstein, astronomy, space science and cosmology, and an open air family build a rocket event.
Prof MA Barstow, University of Leicester, Dept Physics & Astronomy, Leicester
LE1 7RH
TEL: 0116 252 3492 E-Mail: [email protected]
SPACEROX: A PLANETARY ANALOGUE SAMPLE COLLECTION FOR HAND ON SCIENCE, AWARD: £9,332
SpaceROX is a programme of hands-on workshops based on planetary geology, a subject that incorporates many key disciplines within the national curriculum - including physics, chemistry, biology and technology. The award will be used to create and maintain a collection of specimens illustrating the types of material to be found on Mars, Mercury, the Moon, Venus, Io and some asteroids. They will be suitable for use in the workshops, provide training for National Space Centre presenters in the basics of planetary geology and operate the workshops over a trial period. These workshops will be incorporated into the education programme during term time. To reach the widest audience possible the workshops will be located at the National Space Centre in Leicester.
Mr D E Berry, Sir John Leman High School, Rings field Road, Eccles, Suffolk, NR34 9PG.
TEL: 01502 713223 E-mail: [email protected]
SIXTH FORM EDUCATIONAL VISIT TO PHYSICS IN PERSPECTIVE 2005, AWARD £4185
A contribution to the travel and accommodation costs of sixth form physics students and accompanying teachers to the Physics in Perspective Event at University College and The Royal Institution, London on 20th to 22nd February 2005. The visit will raise awareness of the relevance of modern physics and will lead to the formation of a science after-school club at which sixth formers will present ideas and fun physics activities to lower school members of the club.
Dr A J Coates, University College London, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey. RH5 6NT.
TEL: 01483 204100 E-mail: [email protected]
THE SKY IS NO LIMIT SCIENCE WEEK 2005, AWARD £1650
A contribution towards The Sky is No Limit a Science Week event at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory. This will provide an exciting environment to will encourage future participation in science, engineering and technology. Science Week events include interactive demonstrations, displays and topical discussions with scientists. In addition PCs with astronomy software will be available for use by all to ensure that the education is taken back to the classroom. Quizzes and prizes, along with handouts and CD ROMs will be made available to be taken. The week will finish with an evening lecture open to the general public.
MR JP Dooris, Rift House Primary School, Masefield Rd, Hartlepool. TS25 4JY
TEL: 01429 275239 E-Mail: [email protected]
MAPPING THE MOON, AWARD £788.50
Mapping the Moon is designed to build upon a series of astronomical activities that pupils, staff and parents have taken part in at Rift House Primary School. The activity will take place over a period of two lunar months. Over that period the pupils will carry out a series of observations of the moon during different phases. These observations will be recorded using a Meade Lunar Planetary Imager and will be used as the starting point for a modelling a 3D image of the Moon using papier mache and other suitable materials. The award will enable the children to show the work they have undertaken at the festivities for Hartlepools Science Week.
DR MM Dworetsky, University of London Observatory, (University College London), 553 Watford Way, Mill Hill Park, London NW7 2QS
TEL: 020 8959 0421 E-Mail: [email protected]
HYDROGEN ALPHA PORTABLE TELESCOPE FOR SCHOOL VISIT
AWARD: £3,300
A project to enable a large number of pupils to view the Sun, through the use of a small portable instrument on a tripod, from their own classrooms. This safe portable solar H-alpha telescope will help complement lectures by providing a visually exciting outlet and stimulate interest and discussion. The telescope will then be used in Dr Francisco Diegos lecture tour of schools in the Greater London area.
DR PJ Edwards, Department of Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE
TEL: 0191 334 3782 E-Mail: [email protected]
FROM FUNDAMENTAL PARTICLES TO GALAXIES AND THE UNIVERSE, AWARD £7,111
Following a PPARC National Award to the universities of Durham and Sheffield, July 2002 saw the start of an ambitious public outreach programme in particle physics and astronomy for the North of England. The primary target of the programme is 11-16 year old school children and their teachers, with the focus on exploring the origins of the Universe, the properties of the fundamental particles and the nature of the dark matter. This award will fund the production and distribution of teaching resources developed as part of the programme. These will be distributed to schoolsin the North East of England and will be widely publicised.
Professor B Foster, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford. OX1 3RH.
TEL: 01865 273323 E-mail: [email protected]
SUPERSTRINGS PARTICLE PHYSICS AND COSMOLOGY IN WORDS, PICTURES AND MUSIC, AWARD £5000 A project to use the platform of the World Year of Physics/Einstein Year (WYP) to convey the current status of particle physics and cosmology, and their cultural significance, to young people and to new audiences. This will be achieved by combining stunning images and the historical context of Einsteins work, which has led to the modern synthesis of gravitation and particle physics in Superstring concepts, with specially commissioned music, designed to complement and enliven the exposition and played by one the UKs most exciting young violin virtuosos. The links between physics and music are both deep and long standing. Many of the worlds most famous physicists have been gifted musicians. The lecture will use a mixture of the classical violin repertoire with music especially composed for the lecture. The music will be divided into several movements, which will be played either to illustrate a self-explanatory slide sequence or to provide an illustration in music of the ideas in the adjacent sections of the talk. Performances are planned mainly in local schools and are to be offered to major science festivals.
MRS JLF Fox, Spacefund, Educational Business Partnership, Kent Innovation Centre, Thanet Reach Business Park, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 2QQ
TEL: 01227 459485 E-Mail: [email protected]
SCIENCE FAMILY FUN DAY, AWARD £700
A proposal, to run a Science Family Fun Day during the 2005 summer half term at Reigate College in Surrey. Parents will be able to engage with their children in a number of activities, including a light hearted tour of the solar system, a look at the night sky in an inflatable explorer dome, a chance to see real moondust, construct models with KNex, see the sun through a solar telescope and launch an air pressured rocket.
Dr V Gibson, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN.
TEL: 01223 337373 E-mail: [email protected]
HUNT THE HIGGS PLAYING CARD GAME FOR THE PROMOTION AND TEACHING OF PARTICLE PHYSICS, AWARD £8542
The project is to produce a novel playing card game called Hunt the Higgs. The game provides an excellent introduction to the fundamental particles and forces of nature and the ups and downs of large Particle Physics experiments. The players will become familiar with matter particles (quarks and leptons) and the interactions between them, as well as the force carrying bosons and the elusive Higgs Boson. The game is also designed to be used as a teaching aid within the classroom where the cards can be displayed as a summary of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. The game was designed by the applicant and tested on Undergraduate, Postgraduate and A-level physics students. The award will be used to finalise the design, manufacture and deliver 1000 copies of the playing card game to schools that participate in the annual Masterclass and audiences at many other events.
Ms L Greenald, The Craven Museum, Town Hall, High Street, Skipton, North Yorkshire. BD23 1AH
TEL: 01756 706407 E-mail: [email protected]
EXPLORING SPACE, SCIENCE WEEK 2005, AWARD: £775
Exploring space is an interactive travelling exhibition which will be on show from early February until the end of March 2005. The funding is for one weeks hire of an indoor planetarium. This will be used as a starting point for a series of activities aimed at schools, special needs groups and the general public as part of the museums activities for National Science Week 2005.
Ms PM Lawton, Kirklees Metropolitan Council, The Stables, Ravensknowle Park, Wakefield Road, Huddersfield, HD5 8DJ
TEL: 01484 223803 E-Mail: [email protected]
SPACE INVADERS, AWARD: £1,300
As part of National Science Week and Einstein year this particular event and project will take place at Oakwell Hall Country Park on March 13 2005. This free public event will aim to promote family learning and will feature a Planetarium, a creative writing activity linked to PPARCs Express to Mars pack and technology workshop that will involve making a Mars rover using KNEX construction kits and a geological workshop where children will study lunar samples borrowed from PPARC and compare them with the terrestrial rocks in the museums collection. The public event will then be followed by three days of school visits. The visits are aimed at KS2 children and will be offered as part of the outreach programme to schools in areas of economic deprivation.
Mr MS Di Maggio, Glasgow Science Centre, 50 Pacific Quay, Glasgow. G51 1EA
TEL: 0141 420 5010 x310 E-Mail: [email protected]
SERIES OF MONTHLY EVENING PLANETARIUM LECTURES AND SHOWS
AWARD: £5,000
This project is a series of lectures held at the ScottishPower Planetarium. This award will allow speakers (including PPARC funded scientists) to use this unique facility to illustrate their presentations. Speakers will be able to add a strong planetarium component to their presentation, resulting in a unique experience for the audience, allowing them to enjoy an astronomy experience with the benefit of a realistic sky.
DR N Marshall, Lancaster Girls Grammar School, Regent Street, Lancaster. LA1 1SF
TEL: 01663 740070 E-mail: [email protected]
SPACED OUT: A PIECE OF THE UNIVERSE COMES TO BRITAIN
AWARD: £5,000
A contribution towards 'Spaced out', an exciting and innovative project that embraces Science, Technology and Visual Art. This is a large model of the Solar System, accurately scaled to envelop the entire UK from Cornwall to the Shetland Isles. This will create a national resource available to all pupils and educators; it will also establish a learning environment with which to engage the wider general public. This will encourage pupils to gain a deeper understanding of our Solar System, to develop closer collaborations across traditional subject boundaries and to raise the profile of Astronomy and Space Science in the UK.
Prof. R Marshall, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL
TEL: 0161 275 4170 E-mail: [email protected]
EINSTEINS FIRST LECTURE IN BRITAIN, AWARD: £3,000
To re-enact Einsteins first lecture in Britain, which was given at the University of Manchester at 5pm on 9th June 1921. The lecture will be staged in the same hall (Whitworth Hall), the same time and on the same date as the original event and an actor will be employed to play the part of Einstein. The lecture will be supplemented with a presentation by a leading young British cosmologist, Ed Copeland. On the following day the lecture will be repeated at the Museum of Science and Industry.
DR MJ Penston, Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA
TEL: 01223 766655 E-Mail: [email protected]
PRIME SPACE, A QUARTELY ASTRONOMY LEAFLET FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, AWARD: £2,000
Prime Space is the title of a new pull out to the Society for Popular Astronomys publication Popular Astronomy. Its primary purpose is to appeal to younger members and to encourage more young people to join the society. This award will enable the pull out to stand alone from the magazine, enabling wider distribution. The funding will enable a further 15000 copies of each of the next 4 issues of Prime Space and for them to be distributed to Science Centres around the UK. Articles will be written by both amateur and professional members of the SPA.
DR S Raychaundhury, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT Tel: 0121 414 6474 E-Mail: [email protected]
TEA, TALK AND TELESCOPE, AWARD £2,280 A contribution to help fund six events at Birmingham University, which will consist of a lecture followed by, weather permitting, members of the audience having the opportunity of viewing objects in the night sky using the historic Grubb telescope. Each talk will be given by a popular speaker on an astronomical theme.
Dr P D Roche, Techniquest, Stuart Street, Cardiff, CF10 5BW
TEL: 029 2087 5121 E-mail: [email protected]
DEEP IMPACT UK, AWARD £7685
Deep Impact is a NASA mission to rendezvous with Comet Tempel 1 Deep Impact UK is a project to produce and distribute the NASA Deep Impact posters and educational resources to all UK secondary schools. Two posters Deep Impact: first look inside a comet and Deep Impact Science Team poster will be printed and posted to all secondary schools along with the UK educational materials. Spare posters will be distributed at educational events nationwide. Deep Impact UK will also produce versions of existing NASA materials suitable for use in UK schools, and will develop new materials focussing on impacts and post-event activities based around images obtained with the two Faulkes Telescopes.
DR S Rusholme, National Space Centre, Exploration Drive, Leicester
TEL: 0116 258 2105 E-Mail: [email protected]
FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE AND CULTURE 2005, AWARD: £12,400
The overall objective of the festival project is to raise aspirations in science for black and minority ethnic children, using space science and astronomy as a means to inspire. Working with community partners, and reaching out to form a new network of contacts at a local and national level, the project team will create an event and lead up programme that will raise awareness of and celebrate cultural diversity science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) with all sectors of the community. The five day festival will include a visit from astronaut Dr Harris, a high profile black role model. This event will celebrate cultural diversity in scientific and cultural achievements, and promote community cohesion.
Ms AM Smith, Science Events, Wellcome Wolfson Building, 165 Queens Gate, London SW7 5HE.
TEL: 020 7019 4935 E-mail: [email protected]
UNIverse A SCIENCE POETRY COMPETITION CELEBRATING EINSTEIN YEAR., AWARD: £3200
A contribution towards the UNIverse competition designed to celebrate Einstein year with a web based poetry competition, open to all age groups over 4 years and complemented by web based inspirational resources. The resources will be available on the BA website from mid October 2004 and the competition will be launched officially in January 2005. The competition closes in February 2005 in order for the winners to be celebrated during National Science Week.
DR SJ Voss, The Observatory Science Centre, Hertmonceux, Halisham, East Sussex, BN27 1RN
TEL: 01323 832731 E-Mail: [email protected]
EINSTEIN LOOKS OVER A FESTIVAL OF PHYSICS, AWARD: £5,000
A contribution towards the development of an exhibition at the Observatory Science Centre during Einstein Year to bring Physics and Einstein to families and the general public. Demonstrations and hands on exhibits within the exhibition areas will enhance the whole experience. A workshop will be developed to encourage families to join together in a fun day of creation, learning and competition. In addition, a family Evening with Einstein will include a buffet supper, short talk, and fancy dress, a chance to experience all the hands-on exhibits and view through The Observatorys historic telescope. The overall objective is to help families and the general public to understand physics theories and principles by providing a broad range of information, delivered in several enjoyable ways.
Successful applicants in Round 2004A
Dr J Flynn, School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, Hampshire SO17 1BJ Tel: 023 8059 2081 E-Mail: [email protected] PARTICLE PHYSICS WITH COFFEE AND HOBNOBS BUILDING ON SUCCESS AWARD £2,860 Successful applicants in Round 2004A
A project that aims to build on the success of an initial pilot project which established the effectiveness of the coffee morning scenario as a non-threatening environment through which carers of primary age pupils may be engaged on dialogue on PPARC funded areas of science.
Mr M Cripps, Science Department, Neatherd High School, Norwich Road, Dereham NR20 3AX Tel: 01953 604090 E-Mail: [email protected] SPACE TELESCOPES IN SCHOOL AWARD £2,500 A project to produce innovative ICT based resources which will allow UK science and maths teachers to use the Hubble Space Telescope and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory in school. Students will be able to download data from the observatories via the internet and process it in similar ways to research scientists.
Mr DJ Bailey, Science Department, Shimna Integrated College, The Lawnfield, King Street, Newcastle, Belfast BT33 OHD Tel: 028 437 26107 E-Mail: [email protected] PARENTS WORKSHOP EXPLORING ASTRONOMY AND SOLAR SYSTEM AND NEWSLETTER AWARD £1,000 A project to publicise, carry out and report on a workshop for parents/families. It is hoped that the event will promote a better understanding of Astronomy and Space Science. Scientists will be invited from the Armagh Planetarium to go to the school with their Mobile Astrodome and give demonstration.
Mr ML Fox, Spacefund, Observatory House, St Radigunds Street, Canterbury CT1 2AA Tel: 01227 459485 E-Mail: [email protected] KIDS IN SPACE DISADVANTAGED TOUR AWARD £7,500 A proposal for a national tour of 30 financially and socially disadvantaged primary schools by the award winning Kids In Space show. Awareness and interest in space science will be nurtured through press and television coverage.
Ms L Fosker, Science Department, Robert Manning Technology College, Bourne PE20 9DT Tel: 017780422365 E-Mail: [email protected] SCIFEST 2004 A SCIENCE EXTRAVAGANZA FOR ALL AGES AWARD £1,850 A project that aims to bring together a wide range of science activities, which students of all ages will be able to actively participate in. This will be their third festival, with the others being attended by around 4500 people. Successful applicants in Round 2004A
Dr MRS McCoustra, School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG7 2RD Tel: 0115 9513568 E-Mail: [email protected] STARS R US AN ASTROCHEMISTRY EXHIBIT AWARD £4,000 A project that will build an exhibit for the 2004 Royal Society Summer Exhibition. The exhibit will combine the research of astrochemists from Nottingham, UCL, The Open University and Leiden University.
Miss SJ Crisp, 287 Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2RP Tel: 07718 656655 E-Mail: [email protected] CHaOS SCIENCE TOUR 2003 AWARD £1,500 A tour of areas less well served in science that will use hands on experiments with enthusiastic instructors. The tour will use town halls and village halls around the south coast of England. A previous tour reached 700 people.
Miss R Bertz, Satrosphere Ltd, The Tramsheds, 179 Constitution Street, Aberdeen AB11 6LU Tel: 01224 640340 E-Mail: [email protected] WONDERS OF THE SKY AWARD £4,500 Satrospheres mission is to inspire an interest in all branches of science & technology to people of all ages, through a programme of hands-on exhibits, shows, workshops & events. This funding will enable them to revise the format & script, replace props and enhance the scene setting.
Dr DS Bailey, Physics Department, University of Bristol, HH Wills Physical Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, Avon BS8 1TL Tel: 01179546879 E-Mail: [email protected] PORTABLE COSMIC RAY DETECTOR VISUALISATION TOOLS AWARD £3,500 The group has a cosmic ray detector which has been hugely successful and has been used on many occasions. This proposal will enable the avoidance of lengthy queues, as well as protect the detector from over enthusiastic members of the public.
Mr J Walker, Science Department, Minsthorpe Community College, Minsthorpe Lane, South Elmsall, Pontefract, W Yorks WF9 2UJ Tel: 01977 723810 E-Mail: Successful applicants in Round 2004A
[email protected] REACH FOR THE STARS AWARD £2,513 Funds will be used for an event to coincide with Family Learning Week. Its aims will be use attractions on a variety of themes (though mainly Space and Astronomy) to bring a range of scientific fun learning activities to children and parents. The event aims to attract 400 people.
Mr GD Williams, 5 The Holmes, Erwood, Nr Builth Wells POWYS LD2 3EQ Tel: 01982 560678 E-Mail: [email protected] RHOSGOCH COUNTY PRIMARY SCHOOL SPACE DAY AWARD £850 This project aims to have a series of activities which are science based. These will include a visit the Spaceguard centre, a visit to the school by an inflatable planetarium and an experiment session.
Mr AJ Sherborne, Centre for Science Education, Sheffield Hallam University, Pond Street, Sheffield S1 1WB TEL: 0207 624 9891 E-Mail: [email protected] YEAR 7 SPACE UNLEASHED A MAKEOVER FROM SCIENCE UPD8 AWARD £7,750 This project aims to unable topical and inspiring teaching of space to children of ages eleven to fourteen. The team also hope to influence the techniques of those teaching the subjects. The organisers hope this will pave the way for an innovative updatable content module, for instance at Physics GCSE level (within the new, more flexible National Curriculum).
Dr MM Dworetsky, University of London Observatory, 553 Watford Way, Mill Hill Park, London NW7 2QS Tel: 020 8959 0421 E-Mail: [email protected] ASTRONOMY IN THE CLASSROOM: SCHOOL AND OBSERVATORY VISITS FOR KS2, KS3 AND KS4 AWARD £5,350 This funding is for the continuation and extension of a successful current project funded by the PPARC scheme. The project involves a combination of visits to schools by Dr Diego and guided visits to the University of London Observatory. These visits are intended to include direct viewing of the solar chromosphere and prominences using a narrow band H alpha filter.
Professor RL Davies, Department of Astrophysics, University of Oxford, Physics Lab, Keble Road, Oxford OX1 3RH Tel: 01865 273305 E-Mail: [email protected] ASTRONOMY FOR ALL: A PILOT PROJECT TO BRING TELESCOPES INTO SCHOOLS AND Successful applicants in Round 2004A
SCHOOL STUDENTS TO TELESCOPES AWARD £5,400 This project is an outreach initiative of Oxford University Astrophysics and Marlborough College to enhance the use of astronomy in both school teaching and the wider sphere of adult education. They hope to achieve this through opening their two telescopes to the local schools and by taking portable telescopes into schools for both evening use and school-time solar observing.
Ms B Parker, School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent at Canterbury, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NR Tel: 01227 823293 E-Mail: [email protected] WEEKEND IN SPACE DEVELOPING SPACE SCHOOL AWARD £2,000 Space School consists of two residential weekends for students from 14-18 which aim to inspire students by hands on activities, expert speakers and engaging astronomy and space science. The project aims to encourage more girls to take an interest in science.
Dr SS Russell, Mineralogy, Natural History Museum, Science Directorate, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD Tel: 020 7942 5074 E-Mail: [email protected] PLANETS IN THE CLASSROOM AWARD £7,000 The aim of this grant is to build upon the anticipated public interest in planetary sciences from the current and upcoming planetary missions. They will visit schools to discuss the latest results from these missions and their implications for our understanding of the origins and evolution of the solar system.
Dr A Pappa, National Space Centre, Exploration Drive, Leicester LE4 5NS Tel: 0116 2582125 E-Mail: [email protected] STIMULATING PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF GAMMA-RAY BURST SCIENCE WITH SWIFT AWARD £7,000 A new interactive exhibit will be developed for the Space Now Gallery which will be used to inform visitors and school parties to the NSC about the location, brightness and cosmological distance of new gamma ray bursts as SWIFT detects them. Burst locations received via the GCN will be transposed on to a sky map to show the burst location on the sky map to show the burst location on the sky and cosmological distance.
Dr CK Mackay, University of Bristol, HH Wills Physical Laboratory, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, Avon BS8 1TL Tel: 0117 9288724 E-Mail: [email protected] PARTICLE PHYSICS LIGHT BADGES AWARD £4,000 Successful applicants in Round 2004A
This project aims to produce Light badges to distribute at science events. The light badges contain chemical reactants separated by a capsule. The light that is spread will be chemical light as opposed to hot light.
Mr BE Sheen, 92 Par Green, Cornwall PL24 2AG Tel: 01726 813602 E-Mail: [email protected] TAKING ASTRONOMY TO CORNWALL AWARD £1,500 The group will be giving evening presentations in the Cornwall area. This award is to help towards a laptop and digital projector to help show off resources. The group previously were restricted to an OHP.
Dr Rh Evans, Department of Applied Sciences, University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd, Mid Glamorgan CF37 1DL TEL: 01443 482785 E-Mail: [email protected] THE 2004 TRANSIT OF VENUS AWARD £2500 This funding will be used to provide talks about the recent Transit of Venus. These talks will be made available on the Web. Local schools will be invited to the Glamorgan campus to observe images through their solar projection units.
Successful Applicants in Round 2004B
Dr ME Aderin, Sira Technology Limited, South Hill, Chislehurst, Kent, BR7 5EH,
TEL: 01482 826 207 E-Mail: [email protected]
A TOUR OF THE UNIVERSE, AWARD £6,000
A contribution towards a project that will aim to encourage young people to consider a scientific career. The scheme will entail visits to schools (primary and secondary) by Dr Aderin. A series of talks and demonstrations will be given around a central theme, A Tour of the Universe. These will be very visual and as interactive as possible with small competitions and audience participation. The school visit will also include an opportunity for informal discussions with the students as part of their science classes. During these periods Dr Aderin will be available to share her experiences of being a professional scientist. The scheme will convey experience and enthusiasm to children who will benefit from seeing a female scientist from an ethnic minority group. This pilot scheme is set to run from April 2005 for a year and during this period 16 or more visits will be arranged.
Mr BE Anderson, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT. TEL: 020 7679 7803 E-Mail: [email protected]
ESTABLISHING A TOUR FOR THE YOUNG ARTISTS@CERN EXHIBITION, AWARD: £3000
A contribution towards establishing a UK tour of the exhibition of art work produced by the Young Artists@CERN project. This follows a PPARC Small Award which produced artwork exhibited at CERN as part of the official CERN 50th birthday celebrations. The UK tour will extend the use made of this existing artwork and is timed for Einstein Year (2005), which will raise interest in the tour and also the art/science. The young artists@CERN project targeted school-aged art and science pupils and a tour during 2005/6 will continue to include this group but will also reach a larger audience.
Mrs C Angharad, Institute of Physics, Ysgol Gyfun Cum Rhymni, Gelli Haf Road, Fleur de Lys, Blackwood, NP12 3JQ
Tel: 02920 756980 E-Mail: [email protected]
STARS IN YOUR EYES, AWARD £3,500
A contribution to sponsor activities in the Science pavilion, at the National Urdd Eisteddfod youth festival. The award will be used to hire Starlab from Techniquest as the central exhibit. Other related activities will be provided that will encourage young people to explore the relevance of physics is to them. Talks will be held for the general public, as well as for teachers at Key Stages 2 and 3, on a daily basis. Following the festival, schools will be visited to promote science using drama, the Starlab, speakers and competitions.
DR CJ Axon, The BA Bristol & Bath branch,
TEL: 01225 383 248 E-Mail: [email protected]
EINSTEIN COMES TO RADSTOCK, AWARD: £2,500
To celebrate Einstein year the BA Bristol and Bath Branch are working closely with Radstock Museum to organise various science-related events which have proved very popular with a wide cross section of the community including families, young people, and adults. The Einstein comes to Radstock project will include a special programme of Particle Physics, Astronomy and Space Science to celebrate Einstein year, including talks on topics related to Einstein, astronomy, space science and cosmology, and an open air family build a rocket event.
Prof MA Barstow, University of Leicester, Dept Physics & Astronomy, Leicester
LE1 7RH
TEL: 0116 252 3492 E-Mail: [email protected]
SPACEROX: A PLANETARY ANALOGUE SAMPLE COLLECTION FOR HAND ON SCIENCE, AWARD: £9,332
SpaceROX is a programme of hands-on workshops based on planetary geology, a subject that incorporates many key disciplines within the national curriculum - including physics, chemistry, biology and technology. The award will be used to create and maintain a collection of specimens illustrating the types of material to be found on Mars, Mercury, the Moon, Venus, Io and some asteroids. They will be suitable for use in the workshops, provide training for National Space Centre presenters in the basics of planetary geology and operate the workshops over a trial period. These workshops will be incorporated into the education programme during term time. To reach the widest audience possible the workshops will be located at the National Space Centre in Leicester.
