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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
 

Local events
 
 

Funding opportunities
 

Institute of Physics Public Engagement Grant Scheme

Teacher Awards
 
 


Ask a STEM Ambassador to visit your school

A STEM Ambassador's involvement can engage and enthuse both students and teachers. If you are interested in asking a STEM Ambassador to visit your school you can make your request here.
 

STEM Ambassador website self-service guide  and video guides now online

We’ve created brief guides to encourage both STEM Ambassadors and educators to use the self-service.
 

We have produced video guides outlining how to use the web platform  and  help teachers and group leaders to find the right STEM Ambassador for their activity.
 

The  video has book marks to help you find a relevant section quick

Give us your Ambassador feedback

If an Ambassador has visited your school, 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
 

Spring into Science with Margam Country Park

 

A new initiative in partnership with Margam Country Park was launched for National Science Week.
Following several meetings at the Park two STEM Days took place: Sunday 10th and Monday 11th March. The venue was the Victorian Gothic Castle which provided huge spaces for the exhibition.
On Sunday family groups visited many activities at stands, and despite the rough weather 300 visitors were welcomed.
Over the two days STEM Ambassadors included, Archaeology (Poppy Hodkinson) TT Electronics Marcus Davies and team, DVLA Ambassadors, CITER (Cardiff Institute of Tissue and Repair Kaiya Bartram-Daly), Network Rail, British Computer Society, Jon Laver (Parametrics), Chemistry busking, BAE Systems and Diamond Dust Robots.

The following day (with better weather!) offered a fantastic experience for Ysgol Cwm Brombil and Ysgol Tonnau where 90 pupils visited to take part in the hands on activities. It was an extra bonus to have the amazing ICE Bridges to Schools. A team of 12 Engineer STEM Ambassadors was ably led by Leighton Jones of Atkins Global and Christina Kio of Skanska. The team made wonderful impact, comments from teachers:

“An excellent day - everyone had a great understanding of what they were teaching the pupils.” Teacher Jenny Tomkins
“We would definitely like to be part of this in future”
“We rarely do practical sciences – it shows what can be done if you have knowledge and confidence”
“What a great way to teach Science – fun and inspiring” Margam Park volunteers

Pupils were given STEM cards to take to each stand, STEM Ambassadors handed stickers for the cards when pupils visited an activity and engaged well to add focus to the experience.
Read more

Chemistry at Work - 4th July 2019 

In January Professor Simon Bott, along with staff and students from the Chemistry Department at Swansea University hosted another very successful ‘Chemistry at Work Day’ for over 150 Year 9 pupils from 5 secondary schools in South Wales. The aim of Chemistry at Work days, funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry, is to provide pupils with a better understanding and awareness of the importance of chemistry in our everyday lives and to highlight the varied chemical science careers available.
Read more about the January event in our previous newsletter here 

See Science will be hosting another Chemistry at Work Day on July 4th 2019.
Pupils will take part in 4 different hands-on workshops throughout the day where they have the opportunity to carry out practical chemistry activities in the departmen's state of the art labs.
There are a limited number of places still available so if you would like to bring a group of up to 30 year 9 pupils along or for  more  information about the day please contact Llinos at llinos.misra@see-science.co.uk

Swansea University offer huge outreach opportunities for schools in the South Wales area - click here to see some of the available courses on offer in their state of the art University Labs 
Read more

Scientist of the Year 

On Monday 18th March 2019 Cymdeithas Wyddonol Cylch Caerdydd  - Cardiff Welsh Scientific Society held a science presentation competition for young people in years 11-13 secondary school. This is the first time a competition has been held with generous funding from the Institute of Physics

