A 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. 
 

Cardiff Science Festival

Saturday 18th February saw the return of Cardiff Science Festival and this year's aim was to expand the festival out into various community hubs. The organisers said this year they wanted the festival to be based on STEAMM, Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Maths & Medicine and we saw new STEM Ambassadors take part running newly developed activities through to experienced STEM Ambassadors delivery some favourite activities to get the communities of Cardiff engaged and enthused about STEAMM. However, the hubs attracted visitors from further afield than the local community with some families from Cwmbran attending a local hub in Riverside, Cardiff. See Science were there as the local STEM Ambassador hub which saw us deliver some science busking activities. The magnets were a very popular activity to see if all metals were magnetic, we also had a hand boiler which helped us to explain heat and air pressure, the magic bunnies had people feeling dizzy but a great way to explain how some optical illusions work and lastly we used an energy ball to see if we could make a human circuit with our visitors. To those STEM Ambassadors that gave their time as either a volunteer or if you ran an event as part of the festival then please don’t forget to log the activity and remember to include all your preparation time.

Minerals and Mining: The Briefcase Game 

There is a chasm in knowledge on the link between everyday items, their constituent raw materials and the processes needed to create them; SRK has developed a Briefcase Game of Mineral Applications to help bridge this gap. The concept was first developed by the Geomining Museum in Madrid (Spain), then expanded on as part of an EU-funded project by the EIT Raw Materials group (The Briefcase of mineral applications (thebriefcasegame.eu)). SRK’s Briefcase contains a wide variety of minerals and rocks to highlight the diversity of raw materials used in everyday items.

As a STEM Ambassador, I take this Briefcase into schools and other educational settings as a focal point and visual aid to engage students and teachers alike. This often sparks fascinating discussions on the place for mining in society along with the negative impacts often associated with mines.

Ben Lepley – Geoscientist and ESG Consultant - SRK Consulting (UK) Ltd

Typically, you can expect exhibitors at the Cardiff Careers Fair to be from various sectors such as: Finance, Education, Sales and Marketing, Motoring, Human Resources, IT, Healthcare, Tourism, Commercial Real Estate, Biochemistry, Electronics, Manufacturing, Hospitality, Social Work, Events Management, Retail, Job Boards, Supermarkets, Banking and Pharmaceutical.

You can expect a wide variety of roles  such as Entry Level Roles, Management Roles, Apprenticeships, Graduate Roles, Franchise Opportunities, Part-Time Roles, Full-Time Roles, Flexible Working Roles, WFH Roles, CV-Advice, Career Advice, National Job Boards, and many, many more.
Find out more here.

British Science Week 2023 10 - 19 March

British Science Week is a ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths run by the British Science Association (who also run CREST Awards). The Week takes places this year on 10-19 March.

This year's theme is 'Connections' and there are downloadable activity packs provided by the British Science Association, full of activities based around this theme, designed to be run in nurseries, schools and at home. 

There are three packs, each catering for different age groups, so there’s something for everyone! The Early Years pack has activities for the littlest learners – under 5s. The Primary pack is for ages 5-11, and the Secondary pack is designed for young people aged up to 14. These age groups are of course just guidelines, and the activities can be adapted depending on the age group you’re working with. 

Activity packs and all details here.

If the theme doesn't fit in with your school's current topic, then you are free to create your own BSW activities and do it your own way! Why not use the week as a springboard to run CREST Awards at your school? Get in touch with llinos.misra@see-science.co.uk if you would like more information.

Mars Day. Tuesday 7 March

Mars (Day) will land on 7 March 2023. Flight plans are being drawn up for this exciting day of virtual talks and sessions from ESA, UK Space Agency and international guests.

The closing date for entries is at 6pm on Friday 31 March 2023. Picture:Senior winner 2022 – Aesia, Jameah Girls Academy

This includes access to RSB’s Gopher Science Lab online training course to enable the school to train some of its students to deliver the lab day teaching with support from the two lead science teachers. Secondary school teachers working in UK based, state-funded, secondary schools can email Amanda Hardy to apply on behalf of their school for a small grant, which is intended to support schools and their students who  for financial reasons would not otherwise have the opportunity to run their own lab day.

IET Faraday Challenge Days 2023-24

The IET Faraday® Challenge Days are cross-curricular STEM activity days designed for Year 8 students.

IET Faraday® Challenge Days are held at Schools, Organisations and Universities around the UK and give teams of students the opportunity to research, design and make prototype solutions to real-world engineering challenges. 

The winners of each IET Faraday® Challenge Day will win a trophy for their school and gain a place on the national league table. The top teams from across the UK will be invited to the National Final at the end of the season to compete for a cash prize of up to £1,000 for their school to spend on STEM activities. 

Through its charitable arm, as well as external supporters, the IET provides the IET Faraday® Challenge Days at no charge to UK schools.

Applications are now open for the 2023-24 season and close on April 28th 2023.

Details here.

Rolls-Royce Schools Prize for Science and Technology

Rolls-Royce recognises that teachers play a hugely influential role in inspiring the next generation, that’s why in 2004 we established our Schools Prize (formerly Science Prize) and we have continued to invest in our flagship programme ever since.

The Rolls-Royce Schools Prize is open to all schools in the UK and helps teachers increase science, mathematics and technology engagement in their schools and colleges. Our Schools Prize supports teacher CPD through our partnership with STEM Learning and Project ENTHUSE.

As a world leading global power group, we are committed to sustainable power solutions and our technology will play a fundamental role in enabling the transition to a low carbon global economy. All our finalist schools are supported by a Rolls-Royce mentor who provide an insight into the real life applications of STEM in our business. Since 2004, we have awarded over £1.6m of prize funds to over 600 schools who have taken part in our Schools Prize, helping to boost our strategic education outreach ambition to reach 25 million young people by 2030.

To enter you are invited to submit a Stage 1 application outlining an idea for a sustainable science, mathematics or technology project for development during the next academic year.  The proposed project could be a new idea or the progression of something you are already working on but should demonstrate innovation, creativity and ambition in STEM education. 

Closing date for Stage 1 applications is April 19th 2023. Details here.