Mr D E Berry, Sir John Leman High School, Rings field Road, Eccles, Suffolk, NR34 9PG.
TEL: 01502 713223 E-mail: [email protected]
SIXTH FORM EDUCATIONAL VISIT TO PHYSICS IN PERSPECTIVE 2005, AWARD £4185
A contribution to the travel and accommodation costs of sixth form physics students and accompanying teachers to the Physics in Perspective Event at University College and The Royal Institution, London on 20th to 22nd February 2005. The visit will raise awareness of the relevance of modern physics and will lead to the formation of a science after-school club at which sixth formers will present ideas and fun physics activities to lower school members of the club.
Dr A J Coates, University College London, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey. RH5 6NT.
TEL: 01483 204100 E-mail: [email protected]
THE SKY IS NO LIMIT SCIENCE WEEK 2005, AWARD £1650
A contribution towards The Sky is No Limit a Science Week event at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory. This will provide an exciting environment to will encourage future participation in science, engineering and technology. Science Week events include interactive demonstrations, displays and topical discussions with scientists. In addition PCs with astronomy software will be available for use by all to ensure that the education is taken back to the classroom. Quizzes and prizes, along with handouts and CD ROMs will be made available to be taken. The week will finish with an evening lecture open to the general public.
MR JP Dooris, Rift House Primary School, Masefield Rd, Hartlepool. TS25 4JY
TEL: 01429 275239 E-Mail: [email protected]
MAPPING THE MOON, AWARD £788.50
Mapping the Moon is designed to build upon a series of astronomical activities that pupils, staff and parents have taken part in at Rift House Primary School. The activity will take place over a period of two lunar months. Over that period the pupils will carry out a series of observations of the moon during different phases. These observations will be recorded using a Meade Lunar Planetary Imager and will be used as the starting point for a modelling a 3D image of the Moon using papier mache and other suitable materials. The award will enable the children to show the work they have undertaken at the festivities for Hartlepools Science Week.
DR MM Dworetsky, University of London Observatory, (University College London), 553 Watford Way, Mill Hill Park, London NW7 2QS
TEL: 020 8959 0421 E-Mail: [email protected]
HYDROGEN ALPHA PORTABLE TELESCOPE FOR SCHOOL VISIT
AWARD: £3,300
A project to enable a large number of pupils to view the Sun, through the use of a small portable instrument on a tripod, from their own classrooms. This safe portable solar H-alpha telescope will help complement lectures by providing a visually exciting outlet and stimulate interest and discussion. The telescope will then be used in Dr Francisco Diegos lecture tour of schools in the Greater London area.
DR PJ Edwards, Department of Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE
TEL: 0191 334 3782 E-Mail: [email protected]
FROM FUNDAMENTAL PARTICLES TO GALAXIES AND THE UNIVERSE, AWARD £7,111
Following a PPARC National Award to the universities of Durham and Sheffield, July 2002 saw the start of an ambitious public outreach programme in particle physics and astronomy for the North of England. The primary target of the programme is 11-16 year old school children and their teachers, with the focus on exploring the origins of the Universe, the properties of the fundamental particles and the nature of the dark matter. This award will fund the production and distribution of teaching resources developed as part of the programme. These will be distributed to schoolsin the North East of England and will be widely publicised.
Professor B Foster, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford. OX1 3RH.
TEL: 01865 273323 E-mail: [email protected]
SUPERSTRINGS PARTICLE PHYSICS AND COSMOLOGY IN WORDS, PICTURES AND MUSIC, AWARD £5000 A project to use the platform of the World Year of Physics/Einstein Year (WYP) to convey the current status of particle physics and cosmology, and their cultural significance, to young people and to new audiences. This will be achieved by combining stunning images and the historical context of Einsteins work, which has led to the modern synthesis of gravitation and particle physics in Superstring concepts, with specially commissioned music, designed to complement and enliven the exposition and played by one the UKs most exciting young violin virtuosos. The links between physics and music are both deep and long standing. Many of the worlds most famous physicists have been gifted musicians. The lecture will use a mixture of the classical violin repertoire with music especially composed for the lecture. The music will be divided into several movements, which will be played either to illustrate a self-explanatory slide sequence or to provide an illustration in music of the ideas in the adjacent sections of the talk. Performances are planned mainly in local schools and are to be offered to major science festivals.
MRS JLF Fox, Spacefund, Educational Business Partnership, Kent Innovation Centre, Thanet Reach Business Park, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 2QQ
TEL: 01227 459485 E-Mail: [email protected]
SCIENCE FAMILY FUN DAY, AWARD £700
A proposal, to run a Science Family Fun Day during the 2005 summer half term at Reigate College in Surrey. Parents will be able to engage with their children in a number of activities, including a light hearted tour of the solar system, a look at the night sky in an inflatable explorer dome, a chance to see real moondust, construct models with KNex, see the sun through a solar telescope and launch an air pressured rocket.
Dr V Gibson, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN.
TEL: 01223 337373 E-mail: [email protected]
HUNT THE HIGGS PLAYING CARD GAME FOR THE PROMOTION AND TEACHING OF PARTICLE PHYSICS, AWARD £8542
The project is to produce a novel playing card game called Hunt the Higgs. The game provides an excellent introduction to the fundamental particles and forces of nature and the ups and downs of large Particle Physics experiments. The players will become familiar with matter particles (quarks and leptons) and the interactions between them, as well as the force carrying bosons and the elusive Higgs Boson. The game is also designed to be used as a teaching aid within the classroom where the cards can be displayed as a summary of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. The game was designed by the applicant and tested on Undergraduate, Postgraduate and A-level physics students. The award will be used to finalise the design, manufacture and deliver 1000 copies of the playing card game to schools that participate in the annual Masterclass and audiences at many other events.
Ms L Greenald, The Craven Museum, Town Hall, High Street, Skipton, North Yorkshire. BD23 1AH
TEL: 01756 706407 E-mail: [email protected]
EXPLORING SPACE, SCIENCE WEEK 2005, AWARD: £775
Exploring space is an interactive travelling exhibition which will be on show from early February until the end of March 2005. The funding is for one weeks hire of an indoor planetarium. This will be used as a starting point for a series of activities aimed at schools, special needs groups and the general public as part of the museums activities for National Science Week 2005.
Ms PM Lawton, Kirklees Metropolitan Council, The Stables, Ravensknowle Park, Wakefield Road, Huddersfield, HD5 8DJ
TEL: 01484 223803 E-Mail: [email protected]
SPACE INVADERS, AWARD: £1,300
As part of National Science Week and Einstein year this particular event and project will take place at Oakwell Hall Country Park on March 13 2005. This free public event will aim to promote family learning and will feature a Planetarium, a creative writing activity linked to PPARCs Express to Mars pack and technology workshop that will involve making a Mars rover using KNEX construction kits and a geological workshop where children will study lunar samples borrowed from PPARC and compare them with the terrestrial rocks in the museums collection. The public event will then be followed by three days of school visits. The visits are aimed at KS2 children and will be offered as part of the outreach programme to schools in areas of economic deprivation.
Mr MS Di Maggio, Glasgow Science Centre, 50 Pacific Quay, Glasgow. G51 1EA
TEL: 0141 420 5010 x310 E-Mail: [email protected]
SERIES OF MONTHLY EVENING PLANETARIUM LECTURES AND SHOWS
AWARD: £5,000
This project is a series of lectures held at the ScottishPower Planetarium. This award will allow speakers (including PPARC funded scientists) to use this unique facility to illustrate their presentations. Speakers will be able to add a strong planetarium component to their presentation, resulting in a unique experience for the audience, allowing them to enjoy an astronomy experience with the benefit of a realistic sky.
DR N Marshall, Lancaster Girls Grammar School, Regent Street, Lancaster. LA1 1SF
TEL: 01663 740070 E-mail: [email protected]
SPACED OUT: A PIECE OF THE UNIVERSE COMES TO BRITAIN
AWARD: £5,000
A contribution towards 'Spaced out', an exciting and innovative project that embraces Science, Technology and Visual Art. This is a large model of the Solar System, accurately scaled to envelop the entire UK from Cornwall to the Shetland Isles. This will create a national resource available to all pupils and educators; it will also establish a learning environment with which to engage the wider general public. This will encourage pupils to gain a deeper understanding of our Solar System, to develop closer collaborations across traditional subject boundaries and to raise the profile of Astronomy and Space Science in the UK.
Prof. R Marshall, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL
TEL: 0161 275 4170 E-mail: [email protected]
EINSTEINS FIRST LECTURE IN BRITAIN, AWARD: £3,000
To re-enact Einsteins first lecture in Britain, which was given at the University of Manchester at 5pm on 9th June 1921. The lecture will be staged in the same hall (Whitworth Hall), the same time and on the same date as the original event and an actor will be employed to play the part of Einstein. The lecture will be supplemented with a presentation by a leading young British cosmologist, Ed Copeland. On the following day the lecture will be repeated at the Museum of Science and Industry.
DR MJ Penston, Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA
TEL: 01223 766655 E-Mail: [email protected]
PRIME SPACE, A QUARTELY ASTRONOMY LEAFLET FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, AWARD: £2,000
Prime Space is the title of a new pull out to the Society for Popular Astronomys publication Popular Astronomy. Its primary purpose is to appeal to younger members and to encourage more young people to join the society. This award will enable the pull out to stand alone from the magazine, enabling wider distribution. The funding will enable a further 15000 copies of each of the next 4 issues of Prime Space and for them to be distributed to Science Centres around the UK. Articles will be written by both amateur and professional members of the SPA.
DR S Raychaundhury, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT Tel: 0121 414 6474 E-Mail: [email protected]
TEA, TALK AND TELESCOPE, AWARD £2,280 A contribution to help fund six events at Birmingham University, which will consist of a lecture followed by, weather permitting, members of the audience having the opportunity of viewing objects in the night sky using the historic Grubb telescope. Each talk will be given by a popular speaker on an astronomical theme.
Dr P D Roche, Techniquest, Stuart Street, Cardiff, CF10 5BW
TEL: 029 2087 5121 E-mail: [email protected]
DEEP IMPACT UK, AWARD £7685
Deep Impact is a NASA mission to rendezvous with Comet Tempel 1 Deep Impact UK is a project to produce and distribute the NASA Deep Impact posters and educational resources to all UK secondary schools. Two posters Deep Impact: first look inside a comet and Deep Impact Science Team poster will be printed and posted to all secondary schools along with the UK educational materials. Spare posters will be distributed at educational events nationwide. Deep Impact UK will also produce versions of existing NASA materials suitable for use in UK schools, and will develop new materials focussing on impacts and post-event activities based around images obtained with the two Faulkes Telescopes.
DR S Rusholme, National Space Centre, Exploration Drive, Leicester
TEL: 0116 258 2105 E-Mail: [email protected]
FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE AND CULTURE 2005, AWARD: £12,400
The overall objective of the festival project is to raise aspirations in science for black and minority ethnic children, using space science and astronomy as a means to inspire. Working with community partners, and reaching out to form a new network of contacts at a local and national level, the project team will create an event and lead up programme that will raise awareness of and celebrate cultural diversity science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) with all sectors of the community. The five day festival will include a visit from astronaut Dr Harris, a high profile black role model. This event will celebrate cultural diversity in scientific and cultural achievements, and promote community cohesion.
Ms AM Smith, Science Events, Wellcome Wolfson Building, 165 Queens Gate, London SW7 5HE.
TEL: 020 7019 4935 E-mail: [email protected]
UNIverse A SCIENCE POETRY COMPETITION CELEBRATING EINSTEIN YEAR., AWARD: £3200
A contribution towards the UNIverse competition designed to celebrate Einstein year with a web based poetry competition, open to all age groups over 4 years and complemented by web based inspirational resources. The resources will be available on the BA website from mid October 2004 and the competition will be launched officially in January 2005. The competition closes in February 2005 in order for the winners to be celebrated during National Science Week.
DR SJ Voss, The Observatory Science Centre, Hertmonceux, Halisham, East Sussex, BN27 1RN
TEL: 01323 832731 E-Mail: [email protected]
EINSTEIN LOOKS OVER A FESTIVAL OF PHYSICS, AWARD: £5,000
A contribution towards the development of an exhibition at the Observatory Science Centre during Einstein Year to bring Physics and Einstein to families and the general public. Demonstrations and hands on exhibits within the exhibition areas will enhance the whole experience. A workshop will be developed to encourage families to join together in a fun day of creation, learning and competition. In addition, a family Evening with Einstein will include a buffet supper, short talk, and fancy dress, a chance to experience all the hands-on exhibits and view through The Observatorys historic telescope. The overall objective is to help families and the general public to understand physics theories and principles by providing a broad range of information, delivered in several enjoyable ways.
Successful applicants in Round 2005A
Dr SJ Barber, Open University, Faculty of Science, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. MK7 6AA TEL: 01908 65 9517 E-Mail: [email protected] Successful applicants in Round 2005A
ROSETTA ON THE ROAD
AWARD: £14,599
The project Rosetta on the Road is an education and outreach package to be delivered to students aged 10-16, over a period of 3 years. The package consists of a talk by two consortium representatives about the Rosetta Mission, using a detailed model of the lander, Philae, and computer animations to explain how the spacecraft will work and to give an idea of the scale of the mission. At the centre of the package is the model of the Rosetta Lander. The model is 1:2 in scale, which allows for portability but also gives a sense of the compactness of the actual spacecraft.
Mr A Cartledge, St Andrews Junior School, Hadfield Road, Hadfield, Glossop, Derbyshire. SK13 2DR TEL: 01457 852328 E-Mail: [email protected]
ROCKETS AND THE SOLAR SYSTEM,
AWARD: £700
A fun packed day is planned in which the children will take part in a rocket workshop, building and firing them with compressed air. Following this they will observe the Starchaser rocket with the engineer in order to view a real one. During the rest of the day the classes will research information on all the planets in our solar system and present their information in the form of a data box viewer for display in the entrance to the school.
Mr MJ Cripps, Dereham Sixth Form College, Crown Road, Dereham, Norfolk. NR20 4AG TEL: 01362 694 159 E-Mail: [email protected] NORTH AND SOUTH IN THE CELESTRIAL SPHERE
AWARD: £3,000
The aim of this project is to enable a group of UK students to become ambassadors for science both in South Africa and the UK by giving them exposure to cutting edge international science and technology in collaboration with students from a different cultural background. The project is then shared with the international space educator community Successful applicants in Round 2005A
via the Space@School website and NASA After School Astronomy Clubs website and forum.
Miss J Dunkley, Sub-department of Astrophysics, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford. OX1 3RH TEL: 01865 273307 E-mail: [email protected] BRINGING THE UNIVERSE TO LONDON SCHOOLS,
AWARD: £7,200
A contribution is made towards a series of interactive talks and activities with cosmology and astronomy themes in London comprehensive schools and colleges, linking in with Einstein Year. These are designed to motivate students to continue studying physics and maths by making then aware of this accessible and interesting branch of physics. Fun and lively presentations by young researchers, both male and female will help broaden the stereotypical image of a physicist. The project also aims to create a useful new web resource, specifically aimed at facilitating young astronomy researchers nationwide to engage in similar outreach activities.
MR PA Haley, Hereford Local Education Authority, PO Box 185, Blackfriars Street, Hereford. HR4 9ZR TEL: 01432 383048 E-Mail: [email protected] SPACE WATCH,
AWARD: £4,000
A contribution is made towards Space Watch, a series of two day events for all the family to increase public understanding of the exploration of the solar system as we approach 50 years in space. The programme of activities will include a series of illustrated talks, time to access the resources including solar telescopes/ a planetarium show / a visit to the SpaceGuard Centre in Knighton/ and an optional film-making session for families to record their learning experience about fifty years of space travel. The project will also promote the Hfd-SHARE model of the solar system across the county.
Successful applicants in Round 2005A
Ms C Hamilton, The Cuming Museum, 155-157 Walworth Road, London. SE17 1RS TEL: 020 7525 2163 E-Mail: [email protected] FROM ELEPHANT TO SATURN SUMMER HOLIDAY EDUCATION PROGRAMME,
AWARD: £6,269
The From Elephant to Saturn programme will develop and deliver a series of 4 stand alone sessions during the Summer Holidays 2005. Each session will be run 4 times (totalling 16 sessions altogether) over 4 weeks. The sessions will be built around the themes of space travel and the solar system. Activities include constructing a simple telescope, constructing models of the probes and designing and building a buggy for crossing a hostile planetary terrain using K-nex.
Dr G Lang, Glasgow Science Centre Ltd, 50 Pacific Quay, Glasgow. G51 1EA TEL: 0141 420 5010 E-Mail: [email protected] UNDERGROUND ASTRONOMY SCIENCE ON THE SUBWAY,
AWARD: £14,370
A project to design and produce concept cartoon posters for display on the Glasgow Subway and to design a dynamic and interactive web page to which passengers are directed. They propose to develop a number of interactive games based on the subjects raised in the concept cartoons to encourage and stimulate further interest and engagement. The posters, in the form of questions, will have the answers highlighted but any interested individual will be invited to visit the specially designed website for a more detailed explanation.
DR JS Lapington, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, Leicestershire. LE1 7RH TEL: 0116 2523498 E-Mail: [email protected] SPACE EDUCATION WEEK FOR LLYN SCHOOL CHILDREN AND RESIDENTS,
AWARD: £3,000
The Llyn Space Education Week is aimed primarily at providing access to exciting, interactive, hands-on space and general science exhibits for local primary school children over the length of the Llyn Peninsula in Gwynedd, North Wales. The larger exhibits will Successful applicants in Round 2005A
include a portable planetarium, a star constellation wall, a Bernoulli blower and a large concave mirror. The final event of the week will be an opportunity for the public to attend an observational astronomy display, using several telescopes.
Dr AJ Millington, OMNI Communications Ltd, Suite 37, Chancel House, Neasden Lane, London. NW10 2TU TEL: 020 8214 1543 E-mail: [email protected] THE ATLAS UK TELEVISION VIDEO PROJECT 2005/2006,
AWARD: £14,981
The aim of this project is to produce key footage of the assembly and testing stage of the ATLAS experiment. The footage produced by this project will be used to interest a broadcaster in commissioning a full documentary for transmission when the Higgs is discovered or a parallel outcome. A show reel of the footage will be used to interest PUSET and Educational outlets in the UK to promote particle physics, women in SET, and the key role of particle physics in spearheading advances in computing and other technologies.
Mr R Mizon, Mizar Astronomy, 38 The Vineries, Colehill, Wimborne. BH21 2PX. TEL: 01202 887084 E-mail: Find the Email address on this page (link opens in a new window) SUPPORT FOR TRAVELLING PLANETARIUM,
AWARD: £5,000
A contribution is made to support Mizar Astronomy in taking the experience of the night sky to interested schools and other organisations. This involves the use of the Starlab mobile planetarium with accompanying displays, and follow-up classroom material in the case of schools. Approximately 67,000 people have visited Starlab. Venues have included schools, youth groups, societies and adult gatherings.
Mr KRJ Pendergast, Department of Science, West Monmouth School, Blaendare Road, Pontypool, Torfaen, South Wales. NP4 5YG TEL: 01495 762 080 E-Mail: [email protected] Successful applicants in Round 2005A
WEST MONMOUTH SCHOOL EINSTEIN WEEK VISIT BY STARCHASER 4 ROCKET.
AWARD: £1,200
An Einstein Week has been organised at the school which will involve an art exhibition of famous astronomers, and Einstein eisteddfod, an inflatable planetarium, a rocket factory with fuel rockets for thirty pupils and a visit by the biggest rocket ever launched in Britain, The Starchaser 4. This award will help fund the cost of the visit of the giant rocket to the school.
Dr D Scanlan, YHA England and Wales Ltd, YHA Portsmouth, Old Wymering Lane, Cosham, Portsmouth. PO6 3NL TEL: 023 9237 5661 E-mail: [email protected] THE SUN AN EXPLORATION OF OUR STAR AN THE NIGHT SKY,
AWARD: £3,323
A contribution is made towards this project which aims to educate school groups about the sun and its effects on planet earth. They will achieve this via talks, discussions, presentations and practical sessions including observing the sun in both white light and Hydrogen Alpha. A solar view 50 telescope and a large aperture Intelliscope Dobsonian, 250mm objective is required in order to present these session. The Hostel observatory will also open its observatory to all those staying at the Hostel who wish to view both the Sun and the night sky.
Dr S Serjeant, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NR. TEL: 01227 827346 E-mail: [email protected] THE KENT SPACE SCHOOL 2005 EINSTEIN YEAR EDITION,
AWARD: £1,300
The Kent Space School is two residential weekends in August for 13-18 year olds, at the time of the Perseid meteor shower. The aim of the weekend is to inspire students from all backgrounds into considering careers in numerate science disciplines. Activities planned include an astronomical observing around the peak of the Perseid meteor shower at the University observatory, handling genuine and priceless lunar rock samples from the NASA Successful applicants in Round 2005A
Apollo missions and computer-aided design of a rocket.
Dr D Woan, University of Glasgow, Dept Physics & Astronomy, Kelvin Building, Gilemorehill, Hillhead, Glasgow G12 8QQ TEL: 0141 330 5897 E-Mail: [email protected] UK SERVER FOR EINSTEIN@HOME,
AWARD: £623
Einstein@home is an international project to search for gravitational waves using the space computing cycles of home computers, modelled on the highly successful SETI@home programme. A screen saver and software has been developed to participate in the search for gravitational radiation. This award is to provide the computer to act as the UK data server for the project.
PPARC Small Awards winners for 2005B
Ms J Austin Community Education, Acle High School, South Walsham Road, Acle, Norwich, Norfolk. NR13 3ER Tel: 01493 750 431
ACLE HIGH SCHOOL SPACE DAY
Award - £1,500.00 Acle High School holds an annual Science Fun Day that has grown from year to year to become a countywide event. The day is a very popular community learning event attracting up to 600 people. The day is open to all and audiences cover all ranges. The theme for the 2006 event is Space and Space Travel and will take place on Saturday 4th March. The whole school will be taken over by workshops in scientific exploration. The Starchaser Nova rocket will be there and the Inspire Science Project will bring their inflatable planetarium and also perform a live show based on Space.
Ms GM Leaper Oldbury on Severn CE Primary School, Church Road, Oldbury, South Gloucestershire. BS35 1QG Tel: 01454 414 297
PROMOTING UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE
Award - £558.00 A series of projects is planned to raise the standard and achievement of science during the coming academic year. The pupils will work together across the age ranges and it will be supportive of cross curricular learning. The hire of the Explorer Dome will allow pupils to go inside and see how our planet, the moon, the sun and the solar system move, what we see and why. Also planned is a visit from the Quantum Theatre for Science which will bring science to life, by an enactment of their production "The Starry Messenger". The play is based on Astronomy and Earth's place in the Universe.
Dr M Dworetsky Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, 553 Watford Way, London. NW7 2QS Tel: 020 8959 0421
ASTRONOMY IN THE CLASSROOM: SCHOOL AND OBSERVATORY VISITS FOR KS2, KS3, KS4 AND A-LEVEL
Award - £5,600.00 To extend the active programme of school visits and Observatory visits for pupils conducted by Dr Francisco Diego. The visits involve a talk to school assemblies, or to individual classes. If weather permits there will usually be a solar observing session with the PPARC-funded Solarview 50 H-alpha telescope. The programme has been highly successful and the aim of the programme is to reach about 2,000 pupils directly each year.
Ms K Harrison Jodrell Bank Science Centre, The University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester. M13 9PL Tel: 0161 275 4388
SPACE FOR EXPLORATION IN THE ARBORETUM, JODRELL BANK SCIENCE CENTRE
Award - £15,000.00 The proposal aims to increase the engagement of visitors to Jodrell Bank, especially children in school and family groups, with space and astronomy. Evaluative research conducted at Jodrell Bank with families and schools suggests that whilst visitors are fascinated by the Lovell telescope and want to find out more about its work, they have difficulties in relating this to their everyday understanding of the universe. A major new outdoor interactive science exhibit is proposed. It will be developed in association with Jodrell Bank Observatory astronomers and leading science centre exhibit builders and will consist of a giant outdoor interactive orrery (i.e. a mechanical model that illustrates the scale and movements of the sun, moon and planets).
Dr J A Wilson School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham. B15 2TT Tel: 0121 414 4654
SPARK CHAMBERS DETECTING COSMIC RAYS FROM OUTER SPACE
Award - £4,000.00 To extend an already successful existing programme of visits to schools. These visits consist of transporting a spark chamber to the schools and demonstrating the chamber in action. Sets of aligned sparks, representing the trails of cosmic rays from outer space, are observed. A second spark chamber has been donated and it is proposed to put this on permanent display at the University. The spark chamber will be set up so that it is easily accessible and also produce accompanying displays (static and also web based) to illustrate in stand-alone mode how the device works and what it is detecting.
Prof B Foster Particle Physics Group, University of Oxford, Keble Road, Oxford. OX1 3RH Tel: 01865 273 323
"SUPERSTRINGS" PARTICLE PHYSICS AND COSMOLOGY IN WORDS, PICTURES AND MUSIC
Award - £7,000.00 To build on the success of the Superstrings lecture during Einstein Year and thereby to continue to take the message of PPARC science to new audiences, both in schools, other scientists and the general public, by the combination of clear and simple messages, demonstrations and audience interaction and great music played by one of the UKs leading violinists. By combining music and physics in equal measure, the key ideas of particle physics and cosmology are conveyed to the audience. After every performance there is a question and answer session.
Mrs J L F Fox Spacefund, Observatory House, St Radigunds Street, Canterbury. CT1 2AA Tel: 01227 459 485
KIDS IN SPACE DISADVANTAGED SCHOOLS TOUR
Award - £8,290.00 The "Kids in Space" show was conceived to deliver good science to young children in a fun and memorable format. The show is not a lesson or a lecture; it is very much a dramatic performance with comedy, excitement and colourful props. It is centred around education, and the show covers the key Curriculum Statements for KS1 & 2, but the approach is learning and fun. This years show aims to tour another 30 financially and socially disadvantaged primary schools in the Borough of Croydon.
