STEM Ambassador Newsletter March 2015 Dear STEM Ambassador, Many thanks for your continued support for the STEM Ambassadors Programme. Your support for local schools makes a huge difference to Hampshire students and it is greatly appreciated by local teachers. Here is some of the feedback that the STEM Team has received about recent events: ‘I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you and your colleagues for being so generous with your time this afternoon. After a few disappointing weeks where we had rather hit a brick wall with our design the students have arrived back in school enthused and full of ideas, and are, as I write, dismantling (and hopefully rebuilding!) our model in order to put into practice everything that they have just learnt. It was a brilliant opportunity for them to get really close to a working hovercraft, and indeed to clamber all over one, and your colleagues were great at explaining what they saw.’ Teacher, following a student visit to Hovertravel’s workshop on the Isle of Wight. ‘Some great thinking from the pupils and some cracking ideas - lovely to see this working and in action.’ STEM Ambassador, on supporting a STEM club that is participating in the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Challenge. ‘The event ran itself and the students were fully engaged - it was in the subsequent days after the event that the real learning took place as students continued to discuss ideas and become more motivated about what they had heard on the day. I know that some of our students do find it hard to communicate with adults they don't readily know and it was good to be able to reinforce those 'life skills' as well as think about your particular career paths. They have asked for another event with a different range of careers already - still STEM related!’ Teacher, following a careers event. ‘I thoroughly enjoyed the event and it was great watching even the most reluctant students really come alive at the end to cheer as the marbles made their way down the runs.’ STEM Ambassador, following an International Women’s Day STEM event at Winchester Science Centre. "I really want to be an engineer! This showed me that women can also be engineers". "I was surprised at how well we communicated as a team, especially as we didn't know some of the other students from other schools" "We were so excited that our marble run actually worked, although it was tense at the end!" School students at International Women’s Day STEM Event. As you can see, lots of schools have plans for British Science Week (16th to 20th March). There are also two STEM events planned at Winchester Science Centre. A ‘Meet the Experts’ event on Saturday 21st March where Winchester Science Centre would greatly value your support and the other, an event to raise awareness to educators about Future Careers, is planned for Wednesday 22nd April; support for these events would be particularly welcome. Please take a look at the events listed below, they are sorted geographically and are selected from the full list on the Winchester Science Centre website http://www.winchestersciencecentre.org/stemnet/upcoming-stem-activities-events/. Kind regards, Damian, Sarah, Emily and Carol Damian Haasjes, Sarah Newman, Emily Thorpe-Smith and Carol Smith STEM Ambassadors and students taking STEM Ambassadors judging the final part in careers speed-networking session marble run challenge entries at the at the International Women's Day Event at International Women's Day Event at Winchester Science Centre. Winchester Science Centre. STEM News Twitter The STEM team at Winchester Science Centre are now spreading the STEM word on Twitter, please follow us @STEMHants . If you are promoting a STEM activity via Twitter, please use #STEMHants to help publicise your event. Meet the Experts at Winchester Science Centre Venue: Winchester Science Centre, SO21 1HZ Date: Saturday 21st March, 2015 Time: 10:30am to 2.30pm As part of British Science Week, Winchester Science Centre are running a ‘Meet the Experts’ event. This will include opportunities for the visitors to take part in hands-on activities led and supported by STEM Ambassadors. Activities will include: chocolate welding http://www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk/elibrary/resource/5694/welding-with-chocolate, felt pen chromatography, sorting networks (where people walk around a network map) http://csunplugged.org/sorting-networks/ and playing with electric circuits. Ambassadors are invited to come along for part of this event (either the morning: 10.30am to 12.30pm, afternoon 12.30pm to 2.30pm or for both sessions) to support these activities. Civil engineers, chemists, computer scientists, physicists and electrical engineers would be especially welcome to support the activities listed. If you have other ideas for activities, please let us know. Ambassadors could also chat to visitors at their favourite exhibits around the science centre. The day will also include live science shows and a fun relaxed atmosphere