Final Reports from Science Centres

Final Reports from Science Centres
Jan 17 2014
By the 10 Partner Science Centres
Contents
At-Bristol ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
Catalyst Science and Discovery Centre ......................................................................................................... 8
Dundee Science Centre ............................................................................................................................... 15
Glasgow Science Centre .............................................................................................................................. 21
Observatory Science Centre ........................................................................................................................ 26
Our Dynamic Earth ...................................................................................................................................... 32
Royal Observatory Greenwich .................................................................................................................... 38
Satrosphere, Aberdeen ............................................................................................................................... 44
Science Oxford ............................................................................................................................................ 49
Winchester Science Centre (formerly Intech) ............................................................................................. 54
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At-Bristol
Introduction and overview
From January to October 2013, At-Bristol Science Centre reached over 13,000 visitors with our exciting
Explore Your Universe (EYU) programmes. Families, school children, teachers, Girlguides, and Scouts all
engaged with activities designed specifically for them, on topics ranging from atoms to astrophysics.
Science and stories of the Science & Technology Facilities Council were celebrated via 7 school
Workshops, 8 school Masterclasses, 9 Meet the Expert events, 7 Scout and Girlguide events, and 154
Family Shows. Feedback received was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees enjoying both the level
of content and style of delivery.
Inspiring school students and teachers
School groups recognise At-Bristol as providing high-quality experiences, and the EYU Workshop and
Masterclass certainly met their expectations. In particular, utilising equipment not normally available in
schools was greatly appreciated by teachers who can struggle to convey the excitement of cutting-edge
science to their students. The infrared camera was a big hit to all who used it, and the Van de Graaff
generator was memorable – especially for students who volunteered to use it! The fact that real science
was being discussed made students more receptive and they were interested in real-world applications
of technology.
Inspiring family audiences
At-Bristol’s family Studio shows have a reputation for being unconventional, innovative and humorous.
As such, we took the core demonstrations suggested and modified them extensively in order to create a
bespoke show. For example, to demonstrate that mirrors reflect light we installed a Class 3b green laser
in our Studio above the audience, complete with six mirrors that created a ‘laser defence grid’. We
would then blast smoke into the air and play the “Mission: Impossible” soundtrack, while challenging
visitors to track the laser and count the mirrors! Our show fully embraced the idea of sharing amazing
stories and science of the STFC by linking each demonstration with a real-world application. Specifically,
we used memory metal to unfurl solar panels on a model satellite; an infrared camera to detect a ‘star’
(hot squirrel cage light bulb) hidden behind a ‘nebula’; a Van de Graaff generator to create an example
particle accelerator; and fibre optics to send signals to volunteers representing scientists at different
STFC sites around the world. The level of scientific content was higher than normal for our Studio
shows, and older audience members appreciated this.
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Engaging experiences with scientists and
engineers
Meet the Expert (MTE) programmes have real
power to inspire audiences and we feel this is
exactly what happened with our EYU MTE
strand. By putting a face to science research,
visitors feel confident to ask questions, engage
in conversation, investigate topics more in their
own time, and perhaps even consider a career in
science research themselves.
As well as
conventional MTE events amongst the At-Bristol
exhibits, our programme had a presence at the
Bristol Festival of Nature; TeenTech West event;
an After Hours adult-only event; and as part of
EYU school Masterclasses. One scientist, Dr. Joel Goldestein, was also interviewed on BBC Radio Bristol
along with a member of At-Bristol staff. The breadth of events was a definite strength, helping to expand
the project’s reach to a wide range of audiences. Interactions were consistently of a high quality and of
immense value to both the public and the scientists themselves.
Embedding the programme and its legacy
The success of EYU will live on through a legacy scheme to embed activities and equipment into core
At-Bristol programming areas. For example, STFC links will be included in school Workshops and Special
Theme Days that will reach over 700 students a year. The Workshop will continue to be offered under a
new name, Atoms to Astrophysics, and four schools have already booked this. Excitingly, EYU Workshop
and Masterclass materials will form the foundation of a new Space Physics Workshop planned to
accommodate changes to the National Curriculum. Staff confidence has dramatically increased in
delivering what is sometimes perceived as challenging content. This investment in staff is something
that is difficult to quantify, but has far-reaching implications for At-Bristol, the staff members
themselves, and of course and members of the public that attend our events.
Building new relationships
New relationships have been forged with Diamond Light Source after six scientists from this facility ran a
very successful MTE day during October half-term. Visitors enjoyed the activities, and the scientists
themselves found it beneficial. We hope to build on this positive experience and continue to collaborate
in the future.
Additional outcomes
On 9 October At-Bristol attended the TeenTech West event
held in Gloucestershire. Teen Tech days are designed to
promote science, engineering and technology careers to
teenagers. At-Bristol had never participated in a Teen Tech
before, but this was seen as an excellent opportunity to take
our MTE programme to an audience we are keen to engage
with. The day was a success, and we aim to attend more Teen
Techs over the coming years.
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Marketing and promotion
EYU Workshops and Masterclasses featured in At-Bristol's secondary education programme poster
that was distributed to 682 schools in January 2013.
An advertorial was written for Teach Secondary Magazine, Volume 2, Issue 3, April 2013.
EYU Workshops and Masterclasses were added to At-Bristol’s electronic brochure that is
downloadable from At-Bristol’s website and also from a sponsored page on Scholastic:
http://education.scholastic.co.uk/content/24292?clearcache
Leaflets promoting EYU were included in teachers’ packs. On average 80 of these are distributed to
visiting teachers every month.
The EYU Workshop was showcased at a March 2013 teacher event to 102 secondary teachers.
Promotional materials were in every teacher's pack and Science Learning Centre South West
delegate pack since January (estimated 400).
EYU was the main feature advertised on education programming poster and advertorials totalling
£4097 of specific targeted marketing activity to named secondary school contacts.
Promotional materials were sent to 1000 named teachers' contacts through our e-newsletter
system.
Workshop and Masterclass descriptive text has featured on Institute Of Physics/Stimulating Physics
Network e-mail alerts.
Workshops and Masterclass information has been included in the latest At-Bristol online brochure,
disseminated by At-Bristol and Science Learning Centre South West through online campaigns.
Printed education programme brochures headlining with EYU were sent directly to 4997 named
secondary school contacts, at a cost of nearly £4500.
Secondary brochure reached schools on 3 September. 918 secondary schools received this, with a
cover letter celebrating EYU.
An online brochure highlighting the EYU Workshop launched, with supporting information on exam
specifications and Workshop images.
A BBC Radio Bristol interview in October involved Dr. Joel Goldstein from CERN and John Polatch
from At-Bristol, discussing At-Bristol’s space-themed adult-only event that featured EYU MTE and
Studio Show strands.
A video was produced explaining the science behind memory metal. This was distributed via
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w12KvC4chBU&feature=c4overview&list=UUtcvYw27doiyMW4n-sf0r0w
EYU featured in a half-term press release: http://www.at-bristol.org.uk/1765.html
What the project has meant for At-Bristol
Thanks to EYU At-Bristol staff confidence has dramatically increased in delivering what is sometimes
perceived as challenging content. This investment in staff is something that is difficult to quantify, but
has far-reaching implications for At-Bristol, the staff members themselves, and of course and members
of the public that attend our events. EYU equipment has already been incorporated into other
programming areas. For example, the handheld infrared camera now features in our School Studio Show
Light Fantastic, where it is used to investigate the properties of infrared. Regarding MTE events, we have
made new links with Diamond Light Source, and maximised on opportunities to work with our existing
contacts. We have also enjoyed working with other science centres on a project with shared goals and
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ambitions. This helps to build a sense of community within the science centre sector, and we would
welcome more opportunities to develop this aspect further. At-Bristol fully embraced EYU and provided
considerable match funding in terms of resources and core staff time.
Looking
to
the
future
of
EYU
There were many aspects of EYU that worked well
and we would like to embrace these in future
projects. For example, the over-arching theme
applied to multiple audience types across
programming spaces led to a cohesive feel to the
offer. This also allowed for staff members to focus
on the scientific fields being discussed and
concentrate on developing their confidence in
these areas. The inclusion of STFC sites and
technology struck a chord with audiences, and we
will make an effort to reference more real-life
science applications in upcoming programmes.
There were also a few areas of the project that we feel could have been improved. The practicality of
the evaluation forms occasionally provided difficulties. For example, forms were sometimes longer than
the interactions themselves and the wording of questions not especially adaptable to the different
scenarios they were designed to serve. Reaching Meet the Expert target numbers is very difficult
without large existing events with high footfall. The current project model assumed significant numbers
of pre-trained scientists ready-to-go, but in reality most of our allocated staff time went into recruiting
scientists from scratch. We did receive valuable assistance from the ASDC, but would have reached
much higher numbers if more experts were involved from the beginning. Recruiting school audiences
proved difficult and our final numbers were below what was hoped. They are favourable when
compared to other At-Bristol Workshops however, and we did spend in the region of £10,000 on
advertising to these audiences. From our experience it often takes new Workshops a year to become
established parts of the programme, so thinking longer-term in this aspect may help. Linking content
more closely to the National Curriculum would appeal to teachers. A model that subsidises the financial
outlay for schools to attend Workshops (for example by paying for their transport) might work better
where new formal programmes are developed.
Case study
In July 2013 At-Bristol trialled a new strategy for encouraging schools to attend EYU Workshops and
Masterclasses. The Learning Department, responsible for EYU content, coordinated with the STEM
Learning Team, who delivers CPD for science teachers to improve science education in schools
throughout the South West region. Potential was identified in partnering to offer EYU Workshops and
Masterclasses to particular schools that qualify for Triple Science Support Programme (TSSP) funding.
TSSP has been developed to support schools that face barriers in their students’ uptake of triple science,
and is funded by the Department for Education.
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Bedminster Down School, Somervale School, and St Mary Redcliffe and Temple School were approached
and proved receptive to the idea of a full day of funded activities, to include EYU content. At-Bristol’s
STEM Learning Team began by delivering a one-hour practical Workshop about the science behind film
special effects. The students found the activities fascinating and enjoyed hands-on experiences. The
baton was then passed to the At-Bristol Learning team, who delivered EYU Workshops and
Masterclasses. These were perfectly suited to engage the students due to the wealth of practical
experiments, demonstrations, and cutting-edge science discussed. Highlights for the students included
investigating charge and electric fields with the Van de Graaff generator, and studying ferro fluids with
sculptures and videos. Students were particularly excited by the opportunity to construct a cloud
chamber and observe alpha particles shooting through condensed ethanol. The students throughout all
EYU workshops were amazed by the infrared camera and were enthralled by the associated activities.
