STFC Public Engagement Large Award 2012 Winners

Dr Gail Cardew - of Great Britain

The Crystallography Collection: an online celebration of the development, practice and impact of crystallography.

08/04/13 to 07/04/14 (12 months)

£40,000

To mark the Crystallography Centenary of the Braggs' Nobel Prize winning discovery in 1913, a range of original multimedia content will be commissioned and produced by the team, including: A series of short films combining high definition images from modern crystallography research; A second series of short films shot on location at crystallography research facilities across the UK; Animated short films telling the story of crystallography and explaining the basic principles behind the research. The collection will engage students of , teachers and the science-interested general public with the subject. These resources will be presented online and released to coincide with activities around the 2013 Centenary.

The website will include a variety of features including interactive timelines charting the development of crystallography research, image galleries, and an events calendar showcasing public events in the UK linked to the 2013 Crystallography Centenary. In addition, the site will contain a blog with posts from experts in the field, a 'Best of the web' video playlist featuring the best online videos exploring the subject of crystallography, and social media tools allowing users to comment and share content.

R.I. Partners and people include: David Keen from the British Crystallographic Association and ISIS, Stephen Hull from ISIS, Laura Holland from Diamond Light Source, Stephen Curry from Imperial College London, Mike Glazer from The University of Oxford and Clare Jones from The University of Leeds.

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Dr Edel Fletcher - At Bristol

Science and technology providing solutions to global challenges - interactive teaching resources for students aged 11-19.

01/05/13 to 30/04/15 (24 months)

£40,000

This project aims to capitalise on the inspirational stories of STFC research and how through the STFC Futures programme, some of the science and technologies developed are being harnessed to provide solutions to complex global challenges faced by society today, such as Climate Change and Energy. This project will particularly focus on the STFC Futures global challenge themes of Energy and Environment e.g. tackling climate change. This project aims to link the science that students are learning in the classroom with frontier research science, to help build inspiration and enthusiasm in students.

The At Bristol project team will work with STFC scientists, Dr Hugh Mortimer, Dr Sean Paling and Dr Kevin Smith, and will create set of downloadable, online teaching resources for secondary school teachers. Such resources include:

• Research scientists talking about their work in filmed case studies or sound bites

• Datasets generated through At-Bristol’s schools’ workshops and exhibitions

• ‘How to’ guides for students and teachers to carry out their own investigations and collect their own datasets

• Datasets from scientific or other stakeholder related programmes that enable schools to compare their local data and provide a global context

• Case studies of projects e.g. Environment Agency flood preparation and prevention

• Animations, illustrations and filmed ‘live scribing’ to explain the intangible and demonstrate the science and technology providing solutions to global challenges

• Projects for students and lesson plans for teachers

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Dr Jana Horak - National Museum Wales

Back Down to Earth - Expanding D2E to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

1/7/13 to 30/6/15 (24 months)

£50,000

The D2E project is a STFC-funded programme delivering high quality astronomy education resources in the form of meteorite loan boxes, online lesson plans and an online asteroid/comet impact simulator (available in 8 languages). The loan scheme is currently run from National Museum Wales, Cardiff, from where it reaches 5,000 students/year, (ages 10-16) and 3,000 general public/year through outreach - figures have been fairly constant since the D2E scheme started in mid-2007.

This project will extend this successful formula, and cascade the experience to new partners. By providing additional loan boxes and teaching and management resources, we will facilitate the creation of two new loan hubs for D2E resources in Scotland and Northern Ireland, providing these countries with national centres for the scheme. These two hubs were selected as they have comparable national identities and organisations to Wales, and are run by the respective ESERO-UK Space Ambassadors. The experience in providing a national service in a small nation is of particular relevance, as is that of reaching geographically isolated and hard-to-reach communities. Part of the hard-to-reach programme includes provision of educational materials in a bilingual format, something not typically delivered by other science public awareness projects. For Scotland and NI, the hubs will be helped to produce Scots/Irish Gaelic versions of the key educational resource materials. Crucially, this project will extend its reach beyond the current regions of Wales to schools/museums who have expressed an interest.

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Mr Shane McCracken - Gallomanor Communications Ltd

I'm a Scientist, Get me out of here & I'm an Engineer, Get me out of here.

08/04/13 to 7/4/16 (36 months)

£99,300

'I'm a Scientist, Get me out of Here' (IAS) and I'm an Engineer, Get me out of here (IEng) are free online two week events where secondary school students get to meet and interact with scientists and engineers. It's an X Factor-style competition where the students are the judges. The students challenge the scientists/engineers over intense, fast-paced online live CHATs. They then ASK them all the questions they want to, and VOTE for their favourite to win a prize of £500 to communicate their work with the public. The events are run online at http://imascientist.org.uk and http://imanengineer.org.uk. This award will help to create zones themed around STFC supported science and engineering. There will be 27 STFC zones, with 135 STFC facility users, engaging with 9,000 secondary school students and being read by a further 150,000 members of the public. Dr Ceri Brenner of STFC’s Central Laser Facility will be the head contact at STFC and will work closely with the team in recruiting scientists to get involved. Tens of thousands of questions will be asked and answered. Hundreds of thousands of lines of live chat will be written and responded to, and thousands of votes cast to decide who gets to spend the £13,500 of prize money.

This project will allow scientists from across the country and from across the globe to interact with students, creating a level playing field for students. It will not just be the small number of confident and articulate students who get to ask questions and contribute. Scientists will be able to take part from their lab. Most public engagement activity is aimed at giving information to the public about science. IAS/IEng is about conversations led by school students. It makes the scientists listen as well as talk.

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Ms Siobhan Nicholas - Take the Space

STELLA, a new play about women and astronomy.

29/04/13 to 28/08/13 (4 months)

£11,530

This new play about women and astronomy will be on a UK tour from June 2013. STELLA tells the story of two female astronomers: Caroline Herschel from the C18th and Jessica Bell, a fictional radio astronomer from the C21st: Jess is invited to write about her favourite female astronomer from the past and so, Jess arrives in Bath to research the life of Caroline Herschel. The action of this piece unfolds as a double narrative: two women from different times simultaneously inhabit the same house in Bath.