Before mentioning the competitors I would like to thank the judges, Professor Arwyn Tomos Jones from Cardiff University School of Pharmacy, Dr Eirian Dafydd from and Hefin Jones from the School of Biosciences and the Dean of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol - there was a very difficult job  aheads of them.
First was Ffion and Meg talking about Ecological Succession and they had prepared a polished presentation which included a film
specially created animation for the competition. Next came Sion talking about the effects of microbes in the bowel on the brain - he had also prepared an impressive presentation which brought his text live. Casi then spoke confidently about the impact Plasebo. Next came Ffion to talk about 'Biomimicry' where she is animals pretend to be different and had great pictures to explain her text.
We moved to the world of maths with Rhys talking about Transcendent Numbers a he used the whiteboard to show his obvious enthusiasm for the ideas of the Georg Cantor mathematician. And to close, the last presentation from Ffion discussed  'Wales and their Drugs' where she described impact different drugs on the brain together with its catastrophic effects on society. The judges managed to decide on winners but it was extremely difficult! Eventually Ffion and Meg and his film came first for with the excellent animation, Sion and Ffion (Biomimicry) came joint second, and Rhys, Casi and Ffion (drugs) came joint third. The night is a great success, but if we have a similar number of competitors next, year we  will need heats!
Read more

FREE CREST Discovery Days in Wales


Last term, 8 schools from across Wales – primary and secondary - took advantage of our offer of running a free CREST Discovery Day for them, enabling a whole year group to gain a CREST Award in one day. Schools were given the option of either the Stop the Spread activity or Wild Creations. We are able to pffer more FREE workshops to secondary schools as part of Youth Grand Challanges.

The theme of Stop the Spread is stopping the spread of infectious diseases in developing countries by focusing on hand washing amongst school children. Pupils discuss how diseases spread from person to person before considering the lack of hygiene facilities in developing countries. The main challenge of the day is to design and build, from recycled materials, a hand-washing device for a school playground in Kenya that can collect and store rainwater. Alongside this practical element pupils have to devise a campaign to teach 8 year olds about the need to wash their hands and how to do so properly. As well as obvious STEM links the activity has a Global Citizenship theme.
 
Wild Creations was funded by the Welsh Government to tie in with the Curriculum for Wales and uses the Welsh company ’Wild Creations’ - famous for creating the rugby ball bursting out of Cardiff Castle during the 2015 Rugby World Cup - as an inspiration for pupils to design and build models of their own wild creations to represent their culture. The culture element can give rise to some great discussions! Ideas that stemmed from these discussions were very different, depending on the school and its location. For instance, Llwyncrwn Primary and Ysgol Castellau in Beddau near Pontypridd joined together for their Discovery Day and most of the models were based on Welsh themes such as daffodils, rugby and dragons, whereas Maendy Primary in Newport is one of the most multicultural schools in Wales and their models reflected the inclusive ethos of the school with lots of national flags, religious symbols and intertwined hands.
 
All CREST Discovery Day activities come with freely downloadable resources which include detailed guides for teachers and plenty of background information. They are appropriate for yrs 5 to 9 and lend themselves well to a collapsed timetable day activity suitable to run with a whole year group. More information can be found here .
If you would like more information on the FREE Discovery days - Youth Grand Challenges please contact  Llinos at llinos.misra@see-science.co.uk.
 

DON’T FORGET THAT CREST AWARDS (Discovery, Bronze, Silver and Gold) ARE FREE ONLY IN WALES AS THE WELSH GOVERNMENT ARE KEEN TO PROMOTE AND FUND THEM FOR SCHOOLS AND ORGANISATIONS THAT SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE.
Read more

Chemistry in the Community - free chemistry workshops

 
See Science  will be offering Community Groups such as Brownies, Guides, Scouts, Urdd, and Youth Clubs the opportunity to take part in a free Chemistry workshop funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry between 1 March and 30 June.

The workshop will offer a carousel of 4 different activities which will focus on the Chemistry of the High Street and will also provide an opportunity for leaders to encourage young people to participate in a CREST Award if they wish. All materials  will be provided free of charge. For more  information about booking a Chemistry in the Community workshop please contact Llinos at llinos.misra@see-science.co.uk

Local events
Bangor University Chemistry Department 26 June 9am-4pm

Bangor University Chemistry Department, Alun Roberts Building, Deiniol Road, Bangor, LL57 2UW,

The Royal Society of Chemistry in partnership with Bangor University, Techniquest and STEM Learning are offering a free day of presentations, discussions and workshops for chemistry teachers and technicians. There will be differentiated sessions for teachers of chemistry and for science technicians. The conference is open to all teachers, technicians, newly qualified teachers and trainee teachers.
Come along and participate in practical lab sessions, discuss issues relevant to your role – including the new curriculum and what it might mean for you, and discover the support and resources available to help you do your job.
 