Dr S T Townsend At-Bristol Science Centre, Harbourside, Anchor Road, Bristol. BS1 5DB Tel: 0117 915 7154
STAR TRACKERS
Award - £7,000.00 To develop and deliver an exciting programme of events and learning activities Star Trackers for a general public and schools audience in the At-Bristol planetarium and Live Science Zone, which will focus on the subjects of Astronomy and Solar System and Space Science. The project will engage its target audience using a range of interactive programme formats, Meet the Expert sessions and specialist materials and resources.
Dr L M Green MSSL, Department of Space and Climate Physics, University College London, Gower St, London. WC1E 6BT Tel: 01483 204 103
THE SKY IS NO LIMIT! NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK 2006
Award - £2,687.00 The Mullard Space Science Laboratory National Science Week festival aims to showcase UK astronomy and space science research to a wide audience and age range in Surrey. The award will help fund 2 specialised days of activities and one family evening. Each day provides activities tailored toward a specific age group and one day will include a rocket workshop run by MSSL staff with equipment purchased from "Blast off for Britain" run for Key Stage 4 and post-16. The family evening is the highlight of the festival where students and their families come together and learn about an area of astronomy recently featured in the news.
Dr A M Shaw Techniquest, Stuart Street, Cardiff. CF10 5BW. Tel: 029 2047 5460
CPD FOR TEACHERS IN RURAL AREAS OF SOUTH/WEST WALES Award - £7,000.00 Techniquest will run four CPD courses for teachers on the use of the Faulkes Telescope and National Schools Observatory at KS3 and KS4 specifically. The courses will be run in four venues in south/west Wales: Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Powys, working with LEA s and advisory teachers. The Faulkes Telescope team will run the workshop with support from local scientists acting as role models. The scientists will offer support to the teacher s post-CPD session, and will themselves be supported by the Teacher Scientist Network (Wales). In this way, a long term partnership will build between the schools and local scientists, offering mutual support after the completion of this project.
Dr R Holgate Museum of Science & Industry, Liverpool Road, Castlefield, Manchester. M3 4FP Tel: 0161 606 0110
BRINGING MARS TO LIFE: PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH CURRENT ASTROBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Award - £10,000.00 The "Bringing Mars to Life" programme comprises four strands, each aimed at raising awareness of Mars research to a different audience sector. The primary focus running through these strands will be the hunt for signs of life on Mars. The four strands are: Grown- Ups on Mars (aimed at adults and older teenagers); "Reach for the Planets" (aimed primarily at teenagers); "Make an Alien" (family workshop); "Make a Mars Rover" (family workshop). These will be devised and delivered during Easter and Summer holidays for the Museums family audience. Finally "This Week on Mars", a family based show, will also be made available to primary schools.
Dr G T Roberts Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru, Maes yr Haul, Cross Inn, Pontyclun, CF72 8AG Tel: 01443 228 196
PARTICLE PHYSICS EXHIBITION AT NATIONAL EISTEDDFOD OF WALES
Award - £10,000.00 The National Eisteddfod is the premier cultural festival of Wales, held mainly in Welsh. This award is to arrange an exhibition and activities on Particle Physics, as a major part of the festival. The exhibit will include a simulation of a Particle Accelerator using two train tracks with trains and trucks controlled by computer. The trains move clockwise on one and anti- clockwise on the other and will collide to initiate an event to depict collisions in the LHC. An activity area will be set up involving interactive modules and experiments which can be used by visitors.
Ms A G Cooper Cheltenham Science Festival, Town Hall, Imperial Square, Cheltenham. GL50 1QA. Tel: 01242 775 865
CHELTENHAM SCIENCE FESTIVAL
Award - £8,000.00 The Cheltenham Science Festival offers both a celebration and critical exploration of science. The 2006 Festival will programme a specific physics strand of events that will target the general, family and schools audience to promote, explain and discuss specific areas of physics. The objective of the strand is to create a carefully structured series of events (presented in a range of formats) that will concentrate on particle physics, space, planetary, ionospheric and solar-system science, astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology. The formats will include debates, talks, mass participation (in the form of use of a public response system) and demonstration. The events include a talk and discussion about the nature of Space Travel and a discussion event and related family event in which the latest ideas about the Big Bang are discussed.
Mr K R Pendergast West Monmouth School, Blaendare Road, Pontypool, Torfaen. NP4 5YG Tel: 01495 762 080
ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ANNUAL ROCKET DAY AT WEST MONMOUTH SCHOOL
Award - £1,200.00 The day will include the building of fifteen fuel rockets over a three hour period by thirty pupils. These will then be launched on the schools sports area before an audience of pupils, teachers and interested parties. Prior to the rocket day, three local primary schools will be visited to promote various aspects of space and astronomy and paper rockets will be built throughout the day and launched with compressed air at the end of each build session. The aim of this project is to inform and enthuse pupils, parents and teaching staff about the role of rockets in the exploration of space and to use this as a means to stimulate a desire in pupils to study astronomy at school.
PPARC Small Awards winners for 2006A
Dr K L Aplin Space Science and Technology Department, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX Tel: 01235 445844
SNOWDON SUMMIT COSMIC RAY DATA DISPLAY Award - £8,448.00 The aim of this project is to inform and enthuse the general public about ongoing cosmic ray measurements at the Snowden Summit Weather Station. These will be added to the existing summit weather displays at the Electric Mountain Visitor Centre in Llanberis and the Snowdon Weather Stations Project website. By displaying cosmic ray data in parallel with the weather information, it will make several hundred thousand people every year aware of the continual bombardment of Earth, its atmosphere and inhabitants, with high-energy subatomic particles coming from outer space.
Mrs J C Saunders Burnham Grammar School, Hogfair Lane, Burnham, Slough, SL1 7HG Tel: 01628 604812
SUMMER SPACE CAMP
Award - £3,000.00 To continue to run a free summer school called 'Space Camp'. The camp runs for 5 days and is available to students from local schools. The camp provides a cross phase scheme of work extending the National Curriculum using materials developed by the National Space Centre and NASA. The five days of activities include making rockets, a link up with large telescopes in the Caribbean via the web, a link up with the National Space Centre via video- conferencing, and visits to the Science Museum.
Dr P Chadwick Department of Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham, County Durham, DH1 3LE Tel: 0191 334 3560
GAMMA RAY ASTRONOMY AT THE ROYAL SOCIETY EXHIBITION IN GLASGOW
Award - £3,500.00 To take an exhibit to the Royal Society Summer Exhibition 2006 at the Science Exhibition Centre in Glasgow. The exhibit, which will also be shown at the Royal Society Exhibition in London, will include a flash tube array showing the tracks of particles (muons) passing through the exhibition hall, a computer display showing the sorts of objects observed and including animations (for example of supernovae) and an interactive 'find your own gamma rays' data analysis computer. In addition full-colour posters will illustrate the physics behind the H.E.S.S gamma ray telescopes in Namibia are designed to do and some recent discoveries made with the H.E.S.S telescopes.
Ms E Jones Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood, Cambridge Heath Road, Bethnal Green, London, E2 9PA Tel: 020 8983 5200
LOST IN SPACE
Award - £12,000.00 To set up a temporary exhibition, 'Lost in Space', which will be on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood before touring to museums, galleries and science centres around the UK. The exhibition will explore people's fascination with space, space exploration and space travel and show how this fascination has influenced popular culture, from literature and film to design and merchandising.
At Bethnal Green, the exhibition will be accompanied by an Exhibition Guide and an Education Programme of drop-in activities for schools, children and families. Special events will run during the school holidays such as "stargazing" astronomy evenings and a planetarium show.
Dr V K Pearson Planetary & Space Sciences Research Institute, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA Tel: 01908 652814
ROCKS FROM SPACE
Award - £7,196.00 To develop a portable activity centre consisting of planetary materials such as meteorites, impact-related artefacts, microscopes and computer based problem solving activities and display materials to be toured around the local region for half to full day events. Programmes will be developed for National Science Week events 2007/2008. The project will also work with local schools and other institutes to develop planetary science-related programmes for their own science week events. Hardcopy materials will be developed to be used alongside and independent of the activity centre, to be distributed to schools and other lay groups. It is also intended to deliver the programme at a national level with at least two live events.
Dr C S Crawford Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, The Observatories, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0HA Tel: 01223 337510
DEVELOPMENT OF ARTS-SCIENCE WORKSHOP AT THE INSTITUTE OF ASTRONOMY
Award - £1,100.00 To pilot a series of science-arts workshops to be held at the Institute of Astronomy. These workshops will be run by an experienced and well respected local artist, Issam Kourbaj, who has run similar events at the University Botanic Gardens. The artist is particularly keen on embracing and developing creative ideas inspired by scientific concepts. The workshops will draw inspiration from not just astronomical ideas and topics at the institute but as much from the historical telescopes, domes, buildings and grounds the Institute is situated in. The workshops will be open to all sections of the public, although the main target group is family participation.
Mr P A Haley Herefordshire Children & Young People's Directorate, Education Centre, PO Box 185, Blackfriars Street, Hereford, HR4 9ZR Tel: 01432 383048
SPACE WATCH
Award - £5,700.00 Space Watch is a series of two-day intergenerational space schools held in conjunction with a number of Herefordshire schools and consisting of a range of activities including a demonstration of rocket models, planetarium show, talks, telescope observations and a visit to the Spaceguard Centre. The project also aims to develop a resource bank of space exploration materials for use by teachers in schools and tutors in learning centres across the county. The project also will promote the Hfd-SHARE model of the solar system across the County of Herefordshire.
Prof R Davies University of Oxford, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, Oxford, OX1 3RH Tel: 01852 273305
COMMUNICATING ASTRONOMY WITH TELESCOPES OUTREACH IN OXFORDSHIRE AND WILTSHIRE
Award - £6,000.00 This is an initiative giving live access to telescopes (The Marlborough College Blackett Observatory and the Oxford Astrophysics Philip Wetton Telescope), reaching a huge diversity of visitors on several levels. It links school pupils, teachers and the public with research scientists. The project also works in parallel with outside organisations and topical events are brought into the programme with open days and observing evenings being organised to inspire visitors. This year links will be developed with the University Museum of the History of Science and with the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies to put together a programme on Islamic astronomy based on the Museum's extensive collection of astrolabes. The Phillip Wetton Telescope in Oxford will focus on presentations on the development of new facilities in which Oxford staff are active such as Adaptive Optics, Extremely Large Telescopes, the Square Kilometre Array and the Cosmic Microwave Background.
Prof P Watkins School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT Tel: 0121 414 4625
LHC OUTREACH CASCADING INTO SCHOOLS
Award - £6,900.00 This project aims to introduce science teachers and pupils studying science to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) which is due to begin running at CERN in 2007.
Academic Staff from the Particle Physics group will guide and support undergraduate students from the 'Physics with Particle Physics and Cosmology' course at the University of Birmingham, who will each produce a PowerPoint presentation to explain what is happening at the LHC at CERN. Teachers from around 40 schools in the Midlands with their A level students will be invited into the University of Birmingham for an early evening/after school session to discuss and hear these presentations. The students will then go on and devise their own presentations to be shown to younger secondary school students. Support will be given to these students by way of an email/web page to answer questions from student speakers.
Dr A Murphy School of Physics, University of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ Tel: 0131 650 5285
PARTICLE PHYSICS IN THE UNIVERSE TODAY (PUTT)
Award - £1,500 'Particle Physics in the Universe Today' is an afternoon of fun, exciting and thought- provoking physics-related activities to take place during the 61st Scottish Universities Summer School of Physics in St Andrews on 21st August 2006. These will include two basic components. Firstly there will be many excellent lecture-style demonstrations and hands-on activities. These will include the CERN Accelerator Complex Simulator, the cosmic ray muon experimental rig used at the top of Cairngorm in Einstein Year to demonstrate time dilation, newly constructed cosmic ray hodoscopes, as well as many hands-on exhibits, interactive experiments and high-quality graphical displays. Secondly, an illustrated public lecture on Particle Physics and Cosmology will be presented by an experienced public speaker. In addition participants will receive a pack of related information to take away.
Dr T S Poole Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey, RH5 6NT Tel: 01483 204256
LOCAL COMMUNITY YOUTH SPACE ACTIVITY DAYS & EVENINGS
Award - £10,000.00 To set up a self-sufficient mobile centre that can be used either at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) or on location. This will enable visits to groups in rural communities and at youth group meetings where large facilities are not available. 6-8 workshops are to be run during the spring, summer and autumn months both at MSSL and at local schools. 4 full activity days for youth organisations run at weekends and 4 school activity days for primary schools. These will be complemented with 8-12 activity evenings at MSSL and evening visits for youth organisations. Activities will include creating craters on the moon, Mars Landers, space engineering, rockets, solar panel boats, making comets, parachutes and scale model of the solar system, viewing the sun safely using pinhole cameras, telling the time using a sundial and building a simple Galilean Telescope.
Mr C Stevenson The Royal National College for the Blind, College Road, Hereford, HR1 1EB Tel: 01432 265735
OUR PLACE IN AN UNSEEN UNIVERSE
Award - £12,120.00 This project aims to make visual images and data accessible to those who are blind or visually impaired through the use of sound and touch. The project will research, design and produce a range of talking tactile diagrams (overlays) for use on the recently developed Talking Tactile Technology (T3). This technology is beginning to find application in schools, colleges and museums for the teaching of a wide range of subjects that contain visual images. The subject matter will provide basic National Curriculum materials but then develop them much further for both school/college use as well as adult education and museum information programmes. The topics covered will include the Solar System, Space Exploration and Basic Astronomy.
Miss R L Betts CSV Norfolk Action Desk, BBC Radio Norfolk, The Forum, Norwich, NR2 1BH Tel: 01603 631631
CHASING THE STARS
Award - £7,800.00 To research and produce a series of space science and astronomy "taster sessions" live on air to an audience of nearly 250,000 weekly listeners over a six week period. Topics covered will include understanding the solar system and how the constellations became known, how to be a star gazer, what to look for in the night sky on particular days, how comets are made and where asteroids come from, observing the sun and question and answer sessions. These sessions will be promoted in advance and an "on air" trail will provide a help desk phone number for listeners to contact for any further queries etc. An information pack will be designed, produced, printed and distributed to the public. This will summarise topics covered and will include details about various local and national space science focused and astronomy focused groups. To finalise the series a high profile, interactive, educational "Space Fair" will be held at "The Forum" in Norwich.
Dr L M Green Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Department of Space and Climate Physics, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT Tel: 01483 204103
INTERNATIONAL HELIOPHYSICAL YEAR SCHOOLS PROGRAMME
Award - £10,000.00 2007 has been designated as International Heliophysical Year (IHY) by Solar System scientists in order to advance our understanding of the suns effect on the earth and beyond into interplanetary space. This project aims to develop, deliver and make widely available learning resources for both primary and secondary schools based around the theme of the Sun and its influence on the Solar System. The main component will be two workshops. One workshop will be developed for KS2 and a separate workshop for KS3 and 4. The materials will be developed with input and guidance from a teacher and workshops will be tested before being released. Science communication training will be provided for post-graduate students and post-doctoral researchers across the UK who can go into local schools and deliver the workshops.
Mr P Lavery Digital Learning Foundation Educational Charity, Carlung House, West Kilbride, KA23 9PU Tel: 01294 824824
SPACE 3D EXPLORER TRAVELLING SHOW AND DISCOVERY WORKSHOPS
Award - £14,830.00 Space 3D Explorer is a real time interactive 3D travelling school show and Discovery Workshop that uses stereoscopic projection to create immersive 3D experience that brings excitement into the classroom to promote understanding of complex and abstract concepts, motivate research, discovery and self learning and make physics/astronomy fun by "taking you there" and making it real. The content of the show will be developed in consultation with teachers and advisors. The areas to be covered in the show or in more detail in the workshop are, 'Our Solar System', 'Gravity', 'Our Galaxy' and 'the Universe'. The workshop will have a series of flexible challenges and will present current space news.
Science and Society Small Awards Scheme 2006B
E509614/1 Ms F B Gray University of Sheffield, School of English, The University of Sheffield, Sir William Empson House, Shearwood Road, Sheffield S10 2TD Tel: + 44 (0)114 222 8463
The Big Bang begins in Yorkshire: The Stage Show
Award - £7,000 A project to write, develop and mount a dramatic presentation with a brand new script revolving around the life and times of John Goodricke (an 18th Century astronomer who was deaf and lived in York) compared with a present day physicist. This will be a collaboration involving the University School of English, the Department of Physics and Astronomy and local drama groups. The staging of the production will involve up to 50 people and the play will run for 4 nights and an open Dress Rehearsal. Participants will include members of the Signing Community and Science and Arts students from the university. There will be a DVD of the production suitable for school use.
E509606/ Professor F P Keenan Astrophysics and Planetary Science Research, Queens University, Belfast, County Antrim, BT17 1NN Tel: + 44 (0)2890 973 686
I can't change the laws of physics, Captain!
Award - £4,000 A project aimed at children 12 years and upwards to develop presentations using material from science fiction in films and television. This has proved to be a very effective way to engage the public and school students. The project will produce a high quality DVD which can be used to illustrate presentations which show where science fiction films show accurate (or inaccurate) science. The presentation will be prepared with the help of teachers to ensure that it is suitable for use in schools. This will be delivered widely in Northern Ireland.
E509673/1 Dr N J Rattenbury Physics and Astronomy, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL Tel: + 44 (0)1477 572 653 The Jodcast
Award £2,212 A scheme which builds on a successful pilot to produce a free monthly downloadable radio programme (podcast) on astronomy and space science from Jodrell Bank for the interest of the general public. It will foster the fascination of young people for astronomy. The research output of the UK and international scientists will be highlighted. It will promote the United Kingdom as a leading country for astrophysical and space science research. It is hoped that a communication channel will develop so that the public will feel encouraged to ask questions and use the Jodcast as a regular source of astronomy information, and students will be encouraged to study in particular physics, mathematics and astronomy.
E509681/1 Dr M Dworetsky University of London Observatory, 553 Watford Way, London, NW7 2QS Tel: + 44 (0)20 8959 0421
Astronomy in the Classroom: School and Observatory Visits
Award £8,200 A project to extend an active programme of school visits and Observatory visits for pupils of varying ages from KS 2 up to A level delivered mainly by Dr Francisco Diego. The project will include schools in the entire Greater London area. These visits have proved to be very popular and the award will make it possible to meet many more requests in the future. The project builds on an earlier award by PPARC (Science and Technology Facilities Council post 1 April 2007) for the purchase of a portable solar telescope. The visits programme will be extended by the participation of a number of postgraduate students from University College London. A further aim is to generate enthusiasm for astronomy amongst school children and enable teachers to present modern astronomy at a suitable level for their classes.
E50969X/1 Mr R Smith Cranbrook School, Cranbrook, Kent TN17 3JD Tel: + 44 (0)1580 711 865
School and Community Hands-on Education Programme
Award £7,150 A scheme which continues to develop a programme of community involvement in science, as an extension to the School's Community Science work and including active participation by the Cranbrook and District Science and Astronomy Society. This will be used to develop partnerships with other local schools. New equipment will be purchased which will allow greater access to the telescope by other groups, including primary schools. Weekly viewing sessions and monthly talks will be provided. Contribution 7,150
E509749/1 Dr A M Newsam Liverpool John Moore's University, Astrophysics Research Institute, Twelve Quays House, Egerton Wharf, Birkenhead CH41 1LD Tel: + 44 (0)151 231 2909
Merseyside Astronomy Day - Bringing research to the Public
Award £2,700 A project to stimulate interest in frontier Science and Technology Facilities Council ("the Council") science with the general public through a series of talks by professional astronomers. Merseyside Astronomy Day (MAD) was piloted at Spaceport in 2006 with very positive responses from participants. The award will allow further development of MAD. It will provide funding for external speakers and more effective marketing of the event.
E509765/1 Mrs H MacRae The Ideas Foundation, c/o Ogilvy & Mather,10 Cabot Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 4BA Tel: + 44 (0)1279 833 004
Seeking Saturn
Award £12,000 Secondary school children from Tower Hamlets will experience a week long series of activities on the theme of Saturn. These events will be jointly planned with input from teachers from the Morpeth School, Tower Hamlets and the Local Authority Science Adviser. The events will include a lecture by Professor Carl Murray. An ongoing summer school programme will be developed and mentors form Queen Mary University of London will be trained to deliver it.
E509814/1 Dr B Cox University of Manchester, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Manchester M13 9PL Tel: + 44 (0)161 275 4098
LHC Monthly Podcast
Award £10,000 A project which will build awareness and create an on-going interest in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in the year up to and including the first collisions to a general audience around the world. Dr Cox will produce a regular podcast and an 'LHC podcast blog' which will include latest news from the LHC, interviews with key scientists/researchers at CERN and elsewhere, answers to listeners questions and human interest stories from CERN. It will also include 'particle pf the month' a closer look at one of sub-atomic particles that will be searched for when the collider is switched on.
E509849/1 Dr D M Wright University of Leicester, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Leicester LE1 7RH Tel: + 44 (0)116 252 3568
Public outreach activities during a Polar Expedition
Award £2650 A series of experiments will be undertaken during this expedition to the arctic pole. Dr Natalie Draper will be walking to the 'arctic pole' the furthest arctic location from any land. She will carry out experiments on the expedition and will link to schools in Leicestershire during the expedition. It is intended to collaborate with schools in the Leicester area with school visits both prior to and during the expedition. School children will be engaged in subjects of interest to them. The Council funding will be used to support collaborative work with the schools.
E509857/1 Dr R Stamper Space Science and Technology Department, CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Chilton, Didcot OX11 0QX Tel: + 44 (0)1235 446 602
Sun to Earth in 3-D
Award £8,374 A project using a 3-D display to raise public awareness and understanding of the science of the heliosphere and the experiments and instruments used to investigate it. A 3-D viewing booth will be created which enables 3-D viewing of films of the Aurora Borealis and images from the STEREO spacecraft. The exhibit will be accompanied by suitable background material and displays. The exhibit will visit various public venues.
E509914/1 Dr J Miao University of Kent, Department of Astrophysics and Planetary Sciences, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH Tel: + 44 (0)1227 823 834
SummerSpace School at Kent
Award £4,000 A scheme to continue the successful summer space school by providing residential weekend courses for children between the ages of 11 and 18. There will be a wide range of activities on the them of 'space' supported by the University of Kent. It is hoped to enthuse children from all backgrounds about astronomy astrophysics and space science.
E509922/1 Dr N Evans School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO17 1BJ Tel: + 44 (0)2380 592 093
The Light Fantastic Roadshow
Award £2,636 The Light Fantastic Roadshow consists of a particle physics lecture, a set of demonstrations and a professional laser light show. The Council award will enable the show to be taken to a wider range of schools and local colleges for the benefit of A Level students. The funding will provide informative handouts, the printing of a banner and other incidental costs.
E510015/1 Dr G Lang Glasgow Science Centre, 50 Pacific Quay, Glasgow, G51 1EA
Planetarium Evening Lecture Series
Award £3,350 This scheme builds on and continues a previously successful series of evening lectures (also funded by the Council) and will provide a forum for Astronomy and Space Science Professionals to present and discuss their work with the public in an informal setting. The Council funding will support the organisation of these events and speaker costs.
E510031/1 Dr A L MacKinnon University of Glasgow, Department of Adult and Continuing Education, St Andrew's Building, 11 Eldon Street, Glasgow, G3 6NH Tel: + 44 (0)141 3301 857
Scottish Science Curriculum Resources using the Bradford Robotic Telescope
Award £7,800 A scheme to develop resources to support the use of the Bradford Robotic Telescope in the Scottish schools science curriculum. The development will be carried out in collaboration with a group of local schools and teachers. Materials will be tailored to be particularly relevant to Scottish schoolchildren.
E510058/1 Mr J London Out of this World Learning, Stanley Farm, Beck Row, Wilde Street, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 8BT Tel: + 44 (0)1638 515 777
Astronomy & Planetary Science Elements of the Rocketmania! Model Rocketry Competition National Finals
Award £1,500 A scheme to give pupils aged 9-13 an insight into current astronomy and planetary science and that being a scientist could be a career in adult life. Schools will send winning teams to The Finals of Rocketmania! Rocketry competition. This will take place at the end of July 2007 at an all day event. The Council funding will be used to develop astronomy/planetary science activities for use by students at these events.
E510074/1 Dr R W Walsh University of Central Lancashire, Centre for Astrophysics, Preston, PR1 2HE
Our life-giving star: energy flow for the Sun to the Earth
Award £1,000 Support for a major event at the BA Festival of Science to be held in York September 2007 during the International Heliophysical Year. The event is to inform and enthuse the audience about issues in Solar System Science.
E510090/1 Mr J Sims Business Link Solutions Ltd, Eastern Bypass, Thame, OX3 3FF Tel: + 44 (0)1844 210 400
Milton Keynes Science Festival 2007
Award £2,000 This festival is part of Milton Keynes 40th Anniversary Celebrations. The Astronomy Group at the Open University will provide events mainly for 11-16 year olds to provide links between cutting edge research being developed in the local universities and the National Curriculum. It will include a Standing Display , Schools Competition and Participatory Events.
E51014X/1 Dr A Sopczak
The Lancaster Particle Physics Package (LPPP)-LHC Module
Award £6,000 The focus of this project is to interest young people in particle physics and is aimed at increasing awareness on the progress in High Energy Physics (HEP ). It allows users to control simulated particle collisions and to carry out calculations on the results. A new module of this package, focussed on the Large Hadron Collider, will be developed and added to existing modules.
Chairperson's report 2006(B).
Science in society - Small awards scheme 2007A
Successful Applicants in Round 2007A
Dr E J Restall - F500221/1 Wynyard Planetarium & Observatory, Wynyard Woodland Park, Thorpe Thewles, Stockton- on-Tees,TS21 3JG Tel: + 44 (0)1740 630544
Secret of the Sun - IHY2007 Programme
Award - £5,083 This is a project designed to take advantage of the International Heliophysical Year when it is hoped to raise general awareness and the interest level of both school children and the general public in the Sun-Earth connection. An on-going programme of solar science events will be delivered for the benefit of the general public and a large number of schools in the North East. The aim is to make people more aware of the direct effect of our local star upon our daily lives – highlighting the potential benefits and pitfalls of living on the Earth within the atmosphere of the Sun. The programme will provide inspirational material and information about the Sun-Earth system to a wide audience using both Optical equipment and information and computer technology. The award will also be used to purchase equipment which will enhance the presentations.