The intention is for the audience, whilst engaged emotionally in the personal challenges of both astronomers, to perhaps consider {consciously or even subconsciously} the concept of Time and Space. The premise of the play is that Caroline's concern for the astronomers of the future was a passionate driving force that fed into the rigor and exactitude of both her observations and her charts. This theme of Past and Future is fundamental to the play: we learn that Jess' daughter, in the midst of the Arab Spring, has become an intern at the new Library of Alexandria - and so the memory of Hypatia {350AD to 415AD}, the very first female astronomer, also ripples through the piece.

The tour includes, amongst others, Greenwich Theatre, The Old Market in Brighton, The Mill at Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud Theatre and the BT Studio at Oxford Playhouse. ------Large Award Scheme 2011 Winners

Dr Teresa Anderson - Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre

Big Science – Big Telescopes

£76,500

The aim of this project is to excite and inspire 11-16 year olds, their families and the general public by engaging them with the 'Big Science' carried out with the 'Big Telescopes' funded by STFC such as the VLT, ALMA, e-MERLIN, and proposals such as the European Extremely Large Telescope and the Square Kilometre Array SKA.

The project will produce an exciting exhibit at the new Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre on the site of the Jodrell Bank Observatory and the Lovell Telescope - a site that is also soon to be home to the International Headquarters of the SKA. The exhibit will be created in parallel with new lesson plans, with exciting 'Hands On' activities that can be used in other Science Centres and in Schools, and with online resources that can be downloaded for use away from the Centre.

The project team will be working with staff at all the STFC-supported 'Big Telescopes' and will facilitate networking between teams both nationally and internationally.

Dr Alan Barr - University of Oxford

Outreach and educational applications for LHC science

£43,516

This project will provide educational and outreach mobile-device applications suitable for the general public, with a particular focus on young people in the age range 11-18. It will build on the success of the prototype 'LHsee' (link opens in a new window).

It will release a second version of a prototype smartphone application (currently only suitable for Android OS phones and Android tablets), and extend it to a wider range of user-friendly educational and outreach application resources available across a range of platforms, including iPhones and iPads. The project will also develop further applications aimed specifically at the 11-16 age range.

Dr Janet Sumner - Open University

60-second adventures in thought: astronomy, planetary and particle accelerators

£98,472

The project team have recently had an outstanding success with animated short-form videos for the Web, holding ALL 10 of the global top 10 downloads on the iTunes University channel. The subject matter was the history of English, narrated by Clive Anderson and the tone is humorous but informative. This was followed up with Sixty Second Adventures in Thought, narrated by the comedian David Mitchell, covering philosophical topics.

The team will extend this extremely popular animated series to astronomy, planetary science and particle accelerators. Topics will include:

• what is dark matter? • what is dark energy? • black holes - what would it feel like to fall into one? • event horizons; • relativity; • the Big Bang explained in 60 seconds; • what is a supernova? • how can the Moon be rotating and yet we still see one side? • resonances in the Solar System; • what would happen if I stuck my hand in the LHC? • Herschel and invisible light; • the cosmic microwave background; • suppose we found life on Mars? • finding another Earth

Large Award Scheme 2010 Winners

Successful applicants in round 2010

Dr Chris North - Cardiff University

Herschel Outreach Programme - Continuation

Contribution of £53.0K

This project builds on the success of the previous Herschel outreach project. Creating a single point of contact for Herschel and much of the media, has been crucial to the success of the public face of the mission in the UK to date, and this role will be extended for a further two years. Press releases, and new publications including resources for schools will continue to be coordinated by the Herschel Outreach Officer, with significant input from the Herschel Outreach Group, STFC and UKSA in collaboration with international partners.

The highly popular UK Herschel website (link opens in a new window) will be enhanced with additional features and resources, capitalising on the world class scientific results resulting from this remarkable instrument.

Dr Chris Smith -

The Naked Scientists - A Launch Pad for the Physical Sciences

Contribution of £60.0K

Working with STFC scientists, this project will build upon and consolidate a successful Cambridge University public engagement initiative, the Naked Scientists (link opens in a new window)to feature STFC-related science and technology in radio and online channels, to over one million people per week across the UK. This includes young people aged 11-16 who will be specifically targeted through school based activities.

Dr Andrew Newsam - Liverpool John Moores University

Local school Hubs for supporting STEM education through astronomy

Contribution of £15.0K

This project aims to use highly skilled astronomy educators, Space Ambassadors, and others, to identify and work with key teachers in key schools and colleges who will then act as a "hub" for disseminating training and best practice to local schools / colleges. The network of Hubs will provide a focal point for teacher training, support and for dissemination of new initiatives and resources, including publicly-funded materials. This pilot will focus on one area of the UK.

Dr Becky Parker - Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys

LUCID UK: Cosmic rays for schools

Contribution of £36.0K (plus possible further funding for technical support)

LUCID UK aims to inspire the next generation of physicists and engineers by giving school students opportunities to work alongside research scientists analysing cosmic ray data in real time via a national collaboration using detectors on Earth (in UK schools) and in Space. LUCID UK will utilise data from school-based research projects and make this available to all collaborating schools via a national network. This will also include technical support for detector maintenance. Other cosmic ray detector projects will be combined as a national initiative to give students the opportunity to share results and promulgate best practice as well as contribute to the research base.

Large awards scheme 2008 winners

Successful applicants in round 2008

Mr P Ashton H000410/1 Teachers TV

“Journey through the Cosmos“

Award - £70,000.00

Teachers’ TV consider International Year of Astronomy (IYA) 2009 to be an ideal opportunity to create fresh and modern resources to improve the teaching of astronomy in schools and to utilise the inspirational values of space and astronomy for students.

Recent astronomy series such as “The Complete Cosmos” and The Schools lectures in 2008 and 2009 have targeted students or the general public. This project will develop these ideas by making TV programmes and resources that specifically target classroom teachers. These will not only provide knowledge of astronomy, but also ideas for teaching and engaging students, as well as informing of other projects they can use in their teaching. Many of these other projects have received STFC funding such as the Down 2 Earth website, Astro-projects and the National Schools’ Observatory. These teaching plans will be freely available and will feature current projects and missions in order to maximise their relevance and impact on the next generation of astronomers.

The Institute of Physics (IOP) regularly consults with teachers through their affiliated schools scheme and their teacher network. A recent collaboration between the IOP and Glasshead on Teaching Radioactivity demonstrated how much this initiative was appreciated by Teachers who have said they want advice on how to teach these topics.