aimed at getting people to think about STEM careers and what scientists and engineers do. This event will include a free family ticket for ambassadors who book on to support the event and wish to bring their family for the day. If you would like to support this event, please register at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/meet-the-experts-tickets-16104497987 . If you have any questions, please contact Damian Haasjes at [email protected]. Future Careers Evening 22nd April 2015, 4.30pm to 7.00pm This event is aimed at raising teachers’ and careers advisors’ awareness of STEM careers. In particular, it is hoped educators will gain a better understanding of what engineering is, of the different routes into STEM careers and the qualities (not just academic) that STEM employers look for in new recruits. This event will also promote new research about how to encourage young women to follow careers in STEM. There will also be opportunities for STEM Ambassadors to promote specific career opportunities in STEM companies and for ambassadors and teachers to plan STEM activities. The event will include 3 activities: Speed-networking event Opportunity for teachers to visit employer stands and network informally Key note speech from Prof Averil Macdonald about engaging girls in STEM. Averil’s recent report “‘Not for people like me?’ – Underrepresented groups in science, technology and engineering” can be found at http://www.winchestersciencecentre.org/stemnet/resources/stem-careers-information/ A wonderful cream tea will also be provided. If you would like to attend please register at the Eventbrite link as an individual or to bring a stand to represent your employer: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/future-careers-evening-22nd-april-2015-tickets-16099590308 STEM Support by Video-Conference Over the last few weeks, the STEM team have been arranging video-conferences involving schools and STEM Ambassadors, as part of a National pilot scheme run by STEMNET. So far, two sessions have been run and both have been very well received. Find out more at http://www.winchestersciencecentre.org/stemnet/news/stem- support-by-video-conference/#.VP7ovC7-LIU. Become a STEM Ambassador Do you know someone who would like to become a STEM Ambassador? The STEM Ambassadors Programme enables anyone with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills to inspire young people and demonstrate the possibilities of STEM subjects and careers. Anyone who uses STEM skills, and is willing and able to encourage young people to pursue STEM subjects, can apply to become a STEM Ambassador at https://db.stemnet.org.uk/register/ambassador . Female applicants are especially welcome, as women are still underrepresented on our scheme. Could you spare half a day to interview students at a University Technical College? If so, read on! The Duke of York Award for Technical Education recognises achievement in University Technical Colleges, which offer an intensive 14-19 STEM curriculum based on real-world projects devised in partnership with employers. The competency framework developed for the Duke of York Award draws on Registered Technician standards for engineers, scientists and IT technicians – EngTech, RSciTech and ITTech. This encourages students to see themselves as working towards professional recognition. Each spring and summer, volunteers interview candidates for Duke of York Awards, using the competency framework as a template. In 2015, interviews will be arranged in 14 UTCs around England. The minimum commitment is half a day – a morning or afternoon. UTCs don’t pay a fee or reimburse travel expenses, but volunteers invariably say they enjoy their time with the students. Please visit www.utcolleges.org/stem-ambassadors to find out more and register your interest. Upcoming Requests from Schools All events can be found on our website at Upcoming STEM Activities. To find your local school request please click of your geographic area within Hampshire. Portsmouth Southampton Central Hampshire North Hampshire How to log a STEM Ambassador Activity on the STEMNET Database Google STEMNET Click on 'Log On’ Enter your email address If you have forgotten your password, click 'Forgotten My Password' and a nonsense one will be sent to your email address. Finish logging on Click on 'Add a single school' activity (or multi-school if you worked with students from lots of schools). Work through the online form. The information required is: the date, the school, approximate number of students, approximate age of students (KS3 means 11-13 years and KS4 means 14-16 years) and a brief description of the activity. Events at Winchester Science Centre Corporate Hire Did you know that you can use the Science Centre and Planetarium as a venue for events? From the use of individual meeting rooms and the IT suite, to the hire of the whole Centre or the Planetarium, why not bring your colleagues or guests to the Science Centre's iconic building, conveniently located just outside Winchester.