Dr R Jarman - F500272/1 School of Education, Queen’s University of Belfast, 69 University Street, Belfast, County Antrim, BT7 1HL Tel: + 44 (0)2890 975941
Physcasting: Communicating Frontier Physics Research through Student-authored Podcasts
Award - £15,000 A pilot project will work initially with five or six schools or colleges across the United Kingdom. The project aims to involve young people in the creation of student authored media products. The schools selected will have access to institutions conducting cutting- edge particle physics and or astronomy research in their regions. Students will visit their local university where there will be opportunities to listen and to question researchers, receive news releases and be offered photo opportunities. After such visits young people will work in teams to create their podcast/podcasts. To ensure sustainable outcomes the Project Team will produce a Teachers’ Guidebook and some training workshops will also be provided.
Dr M Dworetsky - F500321/1 University of London Observatory, 553 Watford Way, London, NW7 2QS Tel: + 44 (0)2089 590421
Astronomy in the Classroom: School and Observatory Visits
Award - £13,354 A scheme to extend the current active programme of school and observatory visits for pupils ages 11-16. These visits which have proved to be very popular will be conducted mainly by Dr. Francisco Diego. It is hoped to make one or two school visits per week and 30 Observatory daytime visits over a two year period starting in January 2008.
Professor P Watkins - F50033X/1 School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT Tel: + 44 (0)121 4144625
LHC Outreach - Cascading into Schools, UK Wide
Award - £7,500 A scheme to ensure that as many science teachers and schoolchildren as possible, in the UK, are aware of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), what it is , and what will be happening at CERN in the next few years. The Academic Staff from the Particle Physics Group will be guiding and supporting undergraduate students on the Physics with Particle Physics and Cosmology course who will each produce a powerpoint presentation to explain what is happening at the LHC at CERN and, in particular Birmingham’s involvement, at a level suitable for A’ level students. A website containing this material and links to other web pages and resources will be produced. In addition details of a nationwide competition will be advertised on the website and schools notified through the school liaison programme. Teams of two or more A’ level students will prepare a powerpoint presentation aimed at other secondary school students. They will organise a presentation at their own school for the younger students. Shortlisted presentations will be invited to a Finals event at the University of Birmingham . The three best presentations will be selected for major prizes in terms of support for a visit to CERN.
Dr R S Priddey - F500348/1 Science and Technology RI, University of Hertfordshire, PO Box 109,College Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL 10 9AB Tel: + 44 (0)1707 284514
“The Starry Messenger”: an educational film drama for schools
Award - £8,470 This project is a follow up on an earlier successful video project funded by PPARC. A film will be created and distributed. It will support the teaching of physics and astronomy in schools and hopefully will inspire some students to study these subjects together with mathematics to A’ level and beyond. The film will illustrate core concepts in the physics and astronomy syllabus at GCSE level and provide teachers with materials for interactive classroom exercises and discussion. The less technical subject matter will also make the film accessible to a wider audience. This project will continue the interdisciplinary collaboration between the Schools of Physics, Astronomy & Mathematics, Art & Design, and Film, Media & Music, within the University of Hertfordshire.
Mr P J Lavery - F500364/1 Digital Learning Foundation, 4 Carlung House, West Kilbride, KA23 9PU Tel: + 44 (0)1294 824824
Space 3D Explorer: Gravity show and workshops: Southern Tour
Award - £11,740 The Digital learning Foundation aims to promote the advancement of learning through the use of digital tools innovative technologies and integrated teaching methods. This is a realtime interactive 3D travelling school show and Discovery Workshops that uses stereoscopic projection to create an immersive 3D experience that brings the “Wow” factor into the classroom to promote understanding of complex and abstract concepts. This project will also build on a previous project funded by PPARC.
Ms G Penny - F500399/1 Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Kelvin Building, Gilemorehill, Hillhead, Glasgow, G12 8QQ Tel: + 44 (0)141 3306396
Singing Science - A ”STFC” science and arts learning project celebrating frontier STFC science
Award - £9,800 New audiences will take part in a range of lively, innovative, interactive and engaging STFC- themed learning experiences using the appeal of music and song. Subjects covered will include particle physics, space, planetary, solar and solar system and nuclear physics science. It is intended to target schools which do not traditionally send children on to H.E. and F.E. The project will also collaborate with university staff who have a good knowledge of hard to reach audiences and the 13 HE/FE “Greater Opportunities for Access and Learning Schools” (Goals (link opens in a new window))
Dr S Raychaudhury - F500413/1 School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT Tel: + 44 (0)121 4146474
Tea talk and telescopes too
Award - £1,200 A scheme which builds on a pilot project previously funded by PPARC for the benefit of the members of the general public. Evening talks will be provided by eminent scientists, authors or communicators followed by night sky viewing using the Grubb and other telescopes. The talks will be informative and have an element of fun. It is hoped that the presentations will capture the imagination of the public, encourage an interest in astronomy within the local media and to demonstrate to potential A’ level students that science can be fun . Student members of the University of Birmingham Astronomical Society will be on hand to assist. It is intended to hold 3 meetings for the next year.
Mr A G Wood - F500448/1 Institute of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 3BZ Tel: + 44 (0)1970 622821
Promoting STFC science to the disengaged: radio and online outreach
Award - £12,565
By using radio advertising and online media it is hoped to show science as something that is interesting and accessible. The aims are to a) inform and enthuse the public about the big science questions on the STFC strategic roadmap b) to translate this enthusiasm amongst young people into an awareness of the diversity of science careers and c) to show the taxpayer the value, importance and relevance of these big science questions. The primary targets are those who have little or no contact with science. e.g. schoolchildren who do not necessarily wish to be seen to take an interest in science and those pupils and those who have left school who see science as too difficult.
Dr T G Shears - F500456/1 Physics, University of Liverpool, Oxford Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZE Tel: + 44 (0)151 7943315 Particle physics and the LHC in 37 seconds
Award - £7,250 A series of very short films will be produced to introduce the general public to particle physics: how it is investigated, CERN and the Large Hadron Collider, current experiments and what questions are still unresolved. The films will be submitted to the Liverpool Big Screen television for screening. Some 60,000 people at least will walk past the screen each day. The screening will take place just before the LHC turn on and will help to raise the general public’s awareness of what the LHC is, what it will do, and what it might find out. Local interest will be added by including footage of the Liverpool Particle Physics Group and showing what Liverpool has contributed to the project. The films will be tied to a BBC website and post screening will be available on a Liverpool University website.
Ms G Watson - F500472/1 Chief Executives Office, The Vega Science Trust, The Innovation Centre, Science Park Square, Brighton, BN1 9SB Tel: + 44 (0)1273 678726
Creating a dedicated Vega Science Trust website for Scitech science
Award - £15,000 The Vega Science Trust’s remit is to promote science as part of our every day culture by informing, inspiring and enthusing the public, school pupils, teachers and those engaged in further and higher education both students and teachers. The aim of this project is to consolidate existing educational video material in the areas of Particle Physics, Astronomy, Space Science and Nuclear Physics, currently available as part of the Vega Science Trust’s wider range of subject material at the Trust’s website and further create a new website/portal in the area being consolidated.
Mr P Haley - F510552/1 The SHARE Initiative, Boundary Cottage, Birch Hill, Clehonger Hereford, HR2 9SY Tel: + 44 (0)1981 251029
Space Watch
Award - £3,800 This project is designed to increase public understanding of the exploration of the Solar System as we approach 50 years of space exploration. It is intended to organise and deliver family learning opportunities (2-day events) in the final 4 partnerships of schools in Herefordshire that were not reached with the original project that was funded for two years by PPARC. It is intended that delivery will commence in July 2007 and continuing through to October 2007- the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik. There will be involvement with local astronomers. Disadvantaged learners including blind and visually impaired young people will be specifically targeted. Successful Applicants in Round 2007B
Dr Nicholas Rattenbury - F501110/1 The University of Manchester, Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics
The Jodcast
Award - £6,000.00 The Jodcast has been produced since January 2006 and was funded in part by PPARC in 2007. It is hoped to continue this project a free twice-monthly downloadable audio programme on astronomy and space science. The Jodcast audience is around 1,400 listeners per episode. The Jodcast is now the main UK-based astronomy podcast and wishes to continue to maintain this position and increase its audience size significantly.
Mr Paul Haley - F500699/1 The Share Initiative
IHY –Frontier Science through Arts
Award - £14,870 This project aims to increase public understanding of solar science, especially among young people with special needs, during International Heliophysical Years 2008-09. This will be achieved by providing science arts workshops for up to 16 special schools as well as developing curriculum support materials linked to IHY for post workshop extension work and a teacher’s guide.
Dr Judith Pillinger - F500872/1 The Open University, PSSRI
Welcome to Wales – Space Sciences cartoon exhibition
Award - £5,027 The National Museum of Wales in Cardiff will, for 4 months in 2008, display the previously successful “Mars in their Eyes” exhibition (funded by PPARC) and there will be a good opportunity to update and extend the collection of mounted and framed cartoons to show other areas of solar system exploration and planetary science in line with recent interest e.g. lunar exploration.
Dr Paul Roche - F501129/1 Cardiff University, Department of Physics and Astronomy Astronomy to a Captive Audience
Award - £11,851.40 The aim of this project is to work with young offenders on an Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme (ISSP) - the pilot will target four groups each of 15 young offenders in Gwent. Two short (10 week courses) will lead to a 3 credit OCN qualification. Additionally a longer programme will be delivered for those wishing to take the GCSE Astronomy qualification.
Dr Helen Mason - F500713/1 University of Cambridge Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics
Sun|trek - the Next Generation
Award - £4,500 The Sun|trek website went live at the end of June 2007 and its creators are encouraged by its use. STFC funding will enable the website to be updated to include sections on the latest solar observations from Hinode and Stereo. More promotional material will be purchased and use will be made of new technology and communication methods used by the “younger generation” e.g. video clips, links to facebook etc.
Dr Peter Edwards - F500821/1 Durham University Department of Physics
3D LHC
Award - £13,329.25 This project aims to develop a 3-D travelling school show which describes the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment at CERN. It is hoped that audiences will be informed and enthused about the LHC project. Young people will have an awareness of “How Science Works”. Above all people will be aware of the value and relevance of some of the big science questions the LHC is trying to address.
Dr Brian Cox - F500999/1 University of Manchester Department of Physics and Astronomy
CERN – LHC PODCAST and PODCAST website
Award - £6,000 Following the commissioning of the LHC and the receipt of data it is intended to produce at least 6 podcasts during 2008, to complement those produced previously with funding from PPARC. It is hoped that a target of one hundred thousand downloads across all podcasts will be reached by December 2008.
Mr Robin Wheldon- Williams - F501145/1 National Eisteddfod of Wales
Cosmology Exhibition – National Eisteddfod of Wales
Award - £14,600 This project will provide a presence in the Science and Technology Pavillion at the National Eisteddfod (Cardiff 2008). In the central exhibition area there will be Starlab a mobile planetarium as the central exhibit, and a novel show specifically on Big Bang and the history of the Universe. An Observatory will be attached to the Science pavilion and connected to the Faulkes Telescopes in Hawaii and New South Wales. As this will be the first live link for the National Eisteddfod it should attract a lot on interest. This is very much a bilingual project with specific emphasis on the Welsh language.
Dr Christopher Lester - F500756/1 University of Cambridge, High Energy Physics, Cavendish Laboratory
Cosmic Ray Spark Chamber for the East of England
Award - £5,900 A project to evaluate design and then build a transportable spark chamber similar to one designed by Birmingham University some 10 years ago. The chamber will be part of the CHaOS Road Show and other CHaOS events throughout the year and will be taken into schools, town halls, and county shows around the country. The chamber will form the centre-piece of the Particle Physics contribution to “The Physics at Work outreach programme”. At least 2100 school children will be reached.
Professor B.S. Sathyaprakash - F500972/1 Cardiff University School of Physics and Astronomy
Gravity beyond the apple
Award - £10,000 It is hoped to develop an engaging and interactive 50 minute show that explains the science of gravitational waves to 14-19 year olds so that they may have an awareness of the exciting challenges faced by astronomers researching in this field and also what such a discovery could mean to our understanding of the universe. 300 secondary schools in South Wales and the South West of England will be approached. The show will be toured at a subsidised rate to the first 15 schools to reply during the International Year of Astronomy in 2009.
Dr Ron Holt - F500905/1 Liverpool John Moores University, Astrophysics Research Institute
Out of This World Poetry
Award - £7,900 Young people in the Merseyside area will be encouraged to write poetry in a creative way on some aspect of astronomy. It is hoped that all who participate in this project will become more aware of the dynamic Universe in which they live. This project is in celebration of Liverpool’s status as European Capital of Culture in 2008 and further a book of poetry with six pages of astronomical images taken by schools using the Liverpool Telescope will be published and given to each participating student. A winner’s ceremony will be held at Spaceport in the Wirral.
Successful applicants in round 2008A
Dr P Roche - G501982/1 Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University PO Box 913, 5 The Parade, Cardiff, CF24 5YB
“The Starlight Magazine”
Award - £15,000.00
A free popular astronomy magazine will be produced, the target audience being 11-14 year olds their families and teachers. It aims to be interesting, informative and entertaining. It will relate to the school curriculum requirements and highlight STFC science.
Miss SL Sheehy - G502047/1 John Adams Institute, Particle Physics, Physics University of Oxford, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road Oxford OX1 3RH
“Accelerate”
Award - £7,898.00 This project will develop and present a 45 minutes interactive science show, including creating/building novel demonstrations and writing a show script. Create an “Accelerate “website and write follow up materials for teachers which can be accessed by via the project’s website. The show will be presented free of charge to an audience of between 100-250 people at each presentation. It is hoped such activity will provide a novel way of engaging students, teachers and the public with current particle and accelerator physics research and enhance understanding of basic physics concepts through exciting, relevant examples and applications. Preconceived ideas will be challenged and students will be persuaded that science is fun relevant and exciting. Young physicists will have a unique opportunity of developing communication skills.
Ms WJ Sadler - G50193/1 Science Made Simple, School of Physics and Astronomy 5 The Parade, Cardiff CF24 3YB
”Herschel and the mysteries of the cold universe”
Award - £13,458.00 A project which aims to create an interactive science show for 11-16 year olds which will tackle the challenging science and technology behind space astronomy projects such as Herschel (due to be launched end of 2008) in an accessible and visual way. The show is intended for presentation in school halls with audiences of 150 or so and will reach at least 1500 students. Arrangements will be made to ensure the show will last beyond STFC funding.
Miss LR Pickard - G501974/1 University College London, Department of Space and Climate Physics Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Holmbury St. Mary Dorking Surrey RH5 6NT
“Exploring the Universe with Gravitational Waves”
Award - £750.00
A project designed to explain the science behind gravitational waves, how to detect them, and what we can learn from studying the universe with them. A model will be designed and built to demonstrate propagation of a quadrupolar wave suitable for hands on demonstration. Material for GCSE and A’ Level students will be included.
Ms B Parker - G502163/1 Langton Star Centre, Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys Langton Lane, Nackington Road, Canterbury, CT4 7AS
“A simple cosmic ray detector for use in schools”
Award - £9,000.00
This is to build a prototype model of an easy to use cosmic ray detector for schools using an adaptation of the medipix chip developed at CERN. This will enable schools to carry out cosmic ray experiments without too much difficulty. This scheme will excite students who will have an opportunity of carrying out some interesting experiments and analysis. If the prototype is successful it is hoped eventually to set up a group of school using the equipment and to establish links between schools using these detectors and the Langton Star Centre.
Professor M.A. Barstow - G501866/1 Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road Leicester, LE1 7RH
“Moon landing – 40th Anniversary Exhibition”
Award - £10,000.00
The aim of this project is to raise the visibility of UK Space Exploration Activity through the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. This will be in conjunction with a national tour of the musical drama “Moon landing”. STFC funding will provide 2 display units which will present ‘The future return to the Moon’ and the ‘Societal and economic benefits of participation in space exploration’.
Professor JD Barrow - G502204/1 Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge, CB3 0WA
“Special Issues of Plus celebrating physical sciences”
Award - £7,000.00
Plus is an internet magazine from the Millennium Mathematics Project at the University of Cambridge. It is intended to produce a special issue of Plus in 2009/10 focusing on STFC science areas aimed at readers from 16 upwards. The special issue will include interviews and podcasts.
Dr JA Wilson - G501858/1 School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT
“Spark Chambers detecting cosmic rays from outer space”
Award - £4,200.00
This project is in part a continuation of a previous PPARC award in which a programme of school and off campus visits with a transportable Spark Chamber will continue to take place. It will then produce an exciting programme to illustrate that cosmic rays are raining down upon us; the observed lines of sparks represent the trails of charged particles from “outer space”; to make the connection between the production of these particles (mainly muons i.e. heavy electrons) in the upper atmosphere and the production of new forms of matter in accelerator experiments; to point the audience to the imminent exciting physics to be explored soon at the CERN Large Hadron Collider.
Professor P Kalmus - G501823/1 Physics, Queen Mary, University of London Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS
“Particle Physics Talks”
Award - £1,190.00
STFC funding would allow for the purchase of a new laptop computer which is now required for the continuation of another 20 talks by the applicant to a variety of audiences in and around the London area.
Mrs M Zavallis-Roebuck - G502071/1 Design Technology, Stretford Grammar School, Granby Road, off Edge Lane Stretford, Manchester, M32 8JB
“Project Helios”
Award - £1,500.00
A project for students to research, develop and test a receiver to observe the Sun. There will be collaboration with The School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering University of Manchester. It is intended to produce a high quality DVD for distribution.
Dr SJ Barber - G501925/2 Open University, PSSRI, Faculty of Science, Walton Hall Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK7 6AT
“Rosetta on the Road (follow – on, Spring 2008)”
Award - £1,700.00
The aim is to continue to use the Science in Society funded” Rosetta on the Road” education outreach package to engage, inform and enthuse school children and general public about STFC science and Technology. The project will include the development of appropriate animation for a big screen. It is hoped to take Rosetta on the Road onto a large video wall on the Xscape leisure complex in Central Milton Keynes. The exhibition will also be used for the high profile Halley lecture at St. Paul’s school to be delivered by Professor Pillinger.
Dr EL Gomez - G50194X/1 Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, PO Box 913 5 The Parade, Cardiff, CF24 5YB
“Seeing the Universe in high definition”
Award - £4,240.00
A scheme to promote UK astronomy by producing high definition video podcasts (vodcasts) to inspire and excite the public which will reach an audience who would not otherwise be interested in astronomy or science. Content will be included which will be appropriate to the National Curriculum and supplement learning in the classroom. Currently no UK based programme for the production of broadcast quality, high definition astronomy vodcasts is available.
Ms H MacRae - G502198/1 The Ideas Foundation, c/o Ogilvy and Mather,10 Cabot Square Canary Wharf, London E14 4BA
“Media Space”
Award - £9,500.00
Summer schools and master classes will be delivered with some institutions of Higher Education. It is intended to attract some 100 disadvantaged but gifted students with an interest in science and creativity in order to raise their achievements and stimulate an interest in science. Student challenges will be based on photographic images. Students will work with scientists, science communication specialists, journalists and museum curators in order to develop magazine, retail and exhibition products.
Dr P Roche - G502004/1 Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, PO Box 913 5 The Parade, Cardiff, CF24 5YB
“Facilitating Astronomy Communication and Education in the UK (FACE UK)”
Award - £3,600.00
This proposal is directly targeted at the “gatekeepers” so as to facilitate astronomy education in the U.K. A series of free booklets will be produced and distributed to all astronomical societies and university astronomy departments in the UK. In addition an updated version of the “How to manual for teachers and astronomers is available on www.astronomy-education.com. It is hoped to produce a paper copy of this manual for distribution as well.
Mr SLI Tudor - G50218X/1 Physics, Ysgol Uwchradd Glan Clwyd, Fford Dinbych Llanelwy,St.Asaph, LL17 0RP
“How to run a Space Camp at your School?”
Award - £880.00
The applicant intends to start an astronomy club in September 2008 at Ysgol Glan Clwyd which will include Space Camp activities and a course in GCSE Astronomy. STFC funding will enable the applicant to attend a course which will deliver the necessary training.
Successful applicants in round 2008B
Mr M Rosin - G502663/1 University of Cambridge
Science at music festivals (Guerrilla Space Camp)
Award £14,660
Using a blend of discussion, debate, art, live experiments and talks, the Guerrilla Science project aims to communicate various aspects of science and technology to a general public audience (predominantly adults above 18 years but also children and families) attending two distinct musical festivals. It is hoped to train scientists up to communicate more effectively with the public, to inform a public audience of the latest happenings in STFC orientated areas of science and technology, broadening the audience’s perception of what science is. The Guerrilla Science website would provide a record of the project and provide a useful resource for other science communicators. It is also hoped with regular funding that Guerrilla Science would become a regular feature at music festivals in their proximity. As payment the educators (young scientists and communicators of science) will be given a ticket to the festival.
Miss K Shaw - G503187/1 The University of Sheffield
Particle Physics masterclasses with ATLAS and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
Award £430
This project aims to educate and inspire high school children in particle physics and also to promote careers in particle physics. The focus will be on the ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC Apparatus) experiment at LHC. The programme will include a power point presentation, and other activities.
Ms S Custead - G5033287/1 Bristol Natural History Consortium
Year of Astronomy at 2009 Bristol Festival of Nature
Award £4,170
The Festival of Nature is the largest of its kind in the UK and aims to celebrate nature in its widest sense. It is hoped to engage new audiences with astronomy by providing a variety of interactive learning and hands-on opportunities and involve the wider public in the celebrations of 2009 as International Year of Astronomy. It is intended to engage 2,000 + visitors to the Festival and deliver activities which appeal to all age groups and enable families to work together. Bristol Astronomical Society will assist with hosting solar observation.
Miss S Cox - G503387/1 Guthlaxton College Leicestershire
Beyond the Moon Theatre Tour and Workshops
Award £6,000 The main aim of this project is to raise awareness of Space Astronomy and areas of Science in general and engage people in the issues and ideas inherent in this area. The project will use the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first landing on the moon and Galileo’s as an inspiration for an innovative and exciting touring Theatre event. Funding will defray the cost of the production.
Prof MD Smith - G502763/1 University of Kent
The Kent Space School Survival Strategies and Space Exploration
Award £6,900
The aim of this project is to expose groups of young students under 18 years old and interested in science to a comprehensive experience of science. They will be interacting with professionals, academics and University science students on a University campus, in the Observatory, physics laboratories and lecture theatres. As this is a low cost project young people of a wide range of socio-economic classes are able to participate. There are specific aims: namely to educate in the use of telescopes; making a sextant; giving a lecture; rocketry; space travel and space science; and, in general physics and astronomy.
Dr MJ Bull - G502904/1 Rutherford Appleton Laboratory STFC
ISIS Materials World Professional Development Course
Award £5,220
This is a project which will inform and inspire teachers in the science and application of research carried out at the ISIS Pulsed Neutron and Muon Source facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. It will also arm teachers with the knowledge skills and enthusiasm needed to inspire their students to study STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects at further and higher level.
Dr S Gage - G503144/1 Edinburgh International Festival
From Earth to the Universe” linked to career opportunities
Award £4,650 The primary objective of this project is to interest a large number of the general public in the breakthroughs of modern astronomy and inspire them to find out more by placing a large astronomy exhibition in a busy outdoor public space in the heart of Edinburgh namely St. Andrew Square, one of Edinburgh’s most frequently visited public spaces and recently refurbished. This square receives hundreds of visitors per day including many teenagers and young people.
Dr JA Wild - G503152/1 Lancaster University www.sunearthplan.net
Award £700
The extended mission Sun Earth Plan (link opens in a new window) is an outreach project already funded by STFC. A website was designed to inform the general public of the importance of solar system research and highlight the UK’s role in this field. The project brought together research scientists, professional web designers and published science writers. This grant will enable to the site to remain live for another year and continue to present an effective” shop window” for the space physics research community.
Mrs T Marsh - G503260/1 The Engineering Training Board
Bright Star - one woman and her passion for the stars
Award £13,000
The aim of this project is to inform audiences about the achievements of Beatrice Tinsley and her work on the evolution of galaxies and understanding of dark matter. It is intended to stage a high quality professional accessible theatre production in London and potentially at astronomy related venues (planetaria), university science fairs and as an event promoting Women in Science during National Science Week 2009.
Dr CA Haswell - G502747/1 Open University
IYA 2009: Taking telescopes into Schools and Shopping Centres
Award £12,252 It is hoped that 1000 school children and members of the public will each build their own telescope and explore how it works. They will use it to view the moon and will be able to keep their telescopes to share with friends and family. There will be age appropriate lessons for understanding lenses, refracting telescopes, age appropriate suggestions for how to use a telescope like Galileo’s to explore the night sky and a 1000 people in the Milton Keynes and North Yorkshire Teeside areas will each build and keep their own telescopes. The proposal is a spin off from the “Students’ Hands- On Physics (SHOP” initiative which was developed by the PI and collaborators. The plan is to visit a number of schools and also to present the same activity in a small number of events organised for the general public. It is intended to buy small telescope kits from the USA (not available from retail outlets in the UK).
Miss D Crossley - G503060/1 Science City York
Astronomic Delights (Part of the York Festival Science and Technology 2009)
Award £10,000
This project aims to increase the public’s understanding, interest and engagement in science based issues and to raise awareness of science and technology career opportunities available in York and North Yorkshire. Some 6 events namely: Dark Skies Lights out over York Village, LHC and the work of CERN, Cosmic Questions, Outerspace: Millions of Light Years Away, Women in Space Science, Night Watch at York Observatory will be staged at various venues in and around York.