Few teachers, even Physics specialists, have little formal training in astronomy. Topics from astronomy feature in the science curriculum and thus are clearly recognised as being a significant part of education.

The main aim of this project is to improve secondary school Science teachers’ knowledge of astronomy, by focusing on the topics that are featured in the Key Stage 3 and GCSE. There will be four 15 minute programmes covering different aspects of astronomy aimed at Teachers such topics to include, The Solar System, Stars and Galaxies, and Cosmology. Teachers notes will be supplied and will contain details of demonstrations and practical experiments. Programmes will be broadcast on Teachers TV and available on the website for at least three years. DVDs containing both videos and other resources will be distributed directly to the Institute of Physics’ affiliated schools.

Dr PC Hargrave H000453/1 Cardiff University "The UK Herschel Outreach Programme"

Award £85,000.00

The Herschel Space Observatory was launched in May 2009. This project aims to maximise the educational and public outreach opportunities afforded by this misson.

Hitherto the UK Herschel Outreach Group was formed on a voluntary basis chaired by Prof Matt Griffin with membership comprised of key members of the UK Herschel Community and education/science communication professionals from the Faulkes Telescope project and Science Made Simple. This group will continue to support and guide the programme funded by the Large Award.

The outreach programme will have the following elements:

• Herschel Outreach Officer – a dedicated single-point of contact for UK Herschel education and public engagement activities

• Further performances of a show for schools developed by Science Made Simple as a STFC Small Award

• Herschel exhibitions- fixed and travelling exhibits

• Website development - with full interactive and educational content, linked to the national curriculum

• Popular talks by Herschel science team members

• Media training for Herschel team members

• Herschel portable art installation-developed by contracted artist with content based on an interpretation of artwork produced by schools

Mr R Hill H000445/1 Armagh Planetarium

”ELVIS : Engaging Learners in Virtual Interactive Science”

Award £15,000.00

Funding has been granted for a project to develop a virtual version of an STFC research facility and populate it with avatars (based on actual scientists) that can interact with users and teach them about science and technology on screen. It will be created using Thinking Worlds, which is a well established and proven educational tool for producing 3D environments within which users can explore, interact, engage with and generally experience in a virtual sense. Thinking Worlds has previously been used by the European Space Agency and the USA based project Universe Quest.

The first learning experience will be based around ISIS Second Target Station. Learners will be able to walk around the ISIS Second Target Station to meet the UK scientists at the forefront of materials research; they will discover how this research may lead to breakthroughs that will underpin the next generation of super-fast computers ,data storage, sensors, pharmaceutical and medical applications, materials processing, biotechnology and clean energy technology.

The target audience will be 11-18 year olds, families, the general public and education professionals. The projected is intended to explore whether a 3D learning environment such as Thinking Worlds can be used to engage the target audience with the work of STFC, particularly the secondary students. It is hoped that doing so will open up to them the possibilities of working in this exciting field and obtaining the skills necessary to do so.

Dr P Roche H000461/1 Cardiff University

”Back down to Earth”

Award £30,000.00

This project will improve and extend a highly successful STFC science centre project “Down to Earth”, as follows:

The reach of the current Down to Earth (D2E) project will be extended by additional partners as part of the Beacons of Public Engagement project (by adding Glamorgan University, Techniquest and BBC Wales – thus becoming a partnership across the whole consortium).

It is hoped to improve the delivery of this project in North Wales by providing loan boxes resources to 2 sites and capitalising on the fortuitous coincidence of IYA 2009, the 60th anniversary of the landing of the Beddgelert meteorite (21st September 1949), and Owain Glyndwr Day on 16th September. The partnership intends to run a week long science/arts/history event in the region.

Lesson plans will be developed together with workshops to support the Impact Calculator and further develop this extremely successful resource to add additional features and improve functionality in response to user feedback.

A fourth loan box and accompanying background notes, lesson plans and worksheets covering Astrobiology will be developed.

Additional classroom display items to accompany the loan boxes will be provided. These will include Lunar and Mars globes in bespoke boxes, classroom display panels and models of Martian and Lunar rovers, with associated educational materials.

Access will be provided to an X-Ray Diffractometer for post-16 students involved in the D2E project. With this they will be able to compare the mineral composition of terrestrial rocks and those of extra terrestrial origin and learn to use analytical data and microscope images to further their investigations.

Large awards scheme 2007 winners

Successful applicants in Round 2007

Mr M Paterson G000328/1 Pfilm

“A Life in Physics - LHC Documentary Project“

Award - £85,000.00

The LHC (the Large Hadron Collider) will be switched on in 2008 and the scientific community is eagerly anticipating its first exciting year of data-taking. Whatever is discovered in the course of the experiments and data taking, it is certain that the information obtained will have far reaching implications for our understanding of the fundamental nature of the universe.

This project will document the work of a group of British based researchers involved in research at the LHC. A documentary record of the work and discoveries over a two year period will be produced, and distributed to a wide and varied audience.

It is envisaged that a gripping and enthralling story will be told .The films will use the naturally evolving narrative of the research process to tell the story.

There will be a unique process of collaboration between physicists and documentary filmmakers. A vital platform will be afforded to the scientific community which will allow scientists to engage with students and also the general public. At this crucial time scientists will be able to communicate not only their research but also the results and conclusions from this research.

The narrative of the films will be driven by the interrelated research of three principal UK based physicists. It is intended to use a “fly on the wall “approach so that the films will document the nature of the research which will include the experiments, discussions and conferences. The physicists will record video diaries, so that their personal drives and motivations will be revealed. This approach will capture the immediacy and excitement of the research and involve the audience on a personal level while endeavouring to explain the key concepts and ideas behind the project involved.

The final outcome will be:

1. a series of ten minute serialised documentary films released quarterly on the internet over a two year period via a dedicated website with links to further information and resources about research at the LHC

2. a sixty minute DVD documentary film for GCSE and A level students to be distributed to schools and colleges documenting the entire period of research over two years

Above all this project will try to capture the excitement of being involved with an experiment which is unique in time and opportunity.