Steve Hacker from the At-Bristol STEM team explained that the cloud chamber activity was a perfect
example of the types of activities and experiments that are needed to enthuse students with little
interest or confidence in science.
The participating schools are all based close to At-Bristol but visit infrequently, largely due to economic
challenges. Funding their visits enabled local students to take part in fantastic Workshops and
Masterclasses, exciting students, raising awareness of the strength of UK science, and encouraging them
to study Triple Science. If more funding were made available for engaging under-represented groups in
EYU activities then financial barriers could be lifted and science made more accessible.
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Catalyst Science and Discovery Centre
Introduction and overview
Catalyst is a small science centre with a passion for delivering quality science with a particular focus on
Chemistry. For us Explore Your Universe was a terrific opportunity to use inspiring pieces of equipment
to unwrap and open up a little bit more of the chemical world for our visitors.
Inspiring GCSE students and teachers
Our first task was to entice school groups, in particular GCSE level groups to the Centre. With secondary
school teaching experience in the team we understand the limitations that schools place on the number
of Educational Visits that can be exercised in a year, particularly at Key Stage 4. To deliver the greatest
impact and ensure that the student’s time was used in the most productive way we organised
“Masterclass Experience Days” combining the excellent GCSE workshop with a Meet the Expert event.
Students received an hour Masterclass in the morning before spending a further hour meeting three
different expert scientists. Following lunch and some gallery time the students then partook in a second
hour Masterclass before departing by coach back to their schools again. Verbal comments from teachers
were great, who really valued the Meet the Expert session as it provided something that they would not
be able to deliver easily in school. The infrared camera was looked upon with envy and was certainly the
highlight of the workshops for the majority of the students.
Our Expert speakers included Dr Joanne Bibby from the University of Central Lancashire, who gave
students an animated tour of the life of stars whilst discussing her own STFC funded research into stars
and supernovae. Dr Jaclyn Bell from the University of Liverpool took on the particle accelerator in a salad
bowl whilst explaining the role of a particle physicist. Alan Brown from STFC Daresbury Laboratory
enlightened students about the visible spectrum and how we can determine the chemical composition
of stars using light spectra. Meanwhile Steve Marsden from Manchester University unravelled the world
of the Higgs Boson.
Our Masterclass Meet the Expert Sessions were
held in one of our Education studios and engaged
a total of 112 individuals. Groups of 10 – 12
students were given twenty minutes to engage
with each expert speaker. The group size and
informal atmosphere gave students the
confidence to ask questions. Our experts did an
amazing job at engaging the students, and with
little hands on aspects in each discussion, every
student engaged and took a peek through a
doorway into the scientific world.
Picture Selection 1
GCSE students meet expert Alan Brown from STFC
Daresbury Laboratory between GCSE Masterclasses
and discover how we can determine the chemical
composition of stars using light emission spectroscopy.
8
Inspiring younger pupils and teachers
By the end of the year our 10-13 workshops will have attracted over 500 KS2 and KS3 pupils. The
ferrofluid drew gasps with pupils unable to believe their eyes as spiky shapes reached out of the oil
towards them. A number insisted on looking underneath the container just to ensure that there was
nothing there! The Van de Graaff generator was a huge hit, with the demonstrations of the floating pie
tins and the glowing LED drawing the best responses. STFC Daresbury Laboratory used to house the
world’s largest Van de Graaff generator, a point we alluded to in every workshop by pointing out the
building that used to house it through the windows of our Education Studios. It was the hair raising
antics as children were charged up on the dome that really stole the show however. Our demonstrators
were carefully able to manipulate the direction of the charged hair which drew squeals of laughter,
before a paper fountain was initiated off our volunteers’ outstretched hands.
Rounding the show off with the infra red camera meant that the workshop reached its pinnacle just
before lunch. We promised to make the invisible world become visible at the start of the workshop,
when we delivered on that promise and showed pupils how thermal energy and light are one and the
same thing you could hear the word magic being whispered around the room. When we proved to the
children that they really were glowing with an invisible light, and that they could transfer this light into
other objects by holding hands flat against tables or walking bare foot on the cold floor it brought the
house down. We even had children who brought their parents back into the Centre during the Summer
Holidays to allow them to take part in similar experiences all over again.
Picture 2
Two boys discover that thy cannot hide their cold noses when there are thermal imaging cameras around
during a 10-13 Explore Your Universe Workshop
Inspiring family audiences
Over the Easter and Summer Holidays and Spring / Summer Weekends, over 3,000 parents and children
booked places in our special 45 minute Explore Your Universe Family Workshop. Set in the darkness of
our Education Studios we introduced families to the STFC, drawing on the work in particular of EMMA
and ALICE at STFC Daresbury Laboratory before focussing on the story of the James Webb Space
Telescope and the European ELT. We introduced the world of the very small with children offering up
suggestions on the smallest thing that they had ever seen. Grains of sand, ants and crumbs were always
popular, although the thoughtful child that subsequently suggested that an ant’s eye was the smallest
thing because it was clearly smaller than the ant itself deserves a special mention. We introduced the
word “atom” however as we had promised to show children one of the smallest things in the world, we
took it down another level to show the effects of electrons. As sparks flew from our Van de Graaff
generator, and aluminium balls began levitating, the children were drawn into the world of the small.
The best reaction came with the plasma ball however, as we discussed invisible electric fields before
unsheathing our strip light.
Holding it carefully with both hands touching the base of the tube, at a height of about 10cm away from
the dome so as not to give the game away, our demonstrators then slowly dragged a finger up the tube
lighting it up as they went. We dispelled murmurs of hidden batteries by allowing some children to help
the demonstrator light up the tube with a well positioned finger. From the Van de Graaff we delved
further into the world of the James Webb and Envisat. After naming colours superimposed on the wall
through the use of our prism and white light source, we then tried to name the colours that we could
not see. We insisted that everyone was glowing brightly with one of these colours and brought out the
Infrared camera to provide the evidence for this. To satisfy the willingness to volunteer we had multiple
thermal handprints left on tables and produced a human derived convection current using several hands
and a bowl of cold water. However the biggest smiles blossomed when we attempted to hide whole
families behind screens made of black bin bags, helpfully walked around the room by two volunteers.
Our attempts were futile of course – as families discovered that the Infrared Camera could “see
through” the bin bags and detect everyone hiding behind the screen.
During Easter we
focussed on
particles and
materials, drawing
on the particle
accelerator and
smart materials.
During the summer
we shifted our
focus towards UV
and the dangers of
not wearing
sunscreen.
Picture 3
Catalyst Education
Manager demonstrates
electric fields using a
plasma ball and a £1
coin
Engaging experiences with scientists and engineers
A number of our Experts also found time to join us during the holiday periods and in the evenings to
meet 1264 members of the public. Alan Brown from STFC Daresbury Laboratory provided a wonderful
talk to immerse families into the world of the photon. Using our atmospheric Alchemy Theatre as a
backdrop, he led families in a 30 minute presentation about light, colour, electrons and absorption
spectra. Children as young as 8 years of age were coming to the front to identify the absorption spectra
of chemical elements such as hydrogen and helium. Dr Jaclyn Bell and Jonathan Larsson made the most
of our Observatory to discuss particle accelerators and the work of Daresbury Laboratory by using the
particle accelerator in a salad bowl. With children
experiencing repulsive forces using two giant horseshoe
magnets and parents probing the knowledge of our
Experts, they were kept busy throughout the day with
questions!
Outside of normal working hours we have used links with
experts to launch our new Widnes SciBar. Once a month
we have been hosting 90 minute science talks and Q&A for
local people at a local hotel. Our first few talks involved
our pools of Explore Your Universe experts; Dr Joanne
Bibby discussed her work as an Astrophysicist whilst Steve
Marsden broke down the science of the Higgs Boson
walking his audience from “people through to particles”. Dr
Lucy Bricheno of the National Oceanography Centre gave
people a taster of what a Storm Surge is whilst tackling the
issues surrounding off shore wind farms. With EYU experts
exhausted we turned our attention to other local
institutions. Dr Isabelle Ryder explained the benefits of
being able to watch earthquakes from space, Prof David
Hornby offered his services twice to discuss the world of
Synthetic Biology and Genomics
before Dr Aravind Vijayarahavan drew
out the unexpected science in a pencil
line with his talk about his work on
graphene.
Pictures selection 4
A young man discovers attraction and
repulsion with a large horse shoe magnet
(his reaction pictured at the top) whilst a
young lady has a hair raising experience on
the Van de Graaff Generator during Meet
the Expert events in the Observatory. Below
Left, Dr Joanne
Bibby invites
SciBar guests
into the world
of the
Astrophysicist.
Embedding the programme and its legacy
SciBars are scheduled to continue anon into 2014 with Expert Speakers confirmed through to
February. The Masterclasses will now be a biannual event occurring for a week in both March and
October. This will allow us to fund the resources in an efficient manner as well as having manageable
schedules to invite our experts in. The 10-13 Workshop will be part of our KS2 and KS3 Education
Programme, bookable throughout the year. The Uniformed Group sleepover workshops will be
presented for every sleepover as they have been since March. We will have attracted over 500
beavers, cubs, brownies and guides by the end of 2013!
We have plans to develop a new
Explore Your Universe Family
Workshop in 2014 that will
concentrate on materials and
chemistry. We will be using the
discharge tubes and diffraction
gratings to look at how we identify
elements, before attempting to use
the discharge tubes to identify the
spectral lines when we burn
magnesium. From the chemicals
themselves we then plan to look at
material properties, with particular
attention given to the aerogel,
ferrofluid and memory metal as well as
one of our own locally manufactured
Smart Plastics - Polycaprolactone.
Picture 5
Education Assistant Stuart Gardiner demonstrates the Van de Graaff
generator to students during an Explore Your Universe Masterclass
Building new relationships
We have developed a very good working relationship with STFC Daresbury Laboratory and this will
continue to develop as we collaborate on future events together both here at Catalyst and at
Daresbury itself. Through SciBar we have now become familiar with a number of new scientists and
departments and we have invitations to work more closely with Liverpool University in particular as
a result. We also have plans to bring in a former Chemistry Nobel Prize winner next summer for an
extra special Meet the Expert event, dependent on scheduling commitments. We have developed
great relationships with one or two of our current experts. Joanne Bibby, Jaclyn Bell, Steve Marsden
and Lucy Bricheno have all offered their time in the coming months to enable us to host future Meet
the Expert Events.
We have an ongoing relationship building with the Royal Society of Chemistry which was due to
spark an exciting collaborative event in November when we arranged for Mr Alister Hart (Professor
of Orthopaedic Surgery, University College London and Director of Research & Development, RNOH)
to provide a talk about how the chemistry of metal on metal hip implants links to the Diamond Light
Source in Oxfordshire. This Meet the Expert event was due to be provided for GCSE students visiting
the Chemistry Centre in London whilst simultaneously being live streamed to students at Catalyst
Science Discovery Centre allowing them to take part in a live inter-city question and answer session.
