Science Village at the National Eisteddfod

Over the last few years the National Eisteddfod's Science and Technology Village has been transformed into an interactive, attractive and exciting area, bringing every element of STEAM to life for visitors of all ages.
With a contemporary programme of activities, from talks and presentations about the latest scientific developments across the world, to opportunities for children to experiment with all kinds of science, this is one of the busiest and most popular areas of the Maes.
The Science Village is an increasingly important part of the festival, hosting representatives from the academic institutions as well as companies and organisations wishing to engage with young people in all aspects of science & technology. As well as interactive activities, there were daily engineering challenges for young people. Thank you to all the volunteers who offered to help with the event over the 6 days especially teachers from local schools.
The winner of this year’s Science and Technology Medal at the National Eisteddfod in Wrecsam is Dewi Bryn Jones, a leading pioneer in Welsh language and speech technologies
Over recent years, Dewi has done more than anyone else to develop Welsh computational language tools and resources, enabling the public to use Welsh on their computers and in digital communication. His technologies also support disabled individuals and those with additional needs to communicate in Welsh.
Dewi leads a team of software developers at the Language Technologies Unit at Canolfan Bedwyr, Bangor University. His vision and contributions have driven innovation in Welsh writing technology, Welsh speech technology, and Welsh machine translation in the digital world.
The medal, first awarded in 2004, recognises and celebrates an individual’s contribution to science and technology through the medium of Welsh. Fittingly, the first recipient was Professor Glyn O Phillips, a prominent scientist from Wrecsam and the founding head of the North East Wales Institute – now Wrexham University.
The aim of the medal is to honour and celebrate outstanding contributions to the science and technology industry through Welsh.

Flat Holm – A Walk Through Time National Lottery funded project.

Flat Holm Island is a unique and stunning destination located in the Bristol Channel off the coast of Wales. The island offers visitors an incredible opportunity to explore the beauty and history of one of the most unique and interesting places in the UK.

The island's rich history is one of the most prominent features, with the island having been used as a monastery, a prison, and a defensive fortification over the centuries.

One of the most iconic features of the island is the Flat Holm Lighthouse, which was built in 1737 and still stands today. Although closed to visitors, you can learn about its fascinating history and importance to the island.

The island is also home to a wide range of wildlife, including nesting seabirds, grey seals, and a variety of insects and plants. Visitors can take guided tours of the island to learn more about the island's ecology and the unique species that call it home.

Although we no longer have a dedicated member of staff in post, and the funded project is coming to an end in December 2025 we are still keen to support schools in learning about and engaging with Flat Holm Island in the future.

To that end we are working towards making many of the resources available online for schools to use independently, and hope to still be able to deliver some workshops and activities in schools. Don’t forget, we are also keen to work with schools to facilitate day and residential visits to the island which can be an amazing experience for pupils to learn about its fascinating nature and history!

In short then, we hope to continue to offer to schools:

• Online self-guided activities
• Some guided activities/workshops/talks in schools
• Support for school visits to Flat Holm

In the meantime, the contact with any queries regarding schools and Flat Holm is Tim Orrell tim.orrell@caerdydd.gov.uk and also copy in flatholmisland@cardiff.gov.uk . After 21/12/25 the latter will be the address to contact.

Mullany Digital Mentoring: Helping Young People in Wales into STEM Careers

The Mullany Fund are a social mobility organisation working for young people in Wales. Our digital mentoring programme is free to learners, and provides one-to-one advice to Years 9-13 who want to learn more about STEM career pathways. Theprogramme is tried and tested and won STEM Educational Project of the Year (not for profit) at the STEM Awards Wales 2024. Our mentors are particularly experienced at advising young people from backgrounds where careers informationis scarce or opportunities are low. Many of our mentees say how the programme has built their confidence in upcoming exams.
Registration deadline: Wednesday 24 th September 2025
Learners register here: https://themullanyfund.org/en/students/registration/
If you are a school or college new to the programme and have any questions – get in touch with us Mullany:office@themullanyfund.org

PILOT SCHOOL COMPETITION TO CREATE LIVING LABS IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS

AUTUMN 2025 – WINTER 2026

Become a Pilot School

Cardiff University and partners are collaborating with primary schools across Wales to improve the sustainability and indoor conditions of learning environments through the creation of Living Labs. This is part of a three-year research project funded by Leverhulme Trust. This initiative will involve co-design and co-creation with pupils and teachers, ensuring that the perspectives and ideas of the school community shape the development of innovative solutions and support child-led sustainability citizenship.

Cardiff University is seeking pilot schools to join this process — working together with researchers to explore, co-design, test, and refine strategies that enhance classroom comfort, sustainability and environmental performance. Participating schools will co-develop knowledge, resources, and activities that support both teaching and learning, with the support of Cardiff University researchers.