Mr C Bishop G000336/1 National Space Centre, Exploration Drive, LE4 5NS

"UK planetarium show: Astronomy"

Award £90,000.00

The National Space Centre will produce a planetarium show for presentation to a general public audience in seven large UK planetaria. It is being launched in July 2009 as a major contribution to the UK’s celebration of the International Year of Astronomy. It will be produced for the enjoyment of a general family audience and demonstrate to young people the opportunities that exist for them in UK science and engineering. The show will be developed by the National Space Centre’s Creative Services team, who are a team of highly skilled animators. The content development will benefit from the expertise of a recruited team of UK experts. The National Space Centre has already produced eight highly successful shows have been viewed in at least fifteen countries elsewhere.

The show will last some twenty five minutes and be seen by one million people over a two year period. The seven venues in the UK are, Armagh Planetarium, Dynamic Earth Edinburgh, the Royal Observatory Greenwich, The National Space Centre Leicester, Spaceport Liverpool, the Centre for Life Newcastle, and Intech Winchester.

The show will consider the following:

• The origin and evolution of the things we see in the Universe • The technology we use to help us understand these things • The UKs contribution to furthering our understanding • Why an understanding of space is relevant to our lives

The summary of the show

It will start with the work of Galileo in 1609 and explain how theories have evolved and knowledge expanded since then. Major advances in technology will be presented as will the technology in use today. It will address several questions from the STFC Roadmap and introduce the research and technology that is helpful and to answer them.

• The origin of the universe, what we know and what we don’t know with reference to projects The James Webb Space Telescope, SWIFT, and LISA Pathfinder

• The range of telescopes available to us today and in the future

• How astronomy is supported by ground based experiments e.g. Large Hadron Collider

• The formation of galaxies, stars and planets and the prospect of life elsewhere

• The risks to life on Earth from extra-terrestrial objects and events

It will conclude by accepting there is much we don’t know, but celebrating how far we have come ,how science and our understanding of the Universe is constantly evolving and how the UK is at the forefront of so many astronomical endeavours.

Mr Maxwell Alexander G000387/1 Max Alexander Photography

”The Astronomers – (portrait photographs of professional/amateur astronomers)”

Award £52,300.00

In 2009 the scientific community will celebrate the International Year of Astronomy and 400 years since Galileo first looked through a telescope. This highly original and novel project comprises a major photographic project which is to be a vision of British astronomy at the start of the 21st century.

The centrepiece of this exciting venture is to produce dynamic, original and interpretative portraits of astronomers in the UK. This will be strongly supported and complemented by reportage photographs of professional and amateur astronomy and provide a window on this golden age of astronomy.

There will be interpretative portrait photographs of leading members of The Astronomy World including Stephen Hawking, Bernard Lovell, and Maggie Aderin. The amateur astronomers will not be forgotten and portraits made of Michael Oates (comet discoverer) Tom Boles, and Guy Hurst. The reportage photographs will be of professional astronomers, students, institutions, research centres, Greenwich and Herstmonceux. On the amateur side there will be photographs of backyard astronomy, star parties, sidewalk astronomy, meteor, solar and eclipse viewing.

The project will be realised as an exhibition and book with associated media spin-offs. It is hoped that by making the major figures more visible and giving astronomy a much higher profile, young people might be encouraged to pursue careers in these fields. It is anticipated that this exhibition and book will reach an audience that wouldn’t normally be exposed to astronomy. The public will find an exhibition telling the human story of astronomers more appealing and accessible.

This exhibition will contribute in a very real way to raising the profile of astronomers in society and their unheralded contribution. It will show the pure joy and excitement of astronomy. It will celebrate Galileo’s contribution and state the case of the British astronomer and mathematician Thomas Harriot. The people behind the great discoveries of the age will be profiled. It is hoped a wide range of people including younger people will want to become involved and engaged in astronomy. Some may even be encouraged to pursue careers in astronomy. It will demonstrate the valuable role of amateurs; identify current hot topics and cutting edge astronomy.

The United Kingdom has a proud record of success in astronomy and this project is expected to raise public awareness of such.

Large awards scheme 2006 winners

Successful applicants in Round 2006 Professor Brian Foster University of Oxford, Department of Physics Denys Wilkinson Building Keble Road, Oxford, OX1 3RH Tel: + 44 (0)1865 273323

“Music of the Spheres: Einstein, music, particle physics & LHC”

Award - £86,564 This scheme builds on the success of the current Superstrings lectures which have been delivered throughout the UK.

A further lecture will be devised which will allow a direct linkup with the results from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) as they emerge and the build-up of the case for the construction of the International Linear Collider in 2010.

The lecture will present a picture of Einstein the man with an exposition of his science, using the things most important to him personally- music and the violin .Einstein believed many of the most basic questions which are still being asked in particle physics and cosmology to be very important. It is intended to demonstrate how the LHC might solve these fundamental questions.

The project will:

• Engage as large an audience as possible, with a target of 7,500 per year for three years, with particle physics and cosmology via a series of lectures in large venues such as concert halls and theatres in the main population centres • To highlight and publicise the results of the LHC as they emerge and to justify the resources spent on building and exploiting the LHC • To make the case for the construction of the ILC and more generally for large facilities for particle physics and astronomy • To win a new audience not otherwise attracted to science lectures by means of live music played by one of the UK’s leading and most charismatic young violinists • To develop TV and radio productions based on the ideas derived from the lecture concept and to interest production companies in realising them

Mrs. J. Fox Observatory House, 8 St. Radigunds Road, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2AA Tel: + 44 (0)1227 459485

The kids in space disadvantaged schools tour

Award £43,056.00 This project delivers throughout the country quality space science education and enthuses young children in regions of the UK that suffer from financial and social deprivation.

150 of the most disadvantaged primary schools in the country will benefit from the tour and will have an opportunity to experience the “Kids in Space” science show. The tour will last three years; visiting 50 schools in a different region each year.

The “Kids in Space” show was created by Space fund to deliver good science to young children in a fun and memorable format. The show is neither a lesson nor a lecture but rather a dramatic performance with comedy, excitement, and colourful props. It is centred around education, but the approach is learning through fun. The information presented is as up to date as possible, and the show is constantly refined to keep up with the exciting pace of change within space science and to take advantage of new discoveries.

The “Kids in Space Disadvantaged Schools Tour hopes to make a tangible difference to science education in areas of the country where help is most needed; areas in which there are bright children filled with potential, yet financial and social conditions contribute to low educational achievement. The tour is ultimately designed to create an improved understanding, appreciation and awareness of space science in these disadvantaged regions, and in so doing to enrich the lives and education of a significant number of youngsters who would otherwise be without.