Dr P Roche G503095/1 Cardiff University
Schools Engaging with Research Astronomy at JENAM
Award £2,000
Funds will be provided to allow groups of teachers and students to attend the JENAM (Joint European and National Astronomical Meeting) meeting at University of Hertfordshire over Easter 2009. It is intended to support 10 schools. There will be opportunities to share best practice and network with other schools and showcase UK astronomy and space science education. Students and teachers will be able to experience an astronomy conference and present their work to an audience of their peers and professional astronomers. Professional astronomers will be able to find out what schools have done and gain insights to their capabilities.
Mr AR Trow - G50288X/1 University of Glamorgan
Dark Sky Wales
Award £9,000
This project will utilise the natural beauty of the night sky and the wonder that it engenders in observers to inspire individuals to engage in lifelong learning and STEM career pathways. This project is built around an innovative and integrated programme of night sky observing, public talks, exhibitions and dark sky tourism. Partners from tourism and cultural will be brought together. It is estimated that 30,000 individuals will be reached.
Successful applicants in round 2009A
Dr C Smith - H504070/1 University of Cambridge
Naked Astronomy; The Next Generation of Space Science Radio Shows
Award £8,000.00
Cambridge University has developed a unique initiative called the Naked Scientists which uses several channels, radio, the internet, podcasts and live discussions and demonstrations and reaches some 15 million people per week. The Cambridge University team now wish to support the International Year of Astronomy by producing a stand alone programme strand, Naked Astronomy. This will take the form of a monthly 30 minute audio programme dedicated to the coverage of the fields of space science, cosmology and astronomy.
Mr A Walker - H504052/1 University of Edinburgh
PP4SS( Particle Physics for Scottish Schools) - Phase II: LHC and the Higgs Boson
Award £8,000.00
Particle Physics for Scottish Schools has the general aim to take particle physics into schools and out to the general public in the form of talks from academics, hands on exhibits & graphics displays as an exhibition, and workshop materials for advanced masterclasses.
Aims include the following:
1. To engage 11-14 year olds to show them physics can be exciting and advanced level students with a more quantitative view of the subject area. 2. To engage teachers with these events and workshops and with the provision of residential weekends. 3. To reach audiences remote from the major Scottish Towns and Cities. 4. To develop appropriate materials in response to any new discoveries
Dr I D Howarth - H503781/1 University College London
Astronomy in the Classroom: School and Classroom Observatory Visits
Award £7,465.00
This award will extend the highly successful programme of school visits and Observatory visits for pupils in Key Stages 3, 4 and A-Level. These will be conducted mainly by Dr Francisco Diego. The visits have proved to be extremely popular and are still in high demand. Talks are given to large school assemblies and if weather permits a solar observing session is held.
Dr L A Moran - H503965/1 University of Liverpool
Photons in the Classroom
Award £10,000.00
Some 750 11-14 year olds in the Merseyside Area, in particular in schools with a history of low university attendance will benefit from this initiative. Three interactive high impact sessions will be delivered. It is hoped these sessions will inform and excite these pupils about physics and the possible career opportunities. Schools will be helped to develop their expertise in physics by setting up registration for the National Schools Observatory, encouraging teachers to make use of this by helping with the initial session and enthusing the pupils about using this resource.
Dr D G Cussans - H503814/71 University of Bristol
Maintenance and upgrade of cosmic ray spark chamber
Award £2,000.00
This project is designed to keep a spark chamber, which has been used to display tracks of cosmic ray muon, operational. There will be further improvements as the electronics will be miniaturised and the robustness of the mechanics increased to allow transportation off site. This will mean not only will the spark chamber be easily transportable it can also be used by non experts. The spark chamber will continue to demonstrate the existence of cosmic rays and their interaction with matter. A further outreach resource will be provided which can be associated with the centenary of the discovery of cosmic rays in 1912.
Mr R Ramage - H503881/1 St.Boniface’s Catholic College Plymouth
Community Cohesion through Science Linking College and Local Community
Award £2,000.00
Students aided by staff will produce a series of murals on the walls of the local pedestrian underpasses surrounding the College depicting their understanding and perspective on the latest developments in Astronomy, Space Science, and Accelerator Science alongside their Catholic faith. This will give students an opportunity to engage with the local community and transform the pedestrian underpass network from graffiti covered walls to murals produced by students highlighting the latest developments in these fields of scientific study.
Dr S R Lowe - H503957/1 The University of Manchester
The Jodcast
Award £3,000.00
This award will enable the team at Jodrell Bank to continue the production of the twice monthly Jodcast throughout 2009 and 2010 so that people can continue to be inspired and informed about astronomy and related sciences. Video episodes will be produced and it is hoped the audience will be increased beyond 3000 listeners. PhD students will be trained to explain astronomy to a wide audience as well as develop skills in audio and video editing.
Dr S J Cross - H50369X/1 University College London
Bright Club: Space Time and Light
Award £3,500.00
This project aims to improve audience awareness of current research into space time and light in scientific and other academic disciplines, of the use of major science facilities in answering fundamental questions and, of the nature of interdisciplinary research. This will be achieved through a series of workshops, training sessions, evening events and follow-on electronic communications. It is hoped to influence audience attitudes so that audience’s will have a more positive attitude towards, fundamental physics research, universities and other research institutions. There will be opportunities to increase the capacity for Science in Society Projects at UCL. There will be greater communication to include interdisciplinary conversations and workshops. Through the Bright Club Facebook group and MySpace page audience and performers will continue to talk, question and share new ideas.
Dr.V.Kartvelishvili - H50402X/1 Lancaster University
Extension of Lancaster Particle Physics Package
Award £5,000.00
The aim of this package is to interest young people and the general public in particle physics by increasing their awareness on the progress in High Energy Physics. The Lancaster Particle Physics Package allows users to control simulated particle collisions and thus carry out experiments. It is now intended to produce and develop another module which will focus specifically on the phenomenon of neutrino oscillations.
Chair's report 2009(A).
Science in Society - Small Awards scheme 2009B
Mr E O’Flaherty H504703/1 University College London
LHCsound: Sonification of the ATLAS data output
Award £7,500.00
This project has a vision to attract the largest number of people to the results of the LHC experiments in a way that is novel, exciting and accessible. The aim is to sonify the LHC/ATLAS data. It is envisaged that current state of the art techniques as employed in the music industry will produce an audio representation of the LHC data which it is believed will be musically interesting and therefore engage and involve people who would not ordinarily have access to or interest in, the ongoing experiments at CERN. The software framework (CDP) designed to enable composers to generate music synthetically shares the same file format (XML) as the existing ATLANTIS software which visually displays ATLAS data. In this project it is hoped to combine CDP with ATLANTIS to develop a sonic representation of ATLAS data. There will be the exciting prospect of developing relationships between LHC physicists and professional musicians. r B C Allanach H504762/1 University of Cambridge
Science at music festivals (Guerilla Science Club)
Award £7,500.00
This project uses a blend of discussion, debate, art, live experiments and talks at the Secret Garden party music festival in the summer of 2010. A tented stand will be erected and it is hoped to communicate, enthuse and encourage the general public (mainly adults over 18 years of age) about various aspects of science and technology.
Miss M James H504838/1 Urdd Gobaith Cymru
Astronomy at the Urdd National Eisteddfod 2010
Award £7,500.00
The Urdd National Eisteddfod is an annual youth festival attracting close to 100,000 visitors over a six day period (31st May- 5th June 2010.) In 2010 the venue will be the beautiful Llanerchaeron Estate in the County of Ceredigion. This rural location contrasts with Cardiff Bay 2009 and Swansea 2011. The grant from STFC will make a contribution to the cost of erecting a Science Pavillion and other incidental costs. The Pavillion will provide an excellent platform for promoting STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) to the general community and in particular to the11-16 age group, together with their teachers and parents. There will be a variety of exhibits interactive and visual displays to raise interest and awareness in Astronomy and Space Science. Teachers will have the benefit of a secondary school teacher’s workshop. Activities which bridge performing arts and science e.g. Physics Busking by STEM Ambassadors and an Astronomy inspired dance workshop led by a professional dance practitioner are also included.
Professor A Khan H504711/1 Brunel University
Particles of the Universe – interviews from the edge of discovery
Award £4,000.00
An interactive website is to be created which will provide an online resource based on the discovery of the Standard Model of fundamental particles studied by today’s scientists. The material will be in the form of in-depth video interviews with the actual discoverers. There will be photographs of the people concerned and the particle physics experiments that have been used and are being used to build on the Standard Model. A set of Posters will be designed for each discovery. This resource will be used by especially by pupils and teachers and also the general public. Listeners will be enabled to get a richer understanding of the scientific method and discoveries. The interviews will provide not only an important source of information relevant to the global interest in the research being carried out at the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) but in addition the personal views of the scientists and their desire to understand the world around them and to discover what makes the world the way it is.
Mr S P Jago H50497/1 Techniquest
Earth Space- Reaching wider in Wales
Award £7,500.00
It is hoped to introduce a new audience, pupils aged 11-14 years old (Key Stage 3) who live in remote and disadvantaged communities in Wales, to STFC research in astronomy, solar system and space science. This project will build on work with schools in North West Wales (around Beddgelert, Port Madog, Caernarvon and Bangor) which was piloted by the “Back down to Earth” STFC Large Award 2008.
The programme will use innovative and inspiring ways to engage approximately 2,700 pupils during 2010/2011 who live within disadvantaged communities in STFC research.
Techniquest will reach the target audience through a network of four regional outreach hubs, (Cardiff, Llanberis, Swansea and Wrexham). Techniquest trained presenters will take this education programme to pupils in their own schools and communities. For pupils most in need these programmes will be delivered free of charge. There will be presentations on: The Earth, The Moon, The Universe and the Solar System. Discussion will follow. A star tour will be delivered in a mobile planetarium.
Dr R Wheldon Williams H504446/1 National Eisteddfod of Wales
National Eisteddfod – Dark Sky Wales
Award £5,300.00
The National Eisteddfod is the premier cultural festival of Wales, held mainly in Welsh. It is an 8 day festival held annually in August at different locations. In 2010 Ebbw Vale is the location, an area which is one of the most deprived in Wales. There will be a Science and Technology pavillion, the main theme this year will be Space Science. It is anticipated some 27,000 people will attend the Science Exhibition.
Some of the specific aims of this project are to: • Promote and raise interest and excitement in Astronomy through the medium of Welsh and English
• Promote awareness of Dark Sky Wales
• Inspire young people (11-16) to take up opportunities in STEM subjects and to consider a career in Space Science
• To make science accessible to pupils in underprivileged and remote areas in Wales and more specifically the Welsh Valleys
• Raise awareness of exciting STFC funded projects in Wales eg Herschel (SPIRE), Planck, Aurora
Activities that will be arranged, a brand new Welsh show called “Night Sky Adventure”, solar observing, lectures and debates, and live observing of the Cosmos.
Dr C Lazzeroni H504638/1 University of Birmingham
Particle-Physics Manager: LHC Startup Edition
Award £3,000.00
This project will develop a piece of computer software in the form of a strategy-based computer game "Particle-Physics Manager", and will introduce it to school students in the 14-16 age range. This is a single-player game, where the player takes overall responsibility for a large-scale particle-physics experiment at a new high-energy hadron collider. The player must try to make optimum use of the available resources, managing the experiment's activities from data design to data analysis, having a top priority of finding the Higgs Boson, but keeping an eye open for other exciting physics opportunities.
The grant will provide funds for an undergraduate summer student to work on the game development; small rewards for 20 game testers (aged 14-16); printing of leaflets and flyers; and travel, mainly in the Birmingham area.
Dr H Mason H50462/1 University of Cambridge
Sun|trek- the Final Frontier
Award £6,000.00 The Sun|trek website was launched 2 years ago. This has been a huge success, with around 10,000 users per month. The funding will allow the site to be enhanced and updated. It is also hoped to reach even more schools in the UK.
The sections relating to Earth’s energy, climate change, and Factary will be updated. Classroom resources will be reviewed in the light of modern technological developments. There will be an overhaul of the Solar Guides pages so that teachers can make contact with local solar guides more readily via an interactive map. More promotional material will be produced and Sun|trek will be promoted locally and nationally via IOP, ASE, music festivals school visits .
Mr T J Miall H504770/1 Twyford Church of England High School
“Antarctica: Mars on Earth Science competition”
Award £2,750.00
In the autumn of 2010 the applicant will spend some 6 weeks in Antarctica. A competition will be launched in January 2010 both locally and nationally and students will be encouraged to put together Mars themed and engineering projects. It is hoped to hold workshops in local schools from January to June. Entries will be submitted in July and the best projects chosen in September. The selected projects will be taken to Antarctica and the Applicant and three other science teachers will work on them. Prizes will also be awarded to the competition winners.
Ms C A Watkins H504670/1 Honeysuckle Direction
How not to be afraid of the dark
Award £2,300.00
This project explores the connections between astronomy and poetry and the way scientific ideas can challenge and take root in the mind of an ordinary individual. This is a combined performance of reading and talk. In 2009 a pilot project (funded by the Royal Astronomical Society and Ledbury Poetry festival) was launched in Ledbury. This was extremely successful and it is now hoped with the funding provided extra performances can be staged. Several Science Centres are very keen to stage such performances. The first section combines 18th century astronomical poetry with an engaging contemporary monologue and the second section delivers a range of poetry readings and commentary by Professor Jocelyn Bell.
Dr D Bewsher H504362/1 University of Central Lancashire
Living with a Star
Award £7,000.00
This outreach project aims to enthuse students about solar-terrestrial physics and hence STEM subjects in general, by providing a lively entertaining exhibition at the Big Bang Fair in Manchester in 2010. This will build upon the successful “Living with a Star” stand at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition 2007. This event will also be used to make contacts with local teachers and provide follow up outreach visits to local schools. Funding will defray travel and accommodation costs for exhibitors and for additional material for the stand.
Dr F Diego H504511/1 University College London
Universe today: cosmology, astrophysics and technology in your classroom
Award £7,500.00
Three high quality video clips (mini films) will be produced on the following topics:
• Cosmology: Origin and development of the Universe, from fundamental particles to human beings.
• Astrophysics, the relevance of stars, stellar evolution, nucleosynthesis, star and planet formation
• Astronomical technology, starlight, quantum mechanics, spectroscopy, applications from the expansion of the universe to the discovery of exoplanets
Science teachers will have the benefit of valuable audio visual material about cosmology, astrophysics and their associated technology to be used in the classroom. STFC space sciences will be promoted amongst the UK school community. There will be opportunities to show the material at other venues e.g. music festivals.
Dr S Gage H504646/1 Edinburgh International Science Festival
“Journey to the origins of the Universe”
Award £6,400.00 The aim of this project is to stage a series of engaging and exciting physics related events which will appeal to young adults, families, the general public and those with no previous engagement with science. The star attraction will be the event “Journey to the origins of the Universe” This event will explore the origins of the Universe, basics of Particle Physics, the origins of matter and crucially what the scientific community is trying to discover through the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.
Mr J Spooner H504646/1 Unlimited Theatre
MISSION TO MARS
Award £7,500.00
“Big Bang” is a new play, created for children, by children. It will be about the universe, the Big Bang, particle physics and seeing that from a child’s perspective. This is a show about big things and very small things, matter and the things that matter. Set in Space and the not too distant future it is about two people working together in difficult circumstances to achieve incredible things.
This play has been commissioned by Polka Theatre. Unlimited’s core creative team will write “Big Bang” for production September /October 2010 as the main event in Polka’s autumn programme. The award of £7,500.00 will fund the cost of a two week retreat involving writers, designers and scientists covering travel fees accommodation and per diems. It is hoped that this show will be awe inspiring and show the wonder, beauty and enormity of the universe.
Successful applicants in round 2010A
Dr B Parker ST I505405/1 Langton Star Centre, Kent
GCSE CERN@school
Award £5,698.00
This project builds on the previously successful application CERN@school project which was aimed at Sixth Formers. CERN@school detectors are being initially placed in Ten Kent Schools. Sixth form students are able to use sophisticated CERN detector technology for a range of experiments including measuring cosmic radiation on Earth. Data so gathered is sent to the server based at the Langton Star Centre. Thereafter the information is made available to all schools involved in the project via the CERN@school website. Resource booklets have also been published.
This award will enable the applicant to extend this project to GCSE students. A guide for teachers and students will be produced. This will develop work on radiation in Year 10 Science and some “How Science Works” ideas can be developed using the CERN@school detector. GCSE students will now have an opportunity to work and be involved with CERN technology and research – including understanding of the nature of Big Science, collaborative work, working in teams and sharing data. It is hoped that many GCSE students will be excited and enthralled by such a project and will choose Physics as an A Level subject.
Miss N Ben Hayoun STI505399/1 Queen Mary University London
Super K sonic booooum
Award £8,800.00
This simulated project is aimed at the general public and will be of interest to all ages and to people with a variety of interests including design art science and technology. The installation is a simulated version of the Super-Kamiokande detector in Japan. Audiences will be transported in a dinghy along a tunnel for an extraordinary voyage through the strange seas of particle physics. With 50,000 tonnes of extremely pure water and a crew of navigators from Imperial College and Queen Mary University Super K Sonic Booooum will demonstrate the visual equivalent of a massive sonic boom caused by the collision of Neutrinos with Electrons.
Mr M N Durkee ST/I505348/1 Cambridge Hands on Science
CHaOS summer road show 2010
Award £4,000.00
CHaOS is run by Cambridge Students who have all discovered the excitement of finding out about the weird and wonderful ways of the world around us behaves. The school curriculum can often fail to convey this sense of curiosity to young people. CHaOS believes that enthusiastic young scientists with a van full of experiments, who will meet with young people their friends and families both in schools and at free public events will enthuse and encourage these audiences to engage with science. The award will allow CHaOS to run 9 days of school events in primary and secondary schools and 11 days of public events in Town Halls and other similar locations.
Dr J M Pillinger ST/I505364/1 The Open University Making an impact phase 1
Award £4,400.00
The applicant and her team continue to introduce science to visitors attending non-science based events. In particular museums in Ashdon in Essex and Andover in Hampshire will be the main beneficiaries of this grant. Meteorites have fallen in the vicinity of these two museums and there will be the usual display with eyewitness accounts of the events and early analyses of the stones to interest local communities in the wider science of where meteorites come from and what they can tell us about our Solar System.
Ashdon Meteorite-display material for local museum to involve the local community (Ashdon Village Museum).
Danebury(near Andover) Meteorite –to record unique analytical studies for future display in regional museum(the Museum of the Iron Age in Andover).
There will be further collaboration with Dr Marek Kukula of the Royal Observatory Greenwich, his colleagues and the NMM (National Maritime Museum) exhibition team to provide display material as part of the forthcoming exhibition on meteorites and impacts. Further support will be provided to the Royal Observatory for a major exhibition. This will include research and source material on British meteorites.
Dr P Roche ST/I50553X/1 Cardiff University
Galileo teacher training programme
Award £5,000.00
Funding will allow the applicant to run four official GTTP courses for UK secondary school teachers. The following outcomes are envisaged:
• An archive of secondary teacher training resources online
• An informal UK network of teachers as a legacy programme from IYA09 (International Year of Astronomy)
• A teacher training programme will be developed to support the ESERO (European Space Education Resource Offices) UL CPD goal for UK teachers, engaging them with space/astronomy research for the classroom
Dr E Gomez ST/I505464/1 Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network Star in a box – an interactive exploration of the life of stars
Award £3,500.00
It is proposed to create a high quality interactive web application based on the life cycle of stars. Users will have more control over the starting points of stellar evolution, enabling them to investigate the effect of changing the starting mass and metallicity of the star. The online application will show the entire life cycle. At each stage in a star’s life observational images will be included as well as teacher notes on each of five major lifecycle paths.
Mr D M McDonald ST/I505380/1 Science Oxford
Frontiers
Award £9,894.20
Science Oxford aims to encourage the pursuit of science and enterprise. It does this by working with schools businesses and the general public in the Oxfordshire region. This project will include:
• the holding of six public events on weekday evenings in Aril May 2011 and the topics covered will include Space Science and Astronomy
• e-science, ISIS Neutron Source or Diamond Light Source and will be delivered by researchers who use STFC’S Facilities
• in the Easter Holidays of 2011 there will be two family events to be delivered by RAL (Rutherford Appleton Laboratory) based STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) ambassadors
• an ABC of the Atom will be developed in association with Particle Physics Researchers based at RAL
• the April Talking Science afternoon event at RAL will be made accessible to local schools by offering to pay for bus transport
Dr G Provan ST/I505180/1 University of Leicester
The planeterrella – the aurora at our fingertips
Award £9225.00 The funding allocated will be used to purchase a planeterrella and install it in Leicester. It is then hoped to inspire enthuse and educate school pupils especially the 14-18 age group about the Earth’s near space environment using a Planeterrella as an inspirational hook. The audience will be educated about the Sun and Planetary environment and will have an opportunity to engage with modern science and technology, focussing on the importance of the auroral region.
Dr P Bartlett ST/I505413/1 University College London
LHC sound: sonification of the ATLAS data output
Award £7,500.00
This application is an extension of a successful pilot project also funded by STFC. It is hoped to attract new audiences to the results of the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) experiments in a way that is novel, exciting and accessible. It is intended to extend present methodologies of translating real LHC collisions data into sound. The next phase of development is to focus on making the output manipulable for use in composition. Thereafter a Library of sounds and breakpoint files corresponding to ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC Apparatus) will be built. There will be opportunities to take the project into schools and communities as a workshop. The ultimate aim is to produce a number of ringtones and an LHC sound iPhone application.
Ms H V Crookes ST/I505254/1 Dundee Science Centre
Views of near and far: tayside meets the universe
Award £9,700.00
Through its Café Science Extra and Reclaim programmes Dundee Science Centre has been able to attract a significant audience in the 18-30 age group. The funding which has been awarded will enable the Centre to host during the summer months an exhibition entitled “One Small Step”. There will also be a touring exhibition in a series of venues in Tayside and in particular at the Mills Observatory.
Successful applicants in round 2010B
Ms R E Hoole Coombeshead College, Devon
Dark Matter
Award: £10,000
This project will fund the writing and performance of a short piece of theatre or theatrical cabaret describing the science behind and the cultural value of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Drawing on their wealth of performing experience they will use their knowledge of physics and maths combined with a variety of theatrical methods and techniques including comedy and drama with use of sound and lighting, in order to promote an understanding of the physics of the LHC and its potential discoveries.
The projects aims are to create an accessible, entertaining theatre piece about the LHC and its value for society that is suitable for touring to theatres and educational establishments, communicate the science behind the LHC and its detectors, inspire the audience to engage further with particle physics, translate our wonder at the universe to help the audience gain a new perspective of our place in it and to increase support, awareness and empathy for the work at CERN and to enhance understanding of the importance of the financial investment.
Dr J M Hillier University of Oxford
Magnetism and Superconductivity Workshops Award: £9,000
For this project the applicant intends to develop two interactive workshops for pupils aged 11-14 which can be taken into schools. The aims of the workshops are to enthuse the pupils about magnetism and superconductivity, physics and science, allow pupils to observe and interact with a range of magnetism and superconductivity phenomena, give an appropriate explanation of the phenomena to the pupils, raise the awareness of the pupils about current research and everyday applications in the fields of magnetism and superconductivity and support the teaching and learning of magnetism in the curriculum.
The workshops will take the form of a range of demonstrations which pupil volunteers can assist with, interspersed with explanations using a few powerpoint slides/videos to illustrate a point. Pupils will also be asked to investigate different magnetic phenomena in small groups. Members of the project team will circulate during these times, assisting and answering questions. Teachers will be given a CD containing resources for 3 follow-up lessons: these will be stand-alone lessons and the activities can be slotted into schools' existing teaching schemes as appropriate.
Mr N A Ball South Cheshire Astronomical Society
Bringing the Sun down to Earth
Award: £5,000
The Society have previously undertaken a number of local outreach activities and with this project, will be targeting local communities and schools, providing individuals with an opportunity to see dynamic activity on the surface of the Sun using a dedicated and portable solar telescope, allowing individuals to undertake genuine observations in order to improve their engagement with science, encourage teachers to include astronomy in the school curriculum as an ongoing legacy, whilst motivating the students to pursue a career in science by demonstrating real world physics in action. They will also develop a blueprint that can be rolled out across other regions, provide an ongoing resource for use by local schools / colleges.
An initial explanation of the observed phenomena will be provided by a professional solar astronomer. This will be the primary route for the training of the applicants and other members of the project. An important aspect of the project is its hands-on nature. By using specialist equipment in real time we aim to excite individuals, particularly school children / college students, with the positives to be gained from actual use of instrumentation.
The project will provide training to school / college teachers in the use of the equipment so that they become self sufficient and are able to incorporate the use of it into their classes. Upon the successful completion of training, SCASTRO will loan the out equipment to support this activity.
Dr A J Barr University of Oxford
Big Bang Physics: A prototype smart phone application
Award: £2,570
This projects aims are to to develop and evaluate a prototype software application that would be compatible with any mobile phone or tablet computer running the Android Operating System. The same application could also be hosted on a website, available to anyone with a connection to the internet. This project intends to generate interest in and educate people about particle physics; in particular the experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.
The application is eventually intended to be released without charge on the Android Market, which is used by developers to distribute applications to any smart phone or tablet PC running the open-source Android operating system. It would be freely available to download by anyone with an Android device. Among its features would be a simplified event display, similar to the ATLAS ATLANTIS event display that could display the ATLAS detector and the physical collision events in a highly interactive way on a small screen.
Mr P Bond Field Studies Council, Cumbria
To install an Observatory as an evening activity for teenagers
Award: £9,511
This project is aimed at capturing and developing the inquisitiveness displayed by young people about astrobiology and the search for life, and use it to inspire future generations of scientists. Castle Head is situated in rural Cumbria and enjoys dark skies. As a residential Field Studies Centre it hosts young people at night time and offers a range of evening activities for the students. It aims to inspire the next generation of scientists by providing real hands on scientific activities and project work, alongside real scientists.
A 'Sky Shed Pod' observatory will be purchased and installed in the grounds of Castle Head. A member of staff will be trained in the use of the Sky Shed Pod and all its equipment by staff at STFC Daresbury. Their training will ensure that they have the knowledge and ability to run short night time sessions or to liaise with visiting teachers who wish to run their own practical sessions to support their curriculum. The project will be actively marketed to schools in the NW offering GCSE Astronomy and also science specialist schools.
