Welcome to the latest STEM newsletter  for Secondary Schools and FE Colleges Schools from your local STEM Ambassador Hub.

 

There are several new STEM engagement opportunities available for the forthcoming half term. Please contact us directly to discuss your individual needs

STEM Ambassadors are still keen to offer as many enrichment opportunities as possible to learners.

 

Please encourage colleagues to register with STEM Learning in order to receive the See Science newsletter in the future:  www.stem.org.uk/user/register

 

See Science  have a facebook page where we will also be sharing lots of new ideas regularly - please like or follow the page.

Please don't hesitate to contact us if we can support the teaching of STEM subjects.


With best wishes 

The See Science Team

The newsletter that's an essential source of information and inspiration for teachers and anyone with an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) engagement in Wales.

CONTENTS

STEM news and Events
 

Local and National Events 
 

 

FREE Workshops and ongoing support
 

Competitions, Awards and CPD from STEM Learning
 

 


STEM Ambassador's involvement can engage and enthuse both students and teachers. If you are interested in asking a STEM Ambassador to assist you can make your request here. We’ve created brief guides to encourage both STEM Ambassadors and educators to use the self-service. 

 


If an Ambassador has engaged with you, or if you have met an Ambassador at an enrichment activity, we would be very grateful if you could fill in our teacher feedback form. Please encourage colleagues to respond.


 

LATEST STEM NEWS

Teen Science Cafe

A new exciting club is coming to ‘Xplore!’ – the Teen Science Café (TSC)! An innovative and fun club which will bring the latest Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) straight to the teens attending. They will be inspired and excited about STEM subjects by bringing them face-to-face with people who work in STEM fields and engaging them in an interactive way and through discussion. And the TSC, which will run in ‘Xplore!’ monthly, has an innovative model of learning as the Teens themselves will run and shape the TSC – under the supervision and support of Adult Leaders. Therefore we are looking for ready and enthusiastic teens between 13 and 19 years old to join the Teen Leadership Team ready for the launch of the Teen Science Café in September. Please share about this and refer anyone with interest to us by contacting teenscicafe@xplorescience.co.uk. There will also be a separate welsh-language Teen Science Café too. Thanks!

Read more

CAER Heritage Hidden Hillfort Project Innovation award


The project is a collaboration between ACE & Cardiff University which works with local people and schools to discover and uncover the amazing 6,000 year heritage of Caerau & Ely. 

STEM Ambassador staff and students at Cardiff University School of Archaeology lead this very successful initiative.  The team are working with 3 local primary school pupils and teachers toarchaeological test pits in school grounds and create an exhibition for a new Hidden Hillfort Heritage Centre at Caerau Hillfort

STEM Ambassadors Dr Dave Wyatt and Ollie Davis are project Directors and recently won an award for their work over the lockdown last year Innovative archaeology in the time of the pandemic - News - Cardiff University

The ‘Big Dig’ asked community members around the Hillfort to conduct a ‘mini dig’ in their gardens. Their finds would be identified and examined by professional archaeologists.
Cupboard Archaeology’ involved a class of yr 5 pupils and 39 families uncovering the past by looking at ‘buried treasures’ in their homes

CAER Big Dig 2 will take place this Summer - with cross curricular learning outcomes and resources.
There is an exciting future anticipated where pupils and families learn about the rich heritage from the past on their doorsteps - with STEM Ambassadors

 
Read more
 

Energy Quest


Energy Quest 2021 is underway! Physics teacher Ed Male of Ysgol Harri Tudur in Pembrokeshire was the first to book this new version of the workshop which is funded by Shell and delivered by Engineering UK. 

We have some free dates left this term and have started taking bookings from September.

This new version of Energy Quest puts students at the centre of the action. By putting themselves in the shoes of engineers, young people explore different energy sources and investigate energy transfer as they design a solution to power a mobile phone.

Delivery is interactive – the facilitator takes the lead, until an urgent request for help comes in from Carlotta who has a challenge for students who are then guided to unlock their engineering capabilities. To help join the dots, students have the opportunity to meet young people who were just like them a few years ago, to see how they progressed into an engineering career.