Dr.T.J. O’Brien The University of Manchester, Jodrell Bank Observatory, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 9DL Tel: + 44 (0)1477 5711321

The hot spot: Innovative public engagement forum at Jodrell Bank

Award £99,962.11

This scheme will provide an exciting, events driven summer programme at the Jodrell Bank Observatory. The venue is a major cultural asset of Manchester University and has a significant point of contact with the wider community.

During the summer months a Marquee will be erected and thus provide accommodation for exhibitions festivals using literature, music, and the visual arts to widen the appeal for core scientific ideas.

The objectives for this three year project are:

• To develop a seasonal events programme at Jodrell bank which will use innovative approaches to engage with a wide audience of teachers, schoolchildren and the general public; raising their awareness of the work of scientists not only at Jodrell bank, but across the PPARC programme as a whole • To provide real experience of science in action, inspiring school pupils, and encouraging them to pursue their studies of science and technology to a higher level • To use publicity surrounding the 50th anniversary of the Lovell Telescope in 2007 and the “Dawn of the Space Age” to showcase a range of astronomy and space science, in increasing visitor numbers over the summer season by at least 15% • To develop long-term partnerships with educators in schools, Local Authorities and the University, with representatives from industry interested in supporting inspirational science communication programmes, and with mass media • To begin the process of forward planning, including audience building and programme development, for the proposed new Science Discovery Centre at Jodrell Bank

Dr. S.J. Barber Planetary and Space Sciences Research Institute The Open University Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA Tel: + 44 (0)1908 659517

Space signpost: improving access to this successful public astronomy initiative

Award £21,740.76 A scheme to develop and build on the public astronomy initiative permanently located in Bristol. Space Signpost, is a completely new way to engage the public with astronomy and space science. A kiosk developed by Sci-Five and Futurelab, was installed in Bristol in January 2006. The general public had direct unmediated access to the universe around them and it is simple and easy to use. The project will distribute copies of the Space Signpost software and will test 1:1 scale design prototypes on the target audiences. The ultimate aim is to develop a miniature version that is available to every classroom and home in the UK.

The project will ensure that Space Signpost can develop into an asset for the astronomy and space science community. It will also ensure that the software developed by Futurelab and SCi-Five can be used freely and easily by teachers and science communicators. The smaller cheaper and mobile Signpost will:

• Enable many more people to experience a direct connection with space • Help users’ understanding of space to grow and develop over time • Add-value to teachers’ and science communicators’ present educational and outreach activities by creating direct connection between their audience and the objects they discuss • Support the transition to personalised learning methods in science.(Personalised learning involves learners in shaping their own education and engaging with subjects on their own terms) • Facilitate further innovation in the communication of astronomy and space science

National Awards Scheme 2005 winners

Successful applicants in Round 2005

Mr Kevin Yates National Space Centre, Exploration Drive, Leicester, LE4 5NS Tel: 0116 258 2130

SPACE NOW: TODAY'S NEWS FROM SPACE

Award - £100,000 This project will transform the Space Now gallery at the National Space Centre to better tell Today's News from Space. It will communicate the latest developments in space science through live presentations and digital content, both within a gallery themed around a News Studio and on a website. It will create the infrastructure for reaching the widest possible audience and will deliver quality content from research, industry and government sources across the UK and European space communities. At the heart of the gallery will be the News Studio, where live bulletins will be presented. In the gallery, visitors will be able to explore the news content through touch screens, large plasma displays and handheld computers. The new website will mirror the content and dynamism of the gallery. The project will:

• Lay foundations for engaging students in the subject of space and the physical sciences • Promote further education and career opportunities in industry sectors requiring skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics • Showcase UK and European space activities within the context of telling today's news from space • Enhance the National Space Centre visitor experience

Dr Richard Beare Institute of Education, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL Tel: 024 7652 3847

ASTRONOMY AND SPACE FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS

Award - £60,000 The project will deliver an investigative astronomy education project, targeting gifted and talented students in UK secondary schools. This will produce resources for use with the Faulkes Telescope Project which aim to be challenging and open-ended. They will be sufficiently flexible for use by different age groups. Full documentation for teachers and students will be made available by download from the project website.

Support for teachers will be provided through targeted CPD designed to reach key people, provision of all materials on the web and collaboration with other bodies involved in CPD (such as the science learning centres and the ASE and IOP).

Collaboration with the National Association for Gifted and Talented Youth (NAGTY) will enable wider use of the project materials through its various events for gifted and talented students. In addition, the projects developed will be of benefit to all secondary age students through mutual exchange of ideas and materials with other Council funded astronomy initiatives (Faulkes Telescope Project, National Redshift Project, National Schools Observatory and others).

Dr Lee Thompson Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield, S3 7RH Tel: 0114 222 4577

CREATE: COSMIC RAY EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS FOR TEACHING

Award - £30,000 This project is to construct cosmic ray detectors to be located in secondary schools in the cities of Durham, Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield. These will be used to demonstrate a number of key concepts in particle physics and astrophysics. The hands-on access to the "big science" topics provided by these detectors will help excite students interest in physics in general and in the Council science in particular.

The CREATE project team aims to design prototype cosmic ray detectors which are easy to use and construct and able to deliver the projects teaching objectives as well as being reasonably priced, reliable and suitable for a school environment. These prototype detectors will then be deployed in schools in the represented cities, the feedback from which will lead to a final detector design.

In support of these activities, the project team plans to develop a web site to provide support material for teachers and students, and will develop printed materials for support and publicity including posters for conferences and other key events.

National Awards Scheme 2004 winners

Successful applicants in the 2004 round

Dr Louise Webb, ecsite-uk, Wellcome Wolfson Building, 165 Queen's Gate, London SW7 5HE Tel: + 44 (0)1244 313067 email: [email protected]

A contribution of £75,000 towards Space Activities for Girlguiding UK.

This sciZmic (link opens in a new window) Space project will support Girlguiding UK (GGUK) (link opens in a new window) in developing space-related activities. Specifically, the project will

• Develop and produce GGUK-approved siZmic Space materials for Guides and Brownies. • Train GGUK leaders to deliver space-related activities • Offer stimulating and quality-assured space-related activities at Science and Discovery Centres.