Mr J B Coppersmith Heaven Scottish Storytelling Forum
In the Beginning... Stories from the Science of our Origins
Award: £2,210
The objective of this project is to facilitate the writing of 8 new stories that can be appreciated by people both from a non-scientific and scientific background. The stories will give an insight into the origins of our universe, and particular aspects of it; gravity, light, planets, stars, black holes, matter and anti-matter, etc.
A group of four writers, two storytellers, two scientists, one creative writing facilitator and the award holder, who will also be a facilitator, will take part in a creative writing workshop, creating a set of stories that give cosmological science a clear and cohesive narrative, related to the audience in a way that is dramatic, memorable, inspiring, and educational. The overall impact is aimed at providing a more engaging way for people to understand the discoveries of science. Two events will be held in Dumfries & Galloway, with a further event at the Scottish Storytelling Centre where illustrated booklets available to buy. There will also be audio recordings of the stories available via a website.
Professor J C Dore University of Kent
Schools outreach and public lectures on neutron and x-ray research
Award: £2,000
This project will fund the delivery of talks and workshops, over the period of a year, to schools and the public on the subjects of neutron and x-ray research. The use of neutron and x-ray techniques across a large range of subject areas is not well-represented in the media and, despite its important contribution to scientific knowledge, gives the impression of being under-valued.
The aim of the talks and workshops will be to inform students, teachers and the general public about the use of central [neutron/x-ray] facilities for characterisation of materials, particularly disordered systems such as liquids [water], glasses, crystals and other condensed matter systems. Specific topics will be given under the titles 'Water: the magic of molecular science' and 'Carbon nanotubes: the next revolution in materials science' but other presentations will also be developed.
Dr R Jarman Queen's University, Belfast
Project 500: Exploiting Public Libraries as Informal Science Learning Enviroments
Award: £7,100
The aims of the project are twofold: to raise the profile of public libraries as valuable resources for informal science learning and to encourage children to borrow and read library books relating to astronomy/physical science. This project aims to encourage and assist public libraries in Northern Ireland to incorporate science-related activities into their programmes. It will be run in four public library settings in Northern Ireland, to include urban, rural and areas considered to be socio-economically disadvantaged, participants will be exploring the frontiers of our knowledge of astronomy / particle physics. The focus will be on presenting the science in a stimulating and interesting manner and with a constant link to the library's stock of science books and ICT resources. The range of books available will be emphasised, such as, for example, biographies, activity books, information books, guidebooks. In addition, the children and young people will be involved in information searches and they will be introduced to librarians as welcoming and supportive 'information professionals'.
Once the project is completed, the knowledge gained will be used to compile and produce a guide book on ways of using the public library to encourage and enable children and young people to find out about astronomy, physics and, about science more generally. The booklet will be designed for librarians to support and equip them so that the purposes of the project may have sustainability in the longer term.
Dr D G Jenkins University of York
Rutherford 2011
Award: £5,540
This project is to produce a set of DVD-based resources on nuclear physics which will be of great use to school teachers, other educators and scientists for their own public engagement work. This work is in recognition of the centenary of Rutherford's 'Discovery' of the nucleus in 1911 at the University of Manchester. 5000 copies of the DVD will be produced and distributed to 1700 IoP-affiliated schools and other groups. Next year, 2011, will be a significant year in the history of Nuclear Physics, representing the 100th anniversary of Rutherford's paper which first introduced the concept of an atomic nucleus. The project will capitalise on the attention drawn to nuclear physics in 2011 and this significant centenary by producing a lasting set of materials and resources (many of which already exist) in a form suitable for school teachers, and members of the physics community interested in public engagement.
The DVD will look at the science of nuclear physics, its history, how it takes place today and how applications deriving from it are crucial in the modern world. A particular theme will be 'how science works' using nuclear physics as a topical example. Nuclear physics led by UK groups will be particularly emphasised as well as applications coming from UK science. It is proposed to distribute 1700 copies of the DVD to the IoP's affiliated schools as part of their standard mailings. It will also be distributed to all past, present and future attendees of Teacher's Conferences on Nuclear Physics. As far as possible, the material once collated will be uploaded onto the National HESTEM E-library which is hosted by the National Science Learning Centre.
Miss M M Kerssens Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Shining light on pathology: breast cancer screening with Raman spectroscopy
Award: £4,105
This project will provide an opportunity to demonstrate and communicate the science behind technology. Although breast cancer and the need for breast cancer screening is quite well featured in the media, very little attention is paid on ongoing research. The public is generally interested in this work but don't realise the kind of work actually done and the potential implications. The public profile of research will be raised by developing a cancer diagnostics workshop kit which can be used during festivals, presentations, lessons, and demonstrations. The programme will be built around breast cancer, which is the most common cancer among women in the UK. It will explore cutting edge work undertaken at STFC developing methods of deep Raman spectroscopy and their application to the diagnosis of breast calcifications.
An 'experiment kit' comprising of posters, presentations, quizzes and hands on experiments will be developed use for workshop for school, work experience students, medical career open day and a local Science Festival.
Miss K McGrath Fuel Theatre Ltd
Going Dark: a touring theatre performance about astronomy and perception
Award: £5,000
A touring theatre performance about astronomy will be developed and performed to school groups and the public, exploring cosmology and blindness, through the story of a man who is working in a planetarium who which is gradually being commercialised, and who is losing his sight. It will inform and enthuse audiences about the dynamics of vision, how it is applied to both cosmic views and the everyday world we live in, making audiences aware of how visual perception and optics have been a key aid to astronomy, and how sight is a fragile tool in our perceptual understanding of the world and the universe beyond
To offer audiences an understanding of how the brain interprets images, and how we make sense of a vast cosmos stretching the limits of our perception.
It is intended that the performance will tour 11 venues around the country for a total of 52 performances playing to 4,000 audience members.
Miss C Molyneux Balshaw's CE High School, Leyland
South Ribble in Space
Award: £7,000
This project is intended to reach as many members of the South Ribble community as possible, to enthuse, inspire and educate on all things astronomical during 2011. It will aim to provide a year of exciting, stimulating and interactive Science events for all ages to the community. It will offer exciting opportunities for members of the local public to get involved with Science and the wonders of Space - ones that they would normally have to venture further afield to get. It will involve 12 Secondary schools in South Ribble and an event will be hosted each month, rotating around the schools.
All the pupils, staff and parents will be invited to each Science event. These will range from workshops i.e. build basic telescopes, to lectures on Space and Astronomy themes. A cross curricular aspect will be included by hosting debates, for example, that include religious studies departments e.g. Big Bang or not?
Scientists from local Universities will be invited - the University of Manchester, the University of Liverpool and the University of Lancaster; these will host lectures both during the day for pupils and in the evening for public attendance in our school hall on subjects including evolutionary biology, microbiology and genetics. The project will aim to try out new ways of Scientific communicaton. These include the use of animation; pupils will create animations to show things like the ecliptic and path of the planets These will be exhibited in the local museum as well as used during deliverance of lessons on the topics.
Dr R Trotta Imperial College London
Urban Sputnik: Interactive Cosmology
Award: £8,542
Five Kinetic sculptures are to be produced to educate and inspire a diverse audience about cosmology and astrophysics. A website will be developed to inspire further learning and workshops will be held surrounding the theories which inspired each sculpture. The aim of this project is to provide a sensorial experience in an urban setting with otherwise limited visibility of astronomical bodies.
Whilst Urban Sputnik is primarily intended for science-inclined audience, it is hoped to make it as accessible and as relevant as possible for groups of young people. The award holders will work hand in hand with the institutions that will house the pieces, to integrate it wherever possible into their educational programmes. Due to the kinetic and interactive nature of the pieces, this project is educational in a non-conventional way, inviting the audience to think about the universe in a way they may not have done previously.
Mr A Trow University of Glamorgan
Leading Space Education Wales
Award: £4,980 This project plans to replicate successful aspects of the "Leading Space Education" programme being run in England by the SSAT and STFC to schools in the RCT Convergence zone. The successful model of close engagement to initiate the project, followed by good teacher training and student workshops, will be undertaken by the award holders. They will develop a pilot astronomy programme, working with teachers, GCSE students and 6th formers in the RCT Convergence Zone, develop classroom resources and place them online, so that they are available nationally. The project will raise awareness of astronomy and space science, and its social relevance, amongst 14-18 year olds.
Teacher participants will be staff at these local schools, who will undertake the Galileo Teacher Training Programme, and be briefed and supported on establishing GCSE Astronomy at their schools. The family audience will be members of the students' families who attend the final part an "end-of-course" Astronomy Day event at Glamorgan, where there will be a final award ceremony for the participating students and poster displays for people to look at.
Professor P M Watkins University of Birmingham
A Cascade of Physics in and from Particle Physics Research
Award: £2,600
This project will invite A Level and GCSE students nationwide (flyers sent to 3000+ schools)) to prepare, with support from their teachers and e-mail support from students/staff at the University, a short, stimulating video relating to particle physics or the fundamental principles behind some of the particle physics experiments. The topic will be chosen from a suggested list given or the students can submit their own idea for approval. The videos will last 3-4 minutes and be aimed at a particular age group in school. Teams of 2-4 students will work together and submit their entries on CD or memory stick by the beginning of April 2011. A team at the University (researchers, teachers and PG students) will watch the videos and judge them against specified criteria, choosing up to 6 winners.
The winning teams and their teachers will be invited into the University in June / July 2011 for a celebration lunch, to include showing of the winning videos, presentation of prizes, discussions with staff and, hopefully, a live video link to researchers at CERN. Schools nationwide will then be invited to use them to introduce concepts in the classroom and enhance physics lessons.
Dr K Webster Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum
Frontiers and Barriers Award: £5,000
This award will fund the creation of three new Space related object handling collections which will be taken out to organisations such as nursing homes and residential care homes for adults with disabilities. Through these presenter-led, interactive and sensory learning experiences, it will enable the residents to share the science, relevance and passion for space technologies as well the wider STEM agenda. The objects will be on the themes of:
• Inventions through Space Research • Survival in Space • Space Junk
Inventions through Space Research will include items such as Kevlar, Mylar, Teflon and the Fisher Space pen. Survival in Space will feature items such as space food, aeroponics and space suit components. The Space Junk handling collection will include items that are found in space, both natural and man made, such as a meteorite sample, satellite components, aerogel and haematite. They will offer highly sensory and tactile experiences that we have previously demonstrated as being effective tools for stimulating dialogue within groups and also leading to high impact learning.
Participants can hold and closely examine the objects while the presenter facilitates the exploration of these objects through questions and information about them.
For the audiences that have been identified for this project, physical access to the museum is a key barrier to visits, hence the initial outreach visits followed by visits to Thinktank, where they will be accompanied by their supporters.
Professor B C Allanach University of Cambridge
Guerilla Science 2011
Award: £9,500
Using a blend of discussion, debate, live experiments, talks and performances, Guerilla Science aims to communicate various aspects of science and technology to a general public audience. These will be predominantly adults with little or no experience of science (but also children and families) attending two music festivals in the UK during summer 2011.
By participating in our programme scientists will be able to communicate more effectively with the public, improving on their existing skills and potentially learning new ones. Public audience will be informed of the latest activities in STFC-orientated areas of science and technology, and how the scientific process works through direct communication and dialogue between young scientists and non-scientists. It will also broaden the audience's perceptions of what science is. Guerilla Science will create events that communicate the exciting nature of scientific research today. Filmed clips recording Guerilla Science activities will also be posted on sites such as Youtube and Facebook etc.
Miss R C Livermore Durham University
It's not Rocket Science
Award: £1,500
The goal of the project is to visit schools and local community groups in the North East of England to deliver talks and interactive sessions related to current topics in astronomy. They aim to engage young people and the general public in science, highlight current research and provide information on career opportunities in science.
Other aims are to produce a series of presentations and supplementary materials relevant to schoolchildren (Key Stages (KS) 2-4 + A-Level) and the general public, and to offer talks and interactive activities to schools and local community groups. In the case of KS 4 and sixth form students, the project team will also offer careers talks, offering an opportunity for young people to directly question active research scientists. As an entirely female group, they hope in particular to encourage more young women to consider careers in science. Elsewhere in the local community, they will offer talks and interactive sessions to such diverse groups such as astronomical societies, scout and WI groups and the air cadets, with the aim of raising awareness of and interest in science to those who would not normally be exposed to it.
Successful applicants in round 2011A
Dr D Maneuski University of Glasgow
See Through Science - Engaging the Public with Cutting-Edge X-ray Detectors
Award: £9,550
The principal aim of this project is to build a portable X-ray imaging system for use as an interactive demonstrator. The system will be suitably designed to educate and excite a wide variety of the general public from younger school students to company CEOs. The system will consist of cutting-edge research X-ray detector, Medipix, a portable low-dose X-ray tube, sample holder and attractive exhibition stand. It is hoped that the demonstrator would be used to enhance the following events in 2011-2013:
• IOP teacher day Stirling and the Physics teacher summer school - Inspiring teachers with demonstrations of British/CERN technology • All thirteen science festivals throughout Scotland - potential to reach large numbers of the general public • Public and family/School days - five such days are held in Glasgow alone • Scottish technology showcases - industrial exhibition and knowledge transfer • University of Glasgow industry days - knowledge transfer event
Dr B Still Queen Mary, University of London
Lego Physics
Award £2,000
This project aims to use LEGO to represent the basic 'building block' constituents of matter, enabling students to understand quite abstract topics like nuclear and particle physics by physically 'sticking things together'. This project is a spinoff from the successful 'Build your own Universe' exhibit at the Big Bang Fair in London, which used LEGO to represent quarks, and explained the development of our Universe from the Big Bang to the end of time. This kit has been successfully used to deliver workshops at 4 schools. However, it is not strongly linked to either the GCSE or A-Level syllabus, although it contains aspects of both, as the exhibit required a coherent 'storyline'. This grant will enable the development of the single workshop into two separate ones: one aimed at GCSE, the other at A-Level. The money from the grant will cover the cost of LEGO for the workshops and for the cost of the design of instruction booklets to match the ones for 'Build Your Own Universe'. These booklets would include the instructions for the LEGO, as well as extra, syllabus-relevant information. We would then print and disseminate all three instruction booklets to all UK 11-18 schools.
Miss N Ireland Manchester Museum of Science and Industry
Out of this world - scientific adventures in space
Award £4,000
Out of this world is an exciting and innovate strand of events, designed to engage and inspire families and the general public with astronomy and space science, showcasing cutting-edge (STFC funded) local research. Aiming to:
• Produce a hands-on day of programming for families, which will include workshops, talks, a new planetarium show and craft activity, including "knit a solar system" • Produce a space-themed variety night for adults who would not normally attend science related events. Events would include a stand-up comedy show by comedian Helen Keene, and Bright Club style presentations from local researchers about their cutting-edge work in the field, and new planetarium show • Pilot the mesmerising "The Spaceship of Carl Sagan's Imagination" • Inspire families and the general public with astronomy and space science, providing a platform for conversation and debate
This programme of events will take place during Manchester Science Festival, which aims to provide an exciting and innovative programme of events to inspire and engage the general public with science, and encourage young people to consider a career in science.
Mr J Lowe Curious Directive
EXOPLANETS
Award £9,365
EXOPLANETS aims to marry accurate astronomy with contemporary performance art. Recent exciting discoveries about Exoplanets will be shared with and explained to a group of young and emerging artists (composer/DJ, video designer, director/choreographer and 7 dancers) and promoted to a wider audience (members of the general public at festivals, including families and young people) by Dr Martin Hendry, STFC Science in Society fellow.
The piece will explain and demystify the latest research about the extra-solar planets that orbit stars, other than the Sun, in the Milky Way. It would be presented at two of the biggest and most high profile music and arts festivals aimed at young people and families in the UK - Latitude and Camp Bestival. Running in parallel to EXOPLANETS, curious directive will facilitate star-gazing workshops hosted by local star-gazing experts, in collaboration with the UK Dark Sky Discovery Network. The hour long sessions will take participants on a journey through the night's sky, showing them planets within our solar system, and other nearby stars around which other planets have been discovered.
Professor AW Robards York Science and Innovation Grand Tour
York Science and Innovation Grand Tour
Award £9,500
In 2008, York hosted the Grand Tour, which was an outdoor exhibition of reproductions of pictures from the National Gallery. This exhibition was hugely successful and it is now intended to follow this up with a unique Science and Innovation Grand Tour taking place between May and August 2012. The concept parallels that of the original Grand Tour and will comprise up to 100 large, high-quality images related to science and innovation which will be mounted outside, all over the centre of the historic city of York. Local companies, universities and other groups are being approached to provide and sponsor such images. The criteria are that each image should be stunning to look at, related to science and innovation, and have a local connection. Each image will have a "QR code" which will link to supporting material if read using a smartphone or special handheld reader (available for loan to visitors on supply of a deposit). The QR codes will provide substantial opportunities for 'follow-up' as well as a natural way to gauge visitor numbers and engagement. This award will support five images. These are intended to capture some of the diversity of STFC science and also to have strong links with York past and present. One of the images will be of John Goodricke (1764-1786), the others will relate to galaxies, black holes, nuclear physics and the Central Laser Facility.
Mr H Firth Orkney International Science Festival
Dark Skies and Island Opportunities: Astronomy in Orkney
Award £7,146
The project leaders will work with island communities - schools, community groups, tourism businesses - to establish in Orkney a network of astronomy projects in order to support the bid of several of the Orkney Isles to become Dark Sky Communities, thereby helping to support the winter tourism economy.
They will establish five school astronomy clubs, providing them with a quality telescope to allow them to run public stargazing events. There will also be astronomy workshops and talks, support in developing astronomy projects for the new Scottish Higher Physics, five public talks plus stargazing sessions, an "astronomy residential weekend" in an Orkney hotel, supporting the Orkney Tourism Group in promoting Orkney as a winter astronomy designation, surveys around each of the five schools, assisted by pupils, to establish five Dark Sky Discovery Sites through the Dark Sky Scotland project, ensuring that two of these schools are on islands outwith the mainland of Orkney, and to carry out dark sky surveys of these two islands to support their bid to become International Dark Sky Communities, deliver five astronomy CPD sessions for teachers in the five schools and to deliver one astronomy training session for tour guides on Orkney.
Dr DJ Hall The Open University
UKube in the classroom - from space to Fukushima
Award £6,780 This project proposes a pilot scheme to build up to the launch of the UK's first CubeSat mission - UKube-1, part of a knowledge transfer partnership sponsored by STFC. The e2v Centre for Electronic Imaging at the Open University are building a camera module to be launched on the mission to take pictures of the Earth and to study the damage caused to the camera by radiation in space. It aims to provide students with interactive sessions comprising of a short talk linking the work to their stage in the science curriculum, hands-on experience with flight-equivalent camera modules and a question and answer session for the students so they can find out what they really want to know about the mission.
This outreach project aims to develop and demonstrate an outreach strategy for post- launch and future UKube missions where pupils can get hands-on experience with fully operational flight-equivalent equipment. It will also engage pupils in frontier research, in their local area, on the STFC sponsored UKube-1, the UK's pilot CubeSat mission, generate interest in UKube-1 in the build up to launch and motivate school students to study physics and engineering beyond 16 and on to university by demonstrating the work of our PhD students on the UKube mission.
Mrs G Lees York Museums Trust
York Museums Trust Observatory
Award £2,900
This project will establish the York Museums Trust Observatory as a hub for Astronomy across the city. This pilot project aims to bring together different interested groups from across the city, to find new ways of working together to engage the general public and find new audiences. By working with a range of partners we can promote current astronomical research and open up a choice of further opportunities for newly engaged audiences such as York Astronomical Society's Star Parties and events; Short courses at the University of York Centre for Lifelong Learning; Curatorial Talks and science displays at the Yorkshire Museum; Volunteering opportunities with York Museums Trust. Some of the aims of the project is to increase Observatory visitor numbers. It will hold Open Evenings when the public can use the telescope, run a series of talks, increase schools access to the Observatory and train some local teachers in the use of the Observatory equipment.
Dr A Bunker University of Oxford
Funding of 'Search for a Star' live show
Award £6,420 'Search for a Star!' will be a comedy talent show to find the next generation of British astronauts, space scientists and astronomers, who will find a way to go to Mars. It will be presented through a combination of scripted presentation, visual media and audience participation, where the presenters will guide the audience through the tough selection process to see if they have what it takes to represent Great Britain in the Universe. It is hoped to perform the show for free at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2012.
Mrs TA Crimp Techniquest
From Space Dust to Us
Award £10,000
The aim of this project is to create a new bilingual digital planetarium show for KS4 pupils, families, and the general public across the UK. Through this experience, they will be able to learn about the chemical origin of the Universe. The show will be produced bilingually (English / Welsh) so that audiences who have experienced Techniquest's KS2 Welsh language planetarium shows will be able to continue studying astronomy through the medium of Welsh at KS4. The show will be previewed during Techniquest's summer holiday programme which will focus on Chemistry and will then be rolled out across Wales through outreach programmes run by all partners. The show will last for approximately 40 minutes, consisting of a digital presentation on the chemical origins of the universe followed by a tour of the night sky which will be presenter-led. Through new digital technology, the show will be produced using a 360º view for a full dome experience.
Dr EL Gomez Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network
Eyes on Pocket Spacecraft
Award £3,000
The aim of this project is to provide better ground station coverage for nanosatellites by collaborating with schools and the general public. It aims to achieve this in time for the UK Space Agency launch of its first nanosatellite UKube-1, one of the payloads of which is targeted for use by British school children, students and members of the public. It will create resources for teachers which will support the national curriculum in the following areas: Key Stage 3 "Energy, electricity and forces" and "The environment, Earth and the Universe", Key Stage 4 Physics in "Energy, Forces and Space" and Key Stage 4 ICT in "Hardware, software and communication". It will create student worksheets and activities, as well as teacher support materials (such as teacher notes and PowerPoint presentations for classroom discussions).
MR CJ Holland Thornbury Science Festival Committee
Thornbury Science Festival
Award £1,000
This project will provide interesting and informative science events at the festival which will enable the general public and school students to better appreciate how scientific principles are at work all around us and how they relate to the technology we use. Events will include a "Question Time" style event at which members of the public can have questions answered by a panel of scientists, and a CSI event where people can book hands-on sessions to experience such investigations. It will also challenge students from local secondary schools to produce exhibits for an exhibition on the hidden science behind everyday situations and events, provide children from local junior schools with exciting, good quality presentations on physics, chemistry and living things and provide a public talk/lecture on an astronomical theme.
Mr A Marmery Royal Institution of Great Britain
DJ Physics
Award £4,600
DJ Physics is an hour long demonstration show aimed primarily at 14-18 year-olds but also will appeal to younger members of the general public. It uses DJing as a way in to describe some of the concepts used in physics which relate to current STFC research areas such as particle physics, astronomy and space physics. The show will be held in at least 5 or more public events across the UK, aiming to recruit audiences of at least 100 at each. It will also bee taken to at least 10 schools around London and the South East, particularly those with demographics under-represented in science, and deliver the talk to audiences of at least 150 students per show. The project will also provide support and information for teachers, including worksheets, teacher guides as well as the audio visual aids from the lecture, to extend the impact of the talk in schools and a website will also be created, providing information about the show and access to support materials.
Dr D Brown Nottingham Trent University
Astronomy in the Park - Landscape and Skyscape
Award £6,000
This project aims at making astronomy more real within the landscape we live. This will be achieved by making the public aware of observable astronomical objects using the naked eye alone. It will also strengthen an association of dark skies being linked to our cultural heritage. This will automatically lead on to becoming aware of what we could lose through light pollution. This will be achieved over a period of 5 months (including the summer holidays and the autumn half term) targeting the Wider Peak District. Large and small scale astronomy themed events will be held at high impact locations, i.e. tourist hot-spots or sites of archaeological relevance. These events will be backed up through displays mounted during this time at certain key outdoor sites as well as information stands at visitor centres. Chatsworth House will be approached to hold a large scale event with other smaller events at certain ancient sites. Mounted displays and information stands will also be available.
Dr SJ Cross University College London
Bright Club: Wonders
Award £2,000
This award will fund Bright Club: Wonders event at the Royal Observatory Greenwich on September 10th. It is anticipated an audience of 80-120 will attend this event based on normal Bright Club ticket sales in London. There will be 4 podcasts exploring areas of research in physics and beyond, to be released by Bright Club and Royal Observatory Greenwich. These podcasts will follow the format of the successful Bright Club podcast (established in 2010 using an STFC Small Award) for which weekly downloads exceed 1000. They will also be heavily trailed on regular Bright Club podcasts to encourage crossover between that audience and those for the ROG and MSF. They will be available on iTunes and from independent RSS feeds.
Professor RL Davies University of Oxford
Astronomy Connections: Strengthening Public and Schools Engagement with hands on observing
Award £7,500
This award will fund 30 astronomy and telescope evenings in Oxford and Marlborough, with lectures, activities and workshops, reaching over a thousand visitors over the year of the award. There will be outdoor events for families, schools and other groups throughout the year, in collaboration with local science groups, such as local astronomy societies, and Science Oxford. There will be a network of links between primary, secondary pupils and their teachers, and tertiary graduate and post-doctoral researchers, to maximise the impact of the events through ongoing interaction. There will also be a co-ordinated web presence, providing easy access to what is going on in the sky on a week-by-week basis, informing the local community about frontier research at Oxford Astrophysics as well as upcoming astronomical events. An online social media network connecting researchers, school teachers and local amateur experts, and all three to the wider community and new astronomy activities and demonstrations, transferred to the classroom will also be funded.
Ms J Foo Glasgow Science Centre
Capture Space
Award £9,940
The Capture Space weekend will be a cross discipline science and arts exploration of Space for people of all ages at the Glasgow Science Centre. It will encourage people of all ages to get hands-on and minds-on as they represent their place in space across several art forms. They will have the opportunity to meet scientists who examine space with rigour and artists who use a more personal view of space and its influence on our lives to create artworks. Using this collaboration of science and art, audiences from different backgrounds will be engaged by attracting them through their interest in the arts and inspiring them to be excited by Space and Space science.