You will be able to:
network and share good practice with other chemistry teachers and/or technicians,
develop and update your knowledge through topic-specific workshops and short presentations, and
discover a range of enriching resources to help stimulate students’ enthusiasm for chemistry. 

Funding
Techniquest manages the STEM Learning Ltd contract for cpd in Wales. Teachers and technicians from UK state funded schools, academies and colleges are eligible for a £150 ENTHUSE Bursary thanks to STEM Learning Ltd. A maximum of 2 bursaries per school, academy, or college campus are available.
To book click here or for further information contact mccallumd@rsc.org

 
This conference is one of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Learn Chemistry Partnership events. The Learn Chemistry Partnership is a free programme which enables schools to connect to us and make the most of our activities and resources.  
Read more

BBC STEM Careers Event - Cardiff 2019- BBC Wales Llandaff Cardiff CF5 2YQ - Tuesday 14 May 2019
BBC Young Reporter and STEM Learning would like to invite you and your year 8 & 9 students along to a day of STEM exploration at BBC Wales, Cardiff.
Meet our BBC STEM Ambassadors and find out how they use Science,Technology, Engineering and Mathematics every day in their jobs.
Join us and meet the BBC staff that design, create and manage apps, websites, mobile technology and BBC iPlayer.

Meet staff who use mathematics to identify changing viewing trends.

Find out how engineering plays a vital role in what we see on our screens or how an interest in Science could lead to making programmes like Blue Planet 2 , Dynasties and Planet Earth II

This is a fantastic opportunity for students and teachers to gain valuable career insights, learn new skills and complete STEM based challenges and activities. Places are limited - please book here before 3 May 2019


Once you have reserved a place we will send out participation registration forms and consent forms for students and teacher. Maximum limit of four year 8 or 9 students and two teachers per school.
Read more

Girls who change the world

 

IBM, STEM Learning and Marvel Studios have teamed up to celebrate the cinema release of Captain Marvel by asking girls to channel their superpowers and be part of Girls Who Change the World!

You can use the banner below to tell your network about the competition and find out more at  www.stem.org.uk/girls-who-change-the-world.

Urdd National Eisteddfod - Cardiff May 27- June 2

The Urdd National Eisteddfod is one of Europe’s largest youth touring festivals that attracts around 90,000 visitors each year across six days.
See Science will have a stand in Gwyddonle - the Science Pavillion at the Eisteddfod all week 
for more information go to https://www.urdd.cymru/en/eisteddfod/
Don't miss some fantasatic workshops atr the Cardiff University Pavillion. - more information here

Funding opportunities

Institute of Physics Public Engagement Grant Scheme is now open!! 

 
Our public engagement grant scheme provides up to £3000 to individuals and organisations running physics-based events and activities in the UK and Ireland.
 
The grant scheme has two rounds each year. Round 1 of the 2019 scheme is now open for applications received by 5pm on Friday 31 May 2019. You can find the application form and guidance here.
 
This grant is for projects taking place after 1 August 2019 and finishing before the end of July 2020.
 
We strongly recommend applicants get in touch with Paul Branch, coordinator of this round of the grant scheme, to discuss ideas and ask questions before submission. You can get in touch by emailing paul.branch@iop.org. 
 
To find out more about projects we have previously funded please visit our website.

 Awards
 

Salters’ National Awards for Science Technicians

These Awards aim to highlight the importance of technicians in enabling high quality practical work in science in schools and colleges, with the emphasis on promoting and supporting the professional learning and upskilling of technician teams. Don’t worry if you’re the sole technician in a school or college – you’re still eligible! There are up to 4 awards of £1000 each. Apply online by 3 May.

Read more

Designed by teachers , built for pupils - it's time for your say on the draft curriculum for Wales

The journey towards the rollout of Wales’ new curriculum in 2022 reaches a major mileston with 

the publication of a draft designed by teachers and shaped by experts from Wales and around the world.To view the draft curriculum for Wales 2022 visit the Hwb website

Message from Education Secretary Kirsty Williams
 

Latest CPD from your Science Learning Partnership

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

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