The project builds on the Go For It! With sciZmic Science project developed by ecsite-uk and GGUK (funded by Planet Science, Copus, the Institute of Physics (link opens in a new window) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (link opens in a new window)).

2 Professor James Stirling, Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics, Department of Physics, University of Durham, Science Laboratories, South Rd, Durham DH1 3LE. Tel: + 44 (0)191 3343749 email: [email protected]

£92,685 for A Beginners Guide to the Universe.

This is a joint project between the Universities of Durham and Sheffield, together with selected schools in the North . It extends the work of the the existing outreach programme "From Fundamental Particles to Galaxies and the Universe” funded by a previous Science and Technology Facilities Council ("the Council") Large Award.

The award will enable the extension of the existing programme to encompass work at Key Stages 2 as well as at Key Stages 3/4 and post 16. The proposed programme for the years 2005-2008 will: • develop a teaching pack A Beginners Guide to the Universe for use with KS2 children and an associated programme of activities. • continue and develop work with KS3/4 and 16+ - including further development of teaching packs, masterclasses and Faulkes Telescope (link opens in a new window) workshops. • develop projects aimed at a wider range of the general public.

When fully developed, activities and resources produced will be made available nationally to other interested organisations.

3 Professor Martin Barstow, Dept of Physics and Astronomy, (link opens in a new window), University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH UK Tel: 0116 252 3492 email:[email protected]

A contribution of £55,000 towards the National Redshift Project.

This will be a 2-year programme to develop tools to make Faulkes Telescope (link opens in a new window) spectrographs accessible to schools. There will be a parallel national project to reproduce Edwin Hubble's measurements of the expansion of the Universe.

The aims of the project are to:

• help teachers with teaching spectroscopy • provide a teaching tool that can contribute to other areas of the science curriculum (e.g. nature of light, data analysis etc.) • help bring ICT into the science curriculum

The project team will develop software and support material with the support of teachers. They will also provide training for teachers in developing the use of this resource. Resources produced for the project will be made available on the web.

The project builds on work carried out in two earlier Council-funded projects Telescopes in Education and Classroom Space.

4 Professor Colin Pillinger, The Open University (link opens in a new window) Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA Tel: + 44 (0)1908 652119 email: [email protected]

A contribution of £20,000 towards Mars in their Eyes

This project will exhibit a collection of cartoons on the subject of Mars and capitalising on the publicity generated by the Beagle 2 project (link opens in a new window). This will be used to introduce the visitor to the science behind the cartoons. Working in conjunction with the Cartoon Art Trust, and other organisations, the exhibition will be shown in London. The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue listing the cartoons and linking them to current science.

This innovative approach will engage a significant number of new people in understanding more of what we know already and what is waiting to be discovered on Mars. Mars in their Eyes will bring the science of Mars to a new and wider audience.

National Awards Scheme 2003 winners

Successful applicants in the 2003 round

1 Dr Paul Roche, Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, PO Box 913, 5 The Parade, Cardiff, CF24 3YB Tel: 0797 9096750 email: [email protected] (Techniquest (link opens in a new window), Cardiff and a consortium including the National Schools Observatory (link opens in a new window), the Faulkes Telescope Project (link opens in a new window) and Cardiff University (link opens in a new window))

A contribution of £81,500 towards Telescopes in Education. The development of robotic telescopes will allow schools to obtain their own astronomical images using remotely- controlled telescopes. This will bring a new dimension to the teaching of astronomy in schools. The use of these telescopes will be supported by the development of teaching resource materials, including software. A previous Science and Technology Facilities Council National Award (2000) to the University of Leicester set up a programme to train teachers in astronomical techniques.

The project will fund the continuing activities of Dr Paul Roche in developing, running and co-ordinating teacher training courses in support of the Faulkes Telescope Project and the National Schools Observatory. It will also see the creation of a national network of Regional Astronomy Resource centres (RARCs) with access to telescope time and data, a resource pool which can be used to run INSET courses, student workshops or loaned to local schools or educational bodies. As well as creating a national network of resources, the RARCs will also create a nation-wide network of people trained to promote and teach astronomy in schools.

2 Mr Alan Walker, School of Physics, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, Mayfield road, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ Tel: 0131 6505237 email: [email protected] (University of Edinburgh (link opens in a new window) with the Scottish Science and Technology Roadshow (link opens in a new window))

A contribution of £33,000 towards the development of PP4SS: Particle Physics for Scottish Schools. SCI-Fun is the Scottish Science and Technology Roadshow, which promotes science to 12-14 year olds across Scotland. It visits up to 100 schools each year as well exhibiting at Science Festivals.

The aim of the PP4SS is to work towards making particle physics a significant component of the Roadshows. This will involve the development of exhibits on Particle Physics suitable to the age group attending the Roadshows. It is planned to include a portable cosmic ray hodoscope, an accelerator simulator and a muon lifetime apparatus. This project will build on the work of the Particle Physics Exhibits Project (link opens in a new window) (PPEP) which received a previous Council National Award.

National Awards Scheme 2002 winners

Successful applicants in the 2002 round 1 Dr Dominic Dickson, Science Communication Unit, Department of Physics (link opens in a new window), Oliver Lodge Laboratory, University of Liverpool, Oxford Street, Liverpool L60 7ZE Tel: 0151 7943371 Fax: 0151 7943441 email: [email protected] (together with a consortium including the Liverpool John Moores University (link opens in a new window)/Astrophysics Research Institute (link opens in a new window) and Liverpool College (link opens in a new window))

A contribution of £70,000 towards Science Journeys (link opens in a new window) a project aimed at informing and enthusing young people (aged 11-16) about Particle Physics, Astronomy and Space Science. The Science Communication Unit acts as a focus and stimulus, both within the Department and the University, for research, teaching, and other activities aimed at improving the understanding and delivery of science communication. Previous activities have used undergraduate students to convey the excitement of science to school students.

A group of Physics and Astronomy Students will present a series of entertaining and informative shows to secondary school audiences. Each show will be in the form of a journey of exploration and discovery led by a main presenter and involving demonstrations, sketches, songs and drama. There will be workshops for teachers and schoolchildren on the use of drama and performance as a means of presenting scientific ideas. Schools will be encouraged to produce their own shows along similar lines. A comprehensive information and resource pack will be made available to teachers. Reports on the project will appear in Frontiers and in other journals.