Professor RD Jeffries Keele University
An Exoplanetarium for Schools
Award £6,850
Keele Astrophysics Group will develop a schools outreach programme using a mobile "Exoplanetarium". They will upgrade their current planetarium to a spherical mirror projection system, which will allow them to develop dynamic new presentation material based on Keele's internationally recognised, STFC-funded, SuperWASP search for transiting exoplanets and on other aspects of STFC-funded research at Keele such as star formation and stellar evolution. In partnership with Keele's Widening Participation Division and the West Midlands Science Learning Centre (based at Keele), they will take the Exoplanetarium into approximately 30 of secondary schools in Staffordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire. The visits will also be used to forge stronger links with about 10 secondary schools and to invite groups of their pupils to visit the Keele Earth and Space Observatory. The project will also allow the training of approximately 10 Keele students in the use of the Exoplanetarium and in the delivery of outreach.
Dr JE Cole Brunel University
Girls Allowed! Why women should study physics
Award £3,000
This project aims to motivate GCSE and A‐level students, and in particular female students, to continue studying physics at A‐level and beyond. This will be achieved by holding a one‐ day event at Brunel University open to GCSE and A‐level students from local schools. It will also aim to use this experience to provide a set of recommendations for others who wish to run similar events elsewhere in the country. The day will consist of an introductory presentation 'Basics of Particle Physics' followed by an interactive session 'Build Your Own Particle Detector'. There will be demonstrations of their detectors resulting in a prize-giving for the best one. The day will end with talks about the contribution of women in physics and a more general physics topic.
Dr PJ Wheatley University of Warwick
Communicating STFC Science with a mobile planetarium
Award £10,000
The aim of this project is to enhance The University of Warwick's outreach programme in STFC science areas to target 10-16yrs more effectively. A mobile planetarium provides the ideal platform to deliver immersive talks on STFC research to this age group. The project will deliver highly-memorable inspirational talks on STFC research topics by professional scientists to at least 1000 10-16 year olds, thereby raising the profile of STFC science and STEM subjects with this age group. It will also target female students and students from disadvantaged backgrounds in order to widen participation in STEM subjects at University.
Professor CC Wilson University of Bath
The Molecular Odyssey
Award £3,500 The principal aim of this project will be to enhance face‐to‐face communication and engagement through the Molecular Odyssey project, establishing a rolling programme of outreach, popular and public lectures by our Odyssey team. These will be targeted both at existing opportunities, such as school science events and engineering clubs, public forums such as Cafe Scientifique and similar, and in bespoke events taking advantage of available space, such as the Dana Centre at the Science Museum, and in schools engagement events organised from within the project, for example through links with our STEM Ambassador. The existing 'Beyond the Molecule' website will also be enlarged to host a dynamic and colourful area in support of the Molecular Odyssey project where events can be advertised and resources downloaded. It is envisaged, over the 18 months of the project, a programme totalling around 40‐50 lectures or presentations will be created.
Dr E Fletcher At Bristol
'Understanding Our World' - an engaging workshop for Key stage 3 students
Award £9,720
This project will develop an immersive, curriculum linked workshop for Key stage 3 students who will:
• Gain an insight in to and an understanding of how scientists observe the Earth from space and obtain data about the Earth and its processes using remote sensing methods • Use current projects ENVISAT, the environmental monitoring satellite, and SISTeR, the sea surface temperature monitoring instrument, as case studies • Lead their own data monitoring investigation at a local level in different areas inside and outside of At-Bristol including: • setting their own investigation criteria • collecting and analysing data • gaining an appreciation of different spatial scales and how information collected locally links with information collected globally • presenting their data • Students will have an increased interest in science, engineering and technology and feel inspired and motivated to consider further study and careers linking the study of science to environmental issues
The pilot the workshop with 60 students from two secondary schools
Beyond the pilot phase the workshop will become part of At-Bristol's core offer for secondary schools, and will be delivered to 600 Key Stage 3 students each year
• STFC Small Awards Scheme 2011A - Chairs report
Successful applicants in round 2011B
Mr M Paterson Pfilm Ltd Colliding Particles - 'Endgame' Award: £10,000
At the current rate of research, it is likely that the existence or not of the Higgs Boson will be proved or disproved to an acceptable degree of certainty in the summer of 2012. Pfilm will produce 2 final episodes to the STFC Science in Society Large Award funded 'Colliding Particles' series of films to cover the historic final stages in the hunt for the Higgs.
The films will continue the well-received structure and narrative of the previous films in the series. All films and teaching resources (link opens in a new window) produced so far by the project are viewable. The films document the individual and collaborative research of the 3 principal characters, and use their work to tell the wider story of the LHC itself and the hunt for the Higgs Boson. The films have an informal approach, engaging the audience in the human story of being a researcher in particle physics. The films document the scientific process at work, allowing them to be used successfully in the classroom to support the ‘How Science Works’ strand of the national curriculum.
Dr R Wheldon-Williams National Eisteddfod of Wales CERN @ Eisteddfod - Particle Physics Exhibition Award £8,500
The general objective of this award is to arrange a successful Science Festival within the National Eisteddfod in the Vale of Glamorgan 2012, as in the case of 2005-2011.
A specific objective is to arrange a themed exhibition and activities on Particle Physics as a major part of the festival, the Eisteddfod is held annually in August and is the premier cultural festival of Wales, usually attracting over 160,000 people each year with attendance at the Science Exhibition in excess of 27,000 over 8 days for each of the past 3 years.
This project aims to promote and raise interest and excitement in Particle Physics through the medium of Welsh and English, update a successful model particle accelerator, showcasing the greatest experiment ever built, inspire young people (11-16) to take up opportunities in STEM and to consider a career in Particle Physics and Space Science. Some of the project’s other aims are to make science accessible to pupils in underprivileged and remote areas in Wales, attract people to the results of the LHC experiment in a way that is novel, exciting and accessible and to stimulate thinking and promote a dialogue with the public, on Particle Physics and Astronomy.
Miss N Ireland Manchester Museum of Science and Industry Out of this world - scientific adventures in space Award £4,000
Out of this world is an exciting and innovate strand of events, designed to engage and inspire families and the general public with astronomy and space science, showcasing cutting-edge (STFC funded) local research. Aiming to:
• Produce a hands-on day of programming for families, which will include workshops, talks, a new planetarium show and craft activity, including "knit a solar system"
• Produce a space-themed variety night for adults who would not normally attend science related events. Events would include a stand-up comedy show by comedian Helen Keene, and Bright Club style presentations from local researchers about their cutting-edge work in the field, and new planetarium show
• Pilot the mesmerising "The Spaceship of Carl Sagan's Imagination"
• Inspire families and the general public with astronomy and space science, providing a platform for conversation and debate
This programme of events will take place during Manchester Science Festival, which aims to provide an exciting and innovative programme of events to inspire and engage the general public with science, and encourage young people to consider a career in science.
Dr P Lindgren University of Glasgow The Solar System Rocks Award £4,438
This project will develop a new workshop entitled “The Solar System Rocks” containing high impact interactive activities, posters describing current science questions and handouts giving more information and suggestions for follow-up activities and will be delivered a workshop at the 2012 Edinburgh and Glasgow Science Festivals. At the workshops, key audiences such as the science-inclined public and young people and their families will be targeted. Estimated audience numbers are 500-1000 at the Edinburgh Science Festival and 250 at the Glasgow Science Festival. In addition, the project will undertake five ‘pop-up museum’ events at various localities around Glasgow (e.g. the Braehead Shopping Centre) and thereby engage non-traditional audiences with STFC science.
Some of the aims of this project are to promote Solar System science by highlighting and explaining to public audiences current important questions including the possibility of water and life on Mars and the origin and evolution of asteroids and comets, provide forums for the public to discuss topical science issues with front-line STFC funded researchers, enable the public to experience how STFC-funded science is undertaken by providing hands-on and practical demonstrations. In addition, it will encourage young people to study STEM subjects at school and University by showing the importance, applications and fun of physical sciences and assist the public to learn more about planetary science by providing them with resources to take away, and with suggestions for where more information can be obtained.
Dr MA Thompson University of Hertfordshire A Travelling Exhibition of the Herschel Hi-GAL Milky Way Award £6,550
The aim of this project is to bring the Hi-GAL vision of the Milky Way to the general public by staging an exhibition of the Hi-GAL images. This will be done in an innovative way, by creating a walking tour of the Milky Way in the form of a 50m long floor display that can be shown in a variety of venues. This will bring the science behind Herschel and its beautiful images to a wide audience which would not normally get to appreciate them, by placing the floor display in venues that attract a wide spectrum of visitors.
A 50m floor display of the Herschel Hi-GAL Milky Way will be produced, with supporting pop-up stands on the Herschel mission and the science behind the survey. A series of exhibitions of the Hi-GAL Milky Way floor display at venues around the UK (including cathedrals, museums and galleries) will then be held.
Dr G Provan University of Leicester The Planeterrella – Space Lessons Pack Award £3,630
Previously STFC have funded ‘The Planeterrella - the aurora at our fingertips' This is a unique scientific experiment, which reproduces the aurora in a laboratory vacuum chamber and also demonstrates how magnetized stars and planets interact with each other. This award will enable the award holders to produce lesson plans and additional resources which will allow the Planeterrella to be presented within the context of the national curriculum. It will inspire, enthuse and educate school pupils and their teachers about the Earth's near- space environment using the Planeterrella as an 'inspirational hook'. It will also encourage a sustainable dialogue between staff and students at the University of Leicester and local schools and colleges.
Four lesson packs for Key Stages 2-5 will be produced, each one containing a detailed lesson plan, additional equipment such as magnets and compasses and teachers’ guides which will be sent to the school in advance of the Planterralla equipment.
Mr GH Watson Childrens Radio UK Ltd Deep Space High – the school for everything about space Award £8,750
This award is for a series of 20 audio features exploring space and space developments, which will be broadcast as features on Fun Kids (which broadcasts on DAB digital radio in South East UK and across the UK online) and available to listen again and download. Audio will also be available as an educational resource for schools and additional complementary material to support each feature on the Fun Kids website, with images, videos, downloads and links to suitable third parties will also be available.
The features will be informative and inspirational in style, will be written for a core child audience aged 9 to 12 year olds, although from experience we know that both younger and older children will also listen to the features, as well as parents and carers. They will be presented by created characters set in Deep Space High, a cool space school for kids from all over the Universe. The presentation style will inspire space and science as subjects for children to take a greater interest in as their school careers develop. The aim is to help make children (and their parents) understand more about space – what it is, famous discoveries and exploration today, focussing on the projects that the UK is involved with, and inspire them to find out more. Topics covered will include what is space, developments in space, life in space and future space travel.
Ms A Tyndall Edinburgh International Science Festival Invisible Worlds – Making the Invisible Visible Award £10,000
For the past two years, the Edinburgh International Science Festival has staged large-scale photographic exhibitions as part of its world-class programme. Located in St Andrew Square in the heart of Edinburgh, this high-profile outdoor photography exhibition will provide an engaging, awe-inspiring interaction with science for a large, general public audience, through an exhibition of large-scale, high-impact images, it will showcase the ways in which advances in science and technology can – through cutting-edge imagery techniques – reveal some of the wonderful sights normally hidden to us.
Free, open and accessible, the exhibition will provide a valuable platform for reaching new audiences. It will showcase some of the vastness, complexity and beauty of science in fields such as biomedical imaging and astronomy. In doing so it will draw attention to the techniques, technologies and research that make it possible to glimpse these otherwise invisible worlds. From the micro to the macro, from the majesty of nature to the wonder of the workings of the human body, a variety of cutting-edge imaging techniques reveal sights invisible to the naked eye. Micrograph and microscope; satellite and telescope; x-rays, MRI and CAT scans; these technologies provide us with a window onto worlds that are normally hidden from us, and in doing so enable us to glimpse everything from the majesty of the solar system to the wondrous workings of the human body.
Dr JA Wilson University of Birmingham Revitalising the cosmic ray trigger for a transportable spark chamber Award £1,507
The University of Birmingham’s Spark Camber has been in use for several years. It is regularly taken to schools, exhibitions and Open Days etc and this award will ensure that the cosmic ray trigger is refurbished to enable the university to continue to transport and demonstrate it effectively, to widely varying venues and to as large an audience as possible.
Mrs LC Long University of Birmingham Cascading Physics Ideas using examples from particle physics at CERN Award £3,900
The award holders will invite A Level and GCSE students nationwide to prepare, with support from their teachers and e-mail support from students/staff at the University, a short, stimulating video, using examples from particle physics experiments to introduce or show examples in context, of basic curriculum physics principles. These videos should be suitable for use in classroom activities. The topics will be chosen from a suggested list, or the students can submit their own ideas for approval. The videos will last 3-4 minutes and will be aimed at a particular age group and curriculum topic. Submitted entries will be watched by a team comprising of researchers, teachers and PG students, who will judge them against specified criteria, choosing up to 6 winners, who will receive prizes of up to £400 to help finance a trip to CERN.
In addition the winning videos will be uploaded onto the Birmingham Particle Physics You Tube site, where they will be available for general access. The winning teams and their teachers will be invited into the University on an Open Day occasion in June/July 2012 for a celebration lunch, to include showing of the winning videos, presentation of prizes, discussions with staff and various other activities, as well as an opportunity to look at all the displays of research and courses set up for Open Day.
Dr P Roche University of Glamorgan Supporting GCSE Astronomy in the UK Award £5,546 This award will fund a teacher training programme, involving face-to-face workshops supported by online tutorials, run by a highly experienced delivery team made up of experts in astronomy education from the National Schools’ Observatory and the Faulkes Telescope Project. In addition, an online booklet will be produced by the team with support from the staff at Astronomy Now magazine, which will support the GCSE Astronomy curriculum and be freely available to UK schools.
A teacher training programme to support the ESERO-UK CPD goal for UK teachers will be developed, engaging them with space/astronomy in the classroom, and in this case specifically targeting the GCSE Astronomy qualification. Four full day GCSE Astronomy teacher training courses for UK secondary school teachers will be held and twilight "taster" sessions to talk to teachers who might be interested in taking up the course in future will be provided.
Dr SJ Montgomery W5 Exploring the Invisible – Infrared and Astronomy Award £9,700
This award will enable the development of a 30 minute workshop for school pupils explaining infra red as part of the electromagnetic spectrum and how it is used within astronomy. It aims to develop the workshop for school pupils to explore Infrared, the work of Herschel, how he found Infrared and how it has many exciting and useful applications. Its other uses from medical, police and security work, to detect heat loss in buildings and to monitor the Earth's weather will also be illustrated but the main focus will be to explore its use in astronomy. It will link the use of infra red in common devices such as remote controls and laser tag to its use in science.
The project will also create a small learning zone linked to infra red and astronomy as an introduction to a laser tag game at W5 and refurbish and relocate the planet Odyssey exhibit to a permanent position in the learning Zone.
Dr AJ Steele University of Oxford Accelerate! Toolkit Award £9,629
Accelerate! is a highly successful particle and accelerator physics demonstration lecture aimed at secondary school pupils and the general public. It was developed at the University of Oxford during a two-year programme, funded by a previous STFC Science in Society Small Award, which saw it delivered to a varied audience of 5000 people. This project will develop an informational ‘Accelerate! toolkit’ which would allow universities to host their own Accelerate! programme, or help schoolteachers make the link between the science curriculum, classroom demonstrations and particle accelerators.
Resources will be created allowing production of a modular, 20–60 minute live interactive science show by universities and outreach groups. Additionally these resources would be usable by teachers to enhance similar demonstrations in the classroom, and link them to particle and accelerator physics. These resources will comprise 10 high-quality five-minute instructional videos aimed at science communicators, and a further 10 demonstration videos aimed at students or the general public. It will also create illustrated written resources accompanying each video, containing detailed explanations of the science behind them and the relevance to particle and accelerator physics, relevant mathematics, and follow-up exercises for use in the classroom. These resources will be published to a dedicated section of the Oxford Physics website under a Creative Commons license to encourage widespread use and reuse and at least one training day for universities, including the SEPnet consortium, with a target of 20 attendees will be provided.
Mr S Jago Techniquest Mars Award £4,758
The aim of this project is to develop a new bilingual planetarium show for public audiences on the subject of "Mars", to engage new public audiences in astronomy and current STFC research. Techniquest has the only fixed site planetarium in Wales and is a 30 seat educational dome that enables them to show digital projections of the night sky. This award will produce a full-dome digital show on Mars. The show will be designed to provide a stimulating and immersive public engagement experience that makes full use of a new digital projector and will inspire new audiences to be interested and motivated in astronomy and cosmology. The show will be developed bilingually (English/Welsh) to enable it to meet the needs of the Welsh public audiences.
The show will last for approximately 40 minutes, consisting of a digital presentation on Mars followed by a tour of the night sky which will be presenter-led. Moving images, animation and music will be used to create a show that maximises the potential of the new projector and enables new audiences to explore the Red Planet. The show will enable the audience to take a virtual trip to Mars and tour it from an exploration rover and the audience will observe and increase its awareness of some of Mars’ distinct and interesting features. The show will be followed by a star tour. For the majority of beneficiaries this will be their first visit to a planetarium and it will provide an immersive and exciting way to engage them into astronomy. Any cross-over between topics within the show and the current night sky will be made explicit. Links to the myths around Mars will be used to explore the constellations. The show will highlight where and when Mars will be visible in the night sky.
Professor BC Allanach University of Cambridge Guerilla Science 2012 Award £5,000
Guerilla Science intends to build on their previous activities at music festivals and events where science is unexpected. It will further establish their work in the festival environment and create events for other non-science environments. In 2012 the aim is to bring science- orientated discussion, debate, art, music, experiments, demonstrations and talks to the Secret Garden Party in Cambridgeshire in July 2012 and one other UK music festival. Outside of the music festival season they will develop and run events in order to test out new elements of the program and provide training for participants.
In the Guerilla Science tent, using a blend of discussion, debate, live experiments, talks and performances, Guerilla Science aims to communicate various aspects of science and technology to a general public audience. Activities and events featuring STFC relevant content will be conducted under the overarching theme of Exploring the Universe. Event content will primarily include events inspired by quantum physics and the LHC, space science, astronomy and maths. Within this overarching theme they will seek to program more events themed around solar maxima, cosmic microwave background and the formation of galaxies and stars. The informal atmosphere is facilitated by hands-on experiments and activities as well as science-orientated music, art, films and documentaries.
Dr SM Wilkins University of Oxford Astronomy Playing Cards Award £3,250
This award will facilitae the production of 1000 sets (each set contains 5 decks totatling 125 cards per set) of astronomy themed cards. The sets will be distributed to schools in Oxfordshire and those offering Astronomy GCSE free of charge, as well as being used during public outreach events organised by Oxford Physics. They will introduce school children (<14 years) to various astrophysical phenomenon as well as give them a wider understanding of the scale of the Universe. Each individual pack (25 cards with a common theme) can be used to play various comparison games where players compare properties of objects they hold to determine a winner. The primary aim of this part of the activity is to develop knowledge of the various astrophysical phenomenons (planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies etc.) and an intuition of astrophysical properties (luminosity, eccentricity etc.) and units (e.g. astronomical units, solar masses, light years etc.)
Mr PR Winfield INTECH Mission Control, Exploring the Frontiers of Modern Astrophysics Award £8,000
The purpose of this project is to deliver an interactive exhibit at the INTECH Science Centre & Planetarium for large-scale, public engagement activities in astrophysics. The target is to implement an appropriate suite of high-level visualisation tools for content delivery over common mobile platforms, e.g. smartphones and tablets, by exploiting cutting-edge high- performance computational infrastructures, e.g. desktop grids. The plan is to initially employ an area in the exhibition at the INTECH Science Centre & Planetarium for showcasing a number of grid-enabled visualisation technologies based on VisIVO, a high- performance environment for astrophysical visualisation.
The ultimate vision for the proposed exhibit is to provide a foundation for developing AstroExplorer, an on-line multiplayer computer game involving several other science centres in the UK for very large-scale, public engagement networks in astrophysics. Once the technology has been developed for the proposed exhibit it will be made freely available to other science centres in the UK via the Association for Science & Discovery Centres (ASDC) network. Other science centres will then be able to construct similar exhibits allowing seemless connection to AstroExplorer simply by adding their own hardware and computing resources. The ultimate aim of the proposed project is to inspire young people about astronomy and cosmology by offering them access to highly specialised astronomical datasets and tools to which they would not normally be exposed and motivating them to undertake visual discovery journeys. This includes presenting modern astrophysical datasets in innovative ways that are accessible, intriguing and enjoyable.
Dr HF Heath University of Bristol Cosmic Balloons Award £6,400
The Bristol Balloon fiesta is a major annual event held at the Ashton Court Estate in Bristol and attracts about 500,000 visitors every year in August. This award will fund a stall at the Fiesta and arrange a competition for 6th formers with the prize being a trip in a hot air balloon. There will be a cosmic-ray detector in the balloon with live telementry to the stall on the ground. It is hoped to have sufficient bandwidth to allow a simple bi-directional video link. Some of the materials produced will also be used at other events in particular "Discover 2012" which is a biennial event where the University of Bristol takes over the central area of a local shopping centre to "sell" science.
The award will enable the hire a marquee, production of display materials including a "cosmic ray doorway" entrance. The university’s spark chamber will also be used. This nature of this event is such that audiences who would not normally attend a science event will be reached where the main aim the project is to use the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the discovery of cosmic rays to promote to a general Bristol audience the significance of cosmic rays and the contribution to cosmic ray research made by local Nobel Prize winner Cecil Powell.
Mr B Madison RAL Space Mars Mission Control @your School Award £10,000
The project would use the Mars-like test area and the outreach robots at RAL Space to host remote workshops to schools across the country. The schools would receive an introduction pack or an introductory webinar before they could take control of the Mars rovers and with the use of the on-board camera, other sensors and actuators, complete educational missions. Schools only need a computer with a web-browser, and they can control a real robot on "Mars". The rovers will be placed in the Mars-like test area and images from the on-board camera will be shown in the control interface. Students will then have to complete the task described in the activity (e.g. Sample return, exploration of a specific area or cave, repair equipment. Once they completed the task (with directions provided in the activity pack) the teacher can review what the class have achieved and learned during the activity.
Some of the aims of the project are to build two new rovers, produce an introduction pack or video tutorials for activities and hold some school sessions to test the activities. The award will also mean that the team can set up an infrastructure at RAL Space which can be used to deliver educational and engaging hands-on activities to any school in the UK remotely with minimal time required from technical staff, deliver an interactive web-site which can be used by schools using any web-browser (including the ones on smart-phones and tablets).
Successful applicants in round 2012A
Mr Derek McKay STFC Laboratories – RAL Space
The LOFAR Planetarium Award £9,984
The aim of this project is to display the invisible, radio universe to the general public using a conventional planetarium. The planetarium has remained a key way to engage the public in astronomy. It provides a controlled, weather-independent environment that allows many aspects of astronomy to be explored in a way that is easy to grasp by the students and the general public.
Radio astronomy on the other hand, remains intangible as it is difficult to relate it directly to the experiences of ordinary people. Furthermore, many radio astronomy techniques do not lend themselves well to wide-field all-sky images, precluded by the designs of their experiments. This project aims to use the power of the planetarium to relate the radio sky to the optical one, but to do so at a level which allows comprehension of the scale, placement and form of this invisible universe.
The project intends to take data from the UK's new LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) radio telescope. Unlike conventional telescopes, the LOFAR system has wide field of view and a large number of internal baselines. This allows individual stations to map huge regions of the sky instantaneously. It is intended to convert these data into a format that can be used in a planetarium. A modest set of observations would be taken with the LOFAR-UK station at Chilbolton and then converted into a format that can be imported into a digital planetarium.
Additional material, also part of the project, will provide the resources necessary to allow presenters and teachers to follow-up public shows with more detailed information, either as part of class-work, lectures or static displays. By using the planetarium, we will be able to present often overlooked information to large audiences, thus reach large numbers of people in a way that is normally not available.
Dr Aiden Robson University of Glasgow
Particle Physics for Fife Award £1,500
The aim of this project is to run a public engagement day during the Scottish Universities Summer School in Physics "LHC Physics", it will host around 250 secondary school pupils from 3rd to 6th year (i.e. aged 14-17) for a programme tailored to their age and level of knowledge, it will also host up to 250 adult members of the public for a similar programme in the evening.
The programme will include - a lecture by a well-known British particle physicist, hands-on experiments and displays, provided by the Particle Physics for Scottish Schools project (PP4SS), and by the University of Glasgow Experimental Particle Physics group and accompanied by summer school participants.
The event will be held at St Andrews University and the visitors will be introduced to the ideas of particle physics and to the scientific methods that we use, with focus on the LHC and its physics and related applications.
Dr Gabrielle Provan University of Leicester
Aurora Explorer – on tour! Award £5,950 This award is to exhibit the 'Cluster: Aurora Explorer' Exhibition at the British Science Festival in Aberdeen in September 2012. It will inspire, enthuse and educate the general public, families and pupils about the Earth's near-space environment using the Cluster space mission and the Planeterrella as 'inspirational hooks'. It will present the latest scientific discoveries from the Cluster space mission to a wide general audience, encourage a dialogue between scientists and the general public and engage with the Amateur Astronomy community, commencing scientific dialogues on topics such as magnetospheric and auroral physics.
In 2011 the 'Cluster: Aurora Explorer' exhibit was successfully presented at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition (RSSE) to an audience number of ~14000 people. The exhibit celebrated 10 years of the Cluster space mission, and engaged the public in the importance of space weather and auroral physics through a wide and extensive exhibit from six different institutes.
The event at Aberdeen will be a fantastic opportunity to share this science with a potential audience of tens of thousands. The exhibit is especially relevant this year, as solar activity is increasing and the aurora was visible from Scotland early in 2012. Furthermore at the British Science Festival the exhibit will be co-located with the annual conference of the British Astronomical Association giving the opportunity to engage directly with the amateur astronomy community. As part of the exhibition the 'Planeterrella' will be presented, which has been funded and supported by two STFC small awards.