Book a workshop for your students. It’s a great way to revisit core curriculum content and to bring relatable role-models into the classroom. Contact llinos.misra@see-science.co.uk to book this workshop for your KS3 class.

FREE Workshops for pupils
Available to book now – Chemistry of COVID workshop for years 5 to 8.

See Science, with funding from the Royal Society of Chemistry, have developed a brand new Chemistry workshop based on COVID-19. We aim to answer questions children everywhere are likely to have following a global pandemic

The Chemistry of COVID workshop is proving popular! Suitable for years 7 and 8, it explores micro-organisms, the spread of infectious diseases, COVID-19 and vaccines. Hands-on activities include ‘Build a virus’ and ‘Design a mask’. We have a couple of dates available for this term (contact llinos.misra@see-science.co.uk) but for those that miss out, the resources will all be available on our website in September.

Read more

We are busy putting together a Chemistry at Work package of careers resources suitable for year 9 pupils which will be available before the end of term. Featuring videos of Chemistry students, early career Chemistry graduates and Chemists involved in the fight against COVID-19. The aim of the resource is to encourage pupils to consider a future in Chemistry once they have left school. Get in touch with llinos.misra@see-science.co.uk to receive your copy as soon as it is available!

Local events

The Great Science Share for Schools. 15 June 7pm online

Join an online celebration of the  annual campaign to inspire young people to share their scientific questions with new audiences.

The Great Science Share for Schools is the award-winning campaign that invites 5-14 year olds to share their own scientific questions and investigations, to raise the profile of science in schools and communities, and inspire young people into science and engineering. 

Join us to share your ideas and resources and listen to how others have made the Great Science Share for Schools a success

So much preparation is already underway to make 2021 even more successful. Keep up to date with what’s on when by registering your interest here or book a place at our online event

Read more

Spotlight on CGI: Innovating Careers for students. Tuesday 15 June 4 - 5pm. Online

CGI STEM Ambassadors are launching their new STEM offer at a session for teachers in Wales only

CGI is among the largest IT and business consulting services firms in the world, offering end-to-end IT services and IP-based solutions for government and industry clients. With 6000 members across the UK, CGI have 21 offices, including Bridgend and St Asaph in Wales.

This session will cover an introduction to CGI, our EmployABILITY programme and an overview of our Apprentice Programmes. We currently offer Higher and Degree Apprenticeship opportunities in Wales and have been ranked as a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer.

Suitable for teachers and STEM Ambassadors. Details and booking here.

Read more

Financial Foundations secondary school workshop for Teachers and STEM Ambassadors. Thursday June 24, 4 - 5pm. Online

Confidence in managing budgets and finance is a key skill for all pupils and an important pillar of the curriculum, including health and wellbeing.

To assist teachers STEM Ambassadors from Nat West will introduce you to their Financial Foundations workshops covering year groups in Secondary Schools. These workshops are delivered in schools but can also be experienced in online classes.  Suitable for teachers and STEM Ambassadors this session will cover Financial Skills as key skills and help Health and Wellbeing.
STEM Ambassadors will gain experience in how to develop an interactive session to engage 15 yrs + students.  Book here.

Read more

Neon and Tomorrow's Engineers Webinar for Teachers 30 June  4pm 

Neon brings together the UK's best engineering experiences and inspiring careers resources to help teachers bring STEM to life with real-world examples of engineering. Finding engaging activities to show where engineering is used in the real world can take time.