Unfortunately, a very low uptake from schools in London meant that the event had to be cancelled.
We will not be deterred however and plan to offer a similar event in 2014 in London, aimed at a
much broader audience to ensure uptake of places, that we will live stream to visitors in our
Alchemy Theatre here at the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre.
Additional outcomes
During the first two weeks of the Summer Holidays we presented a simplified version of Explore
Your Universe for a local play scheme which allowed children between the ages of five and seven to
learn about invisible light and electricity. The sessions were extremely well attended and we
engaged a total of 500 children over those two weeks.
We worked on two different festivals over the summer. Car Fest North which will be discussed in our
Case Study and The Green Man Festival. The Green Man Festival was an amazing opportunity for
Catalyst to raise its profile not just on a local level, but nationally too. For three days Catalyst was
part of a crack team of Science Communicators, enthralling families with the Big Questions and
providing the opportunity for members of those families to ask their own questions whilst providing
a platform for active investigation using the kit.
Picture Selection 6
The Green Man Team (Michaela Livingstone, Phill Day, Sophie Allen, Suzy Sheehy and Josh Warner asking
the Big Questions) whilst to the right, Catalyst’s Phill Day discusses “Is there life out there?”
Marketing and promotion
Marketing and promotion of the programme has been handled in a variety of ways, from
presentations to press releases, Catalyst has tried to maximize impact and inspire young people and
families!
Printed material about the project was distributed at events such as BBC Stargazing Live at Tatton
Park, the Cheshire County Show and the Great Days Out Fair in Manchester. It featured on our
printed Education Programme that was mailed out to approximately 4,000 school teachers from our
database. Posters advertising the summer workshops were sent to Libraries, Tourist Information
Centres, holiday accommodation providers and campsites across the North West. Regular
newsletters were distributed to local and regional press, sponsors, friends and trade press too.
We’ve advertised not only on our own website but also on Visit Chester and Cheshire, Visit Halton,
Favourite Days Out in Cheshire and a variety of other tourism related sites such as Netmums and
Day Out with the kids to mention a couple
We have Tweeted, we have Facebooked and we have promoted it widely with our Uniformed Group
visitors who have loved taking part on Saturday mornings after attending our ever popular Friday
night sleepover sessions.
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Finally, we dipped our toe in the water with a Groupon offer which included family entrance and an
Explore Your Universe Workshop, to try and increase visitors during a traditionally quiet period.
Wow, what a response! Looking at our projected visitor figures for 2013, it’s the first time that we
will have exceeded 30,000 since 2002, the Explore Your Universe Programme has helped
enormously!
What the project has meant for your organisation
As one of the UK’s smallest Science Discovery Centres, Catalyst relies heavily on donations to keep
its Education Programme running. The equipment that we have used in workshops previously has
been very low budget as a result. Explore Your Universe has changed this. We now have the
capability to deliver quality science using quality equipment that with the flick of a switch can inspire
an entire room of people. The adaptability of the equipment means that we have hi-tech resources
that we can bring in and have already utilised in other workshops to improve their appeal further, as
well as offering the opportunity to write new workshops to expand both our public and school
education programme. The partners that we have gained both through the STFC and the incentive of
Meet the Expert have provided us with the opportunities to offer a wider more interactive
experience to members of the public when they come through our doors during Meet the Expert
events. Professional dialogue between ourselves and visiting speakers has enabled us to offer more
in terms of scientific content in workshops as we have borrowed and adapted the stories that they
have told. For the Education Team, the project has been a good confidence builder, none of the
team are Physics specialists, and despite concerns expressed at the start, all have been able to
present the workshops with enthusiasm whilst ensuring the integrity of the science being
communicated.
The future
The Explore your Universe experience has been amazing for Catalyst. The intrigue and excitement
that has developed through the use of the equipment has made these workshops really special.
Feedback expressed in the evaluations suggested that we could improve further by introducing more
pair based activities into the workshops and even more hands on activities that children do
themselves, rather than watching. We agree that this would engage more, however there is a cost in
providing materials for students to work in pairs. Potential new activities that were suggested by our
staff include delving into the triboelectric effect using different types of plastic hanging from strings
to observe repulsion and attraction. Balloons could be used so that everyone’s hair could stand on
end before the big volunteer demonstration with the Van de Graaff Generator. We would
recommend using more powerful magnets to generate better iron filing patterns to improve
engagement in this task. Low hazard radioactive rocks could be provided to allow students to
measure the radiation produced using small Geiger Muller tubes which we thought would make the
radiation section more hands on.
For other items, a rolling programme of Meet the Experts would be fantastic, our experience was
that less than half of the experts on the list have actually been part of the project, a rolling pool each
year with new faces to replace those that cannot afford the time any more would be beneficial –
particularly in other fields that could complement other workshops that centres might run over the
course of 12 months. Finally we were wondering whether a deal could be done with liquid nitrogen
and dry ice suppliers across the whole of the UK to allow science centres cheaper and easier access
to these expensive consumables?
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Dundee Science Centre
Dundee Science Centre opened in 2000 as Sensation Science Centre, a visitor attraction based
around the 5 senses. Over the course of the following 13 years, the centre’s commitment to
supporting the formal learning experience has grown. From a handful of workshops for 5-11 year
olds, we now offer a wide range of workshops and shows across all levels of the Curriculum for
Excellence, special Early Explorer days for 3-5 year olds, ‘Meet The Expert’ events in association with
local universities (including bespoke public engagement training for scientists) and a wide range of
professional learning sessions for education practitioners through the Dundee Science Centre
Science Learning Institute. We increased the quality of our offering in biological sciences for young
people in the Senior Phase, working towards National Qualifications, by taking part in the
ASDC/Wellcome Trust project ‘Hands-On DNA’ and when the opportunity arose to participate in
another ASDC project, this time focusing on the physical sciences and promising a range of high
quality equipment and demonstrations, we applied immediately. In 2009, Curriculum for Excellence
was implemented in Scotland. Stemming from a national conversation in 2004, with its permissive
framework and ethos of recognising learning where it happens, the curriculum is about the totality
of learning for the individual. It has a focus on strong partnerships and on the individual’s learning
journey, providing an ideal backdrop for participation in projects such as this.
Familiarisation with the kit and the opportunity to hear inspiring stories at the Training Academy
hosted by the National Space Centre in Leicester was an invaluable experience. It was the first time
we’d heard of the James Webb Space Telescope, a simply amazing feat of engineering featuring UK
involvement and featuring the hallmark of UK trained scientists and engineers –an analytical
approach to problem solving and the ability to get the job done! It was particularly important for us
as a team, due to a paucity of physics expertise on staff at this stage of the project, in preparing us to
go forth and inspire 8000 people of all ages.
As for the activities we planned to deliver, the summation of which will form the rest of this report,
we were committed to two separate school offerings, a family show and a series of ‘Meet The
Expert’ events. These ‘Meet The Expert’ events offered us the opportunity to build upon work we
already do well, liaising with experts from industry and academia, offering them public engagement
training, recruiting them as STEM Ambassadors, and offering mutually beneficial engagement
opportunities with the public.
Dundee Science Centre offers workshops and shows to school groups within Curriculum for
Excellence. Explore Your Universe allowed us to add two new offerings to our regular programme
throughout the project. Explore Your Universe: Atoms to Astrophysics is an interactive show
suitable for second level learners and Explore Your Universe: EM Spectrum is a highly immersive
workshop experience for third and fourth Level learners and those in the Senior Phase, National 4
and 5.
For learners at the second level we used the Explore Your Universe kit to offer them an interactive
show experience, covering the wide range of STFC applications from atoms to astrophysics. We
engaged 622 learners at or around the second level, from P6-S1. The demonstrations captured the
attention and the interest of the learners, and the links with real-world applications ensured a sense
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that what they were learning about was relevant and useful, benefiting learners by developing their
understanding of where an interest in STEM subjects can take them.
To complement the school show we also hosted a ‘Meet The Expert’ event for P6 and P7 audiences.
Learners enjoyed the ‘We Are Aliens’ planetarium show, about the search for life on other planets,
and a version of the schools Atoms to Astrophysics show. They then had the opportunity to meet
and talk with three experts: a female undergraduate physics student from the University of St
Andrews, talking to the young people about the university experience and demonstrating some of
the Explore Your Universe electronic and magnetic kit; an STFC funded researcher from the
University of St Andrews talking about his work involving planet formation; and a member of the
team at STAR Dundee, a company involved in satellite computer system design. This experience was
very popular with the learners, all of whom were from schools in areas of high multiple deprivation,
who spoke openly about how much they enjoyed the visit. One of the schools even telephoned the
office the next day to thank us for offering them the opportunity to come, something that has never
happened before or since, and testimony to the quality that the Explore Your Universe project has
allowed Dundee Science Centre to offer to our visitors.
The EM Spectrum workshop was delivered as outreach in schools in Dundee and Fife, reaching a
total of 330 learners. At Auchmuty High School in Fife Sean Duffy, Principal Teacher Curriculum
(Sciences), stated that “That’s the EM spectrum
taught to those kids, there’s no need for us to do
anything now except revise it.” This shows that
the quality of the Explore Your Universe kit and
activities allows the workshop to not only
supplement the curriculum, but to be part of
planned learning and teaching. Learners across
third and fourth level, and those working towards
National 4 and 5 physics qualifications, were
engaged and enthused with aspects of optics,
spectroscopy, UV light and infrared light; with
their applications as used by STFC and with the
opportunity to use the equipment in a dynamic
fashion. The content was developed to allow learners to lead their own investigations; prompts
were given but were not necessary to follow. At Bell Baxter High School, also in Fife, learner-led
activities included investigating IR transmission through contact lenses and using the learner’s own
glasses to compare to the given prisms from the kit. The workshop offered the learners an
unrivalled opportunity to develop their investigative and analytical skills as well as learn about the
em spectrum, a perfect Curriculum for Excellence engagement!
Learners at Auchmuty High School using the
spectroscopes as part of the EM workshop
At Dundee Science Centre we are always keen for our offering for pupils and teaching practitioners
to be meaningful engagements that not only support their curriculum, but form an active part of it.
Given the range and quality of equipment supplied to us by ASDC and STFC, we felt we could offer a
range of activities that would support learning and teaching throughout the broad general education
and into the Senior Phase. We therefore invited a number of practitioners and experts that we had
worked with over the course of the project to join us for an Explore Your Universe legacy meeting.
