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Events
National Science and Engineering Week
NSEW News
Big Questions Launch
Vampire vegetables, circus science and the gory truth about the food we eat
You’ll be amazed what’s on offer during
National Science and Engineering Week
(7-16 March). Not only could you find out how some plants have taken to eating each other, and even animals, but you could also cycle the solar system, learn how new cancer drugs are developed, and explore the science of the circus – just how do acrobats balance on a tight-rope?
Throughout the UK – from Aberdeen to Armagh, Swansea to Stoke-on-Trent – over half a million people are expected to take part in events at theatres, schools, pubs, galleries, and science and engineering centres.
National Science and Engineering Week is also the time to discuss the latest issues in science and technology. In Edinburgh, Professor Stephen Salter will discuss the engineering of a possible emergency global cooling-system which could keep temperature under control until renewable resources can be fully developed, whilst in Cambridge, Professor Lorraine Tyler will look at recent progress that has been made to understand the effects of aging on the human brain – ever more urgent in the face of our rapidly aging population.
The
Science Minister, Ian Pearson
, urges people to get involved:
‘This year’s theme is “A Question of Science”. We question the world around us from a very early age, and questioning is central to scientific discovery – National Science and Engineering Week is an ideal opportunity to consider how far scientific and engineering knowledge has come and how far it could take us in the future. With a wealth of special free resources and activities, and thousands of events taking place across the UK, taking part in National Science and Engineering Week couldn’t be easier.’
Even if you can’t make it to an event, you could try exploring the science of your own home. There are
dozens of free activities
that can be done with your family and friends. You could even put some of your own burning questions to leading scientists and engineers as part of
‘The Big Question’
.
Find out what’s going on in your area using the
online programme
and check out some of the
other activities that you can get involved in
.
During National Science and Engineering Week there’s also an opportunity for schools across the UK to take part in what is hoped will be the largest national schools’ scientific experiment to date.
‘Ready to Learn? The Experiment’
, run by
Teachers TV
in association with
the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science)
, will investigate how factors such as diet, sleep and exercise affect children’s memory and concentration – their readiness to learn. Schools can
register to take part
from now until Friday 29 February, and the experiment will run from 10-14 March.
To help teachers, lesson plans providing examples of how to integrate ‘Ready to Learn? The Experiment’ into the Science curriculum at every Key Stage will be available online, and CPD (Continuing Professional Development) programmes and a fascinating documentary on the neuroscience behind the experiment will be broadcast on Teachers TV.
The experiment is open to all UK primary and secondary schools and a unique set of online activities has been designed by The Tavistock Clinic to be used by children from 5 to 16 years old. Each child will receive their own score on the activities, as well as tips on how to improve their readiness to learn, while schools will receive a complete data set of their pupils’ scores.
Visit the Teachers TV website to register and access resources
.
National Science and Engineering Week is coordinated by the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) in partnership with the
Engineering and Technology Board (ETB)
, and funded by the
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS)
.
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