2 Ms Annette Sotheran, National Space Centre, Exploration Drive, Leicester, LE4 5NS. Tel: 0116 2582117 (together with a consortium including Glasgow Science Centre (link opens in a new window) and Explore at-Bristol Science Centre (link opens in a new window))

A contribution of £80,000 towards Mars an Immersive Theatre/Planetarium Programme for Schools and the Public. This is an educational and entertaining space theatre programme (link opens in a new window) which will capitalise on public interest generated by the close approach of Mars in 2003 and the launch of European (link opens in a new window) (including the British Beagle2 Lander) and American (link opens in a new window) missions to the planet. The project will build on the experience of the National Space Centre in producing shows of this nature.

The programme will start with the formation of the solar system and trace the history and evolution of Mars (link opens in a new window). It will show what has been learned to date from space missions since the 1960s. Unanswered questions about possibility of life and the processes shaping the planet will be used to put the 2003/04 missions to Mars in context.

As well as promoting existing Classroom Space (link opens in a new window) materials, additional resources will be produced to support the multimedia show. These will include curriculum links and background information about Mars and the Mars missions. They will also contain further ideas for pre and post visit classroom activities.

National Awards Scheme 2001 winners

Dr M A Barstow, Dept of Physics & Astronomy, University of Leicester (link opens in a new window), University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH. Tel: 0116 252 3492 Email: [email protected]

£70,000 CLASSROOM SPACE: SPACE HARDWARE

A two-year project to extend the number and range of materials offered by the existing 'Classroom Space' project, funded by a previous PUST National Award, and which is already proving to be a useful teaching resource and student motivator on the subject of space science. New topics of space technology and hardware will widen the current target audience to include post-16 year-old students and their teachers. The Classroom Space website (link opens in a new window) will also be upgraded from a teacher resource into an interactive website for teachers, students and their families. These new materials will be based on the coming SWIFT mission, (link opens in a new window) which is NASA-led but with strong UK involvement. It will search for Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs ) and will investigate their nature and origin. The project will focus on the UK's role in the development of the technology for the mission.

Due to the nature of the science involved, some of the new materials will be ideal for the post-16 age range, and will complement the new AS level syllabi which draw heavily on space science and its applications. During the second year, the interactive website will be developed and trialled, together with the other materials at schools and sixth-form colleges across the country. The results of these trials will be gathered before the upgraded website goes live at the end of the second year.

Professor C S Frenk, Dept of Physics, University of Durham, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE. Tel: 0191 374 2141 Email: [email protected]

£80,000 FROM FUNDAMENTAL PARTICLES TO GALAXIES AND THE UNIVERSE

A joint project of the Universities of Durham (link opens in a new window) and Sheffield (link opens in a new window), together with selected schools in the region, to develop a public outreach programme in particle physics and astronomy in North-east England. The primary target is 11 to 16 year-old schoolchildren and their teachers, and the project aims to reach approximately 35000 schoolchildren at Key Stages 3 and 4, 1000 teachers, and 5000 members of the general public. The focus is on exploring the origin of the universe, the properties of fundamental particles, and the nature of dark matter. This represents the first step in an ambitious programme to establish a self-financing science centre in Durham City, involving the universities, local government and businesses.

The proposal builds upon the award of JIF grants to two research centres of excellence in the region, namely the Ogden Centre (link opens in a new window) For Fundamental Physics at the University of Durham, and the Boulby Mine near Cleveland which hosts the UK Dark Matter Project (link opens in a new window). The programme is constructed around five key activities: the development of innovative teaching packs; the delivery of masterclasses in both particle physics and astronomy; the establishment of the first Regional Faulkes Telescopes (link opens in a new window) Centre to provide training and acccess to the telescopes; school visits; and teacher support sessions. The teaching packs will contain a new interactive CD-Rom, entitled 'From Fundamental Particles to Galaxies and the Universe' which will feature research from the Ogden Centre and Boulby Mine, together with other supporting material such as a teacher's guide, worksheets' quizzes and existing PUST material.

National Awards Scheme 2000 winners

Successful applicants in the 2000 round

1. TELESCOPES IN EDUCATION

£60,000 for a project to promote the use of remote robotic telescopes by schools and to train teachers as potential users. The contract is awarded to The University of Leicester (contact: Dr Martin Barstow) to provide the programme of work, which will be almost entirely done by Dr Paul Roche (now at University of Glamorgan, Wales).

Dr Roche will promote the use of several robotic telescopes, of which the major two are the Faulkes telescope (link opens in a new window) (a 2m telescope located in Hawaii such that night-time there is during UK school hours) and the Liverpool Telescope (link opens in a new window) (also a 2m telescope, located on La Palma and having 5% of its time devoted to use by UK public and schools). Other telescopes include the 'TIE' small telescope in California, 'RoCoTTo' small telescope located in Glamorgan, and the Bradford Telescope (link opens in a new window).

In general science teachers are unfamiliar with most aspects of observing, such as astronomical co-ordinates, exposure times, data handling, and measurement and interpretation of images. Dr Roche will cover these in training sessions.

The Faulkes and Liverpool Telescopes have both been delayed, and are due to open in late spring 2003, with use by schools in July or September 2003.

Contacts:

Dr Paul Roche, Dept of Earth & Space Sciences, School of Applied Sciences, University of Glamorgan, Trefforest, Glamorgan, CF37 1DL.

Tel: + 44 (0)1443 482785

Dr Martin Barstow, Dept of Physics & Astronomy, Leicester University, Leicester, LE1 7RH. Email [email protected] Tel: + 44 (0)116 252 3492

2. PARTICLE PHYSICS EXHIBITIONS PROJECT

£37,500 for the operational phase of this project, which provides a loan scheme of particle physics display material and experimental apparatus that can be used in public talks, events, etc. Science and Technology Facilities Council ("the Council") has previously funded the setting up of this scheme, with a National Award in 1997 which funded the design and construction of the materials. The present funding covers costs of transport of the exhibits, travel & subsistence, and maintenance of the equipment. Current contact:

Dr Norman Gee, Particle Physics Division, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (link opens in a new window), Chilton, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 0QX.