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This involved the opportunity to hear about the project, time to play with the equipment and
opportunities to talk to other researchers and practitioners about how this might be used to support
learning and teaching. We then invited feedback that will now help inform our development of a
number of exciting learning opportunities for learners throughout the 3-18 curriculum as a result of
this feedback.
Dundee Science Centre is visited by approximately 70 000 visitors each year. Their experience
includes a range of interactive shows and hands-on activities delivered by our Science Learning
Team, a chance to explore our permanent exhibition of over 80 exhibits, and a selection of special
shows and travelling exhibitions that are available over the holiday period. As part of the Explore
Your Universe project, our visitors over the Easter holiday fortnight in 2013 were treated to the
Explore Your Universe: Atoms to Astrophysics family show. This involved a number of highly
engaging demonstrations, from particle accelerators to space telescopes. Over the course of the
two weeks, 2100 visitors took part in the show. The show is now available for booking by groups
visiting the centre, and is a popular choice for uniformed groups visiting the centre.
We also organised a number of opportunities for our visitors to
the centre to engage in ‘Meet The Expert’ events. These took
the format of drop-in sessions in the centre and a special oneoff event for an adult audience. These drop-in sessions saw us
invite solar physicists from Abertay University and the
University of Dundee to talk about their work with the Sun
using a range of Explore Your Universe equipment, such as the
plasma ball and the solar telescope. We were also joined in the
centre by the St Andrews Condensed Matter-Doctoral Training
Centre (CM-DTC), led by Steven J. Thomson, who engaged
visitors with hands-on demonstrations of electricity, magnetism
and sub-atomic particles using the cloud chamber.
A demo from the CM-DTC, St Andrews
Three girls learn about the nature of light.
As part of Dundee Science Festival 2013, which is
coordinated by Dundee Science Centre, we hosted
Dundee Science Lates: Explore Your Universe. This
event was for an over-18s audience, aimed
primarily at the science literate university
population of Dundee and St Andrews. The
evening featured talks from Dr Duncan Forgan,
Royal Observatory Edinburgh, on exoplanet
formation and the chances of intelligent life
elsewhere in the universe; demonstrations from
the CM-DTC team; and a group from the Dundee
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Astronomical Society with telescopes and information on their activities. The science was
complemented by live music throughout the night, making for a memorable experience for the 107
adults attending.
Delivery of other ‘Meet The Expert’ events took on a more peripatetic nature, from community
centres in Dundee to a number of events on the west coast of Scotland where the opportunity to
engage with scientists was afforded to people who would not otherwise be engaged.
During World Space Week and the October school holiday, we held a stargazing event at Menzieshill
Community Centre in Dundee, a highly active community centre in an area of high multiple
deprivation. This event attracted 220 visitors, most as families, to enjoy an evening of stargazing
with Dundee Astronomical Society, craft activities and Explore Your Universe demonstrations
delivered by the Dundee Science Centre Science Learning Team, and the chance to speak to PhD
students from the University of St Andrews about their work.
During the project, we were approached by the Bute Astronomical Society to attend a number of
community science days they were organising using the Scottish Government’s Talking Science
Grant. These events offered a fantastic opportunity to take the stories and science of the STFC to
areas which Dundee Science Centre does not normally reach. We went to Greenock and to
Campbeltown with a range of Explore Your Universe equipment and a number of PhD students from
the University of St Andrews, University of Dundee and the University of Glasgow. 1270 people from
Greenock and 570 people from Campbeltown enjoyed visual demonstrations of electricity, plasma,
lasers, prisms and IR light. Due to the drop-in nature of the events most visitors were able to not
only watch demonstrations but to also get hands-on with the kit and try things out for themselves.
Young people enjoyed the opportunity to play with the equipment and adults were able to hear
about the work being done in space science and biophotonics at Scottish institutions.
Dundee Science Centre has developed and nurtured relationships with local universities, colleges,
schools, community groups and businesses which have reaped great rewards during the Explore
Your Universe project. Through the Dundee Science Centre Science Learning Institute, we offer
science communication training to working scientists through our structured 3-month Create and
Inspire course, comprising of a training day, support and mentoring from science centre staff, a
public engagement practice session, delivery of activities at ‘Science in the City’ meet-the-scientist
days and a post-event evaluation session. As regional
coordinators of the STEM Ambassador programme,
we also provide science communication training and
mentoring for over 500 STEM Ambassadors. In
February 2013 we were therefore able to call on our
wealth of experience to deliver a one-day training
course for scientists and engineers from North-East
Scotland who were keen to be involved in the Explore
Your Universe project. As well as from this pool of
experts, we were able to call upon local universities
Centre staff with the solar telescope
and businesses to help support events, and the project
has led to the development of many more working relationships with departments and individuals at
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a number of institutions. We have been supported by experts and expertise from the University of
Dundee, Abertay University, the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University
of Edinburgh, the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, STAR Dundee and Sky, as well as support from the
Dundee Astronomical Society.
A number of the experts we worked with on this project are keen to continue their involvement in
future activities at Dundee Science Centre, and some of those joined us for an Explore Your Universe
legacy meeting as the project neared its conclusion. They were joined by a number of physics
teachers and Heads of Science from local schools, some of whom had been involved in the project.
They were shown all of the Explore Your Universe equipment, encouraged to get hands-on with the
kit, and suggest ways that we can support practitioners in learning and teaching in physics and
sciences using the kit. The teachers whose schools had been involved in the project already knew
the quality of the equipment, but this session was about looking at the breadth of it, and how best
to move forward and to support experiences and outcomes at third level, National 4 and 5, and into
the new Higher and Advanced Higher courses. A number of potential workshop experiences were
suggested, along with ideas around loan resources for teachers, which will be developed throughout
2014 to ensure that the quality of Explore Your Universe becomes the benchmark for physics
offerings from Dundee Science Centre.
The Explore Your Universe project was enthusiastically adopted by the staff of Dundee Science
Centre. The chance to learn about, and then share, cutting-edge research and development in the
UK, Europe and worldwide, and to communicate it using amazing demonstrations and pieces of kit
was one that was unrivalled by past experiences, but one that we are keen to repeat with everything
we do. Members of the team were offered the opportunity to develop their skills in a wide variety
of areas: workshop and show development, event planning and management, project coordination
and management, working with external partners, networking and working with the press. They
also rose to the challenge of communicating what could easily be complicated science in an
accessible and enthusiastic manner.
Using our contacts in the local media, over the course of
the project Explore Your Universe activities at Dundee
Science Centre were featured in the Dundee Courier and
the Dundee Evening Telegraph, on-line on the STV
Dundee App and the Dundee Channel, and on Tay FM
and Wave 102 radio stations. Bespoke leaflets were
created for some of the events, and for the stargazing
event in particular, a leaflet was distributed to every
primary school child in Dundee. Dundee Science
Centre’s new social media outlets were also used, via
A montage of press coverage over the project
Twitter: @DundeeScience for public events and
@DundeeSciLearn for education events, and also on Facebook.
Dundee Science Centre’s participation in the Explore Your Universe project can be called a great
success in many ways. In terms of how many people we have reached, a success! In terms of the
quality of our offering, a success! In terms of working with existing partners and making new
connections and links, a success! In terms of inspiring a sense of excitement around the physical
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sciences with young people and families, through sharing the amazing stories and technologies of
STFC, a success!!
To finish, a few words from our CEO, Louise Smith: “Dundee Science Centre’s participation in the
Explore Your Universe project over the course of 2013 has been a great success for the centre, for
our staff and for the thousands of participants the project has allowed us to reach. From how we
work with the academic community in developing what we offer both formal learners and lifelong
learners to our engagement model with community centres in areas of social deprivation, the legacy
of the Explore Your Universe project is one of engagement, excitement and enthusiasm for science.”
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Glasgow Science Centre
Introduction and Overview
Glasgow Science Centre’s involvement in the Explore Your Universe project has provided a welcome
revival of educational physics and astronomy activities in our programme, with a long-lasting impact
on future educational programming. The project has received overwhelmingly positive feedback for
tackling physical science concepts that teachers find fundamentally challenging to engage students
with.
Inspiring school students and teachers
The Explore Your Universe programme has been
instrumental in the inspiration of the students and
teachers that have taken part in Glasgow Science
Centre’s programme of engagement activities. The
opportunity to use materials and equipment that
they don’t have access to in their schools has
proved invaluable in demonstrating complex ideas
and clarification and consolidation of physical
science concepts. The introduction of the
properties and application of dry ice and liquid
nitrogen in technology consistently proved to be a highlight for students and teachers alike, as these
materials cannot be used in schools. Teachers consistently praised the programme for covering
topics that are difficult to teach, and acknowledged the value of the programme in awareness of
technological applications of scientific research.
Inspiring family audiences
Our Science Communicators thrilled family
audiences with two public shows- Explore Your
Universe: The Sky Tonight and Explore Your
Universe: Cool Science. The Science Learning
team at Glasgow Science Centre constantly strives
to refresh the content of our family shows to
ensure the offer of a new experience for
returning visitors where possible, and the
introduction of the STFC’s research into a show
allowed the development of a show with a fresh
perspective. Our visitors come to the planetarium
to hear about current advances in space missions and talking about James Webb Space Telescope
and its links with Scotland really increased awareness of the STFC’s involvement in research near our
centre. The Cool Science show provided entertainment for our visitors in demonstrating the
properties of liquid nitrogen and talking about how it can be used in space research and the life
support systems of space craft. The show gave our science communicators the chance to deliver a
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fun demo show, but to explain the applications of these materials in research and technologies they
can relate to.
Engaging experiences with scientists and engineers
Glasgow Science Centre continues to nurture relationships
with a wide range of scientists and engineers through our
‘Meet the Expert’ programme, and capitalised on the
existing wealth of contacts and experience within the
Science Learning Team to provide expert activities that
complemented the Explore Your Universe programme. At
Glasgow Science Centre, we encourage our experts to
develop a hands-on, interactive engagement activity to
capture our visitors with their research and assist them in
developing their activity by providing training. Our ‘Inspire
and Challenge’ training programme provides scientists and
teachers with science communication skills and experience
of public engagement in action. The experts that took part
in the Explore Your Universe events over September
Weekend and World Space Week were all trained by our
highly experienced Science Engagement and Science
Education teams, and consolidated what they had learned in delivery of their Explore Your Universe
Meet the Expert sessions. Our visitors enjoyed engaging with astronomers, solar physicists, scientific
illustrators; scientists that research magnetism, meteorites and their impact craters, and volcano
visualisation. The consistent feedback from our visitors was that they thoroughly enjoyed meeting
‘real’ scientists, and that it revived some of our young visitors’ interest in continuing physical
sciences at school. Our experts also found the experience rewarding, with many of them keen to
return with a different engagement activity to further promote and engage people with their
research.