Dr Benjamin Still Queen Mary, University of London
Jiggling Atoms Award £6,000
This project involves up to 20 artists conveying core concepts in particle physics through diverse and imaginative artworks, workshops and lectures. The resources developed will be accessible through a Jiggling Atoms publication and website and will ultimately culminate in an exhibition and event for all ages.
The Jiggling Atoms publication will include an edited selection of the artistic visualisations produced by the artists, as well as support text written by the Award holder. It will include essays on physics visualisation as well as documentation of the lectures and details of the project progress.
The website will host recorded videos of the lectures and downloadable PDF scripts, it will schedule the programme of events and serve as a platform for discussion and feedback utilising current social networking.
The Jiggling Atoms event and exhibition (1st -14th October 2012 at the Rag Factory venue just off Brick Lane) will be open to all ages with workshops, exhibited artwork, lectures, installations and guided tours. There will be workshops and guided tours of the exhibition, exploring the physical concepts, the involvement of contributing artists and curators in school workshops and events, ensuring that the content is accessible to all age groups. School groups will be invited to visit the installation and participate in the workshops through University outreach connections and curator connections.
Dr Helen Vaughan University of Liverpool
Nuclear Physics Workshops, Summer School and Open Day Award £9,530
This award will enable the holder to deliver and embed a series of nuclear physics workshops for 14 - 15 year old (Year 10 KS 4) pupils to enhance the physics curriculum in Merseyside. The interactive workshops will take place in the classroom at a key point in the pupils' science education to motivate them to higher achievement at KS4 (GCSE) and above.
There will be a focus on the real world application of nuclear science to open pupils' minds to the possibility of varied physics careers here in the North West and the whole of the UK. Thirty pupils (representing 10 schools) will attend a 3-day Nuclear Physics Summer School (NPSS) at the newly-built Central Teaching Laboratories to give them an in-depth view of nuclear science, through using cutting-edge experimental equipment and a research project. This will culminate in an Open Morning for participating schools and families with demonstrations and activities aimed at widening the understanding of nuclear science and the career choices available by taking A Level Physics. This sustained interaction with the pupils will motivate pupils and teachers to considering the benefits of continuing in physics education.
Ms Arrow Lee University College London
Outreach for PoleCATS (Polar test of the Conceptual and Tiny Spectrometer) Award £5,960
The aim of this project is to use PoleCATS (a student-designed payload on a sounding rocket as part of the REXUS (Rocket EXperiments for University Students) programme), which is an existing student project originating from STFC research in space instrumentation, to link together scientific and technological concepts with a real project which school children can follow through websites and social networking and use as a basis for further work within the classroom. It is envisaged that the activities and presentations developed could be used equally well with members of the public. This would generate interest in space research, and science in general, amongst school children and members of the public, raise awareness of the impact of space weather and the efforts being taken to further our understanding of it. It would use a real rocket launch to capture the imagination of young children and show where studying STEM subjects can lead, generating an increased interest in STEM subjects, providing a focus and context for the teaching of science and technology curriculum topics (e.g. forces, space exploration, spectrometers, electronics).
The project would create materials to present space weather and its impacts, compile the activity and materials into a resource which can be used by others either on visits to schools or when students/members of the public visit MSSL. The events would also be presented to at least 5 local schools and/or community groups, developing an on-going link with several local schools, starting with an introductory afternoon of activities, based on the above, and continuing with visits and/or e-mails/blogs to update the school on the progress of the PoleCATS project. A website will also be developed so that school children and the general public can follow the development of the project and can be used by children and teachers beyond school visits.
Ms Alice Sharp Invisible Dust Invisible Heat Award £9,974
Invisible Heat is a cross disciplinary art science project, which aims to educate people initially in Southampton about RAL Space Science use of infrared to measure sea surface temperature and Climate Change. Its rationale is that many areas of science are invisible (in this case infrared) and so difficult for people to understand.
This project will provide young people with an imaginative and stimulating way of engaging with STFC science through the ground breaking research of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory space scientist, Dr Hugh Mortimer, who works to validate climate data for the purpose of climate change research, one of the most interesting and controversial areas of science. The young people will create videos to exhibit with artists to be shown initially in Southampton where the Queen Mary 2 docks, and then at the Royal Observatory.
By collaborating with artists who work with many tools, such as sound, installation, visual and other; the invisible is made visible. The project will engage 15 young people, many from deprived rural areas near Southampton with STFC Space Science and how it is related to climate change through Dr Mortimer’s research; the results will be their own creation of art videos containing satellite images and film footage from archives. Following the creation of their artwork, it is intended to show it to 20,000 people at the Southampton Film Festival, the Royal Observatory with 1.6 million audiences p.a and on the Queen Mary 2 with 300,000 visitors p.a.
The young people will be provided with science workshops on infrared, the RAL instrumentation on the Queen Mary 2 and the satellite measurement of sea surface temperature with a Science Educator. They will then develop digital art skills with artist Gary Stewart and use satellite images and the RAL Space archive to edit the images together to create their own videos. As well as the above venues, it is hoped that they will show their work to their whole school through events and screenings at assemblies which will involve 1215 school students.
Dr Judith Pillinger The Open University
Making an Impact Phase 2 - Wiltshire's meteorite comes home Award £3,700
The primary aim of this project is to provide wide public access to the meteorite from Lake House, Wiltshire in a major Museum near to where it was most recently known to have rested. Whilst the meteorite remains in private ownership, this route will ensure that its inspirational value can best be exploited. By virtue of its size and weight (almost 100 kg) it has a wow factor on seeing it for the first time. Coupled with the intriguing - and as yet unfinished - detective trail being followed to find out where it has been for the 30,000 years it has been on Earth, it makes a great talking piece as an introduction to space science, planets and extra-terrestrial exploration in general. Because the historic trail is still incomplete, there are opportunities for visitors to assist with our research, a compelling reason for engaging fully with the exhibit and its context.
By focussing a series of events (including the STFC lunar and meteorite loan package) around the opening of the display in Salisbury in September, different audiences will be catered for. Lectures and talks will be aimed at the general public and other professionals such as local archaeologists. The Museum will use meteorites as a way of reaching harder to engage audiences, the 14-16 year old students and +16s, age groups and the Learning and Outreach Officer of the Museum will put together an education programme and plans to put on special sessions during the two weeks of the STFC sample loan. The series of events offers an ideal opportunity for new research students to gain experience of talking about their research and outreach methods in general.
The project will also enable the design and manufacture of a secure purpose-built display cabinet necessary for its safe display, design and produce clear and engaging graphics (3 panels) to interpret the meteorite for the visitor, use the meteorite as a focal point of the two week period in September, during which a lecture on the history of the meteorite and the analytical science so far carried out will be delivered by Prof Colin Pillinger in the Museum's successful monthly lecture series which focus on archaeology.
Dr Daniel Brown Nottingham Trent University
Supporting Dark Sky Communities in the Park Award £9,675
This project aims to continue the work started by the previously STFC funded project "Astronomy in the Park – Landscape and Skyscape", when the project sought to raise awareness of astronomy in audiences not normally engaged in, and at locations not conventionally associated with, astronomy.
Outreach events in the form of public walks and talks, as well as the use of an inflatable planetarium, will be used to directly engage over 400 people from all over the country. The projects aim to give everyone the opportunity to learn about the links between cultural heritage and astronomy, and how they are being lost due to light pollution. In addition to the above, the project also wants to actively encourage communities within the National Park to take responsibility for the conservation of the night skies in their local area. To facilitate this, another aim is to create an award for communities that commit to work towards the reduction of light pollution within their local area. This will be done by introducing these communities to astronomy through education events, hands on demonstrations of astronomical equipment, and working towards creating self-supporting Dark Sky Discovery sites within their local area.
The overall impact of this project will be the realisation that astronomy can be explored by everyone and linking observations with images provided by STFC funded facilities, such as SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory), Herschel and VLT (Very Large Telescope), not only will participants explore the impact of light pollution on these observations and on their cultural heritage, but the grass-roots approach will also allow the communities to claim ownership of their site and feel responsible for its maintenance ensuring a long lasting legacy. The outcomes of this project will be further used to improve supporting such learning and teaching in schools. Most importantly the Dark Sky group - network of amateur astronomer associations, universities, and the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) - will be building upon the increase awareness in their educational work towards tackling light pollution and establishing a Dark Sky Reserve.
Ms Carol Jahme Flickering Ltd
Shake Sphere Award £9,800 Shake Sphere aims to exploit the Shakespearean focus of the Cultural Olympiad. Different perspectives on Shakespeare's impact on the world's stage will be seen at events and venues such as The British Museum, The Globe, The RSC International Shakespeare Festival (ISF) etc. Shakespeare was a scientifically prescient writer and the Elizabethan era heralded the birth of modern science. Francis Bacon promoted the scientific method, knew Shakespeare and some say that Bacon is the true author due to the high science content. But Shake Sphere is the only event that will examine science.
The RSC consider Shake Sphere's focus on science to be extremely important and view Shake Sphere as a legacy project of the ISF. The RSC will collaborate on the project in the Autumn of 2012 and the Spring of 2013 on shared public events. Taking to the streets of London during the Cultural Olympiad Shake Sphere entertain and surprise the public by making a comparison between STFC science and Elizabethan methods. Two actors will be used to communicate dramatised facts to the public. One actor will be an omnipotent Elizabethan "Alchemist", a barber surgeon who taught people such as Shakespeare, Dr Dee, Bacon, Galileo, Paracelcus and Walter Raleigh everything they know. As a product of Elizabethan times he is confused to be transported forwards 400 years. The other actor will be an omnipotent personification of STFC Frontier Science; called "STFC" this character will amaze "Alchemist" with how things have changed. With centuries of innovation and discovery between them, there will be much to bicker about and plenty of opportunity for jokes.
The audiences will be involved and asked to score points as the actors compete to top one another with gentlemanly banter and one-upmanship as they discuss fascinating science facts and relevant Shakespearean quotes. The Alchemist will keep wrongly diagnosing horrifying Elizabethan diseases in the audience and advocating equally horrifying Elizabethan remedies. With a focus on specific areas of research several scenarios have been devised enabling the actors to engage with the public. At the end of each scene the "Alchemist" will have to concede that "STFC" is a powerful wizard & many Elizabethan methods such as dried toad, blood-letting and mercury injections have been surpassed - but "STFC" will have to concede that Shakespeare's writing never has been. With their new, mutual understanding Alchemist and STFC depart the best of friends, moving to a new site to start over with a new audience. Shake Sphere pop-up will entertain Cultural Olympiad audiences with science-theatre busking from 11th July to 9th September.
Dr Fraser Clarke University of Oxford
Stargazing Oxfordshire: University Researchers and Community Astronomers bringing Space Science to the Public Award £6,000
This award will fund a programme of open evenings and events at Oxford Physics and Marlborough College, including lectures, activities and observing workshops, and a continued collaboration with the BBC at the "Stargazing Oxford" space science festival, reaching a total of over two thousand visitors over the year of the award. There will also be a series of outdoor astronomy events for families, schools and other general public throughout the year, in collaboration with local astronomy societies, Science Oxford, and RAL.
The project aims to educate and inspire audiences from diverse backgrounds via access to the night sky with large and small telescopes, promote and demystify current astronomical research and the scientific method , support public involvement in observational astronomy, via their local community astronomy groups, bring together teachers, pupils and youth groups with graduate researchers and establish a community astronomy network, with the observatories in Oxford and Marlborough as central nodes.
Dr Emma Weitkamp University of the West of England
SpaceJunkies: a comic platform for astronomy engagement Award £9,949
This project seeks to engage young people (11 - 14) with astronomy and space research through a multimedia platform. It will include a narrative story which will be delivered in 5 instalments using a comic/visual format and feature articles that discuss the science 'behind' the narrative storyline. There will be up to 5 videos, a 'question of the week' inviting email responses and/or a call for questions from readers, both would offer a small prize for the best response/question, 2 short polls/quizzes that build on the narrative content and feature article materials.
The narrative story will be built using a series of 5 weekly instalments. The story will be delivered using a traditional comic format comprising visual images of the action and text boxes for dialogue.
The narrative stories will use traditional devices, such as cliff-hangers, to encourage young people to return to the site on a weekly basis. Narratives will be designed to highlight the importance of space science and astronomy research. The narrative will be framed around a particular area of space research which will be agreed following initial work with young people to identify the most appealing topics. However, it is likely that the narrative will focus around a near earth object (to tie in with predictions of the end of the world in 2012) or with the Solar StormWatch programme.
Successful applicants in round 2012B Miss Suzanne Ensom English-Speaking Union Scotland
Speak Up Scotland Award £9,860
This is the extension of a project begun last year, where the group were able to create a debates handbook for science teachers, and a website (www.speakupscotland.org.uk). The project also ran debating workshops for science teachers, organised scientist visits to schools (through the STEM Ambassadors programme) & set up a national science debating competition. Feedback from the teachers showed they found it useful to do the activities themselves. This funding will enable the project to run a more detailed workshop programme for teachers and pupils, create new science resources and continue to encourage discussion between scientists and young people. The idea is to get young people talking and arguing about science- good communication skills meet cutting edge science. The skills learned during debating, such as objective critical evaluation, are very valuable in developing scientifically literate and engaged citizens - as well as being useful in everyday life.
As a result, highly practical and interactive debates workshops for science teachers providing a range of debates techniques which can be used with the whole class will be held, printed and online classroom resources for Nuclear Energy will be produced & will comprise of debates motions, key research, questions to ask, where to get more information; and lesson planning notes. These will be freely available to all schools. Debates DVDs covering all aspects of debate from initial research and brainstorming arguments to an informal debate format will also be produced & will also be available as clips on the website, and through a You Tube channel which will be set up. Pupil workshops will be held for a limited number of participating schools, which will include debates activities and brainstorming arguments to create a coherent debate and scientist visits will be organised to help foster links with the science community.
Ms Amanda Tyndall Edinburgh International Science Festival
Patterns - Revealing Nature's Underlying Order and Form Award £10,000
'Patterns' aims to deliver a high-impact, large-scale, outdoor exhibition that will explore, through a series of glorious full colour images and sculpture, the science of pattern formation in nature.
Launched at the end of January 2013 and running for 12 weeks, 'Patterns' will be the flagship public offering of the 25th Anniversary Festivals, linking to a suite of activities across Scotland in celebration of the Scottish Government's 'Year of Natural Scotland'. Free, open and accessible, the exhibition will provide a valuable platform for reaching new audiences. It will form a valuable part of continued attempts to make science and technology easily accessible to those not necessarily engaged with, or targeted by, most traditional science communication activity. Curated from a selection of world-class collections, a selection of up to 45 images and a number of specially chosen sculptural works will reveal some of the myriad of eye-popping visual formations that colour and pattern our world and will explain the role that the laws of maths and physics - the forces of nature - play in the manifestation of this astonishing order and regularity. From the patterns on a butterfly's wings, to the windblown ripples of desert sand, the allure of snowflakes and crystals, and the spirals of galaxies, our world is full of beauty, symmetry and complexity. Science and technology can not only explain WHY this is the case but can - through the use of cutting-edge imagery techniques - also reveal these patterns in all their glory.
The event is outdoors, free, and in a prominent location in the centre of Edinburgh (St Andrew Square) that over the duration of the exhibition will be frequented by a million tourists, workers and young people, thus providing a valuable platform for reaching new audiences. It will educate and inform visitors with impactful and interesting descriptions that will feature alongside the images describing the area of science, research and technology used to explore the subject of the image.
The exhibition will attract a minimum of 140,000 visitors with a selection of at least 45 images from the best image collections worldwide, (at least a quarter of which will link directly into STFC-grant-funded science areas) and large-scale versions will be reproduced for display. The exhibition will also incorporate at least 1 piece of dramatic sculpture. The exhibition will be available for hire/loan to other organisations around the UK, so that it can reach beyond the Edinburgh objectives, increasing public engagement in science across the country.
Dr David Berman Queen Marys University of London
The Higgs and Beyond: exploring particle physics today - and in the future Award £8,816.00
This project will develop a substantial package of public and schools engagement material (aimed principally at A-level and GCSE students and their teachers), based on STFC-funded research into particle physics. It aims to harness the current excitement in particle physics generated by the discovery of the Higgs Boson, to promote and explain the nature of research in high energy particle physics. Complementing this, it will highlight the human side of research, with case studies of the day-to-day work and careers of STFC-funded PhD students and researchers.
The package will include inspirational articles exploring physics research, interviews with STFC-funded academics exploring both their research area and their personal experiences of working in science, interviews with STFC PHD students who have left academia (with an emphasis on the impact of their PhD work in the non-academic world), and linked engaging problems for Key Stage 5 and Key Stage 4 students, exploring the topics involved at an accessible and appropriate level. Complementing the online content, the project will also produce a set of attractive and engaging hardcopy A3 posters for distribution to schools and libraries, providing accessible edited highlights of the project content and thought- provoking and engaging problems. Examples of the types of topic areas the project may cover include: the search for supersymmetry, neutrino physics, the search for dark matter and engineering aspects of the LHC.
Mr Gregory Watson Children’s Radio UK Ltd
Deep Space High - Space Camp Award £9,350.00
STFC previously funded a series of speech features through Children’s Radio UK Ltd, entitled 'Deep Space High'. The aim was to engage with children, introduce and highlight the fun side of space, and inspire children and parents to find out more, either through organised education or as a recreational interest. The series have been broadcast on Fun Kids since July 2012, are available to listen again on the Fun Kids website and iPad app, and as free downloads on iTunes. A dedicated micro-site was also created on the Fun Kids website.
This grant will enable 3 further mini-series to look at more detailed aspects of space exploration and Britain's involvement in these. The new series will follow the Deep Space High teachers and pupils as they embark on field trips to explore the Earth and the Sun, as well as the UK's involvement in space exploration. The informative and inspirational features will be written for a core child audience aged 9 to 12 years, although both younger and older children will also listen to the features, as well as parents and carers. A secondary benefit is therefore encouraging parents and older siblings to also discover and perhaps develop a family plan to learn more. These will be broadcast over a four month period & permanently available online, through the iPad app & downloadable through iTunes.
Mr Simon Jago Techniquest
The Search for Life Award £10,000
The aim of this project is to develop an engaging, facilitated public full dome planetarium programme to engage new audiences in the STFC research associated with the "Search for Life". The project will be supported by an additional school show (funded by Welsh Government) and publically available online resources. The show will be developed for use in small horizontal domes and portable planetaria meeting a current gap in provision. It is anticipated that the project will inspire up to 6,700 public visitors per year in astronomy, cosmology and current STFC research, reaching up to 33,000 people over the next 5 years. It will engage up to 1,000 upper Key Stage 2 pupils (9 -11 year olds) per year, in STFC research and science in-line with the national curriculum. It will also develop online supporting resources and distribute them to the National STEM Library for public use.
The show will reach new audiences including those who previously would have had no involvement in Astronomy i.e. individual adults, public audiences and family groups as it will be developed for use by horizontal and mobile domes, meeting a current gap in provision. The programme will be able to be replicated at other venues and with other organisations across Wales and the rest of the UK.
Miss Alice Massey Fuel Theatre
How Far Can You See Award £1,600
The key aim of the project is to deliver a panel discussion at the Young Vic theatre in London on 18 December, before the evening show of Sound&Fury's Going Dark. This panel discussion will be open to the public, and free to attend, and will be entitled 'How Far Can You See? A discussion on light and sight - the limitations of seeing and the indirectness of sight'. This discussion aims to inform and enthuse audiences about the dynamics of vision - how it is applied to both cosmic views and the everyday world we live in.
To make audiences aware of how visual perception and optics have been a key aid to astronomy, and how sight is a fragile tool in our perceptual understanding of the world and the universe beyond. It will offer audiences an understanding of how the brain interprets images, and how we make sense of a vast cosmos stretching the limits of our perception. The overall impact of the project will be a deeper understanding of and enthusiasm for the scientific themes explored in Going Dark.
To deliver an informative and intriguing discussion that looks at sight and vision from a number of perspectives. Up to 100 members of the public will be able to attend the discussion, which will be documented and the film published on the Fuel website, in order to widen public engagement.
Miss Amy Oxley Wyvil Primary School
Oval Cluster KS2 Mission to Space Award £5,265.00
This project will take place across 9 cluster primary schools in Lambeth during the academic year 2012-13. Children from across Key Stage 2 will take part depending on which year the topic of "Space" is taught in their school. It will consist of a number of workshops in cluster schools and visits across the city to inspire and engage children in their science learning and develop their knowledge and understanding of space. Children, staff and parents from the local community will be invited to a number of events exploring aspects of space science, from the solar system, rockets to space food. These will be interactive, combining various learning styles, will include cross curricular links to literacy, numeracy, art and design, ICT, technology and drama. We will invite organisations such as the National Space Centre & Spaceflight UK to deliver workshops & in addition to the workshops; the children involved will take part in trips to visit the Science Museum for a space themes day & the Peter Harrison Planetarium at the Royal Greenwich Museum. Some of the aims of this project is to broaden children's knowledge and understanding of the solar system and space science, to increase children's engagement in Science, develop children's skills in research, teamwork, communication, presentation, ICT and data handling & to develop teacher's understanding of the solar system and space science, encouraging them to use diverse interactive creative methods to teach primary space science.
The children's engagement in Science and knowledge and understanding of space science at the start & at end of the project will be monitored using focus groups of pupils and pupil surveys, to monitor the impact on children participating in the exciting programme of space based activities.
An addition to the positive outcomes for pupils the project will also inspire the teachers involved and give them a wider range of ideas and resources for teaching about Space in future years. A Written report on the project will be produced including activities and evaluations & impact and this will be circulated to the other 60 Primary Schools in Lambeth using the termly Cluster Managers' network forum. Information about the project will also be in our school and cluster newsletters & websites.
Ms Liz Mermin Crow Hill Films Ltd
Minds over Matter: CERN People films Award £10,000
This project, CERN People is a series of short films (eight x 3 minute internet films, for which the primary viewing venues will be the YouTube channel, CERN People, and CERN People Google+ page) that go behind the headlines of two huge breakthroughs in particle physics which took place this year. Filming at CERN has been taking place throughout 2012. The aim is to give the general public a personal sense of who world-class particle physicists are and what they actually do. With access to LHC teams searching for the Higgs, Supersymmetry, and exotics, filming was taking place when the Higgs results were coming together, and when a ground-breaking anti-matter paper was accepted for publication.
This will be a series of un-intimidating, intelligent, informal short films that open the door onto the thrills and headaches of world-class experimental particle physicists. They focus primarily on younger physicists, who don't speak to the cameras when big news is announced but stay up all night analysing data, preparing graphs, and tweaking the tools on which big experiments' results depend.
The films are in the end about the practical nature of the pursuit of pure knowledge, and the inspirational people pursuing it.
Dr Helen Mason University of Cambridge
Sun/Trek – Reaching Out Award £9,200
The main aim of this project is to capitalise on the recent work with Sun|trek, iSun|trek and Sun|trek Facebook, and to reach out to UK schools, to promote Sun|trek, in particular the Classroom Resources and Projects, as widely as possible. This will be achieved over a two year period by updates and improvements to the Sun|trek site (and related iSun|trek site) and by actively promoting Sun|trek, in particular the classroom resources and projects available for schools, more widely across the UK and Ireland. The wider aim is to enhance the UK resources available to teachers, which can be used to enthuse students about solar astronomy and to encourage students to study the physical sciences at sixth form and beyond. Particular efforts will be made to target inner city schools with diverse ethnic groups. The legacy will be the provision of resources, but also the involvement of young solar researchers to continue their own outreach work.
Sun|trek will be promoted nationally with talks, e.g. at IoP Teacher workshops, ASE meetings, NLC and by school visits. Articles will be written for popular and school magazines, the press and newsletters, and Sun|trek will be linked more actively to school resources sites (e.g. STEM resources and ESERO).
Ms Christine Watkins Centre for Performance Research Ltd
After Hours at the Polestar Club Award £8,314
The aim of this award is to produce a new piece of cabaret style performance which engages a general audience in the intriguing story of Earth's magnetosphere, the solar wind and the aurora - and how our understanding of these phenomena has developed. The story will be told through an original monologue and cycle of songs. This sung and spoken narrative will unfold alongside a series of projected images which are developed and worked into live on stage by a digital drawing artist – a process in which members the audience can also participate. This project is timed to coincide with the 2013 solar maximum, building on additional public awareness of the earth-sun relationship that might be generated at this time, and will have a legacy extending into 2014/15.
This will be a pilot project, including 5 initial performances, in different styles of venue and context which will test the format and ensure it is a flexible and engaging piece of work to tour on successfully in 2014/5. Initially, an Invited Preview will be staged, jointly hosted by the joint creators, Centre for Performance Research and the Institute of Physics and Mathematics, to which festival programmers and others who have offered to organise and support future performances will be invited, as well as staff and students from both participating departments within the University. This will incorporate a post-show discussion as an extension of this Preview performance, where each table will be encouraged to come up with a combined comment/critique. These will be recorded, with permission, for use in internal evaluation and forward planning.
Dr Andrew Cunningham Liverpool John Moores University
Schools Engineering Challenge Award £5,737
This project aims to develop an inter schools competition, to inspire young people to continue into higher education and pursue a career in science and engineering in the future. It will develop a problem based learning activity to be run with local schools in conjunction with National Museums Liverpool (it is hoped that the event will be held on an annual basis with Liverpool Museums). The project will be based on the Lunar Rovers with teaching materials being developed; research and resources identified and publicised to raise general awareness of the work. The project will be launched in conjunction with National Museums Liverpool and 12 local secondary schools.
For the competition the students will be tasked with the design and build of their own Lunar Rovers from a given set of resources, this will expose them to some higher level systems and control skills as well as allowing them to develop some of the softer transferrable skills associated with group work. The practical aspects of this project link very closely with the National curriculum for science. The students will need to build a repeatable 'vehicle' - which can be any movable device - wheeled, walking, sliding, jumping, rolling or other, which must then perform certain tasks.
It is envisaged that the project run, year on year, into the future and increase the exposure of young people to professional engineering projects and cutting edge research in the sector. The project would run as an extracurricular activity offered to A-level students in regional schools to encourage students to choose science, engineering and related subjects, where very little is done to encourage the A-Level students to follow these subjects into higher education.