Email [email protected], Tel: + 44 (0)1235 446244

3. MESSAGES FROM SPACE

£50,000 for a project providing UK schools with direct access space-related data. It aims to produce an exciting inspirational teaching resource to promote an awareness in pupils of Space Science and Magnetospheric Science, plus space and satellite technology. The target age range is 15-19 but concentrating strongly on A-level Physics students. Resources will include multimedia online material plus paper-based resources fur use by teachers and pupils in the classroom. A project CD-ROM will complement the use of the website. While the project is run from Surrey University, and uses an educational consultant, there are links to the Council-funded research groups at Leicester, MSSL, York and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

Contact:

Dr Paul Sellin, Dept of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 5XH

Email [email protected], Tel: + 44 (0)1483 876814

National Awards Scheme 1999 winners

Successful applicants in the 1999 round

1. Professor Michael Bode Astrophysics Research Institute Liverpool John Moores University Twelve Quays House Egerton Wharf Birkenhead CH41 1LD Tel: +44 (0)151 231 2920 Fax: +44 (0)151 231 2921

(Consortium including staff from the project, the Research Institute, the National Museums & Galleries on Merseyside and teachers and schools in the region)

AWARD: £75,000 for 'NATIONAL SCHOOLS' OBSERVATORY', a project to establish a national facility to link remote telescopes with UK schools and to provide the necessary educational materials and infrastructure.

The facility will initially address the use of the Liverpool Telescope, a 2m remotely- controlled telescope to be sited in the Canary Islands in 2000 and for which 5% of (night) observing time and much of the 'twilight' time will be available for UK schools and public. Research has been done in collaboration with schools in the Merseyside region to plan how observations and data obtained can be used effectively by schools. The (former) PPARC funding will now enable the PUS and educational programme to go ahead. The main components are use of the Internet for schools to request observations, archives of observations available to all, software for schools to work with data such as astronomical images, and classroom materials for teachers and students to use (linked to curriculum and Key Skills areas).

The NSO will also in this work provide much of the groundwork which will support the PUS and educational programme of the Faulkes Telescope, a 2m telescope which will be sited in Hawaii in 2001. It will be operated by the National Maritime Museum. In this case the time difference between Britain and Hawaii means that 'real-time' observations can be made by a UK school during night-time at the telescope. The education, Internet and computer systems developed by the NSO will be made fully available to the Faulkes Telescope project, and indeed to other possible coming remote telescopes.

For more details, please see the Liverpool Telescope Website (link opens in a new window).

2. Dr David Pike (former) CLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Chilton Didcot Oxon, OX11 0QX Tel: +44 (0)1235 445 835 Fax: +44 (0)1235 446 667

(Together with a consortium including researchers on solar physics and solar- terrestrial relations from Cambridge and St Andrews, and educational consultants and teachers).

£70,000 for 'SOLARMAX', a programme of promotional and educational materials to promote Solar Physics and research into Solar-Terrestrial relations (STP).

The UK has a very strong research community in these scientific areas, and there is likely to be heightened public interest because of the 1999 Solar eclipse, the maximum of Solar activity in 2000, and the launch of the 'Cluster2' spacecraft in 2000. The project aims to provide popular explanations of the latest research, including recent data highlights, and to provide educational resources linking these science areas with schools' curriculum.

The current project is entitled 'SunBlock99' and particularly uses the presentation of young solar physicists and their personal work to promote the science. The Website is already an accredited part of the UK's National grid for Learning (NGfL). The project will be re-titled 'SolarMax' and the (former) PPARC funding will be used mainly to provide a larger, professionally-designed Website and educational materials including CD-ROM, teachers' guides, worksheets and posters. These will be linked to UK curriculum topics and Key Skills areas.

National Awards Scheme 1998 winners Successful applicants in the 1998 round

1. Dr Roger Barlow, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Schuster Laboratory, Manchester University, Manchester, M13 9PL

Tel 0161 275 4178 Fax 0161 273 5867 email [email protected]

(together with a consortium of scientists and teachers from Manchester, Bristol, Lancaster, Oxford and Brunel Universities and Simon Langton School in Canterbury).

£50,000 for ‘Building the Universe: The National Particle Physics Institute’. This is a training scheme for teachers of A-level physics, delivered as one-week residential courses at Manchester and Bristol each June/July after national exams are over. There will be a mix of lectures, workshops and practical activities, centred on the ideas of particle physics in the new, post-Dearing, A-level syllabus. The demand from teachers is very high, and at each site there will be 100 teachers and 5 lecturers. The lecture modules will cover five areas: Fundamentals (relativity and wave-particle duality); The Elements (quarks, leptons and forces); Putting It Together – hadrons, interactions and decays; The Universe (from the Big Bang to today); and The Hardware – particle accelerators and detectors.

2. Dr Martin Barstow, Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH.

Tel 0116 252 3492 Fax 0116 252 3311 email [email protected]

(together with a consortium including staff from the School of Education, Leicester; the National Space Science Centre; the Millennium Satellite Centre Ltd; Roehampton Institute; and the University of Surrey).

£70,000 towards ‘Classroom Space – a national project for ages 11-16’. The project is to develop classroom activities in space science and astronomy, by drawing on education programmes being developed by the partners and extending their benefits through school visits, teacher-training workshops and on-line electronic media. A goal is to make real space and astronomy data accessible to schools from the archives of current and future space missions. There will be five classroom modules for 11-16 year olds, and dissemination of the project material will be via the National grid for Learning, the MSCL Website and CD-ROM. Planned module titles include Comet/Asteroid Rendezvous, Return to the Moon, Mission to Mars, Mission Earth and Solar Weather.

3. Dr Margaret Penston, Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OHA.

Tel 01223 374768 Fax 01223 374769 email [email protected]

(Together with a consortium including the Association for Science Education, Hatfield, and Anglia Multimedia Ltd, Norwich)

A contribution of £30,000 towards ‘HandsOnUniverse II’, an educational project for 11-16 year olds. This extends the previous ‘HandsOnUniverse’ pack for 7-11 year olds, which addressed the Earth & Space syllabus points in the National Curriculum (NC) at Key Stage 2. The new project supports NC Key Stages 3 and 4 ‘The Earth and Beyond’ topics, and will contain a fully interactive CD-ROM , a 48 page booklet, posters, and a supporting Website. It will also support the Scottish curriculum primary 7 to secondary 2 ‘Earth in Space’ and Standard Grade ‘Space Physics’ topics. Links will be sought to the coming ‘Faulkes’ remote telescope (to be used for PUS and educational purposes).