Embedding the Explore Your Universe programme and legacy
The Explore Your Universe planetarium family show was added into the programme in September
2013, and will be a permanent feature of the programme. The programme content has increased the
breadth of topics covered in our planetarium shows, which has been widely appreciated by our
regular visitors, many of whom are annual Passport holders. Addition of the Explore Your Universe
show has ensured that we constantly revise the informative current research aspect of our public
show- offering new experiences for our return visitors and attracting first time visitors by increasing
our repertoire of shows.
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The Explore Your Universe Workshop and Masterclass were
programmed as part of our core education programme for
the 2013/2014 academic year, with Invisible Science (10-13
Workshop) scheduled as our lab activity offer for the entire
months of October 2013 and February 2014. As one of a
bank of our education workshops, and following a wellreceived pilot and run of workshops in October, it is
envisaged that Invisible Science will be offered for a similar
two month period over the course of the 2014/2015
academic year.
It is hoped that we will also run the Atoms to Astrophysics
(14-16) Masterclass again in the future, following some
discussion with our teaching contacts regarding the switch
from Higher Physics to National 4/National 5 structure
currently shaping the learning objectives of 14-16 Physics
education in development of a workshop that evolves with
the curriculum.
Much of the Explore Your Universe equipment has been used in other Glasgow Science Centre
activities to engage with diverse audiences. We regularly use the plasma ball in demonstrating
learning techniques with scientists and teachers in our Inspire and Challenge public engagement
training, and have taken the meteorite out on Stargazing events to engage an amateur astronomy
audience. As part of teacher CPD training we have demonstrated the elegance of building a cloud
chamber and the simplicity of thermal imaging as an engagement activity. Our experts have enjoyed
access to equipment they would otherwise need to purchase in order to take part in Meet the
Expert- for example the use of the solar telescope and discharge tubes in explanation of solar
dynamics.
The Explore Your Universe legacy is evident in our programme, our access to educational equipment
but most importantly in the revived interest in physical science activities amongst our engagement
staff. Teaching complex physics concepts in an engaging, simplistic way is daunting to those with a
physics background and even more so to our science communicators without a science background.
The feedback from our staff is that the material covered in the Invisible Science workshop is of an
accessible knowledge level, but is also fun to deliver and rewarding in the feedback they receive as a
result of feeling comfortable with and enjoying what they are delivering.
Building new relationships
Through the Explore Your Universe Meet the Expert activities, our team have added to our catalogue
of enthusiastic research scientists willing to engage the public with their research at Glasgow Science
Centre. Some scientists were keen to come back and deliver their engagement activity several times,
and another scientist blogged for us as part of World Space Week following her Meet the Expert
session. We have developed some new key contacts at the University of Glasgow and the Institute
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for Astronomy at University of Edinburgh who are willing to recruit any interested colleagues at their
institutions to increase the number of physicists and astronomers in our Meet the Expert database.
Marketing and promotion
The Explore Your Universe programme and the key events (September Weekend, World Space
Week, Meet the Expert) were promoted on the Glasgow Science Centre website, and through
regular pushes in social media (Facebook, Twitter) in the run up to the key events. One of our
Explore Your Universe experts, Dr Paula Lindgren, guest blogged for the Glasgow Science Centre blog
which reaches a mainly 20-35 adult audience, including students, scientific editors, and young
research scientists. The Explore Your Universe sleepover that took place on 8th November formed
part of the Boy’s Brigade 130th Anniversary celebrations, and as such will be subject to future
coverage and promotion by their organisation.
What has Explore Your Universe meant for Glasgow Science Centre?
The Explore Your Universe programme has
improved the breadth of our current education
programme by providing current and engaging
physics content that has provided new activities
that cover a large proportion of our audience
demographic. In recent years, Glasgow Science
Centre has had limited programme in place to
offer the 14-16 age group, and the Atoms to
Astrophysics masterclass provided a new
curriculum-linked activity to start to address that
gap. Previous visitor feedback highlighted a
demand for more content covering current space technology and research, and the Explore Your
Universe content enhanced our planetarium experience and allowed us to address those evaluation
points.
Covering more scientific research in our activities has increased interest and awareness of space
science applications amongst our staff, and how we can develop educational activities around that
research in an informative, engaging manner. It has also improved science communicators’
confidence in fielding questions from visitors about the applications of physical science, and
reinforcing the importance of research and young people pursuing an interest in future STEM
careers.
Explore Your Universe – The future
The Invisible Science (10-13) workshop proved incredibly popular with both pupils and teachers,
with the feedback overwhelmingly positive. The content of the workshop was well received and
tackled explanations of atomic structure, charges and fields that teachers found difficult to explain in
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a simple, effective way. There is little that we will change about the current format and content of
the Invisible Science workshop prior to its second run in February.
The Atoms to Astrophysics masterclass had very little uptake despite 608 student places being
available over World Space Week (3 workshops of 32 students/day for 5 days 4 workshops of 32
students/day for 1 day = 608). The participating schools found it difficult to arrange the time off
other period classes, and it has come to light that upper secondary physics teachers are currently
managing the switch between the Higher and National Qualification frameworks as part of the
Curriculum for Excellence and as such don’t regard a science centre visit as a priority for the
moment. Promoting the masterclass bookings was a challenge, and resulted in us working the
programme around when schools were able to come in and still found limited uptake, despite
personally emailing a number of schools that we have good relationships with in the development of
new education programmes.
In addition to these factors, we find that the S3-S6 groups that do visit tend to prefer a planetarium
education activity, and as such a number of the groups in this bracket saw the Explore Your
Universe: The Sky Tonight show. We hope to review the masterclass timetabling and logistics of
delivery to upper secondary students in order to assess its viability as its current incarnation.
The resource pack that accompanied the Explore Your Universe equipment was invaluable in the
development of the workshop, masterclass and show activities and provided our science
communicators with a background understanding of the ideas covered. It was incredibly useful to
have a ‘go-to’ guide if we wanted to add in a further demo or talk more about the applications of
STFC’s research. This type of resource would be invaluable for future projects, as it reduces
development time at each participating centre and allows the right amount of consistency across the
project without constraining developmental creativity.
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Observatory Science Centre
The Observatory Science Centre, Herstmonceux was delighted to be one of only ten centres
participating in this exciting project and national strategic partnership between the UK ASDC and the
STFC. With the vision of inspiring a sense of excitement around the physical sciences through sharing
the stories and technologies of STFC.
As a small centre, operated by an independent educational charity (Science Projects Ltd), we always
strive to provide great flexibility in our day-to-day organisation and can amend the planned shows /
workshops at short notice. Throughout this project, this flexibility meant we could facilitate the
remit rather than having to embed the activities into a programme that had already been decided. It
also meant that we could make the most of every opportunity that came our way.
The project presented an amazing opportunity for all visitors and the staff team. At the outset we
hoped that everyone, regardless of age or ability, would gain the confidence, curiosity and interest
to continue to explore and ask questions long after their visit. At The OSC we are outstanding at
engaging people and our ethos is that science should be spectacular, relevant and fun! Upon
reflection, we are extremely proud of our achievements. The total figure of our Explore Your
Universe project delivery is 17,327 and we have engaged with pupils, students and visitors of all ages
and abilities.
In the past we may not have had an abundance of significant resources, but involvement in this
project has provided the catalyst to enable us to take a huge step forward with equipment, training
and resources that have all been exceptional. We have already introduced exciting new activities to
our existing programme of tours, shows, and workshops. This extended programme will now have
more appeal to wider audiences which is a fantastic legacy for the project, the sponsors and for the
Observatory Science Centre. The networking opportunities provided throughout this project have
given us many great ideas for using the equipment in the future, and relationships have begun that
will continue.
Every member of the staff team was given the opportunity to be involved, and I feel that by
involving everyone became a key element to the success of the project. Those not normally involved
in delivery (shows / tours etc) could express ideas and even witness a change in the perspective of
an activity as a consequence of their suggestion. For many, this meant that their confidence,
capability and enthusiasm increased through their input and involvement in this project.
Being involved with a nationally recognised project has raised the profile of the amazing
work our centre achieves and we feel we have now been given a voice, proving that we can do what
larger centres do!
Workshop: Target 600 Actual 1530
Masterclass: Target 300 Actual 629
At The OSC we have a fantastic relationship with many teachers who know they can trust us.
We acknowledge this trust and in return always strive to offer a high quality learning experience that
meets all needs and expectations, supporting past, present and future learning.
We hold the Learning Outside the Classroom ‘Quality Badge’ and fully embrace the ethos that
children learn through real life experiences. Teachers take children out of the classroom because it
makes their learning more memorable and is appealing to different learning styles. A visit stimulates
their interest which means that we can have pupils attending during any stage of their topic:
beginning (introduction), middle (reinforcement / inspiration) or end (revision). We found that the
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equipment and resources could be used at any level and an EYU session has provided core learning
opportunities as well as an ‘add on’ or revision experience.
We amended aspects of the programme to work in our setting as we do not have classroom
facilities: but we could make full use of our telescope domes and link the workshop activities to
further understanding of telescope operation.
It was challenging to deliver in the timeframe, especially with schools who have to plan their
timetables / visits months in advance. However, teachers were prepared to book the new EYU
workshop / Masterclass based on their trust of us even though in many instances they had already
booked a different programme. As a result we did not find it hard to meet target numbers and it is
testament to all staff at The OSC that we have achieved such considerable delivery numbers.
The workshop and Masterclass sessions were a learning curve for all involved. We could not be sure
that the activities would enhance their learning or make them more interested to study science at
school.
Through face to face contact with pupils it was quite ‘shocking’ to realise (via their evaluation
comments) that the way the workshop had been introduced at the beginning of the day had direct
impact on their evaluation comments. One school brought a group of different pupils (year 7) each
day for a full week. For the first two days their answers to the evaluation question: “Would you
recommend this workshop to other people your age?” were given equally as ‘good’ - ‘bad’ - ‘not
sure’…….. but almost always for the same reason: “Because we don’t need to know this for school”
For subsequent days at the beginning of the visit we spoke about the exciting new workshop that
would help them understand how everyday objects worked e.g. their remote control, or mobile
phone. The evaluation comments changed considerably as they realised the science was relevant
after all!
KS3 female pupil (Masterclass):
‘I learnt a lot about light, radiation and waves. I have heard of these things before but learning about
them today made my understanding in science better. This is a workshop that is worth going to ……..’
Family show: Target 2000 Actual 9634
Our family show ‘Atoms to Astrophysics’ was delivered 3 times daily, July to September. At no extra
cost to visitors, we invited audiences to join us for engagement in a lively science experience using
the amazing STFC kit.