Together we will develop:

An inclusive and unique learning environment (a “Living Lab”)

Resources to support teachers to educate through practical learning about sustainability, eco-futures, climate change and co-design.

Pilot schools will receive:

Access to a library of resources and equipment hire to support learning.

The creation of a Living Lab approach across your school.

Workshop sessions led by Cardiff University.

Long term engagement with Cardiff University – 1 - 2+ years.

Between October – July 2026, or January 2026 – December 2026 pilot schools will be required to contribute:

Senior Leadership Team commitment to education through Living Lab approach and full participation as a pilot school.

Children and staff to participate in Living Lab activities.

Willingness to share ideas and experiences with the project team, and with other schools.

To express your interest and be considered as a Pilot School enter here by Friday, 26 September 2025. Selected pilot schools will be announced in October 2025.

If you have any queries in the meantime, please contact us . We look forward to hearing from you!

Welsh Physics Teachers Conference 2025 online 5pm 29th September 2025. (M1) From Storms to Snowflakes: The Physics of Weather and Climate Change online

Get ready to bring the wild world of weather and climate into your classroom — without getting your feet wet!

Join Scientific Sue for a fast-paced, fun-filled online workshop packed with 11 hands-on physics activities that explore key concepts behind air pressure, wind, heat transfer, cloud formation, extreme weather, and climate change. From snapping balsa wood with atmospheric pressure to creating a storm in a balloon, these memorable demonstrations are guaranteed to spark curiosity and deepen understanding. Book here

Swansea Science Festival 25th- 26th October

Swansea Science Festival returns to the National Waterfront Museum. Running from the 25th-26th October, everyone can enjoy FREE exhibition stands and bookable shows, some demonstrating the groundbreaking research at Swansea University. Every year, the festival shows that science can be fun for all ages whether you’re making, exploring, or discovering.More information here

National Coding Week 15-20th September

National Coding Week is dedicated to inspiring individuals of all ages to learn and embrace coding skills. This year’s event will commence on the 16th of September, with the primary theme centred around Artificial Intelligence (AI). National Coding Week encourages people to engage with coding, whether they’re complete beginners or seasoned professionals looking to enhance their skills. The week-long event promotes the idea that coding is not just for tech professionals but is a valuable skill that can benefit everyone in their personal and professional lives. You can get involved by registering for the ESA Astro Pi mission, Astro Pi gives primary and secondary school pupils the chance to write computer programs that run on Raspberry Pi computers onboard the International Space Station! https://codingweek.org/

The UK CanSat Competition

The CanSat competition provides students with the opportunity to have practical experience working on a small-scale space project. They are tasked with designing and building their own simulation of a real satellite, integrated within the volume and shape of a soft drink can. The challenge for students is to fit all the major subsystems found in a satellite, such as power, sensors and a communication system, into this minimal volume. After building their CanSat teams will be invited to launch events across the UK to launch their CanSats on small rockets, with their CanSats returning to Earth using a parachute designed by the students.

Teams are set a primary mission of measuring air pressure and air temperature during the CanSat's descent, with data being transmitted to the students' ground station. They are also tasked with designing a secondary mission of their choosing. It can be based on other satellite missions, a perceived need for scientific data for a specific project, a technology demonstration for a student-designed component, or any other mission that would fit the CanSat’s capabilities.

The competition runs from Sept/October - April each year. Read the competition guidelines here. Interested in entering the CanSat 2025 – 2026 competition? Register here

The Royal Society of Chemistry Outreach Fund

Our Outreach Fund provides financial support to members, individuals and organisations in order to enable them to run chemistry-based public and schools engagement activities.

Through the fund we aim to support projects that:

• build the capacity and opportunity within the diverse chemical science community (including RSC members) to engage with a range of audiences in order to nurture a current and future generation passionate about the chemical sciences
• offer a range of effective curriculum-enriching activities and opportunities to further engage and inspire school students with the chemical sciences and raise aspirations
• provide under-served, hard-to-reach audiences, communities and places with inspiring chemistry engagement opportunities, delivered or coordinated by skilled people

The Royal Society of Chemistry Outreach Fund is split into two categories: small grants - up to £5,000 and large grants - up to £10,000.

Details here.

Crest Awards Engage Funding

Engage funding refers to two modes of support for schools in challenging circumstances, Engage Grants and Engage Simply CREST.

The funding is to help schools run CREST Awards with students who are from backgrounds and groups underrepresented in STEM.

Applications open Autumn Term 2025. Here is the link

CREST resources are available for free to all schools, but there are still costs associated with running CREST that may be a barrier for some schools.