So, we do the hard work for you, curating the most brilliant experiences so you know they are engaging for your students, are linked to up-to-date careers information and highlight real-world applications of engineering. 
Dan Powell from Engineering UK will give you a guided tour of the Neon platform and lead a discussion on how it can be used to help you inspire your students to consider a career in engineering.Book. here

Read more

The North Wales Physics Teachers Conference 3rd- 10th July 2021

The traditional day we go to Bangor has moved online again this year. There will be a range of sessions over the week, details will be posted on Eventbrite as soon as they are confirmed.Open to anyone with an interest in Physics teaching. For more details contact Anthony Clowser via or register here

Read more

ASE Cymru - Chemistry in the Curriculum for Wales. Tuesday 6 July 4.30 - 5.30pm. Online

This session will explore the Royal Society of Chemistry's Chemistry in Curriculum for Wales: curriculum planning support (progression step 4), including how to best use it. We will look at how different progression statements are linked and how chemistry skills and knowledge can be taught in a local, relevant context. There will be an opportunity to discuss and share possible contexts with other teachers.

This session is best suited to science teachers who are seeking ideas and support with how to include chemistry in their new curriculum.  Details and booking here.

Read more

IOP Physics Forum

Please join us at our IOP Wales Physics Forum on 17 June  at 7pm. All are welcome e.g. Teachers (physics specialists and non-specialists), . The current consultation into the Summer 2022 examinations will be discussed  at this meeting. Booking is essential and a link will be sent prior to the event. To book go to here. The next Forum will be on July 1st.

Competitions 

Armourers and Brasiers Tata Steel Sixth Form Materials Prize 

The Armourers and Brasiers Tata Steel Sixth Form Materials Prize has been designed to give learners structured opportunities to find out about materials science and engineering outside their normal lessons.  It can be run as a formal extra-curricular activity led by a teacher or learners can work through the Prize modules independently.  In both cases a sustained commitment of approximately 12 hours is required.

The competition is open to year 11 and year 12 (or equivalent) students from the UK studying that have an interest in pursuing a STEM career.   The students must make a commitment to engaging with the project and devoting a minimum time of around 12 hours to learning more about materials. There is no limit to the number of students that can take part in the competition from one school, however you may only nominate up to five students to enter each year for the national competition. 

The deadline for registrations is 31 July 2021. The closing date for the submission of entries is Friday 09 September 2021. 

Details here.

Read more
Technocamps Home of the Future Competition

Can you develop a game that shows energy efficiency in the home and the issues surrounding it?

Our new competition, in partnership with Energy Saving Trust and NEST, is asking pupils (up to the age of 16) to design their own game, using any programming software, that would make a house more environmentally-friendly.

The winning game will be published on the Energy Saving Trust website and the winner will receive a £100 One4All voucher for themselves and £2,000 for their school to spend on equipment. The first runner-up will receive a £50 voucher for themselves and £1,000 for their school, while the individual or team who comes in third will win a £25 voucher and £500 for their school.

Details and registration here.

Funding opportunities 

Amazon Future Engineer Bursary

The Amazon Future Engineer bursary is a national bursary programme aimed at supporting women A-level and BTEC/OCR (or Scottish equivalent) students from low-income households who wish to study computer science or related engineering courses at UK universities.

Women are still significantly underrepresented in engineering and technology in higher education. UCAS data on university application and acceptance figures for the 2020 cycle highlighted that women represent just 16% and 18% of accepted applications to computing and engineering degrees respectively. At the current rate of progress, parity of women on engineering degrees will not be achieved until 2085. We cannot wait that long.

These bursaries aim to help address underrepresentation and accelerate the rate of progress. They will provide successful women applicants with a financial support package worth £5,000 per year for up to four years of study to cover expenses related to attending university, including tuition fees or accommodation and living costs. 

By removing some of the financial barriers that may impact on university studies and career trajectory, recipients can remain committed to their courses and stand the best possible chance of success.

Awardees will also gain exclusive access to networking groups to meet positive role models, interact with like-minded peers, build long-term relationships, and benefit from collaboration opportunities.

The closing date for applications is 4pm Monday 14 June 2021.   Details here.

Read more

Online courses for teachers

A range of free-to-access online courses for teachers at every stage of their career. You will have the opportunity to learn from leading experts and share ideas with thousands of other educators across the world. Download the calendar to see what courses are on offer and when they are available to join.

Latest CPD from your Science Learning Partnership

To find out more about the latest CPD from your Science Learning  Partnership click here

Follow us on facebook -  Please like or follow the page