The show required ‘volunteer’ engagement in a variety of demonstrations and was followed by
ample opportunity for further science investigations, Q&A, face to face discussions, hands-on
experiences and photo opportunities.
The family show evolved from the show we had presented to schools during National Science &
Engineering Week (NSEW) in March. The NSEW show was the opportunity for staff to play with the
equipment with an audience and discover what we could and couldn’t do in our geodesic dome. The
Thermal Imaging Camera (TIC) was key to the show and inspired the title ‘Show me the Scientist’.
Throughout the week this show was presented to the potential scientists of the future: KS1, KS2 and
KS3 pupils of mixed levels and abilities. Via our engaging, lively and fun demonstrations we gave
Spectacular Science using state of the art equipment. This culminated by panning the camera around
the audience in thermal mode and asking them to wave at the camera if they were future
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scientists…… this image was relayed to a TV screen which everyone could see. So we really were
‘Showing the scientists’. This show is now embedded in the programme of shows offered at The OSC
for both education groups and general public.
Meet The Expert (MTE): Target 5000 Actual 5534
The OSC were particularly excited at this aspect of the project as it was an
area we were keen to launch and develop. As we all know, the
connections with STFC funded scientists proved a challenging area for the
project. Our own contact with Dr Darren Baskill (SEPnet, University of
Sussex) started positively with a MTE lecture event in May, and a
subsequent meeting with Darren and Clare Harvey to discuss a
programme for our Astronomy Festival in September. Unfortunately later
SEPnet events did not transpire due to their personal circumstances.
As the project evolved and MTE parameters were changed, The OSC was able to utilise our own
academics and experts. William Joyce (C Phys, FRAS, PhD student) delivered 3 days of Meet-theExpert ‘Rocket Rocks’. There was ample opportunity for face to face discussion and explanation
regarding many aspects of planetary science and the geology of Earth rocks since the Earth itself
originally formed from meteorites, asteroids and comets. There was specific focus on meteorites and
the days were advertised under the title ‘‘Meteorites or Meteowrongs”. He made full use of the
impressive meteorite samples from the STFC kit.
Throughout the project Stuart Constable (BSc Hons, MOCHW) of the QRZ amateur radio astronomy
group, had been extremely supportive attending all open evenings and events. During the October
half term for the finale of the EYU project at The OSC, Stuart engaged with visitors over 5 days with
significant discussion opportunities. He monitored satellites trying to decode the information they
send back to Earth, demonstrated live reception of signals reflected from the French radar at Dijon
caused by meteors burning up within the radar beam, and played audio of signals from within the
Earth to deep space.
Whilst many centres struggled with the MTE aspect of this project there have still been some
wonderful ‘idea exchanges’ regarding what can be achieved and this has led us to consider many
future possibilities for The OSC. We approached MTE sessions considering only general public
visitors, but of course there is huge scope for sessions with school groups, especially if such sessions
could be linked to GCSE curriculum etc.
Marketing and Promotion
The project featured in our 2013 Events & Activities brochure: 20,000 copies.
Specific editorials were achieved in Primary Times (autumn publication, distributed to Sussex
schools) and a full page in Aspect County Magazine (June 2013, Platinum edition, 2000 distribution
outlets). Early in the project we created 2 pop up banners which were displayed in-house all year,
helping to set the stage for our shows, and featuring all around the site wherever STFC funded
equipment was being used.
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The project was promoted via our website within the school key stage sub sections and
predominantly on the home page which included the project aim with EYU logos rolling alongside
those of STFC and ASDC. Photo galleries were added on the website homepage as the project
progressed.
For The OSC this project provided the catalyst for our use of social media, specifically Twitter. We
had already begun to ‘tweet’ but have now fully embedded this, having 900+ followers to date.
Outreach
All staff and volunteers at The OSC are STEM Sussex ambassadors and our outreach initiative for this
project was in July when we attended The Crawley STEMfest and Big Bang South East.
This gave us an amazing opportunity to promote both The OSC and the project to over 3000 pupils
and teachers. We performed a Spectacular Science mix of our very own Chair of Doom…. and the
Thermal Imaging Camera.
Highlights for the STAFF TEAM and The OSC
Involvement in a national project linking with professional organisations and experts
providing unparalleled resources
An acclaimed (Kings College) level of analysis and evaluation in far greater number than The
OSC has had before
Opportunity for networking and sharing of ideas with science centres of all sizes
Gaining amazing equipment that can be embedded into existing aspects of work with a
legacy
The OSC has been able to deliver science of a higher calibre
Spring board of the project was to involve all staff. This has
definitely been a team project and there has been huge
enthusiasm from staff where it wasn’t always expected!
Increased staff knowledge, confidence and engagement of all the
staff team
Visitors really engaged with the dialogue, gaining a lot from their
experiences. There have been many ‘in-depth’ conversations
taking place between staff and visitors…. And, unexpectedly
visitor to visitor
To witness visitors embracing the new activities and for us
Ajay Sharman, Regional
to realise that we can offer ‘off the wall’ surprise activities
Manager, STEMNET south east
Generating ideas for the future based on our own
experiences and those from the other centres involved in this project
Highlights for VISITORS (families, teachers, pupils)
The project sponsorship by STFC / ASDC partners guaranteed a high standard of content with
the equipment, training and resources
Enabled all visitors to discover STFC contemporary research
Hands-on opportunities and access to high quality kit with the scope for delivery via
demonstrations for schools and public that do not have access to such state of the art
equipment
Good feedback at all levels regarding the quality of equipment
29
General engagement with public on many different levels with dialogue exchange
throughout the project
Wide range of participants had direct engagement
Quirky Opportunities
Through having trained and involved many staff, we were always able to take advantage of any
opportunity that presented itself through the season.
As the project evolved through the year, the strengths of the kit for science busking activities really
shone through. These impromptu unscheduled activities were a huge success with visitors and an
unexpected bonus to their experiences at The OSC. Staff could readily use many items of kit
according to their own particular strengths / favourites and could also adapt what they offered
according to the number of visitors on site and the weather e.g. solar scope.
Visitors really embraced the new activities / demonstrations and relished this opportunity for
engagement. They also fed back their own knowledge which staff embedded into future sessions.
The TIC in particular prompted a great deal of dialogue for suggested uses.
I discovered a Freudian slip in my web wording whereby I had
referred to the Thermal Imaging Camera as the Thermal
Imagining Camera. Perhaps my name is more appropriate given
the amount of fun everyone had with this piece of equipment?
How could we possibly have known that we would make use of
the TIC to seek visitors hiding in the grounds at the end of an
‘alternative’ evening venue hire!
In May we were the venue for a science training day for the
East Sussex Primary Graduate Training Programme. As part of
their visit they were keen to receive a workshop so we
naturally took the opportunity to present the EYU workshop
which was very well received.
A booking for a post wedding party at The OSC had been made a year before the project was even
known. So who could have envisaged we would achieve photos of the bride, groom and their guests
viewing an amazing sunset through the STFC solar scope.
Future Capabilities
The school workshops are now embedded in our education programme. This project as a whole (the
amazing kit, resources, support and idea exchanges) has given us so much to consider that the
production of our 2014 schools brochure has been delayed whilst I crystallise the ideas. Schools are
the core business of The OSC and it is an exciting prospect to continue to work closely with them on
potential collaborative opportunities that have evolved from this project. Discussing the best way
forward with teachers for new initiatives, joint funding opportunities, working with experts and
partner organisations etc. could take this project to the next level.
It would be useful to have guidance from future projects as to how to engage different learning
styles for pupils of all ages, needs and abilities. Science centres employ an amazing array of talented
30
individuals who engage with their visitors at all levels (from atoms to astrophysics?!), but most do
not have actual teacher training or teaching experience.
Curriculum changes are hard to keep up with and advice / assistance in this would be beneficial to
ensure we keep our offer relevant. Teachers need to ‘tick boxes’ to justify the expense of Learning
Outside the Classroom and ensuring we can offer workshops / activities that are relevant to the
curriculum is a sure winner, especially if we are using state of the art equipment they don’t have
access to in school. To continue sharing ideas would be fantastic. Each centre has been able to share
their achievements and suggestions for what has / has not worked for them during this project.
Conclusion
This project reinforces that practical hands-on demonstrations and activities are key to pupil
understanding and through participation they can comprehend the science they may or may not
have already been taught in school.
Example pupil responses to “What did you like most about the workshop?”
‘Practicals are loads of fun and way more cool than science at school’
‘I would 100% recommend this workshop to others’
‘This was the best science lesson – ever!’
Throughout this project no pupils had previously heard of STFC. For me, the pupil responses to
‘What do you think of the research they (STFC) do’, tell the story of this project. Here is a selection of
quotes from KS3 females following a Masterclass:
‘It is really cool and they should do more’
‘Very interesting and very good they are doing it’
‘I think the research they do is necessary and beneficial’
‘They help young scientists achieve their dreams’
In conclusion, the aim of Explore Your Universe was to ‘inspire a sense of excitement around the
physical science with young people and families, through sharing the amazing stories and
technologies of STFC’.
We believe we have wholeheartedly achieved this aim through our involvement in this fantastic
project and have been presented with an amazing legacy.
We really can show you the future scientists:
31
Our Dynamic Earth
Introduction and overview
Explore Your Universe (EYU) has been a fantastic project for Our Dynamic Earth to be a part of. The
greatest highlight of this project is that the Science and Technology Facilities Centre (STFC) and the
Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC) have helped us to access a fantastic selection
of British STFC scientists and engineers. Through running Meet the Expert events we have provided
school groups and members of the public the opportunity to engage with scientists and engineers at
the cutting edge of physical science.
Across the course of the year the STFC and ASDC have helped us to build upon our pool of experts
creating an invaluable link between Dynamic Earth and a number of national universities and local
science and technology centres. The highly popular Meet the Expert events have proved to be a
valuable way of helping to bridge the void between scientists and the general public whilst bringing
awareness of contemporary physical science to young people and their families.
In addition to excellent staff training provided by the ASDC, EYU came with an amazing array of
physics paraphernalia. The equipment has proved to be one of the greatest draws and helped us to
offer a really special experience to school groups and the general public.
As Professor Stuart Monro, the Scientific Director at Dynamic Earth states:
“The mission of Our Dynamic Earth is to set the science of our planet in the context of this
amazing Universe and by doing so to capture the imagination of kids and their mums and
dads, grannies and granddads about the exciting research that is being done in the UK.
Explore your Universe was an outstanding initiative to bring cutting edge science to the
public and inspire a future generation of scientists.”
Through the EYU project, Dynamic Earth has developed and established new relationships with
members of staff from other science centres across the U.K. enabling a unique network of support
and idea sharing. This is an exceptional resource, as collectively we can fast-track development of
the project and continue the Explore Your Universe legacy across the country.
Dynamic Earth has delivered EYU workshops and activities to over 600 pupils and 10,000 members
of the public. Through a variety of events including family shows and opportunities to meet British
STFC scientists and engineers, Dynamic Earth has enthused school groups and the public with the
physical sciences and helped to demonstrate that the possibilities to Explore the Universe are almost
endless!
Inspiring school students and teachers
We have delivered EYU workshops to over 600 primary and
secondary school pupils from P5 to S3 and have received fantastic
feedback about their experiences while at Dynamic Earth. One of
the most popular parts of the workshops has been the hands-on
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use of the fantastic equipment provided by the
ASDC. At Dynamic Earth we made great effort to
run the workshops so that the pupils would be able
to interact with the equipment in small groups
rather than purely through staff demonstration.
Pupils and teachers alike consistently mentioned
the infrared camera and Van De Graaff generator as
being the most memorable parts of the experience.
In the words of the pupils taking part:
“It feels a lot more hi-tech, it is more fun than school.”
“We don’t have all the cool gadgety things to use at school.”
Primary pupils often commented on how much they enjoyed
the experiments and activities. Many remarked on how
much more hands-on the workshops were than their
experience of science at school.
Teachers stated that coming to the centre helps to make the
learning experience uniquely special and that the workshops are an excellent way of motivating and
inspiring the youngsters.
“It was a very positive influence on their view of physics as a modern technological subject.”
“The workshop helps pupils to see how exciting and fun
physics is and that there is so much more to be discovered!”
Many secondary teachers remarked on how much the
workshop supported what they were covering at school. The
workshop has proven to be a fantastic introduction to
certain areas of a complex subject and, for the older
secondary pupils, has acted as valuable consolidation of
their learning. Where possible, we adapted the workshop
content to best fit what was being taught at individual schools so that the experience was relevant,
tailored and appropriate to the age and skill set of the pupils. For example, when taking the
Masterclass as outreach to a local Edinburgh school the teacher had mentioned that the class focus
was currently on telescopes, space travel and using light from space. Although many elements of the
suggested workshop relate to this focus, we made a point of including additional STFC telescopes in
a ‘sort-and-match’ activity, further discussion about what information different ranges of the
electromagnetic spectrum could provide us about the Early Universe and a star fingerprinting
activity using the discharge tubes and spectrometers. This is one of the great things about the kit; it
makes the teaching possibilities very flexible so that we can best support pupils in their learning and
teachers in their CPD. As one of the secondary school teachers who experienced the workshop said:
“I would recommend this workshop as it was stimulating, motivating, interesting and educational for
pupils. It was also stimulating for teachers!”
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Inspiring family audiences
As part of the EYU project we delivered family shows and
Meet the Expert events across the year to a wide range of
audiences and at a variety of different events and venues
across Scotland.
We delivered the family show to over 4000 members of
the public, taking it to Large Hadron Collider exhibition at
the Scottish Parliament, the Dunbar Science Festival, the
Edinburgh International Science Festival, the Big Bang Fair in Glasgow and BBC at the Edinburgh
Festival. The show was adapted to suit each event and
expected audience. For example, at the Big Bang Fair in
Glasgow, the main audience was secondary school
pupils; we therefore we included elements of the
Masterclass to make it more relevant to what they might
be covering at school.
Our biggest showcase for the family show was during the
Edinburgh International Science Festival. Delivered at
Dynamic Earth, and located in the main entrance area, we were able to deliver to over 1600 people.
With the show running three times a day for sixteen continuous days we thrilled and inspired
members of the public from the very young to the very old receiving excited feedback such as…
“I thought Daddy with the wig was funny. I enjoyed being the
hottest.”
“I liked the bit where I was a star and there was a nebula!”
“It was hair-raising! We loved the Van de Graaff Generator.”
We ran the family show during the Edinburgh International
Science festival in correlation with a Meet the Expert event and
STFC funded Dome Shows to provide the most inspiring, allencompassing experience. Both the family show and Meet the
Expert event were free of charge with general entrance to
Dynamic Earth. It was a fantastic addition to what we already
offer and phenomenally well received.
Engaging experiences with scientists and engineers
We ran two major Meet the Expert events as part of the
EYU project, with additional opportunities to engage with
experts at some of our Family Shows. The first was during
the Edinburgh International Science Festival at Dynamic
Earth. Here, the main goal was to give young people and
their families the opportunity to meet real scientists and
engineers who use physics to explore our Universe.
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The theme for the event was ‘Beat the Expert’ where the public
were challenged to compete with an expert at completing an
activity the expert had created. This was to act as a way of
instigating further discussion about their work and was
extremely successful. Many experts said that they enjoyed the
challenge
of
developing
such an activity
and that they gained a lot from chatting with other
experts about their ideas. There were some
inspirational activities such as one developed by
Jakub Bochinski from the Open University. He
challenged the public to try and observe three
astronomical targets using a remote controlled
telescope based in Majorca called PIRATE (Physics
Innovations Robotic Astronomical Telescope Explorer). The challenge was to do this in the shortest
time possible, comparing their times against his. This was a very popular activity. We had some great
feedback from members of the public about their experience meeting ‘real’ scientists and engineers,
as demonstrated by some of our favourite quotes:
“My favourite part was the Lego robots and space probes.” (5 year old).
“My favourite part was chatting to engineers from the Royal Observatory.” (45 year old).
“We’re going to go home and look at [the] telescope, PIRATE. Yes, definitely interested in stars and
space. It was great to meet some scientists working in this area.”
“This is Benjamin’s first time meeting scientists.”
The second big Meet the Expert event was developed to encourage interaction between teenagers
and physics experts (see case study for full details).
Through organising these events we were able to introduce over 5000 members of the public to
STFC scientists and engineers at the forefront of physical exploration; spreading the knowledge and
understanding of the value of their work.
Building new relationships
Being part of the EYU project has encouraged us to engage with a wide array of scientists and
engineers including astrophysicists, solar physicists, cosmologists,
astronomers, biophysicists and super-computer engineers from
the following Universities and science and technology centres:
Edinburgh University
Glasgow University
Heriot Watt University
Durham University
The Open University
The Astronomy Technology Centre (ATC) at the Royal
35
Observatory in Edinburgh
It has been wonderful working with such a diverse range
of scientists and engineers. Not only has it been
fascinating for Dynamic Earth staff to learn about some of
their pioneering work, it has ensured the scientific
integrity of the project. Another clear benefit was
providing the scientists and engineers with a venue and
audience for their public outreach and engagement. It
has been very pleasing to watch new relationships
forming between scientists during Meet the Expert events, as new activities and methods of
engagement are trialled, discussed, shared and developed further. It has also enabled us to offer
unique and inspiring experiences to our Dynamic Earth customers enhancing the overall sciencecentre experience.
One of the best parts of being involved in this project was the fabulous network of support that
developed across the year. The ASDC created a website that acted as a central hub for ideas &
resource sharing and a place where all centres could share their progress and upcoming events. As a
spin-off of this, we began to develop our relationship with a number of science centres and worked
together to ensure the most comprehensive delivery of the EYU activities. For example when
exhibiting at the Big Bang Fair in Glasgow a number of the other Scottish science centres also
brought elements of the EYU kit to deliver various activities from the workshops/family shows. By
working together we were able to ensure every aspect of the project was well represented providing
the best possible experience for the audience.
As a vital part of this project we required an additional and direct marketing push to extend our
reach to a new audience of secondary school physics departments. As a result we have developed
excellent relationships with a number of physics teachers who are now excited about the teaching
and learning opportunities at Dynamic Earth in addition to what we offer through the EYU project.
Embedding the programme and its legacy
The EYU workshops have been embedded into our Education Programme and will continue to be
delivered for the next two years as a minimum. It is also part of the activity programme for our
weekly kid’s club ‘Dino’s Dynamos’ until May 2014.
One member of our Education team is a trained physics teacher and has been assigned the job of
continuing the EYU legacy at Dynamic Earth. She is planning to develop spin-off workshops including
one based around Astronomy. She is also interested in creating additional resources for teachers and
incorporating adult evening events; utilising and developing our links with experts from local
universities and science and technology centres. In addition to this she has been inspired to add to
our newly developing outdoor learning programme with night walks and Astronomy talks around
Arthur’s Seat. We are also considering offering EYU-themed CPD events to primary teachers.
36
Additional outcomes
With our natural focus here at Dynamic Earth being Earth and Environmental sciences, by including
such innovative physics based workshops and activities, we have appealed to a wider audience and
broadened the knowledge base of our staff. The draw of the EYU workshops has helped Physics
teachers who visit Dynamic Earth to see the potential for making links between Physics and Earth
and Environmental Sciences.
Due to the flexible nature of the EYU programme we have been able to take it to a variety of events
and deliver it to a diverse range of audiences. Not only did we take the kit to a number of science
festivals but it was perfect to deliver as part of a community workshop. We did this for Dadswork; a
community project working with fathers. It provides support groups, positive parenting classes,
workshops on the role of fathers, home visits, trips and outings for fathers and their children. It was
wonderful to be able to offer the dads and their children such an exciting fun-packed assortment of
activities.
37
Royal Observatory Greenwich
Introduction and Overview
At the Royal Observatory Greenwich we were thrilled to be involved with the Explore Your Universe
project. Not only did it give us the opportunity to get some amazing new equipment but it also gave
us access to a network of peers and experts (in science communication and academia) where we
could discuss ideas and share best practice.
The education programme at the Royal Observatory Greenwich is set a year in advance so it was not
possible for us to run new sessions for Explore Your Universe, we needed to embed the project in our
existing programme from the outset. Therefore, we took this as an opportunity to redevelop our
existing workshop programme. We incorporated new equipment, refreshed the content where
needed then tested any new aspects with our teachers network before running any sessions.
The sessions we ran were as follows:
o Workshops for Key Stage 3 students.
o Planetarium shows for secondary student visits with extra time afterwards for a Meet the
Expert event.
o Study Days for Key Stage 4 students. These are full days which included a workshop, a
Meet the Expert session, a Masterclass and a planetarium show.
o A science theatre show for families called Atoms to Aliens.
o A programme of talks and lectures with external and internal experts.
We started running sessions at the end of January 2013 and have since engaged 17,417 people with
Explore Your Universe linked activities.
Royal Observatory Greenwich project activity
Engaging with the audiences
Figure 1: One of our experts at a Meet the Expert session.
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2.1.1 Inspiring Students and Teachers
Key Stage 3 workshops - we redeveloped the following of our workshops to include new
equipment:
The Solar System and Beyond
Maths and the Milky Way
Exploring Exoplanets
Our workshops were already well loved and highly regarded by our teachers but adding in new
equipment that wasn’t available to schools really gave them a new lease of life.
Key Stage 4 Masterclass
We were already running a version of a Masterclass as part of our Study Day programme before the
project began. The Explore Your Universe project gave us the opportunity to re-evaluate how those
sessions ran. We enhanced them with amazing equipment and developed a training programme to
accompany them so that even more of our in-house experts could get involved and feel confident
about delivering the sessions.
The Masterclass list we redeveloped was:
o
o
o
Galaxies and Cosmology
Stellar Evolution
Observational Astronomy
School Meet the Expert sessions
As part of our Study Day programme we also ran hour-long Meet the Expert sessions with one of our
in-house experts. This along with their planetarium show session where they would meet another of
our experts meant that in one Study Day students could potentially meet four different experts
through their day.
We are in an unusual and fortunate position at the Royal Observatory Greenwich in that all our
delivery staff are astronomers. This means that as part of our planetarium shows we were easily
able to have at least 10-15 minutes at the end of each secondary school show (for all secondary
visits, not just Study Days) for questions as an extra element to Meet The Scientist sessions (this is
inevitably longer sometimes as student often have lots of questions).
Teacher sessions
We have delivered CPD and ITT sessions during this project. This was not something we did as
regularly before this project so it really has allowed us to identify a need and audience for the
sessions then work with them to develop a format that suits their needs. We plan to run more CPD
39
sessions throughout the coming year which alongside our teacher forum should provide another
level of support to our teachers.
2.1.2 Inspiring family audiences
We decided that the bulk of our family engagement would happen during the Easter holidays and
through the summer at festivals. We were keen to have a science theatre show as part of our offer
but the existing Atoms to Astrophysics format would unfortunately not fit our predefined
programme as we had a science fiction/alien season running and we needed a family show to slot
into that. Therefore, we used the ideas and equipment we were provided with as part of Explore
Your Universe along with prior experience of science theatre show development within our team to
create Atoms to Aliens. The show is packed full of films, games and demonstrations that take the
visitors on a journey to discover more about the world we live in and beyond. We piloted the show
with a local school before running it with families.
Atoms to Aliens was such a success that we decided to incorporate it into the Key Stage 2
programme from September 2013 too as we had already curriculum linked it to that age range.
We also ran drop in Meet the Expert sessions for families and general public where they could come
in and chat informally with one of our experts and ask any questions they had.
2.1.3 Engaging experiences with scientists and engineers
We are unusual in that our delivery staff are all astronomers so finding a scientist was very
straightforward. However, this project provided us with the chance to make some new links with
other scientists and engineers which was fantastic.
Our Summer Science talks saw speakers such as Dr Leigh Fletcher speak about Gas Giants and Dr
David W. E. Hone of the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at Queen Mary, University of
London speak on Planet of the Dinosaurs.
Running these events highlighted the appeal of such a lecture series for students. We are now
developing our Think Space lectures which will take a similar format. These events will not only
involve one expert but also a team of amateur astronomers who will add an extra observing section
to the evening as this is something students have been asking for. The EYU programme
demonstrated that with the right training, scientists and engineers with little or no science
communication training, as long as willing can make excellent communicators the truly enhance the
visitor experience.
Embedding the programme and its legacy
For Explore Your Universe we needed to embed the project in our existing programme from the
outset as our annual programme is defined a year in advance so adding in brand new sessions mid40
year was not an option. Therefore we took the opportunity to redevelop our existing workshop
programme. This meant incorporating new equipment, refreshing the content where needed and
trialling any new aspects with our teachers network before running any sessions. These sessions are
now part of our permanent programme and will continue to run after the project finishes.
The Explore Your Universe Project gave us the impetus to refresh, redevelop and in some cases begin
to develop the following set of activities that started to run from June 2013:
o
Masterclasses - the Explore Your Universe project gave us the opportunity to re-evaluate
how our existing sessions ran. We then enhanced them with amazing equipment and
developed a training programme so that even more of our in-house experts could get
involved and feel confident about delivering the sessions.
o
CPD and ITT sessions– this was not something we did as regularly before this project so it
really has allowed us to identify a need and audience for the sessions then work with them
to develop a format that suits their needs. We plan to run more CPD sessions throughout
the coming year.
o
School lecture series - running the public talks and lectures highlighted the appeal of these
for students. We are now developing our Think Space lectures which will take a similar
format. These lectures will begin in December 2013 and involve not only one expert but
also amateur astronomers who will add an extra observing section to the evening. The
Explore Your Universe project demonstrated that with the right training, scientists and
engineers with little or no science communication experience can become excellent
communicators that can really enhance the visitor experience. We feel confident we can
now work with scientists and engineers to deliver these types of events.
o
Science Theatre show – Atoms to Aliens was such a success that we decided to incorporate
it into the Key Stage 2 programme from September 2013 too because it already had strong
links to the curriculum at this level.
2.3 Building new relationships
This project has been an invaluable way of getting people together from science and discovery
centres all across the UK that would not usually meet on such a regular basis. The network has been
very useful, not only for developing content to slot into our individual programmes but for support
with any problems or difficulties. This has been anything from finding how to use specific pieces of
equipment effectively to marketing to the right audience. The networking sessions have also been
very moral boosting and staff have always come away from them inspired, invigorated and brimming
with new ideas.
2.4 Additional outcomes
The majority of the work done at the Royal Observatory Greenwich is onsite. We do lots of external
talks and have often had stalls at conferences and festivals but science busking was a relatively new
41
idea for the majority of the team. We took part in the Big Bang festival and also the Green Man
festival with a number of the other centres involved in the project. The reaction of the audience
inspired us to look again at what we do at festivals. We redeveloped our busking ideas to
incorporate our new equipment and even created a larger show called A Question of Space. This
combines a lot of busking ideas with a quiz using digital voting handsets for audiences up to 150
people. We are now hoping to take this show to other festivals next year.
2.5 Marketing and promotion
Our marketing budget is relatively modest so we had to be creative with it. As we have incorporated
the Explore Your Universe project into our programme from the outset, when we advertised our
school programme we automatically advertised the Explore Your Universe Project.
Over the past few years we have found that posters with an information section are the best way to
advertise as teachers like to pin them up on their walls and are therefore constantly reminded of
what we offer. Therefore, we incorporated the Explore Your Universe logos and relevant
photographs into our 2013/14 posters for primary and secondary schools that were then posted to
thousands of schools in the local area.
We also used our website and Twitter to promote the programme. The website was reshuffled in
early 2013 with the help of our teachers forum to make sure that content was easy to find.
2.6 Benefits of being part of the Explore Your Universe Project
There are many benefits for our organisation of being involved in such a fantastic project. These are
outlined below:
New networks - this project has been an invaluable way of getting people together from science and
discovery centres all across the UK that would not usually meet on such a regular basis. The network
has been very useful, not only for developing content to slot into our individual programmes but for
support with any problems or difficulties. This has been anything from finding how to use specific
pieces of equipment effectively to marketing to the right audience effectively. The networking
sessions have also been very moral boosting and staff have always come away from them inspired,
invigorated and brimming with new ideas.
New equipment – in a recent teacher forum meeting our teachers told us that one of the reasons
they can justify bringing a group to visit is because we have equipment and expertise that they don’t
have in school. Being able to gain so much fantastic new equipment has meant that our budget for
development of new sessions can now be spent on enhancing what we already have rather than
having to start from scratch.
Profile rising – it is fantastic to be part of such a high profile project that is being so thoroughly
evaluated. Evaluation is something we place a lot of importance on so it is fabulous to think that we
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are feeding into a bigger study that can help all of us museums, and science and discovery centres
really prove that the work we do has a positive impact.
2.7 The Future
This project has been an invaluable way of getting people together from science and discovery
centres all across the UK that would not usually meet on such a regular basis. The network has been
very useful, not only for developing content to slot into our individual programmes but for support
with any problems or difficulties. This has been anything from finding how to use specific pieces of
kit effectively to marketing to the right audience effectively. The networking sessions have also
been very moral boosting and staff have always come away from them inspired, invigorated and
brimming with new ideas. We are keen to do whatever we can to keep the network going and keep
people in touch.
The level of support from ASDC was excellent throughout. I think for the future having now
completed the project it would be useful to have support on very specific aspects of running the
project in each of our centres rather than more general longer conference call support groups. Short
calls that focus on one thing only (like those listed below) at various times of the year would be
helpful moving forward. This would mean that, as in many centres where time is very tight, it allows
those delivering the project to highlight which sessions they need to be involved in:
o
o
o
Marketing – how to engage the right audience on a budget and short timescale.
Evaluation – the logistics of getting the evaluation completed and inputted.
Engaging scientists and engineers - from the basics of where to find a scientist and engineer
to help with sessions to keeping their enthusiasm.
To conclude, this was a fantastic project and we are proud to have been a part of it. The legacy will
live on through our programme and we will continue to build on what has been achieved over the
last 10 months.
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Satrosphere, Aberdeen
Introduction and overview
Satrosphere Science Centre in Aberdeen is very proud to have successfully engaged with 9,175
people between January and November as part of the Explore Your Universe project! Satrosphere is
a small centre with limited capacity and we set ourselves ambitious targets as part of the Explore
Your Universe project but we are very pleased our numbers for the family show have exceeded the
set target of 4,160 by 1,645 people!
The Explore Your Universe project has allowed us to engage with new audiences, expand our
offerings to schools, in particular secondary schools, diversify our public programming and expand
the knowledge of our staff. The project has facilitated the development of reciprocal partnerships
with experts in several universities around Scotland and in so doing has also raised the organisation’s
profile within the community. While we did face some challenges, namely finding experts to
facilitate talks and getting secondary schools to engage with us, we have gained valuable experience
in working with experts and now have a much better handle on what secondary schools are looking
for in science centre programming.
The Explore Your Universe schools workshop and masterclass have been embedded in our
permanent education programme along with a new ‘Bending Light’ workshop for younger pupils that
also uses Explore Your Universe kit and STFC stories. We have also developed a CPD session for
primary teachers using STFC stories to explore space and other primary science topics. We are
thrilled to continue to develop the EYU legacy at Satrosphere and look forward to opportunities that
may arise in the future to work with the ASDC and the STFC.
Engaging experiences with scientists and engineers
We were absolutely delighted to
be chosen to take part in this
prestigious project and could not
wait to get started! We began
right off the mark with our first
meet the expert event on 17th of
January, a Stargazing Live event
with an expert talk- ‘Life on MarsPast, Present and Future’ by
University of Aberdeen’s doctoral
student Sean McMahon. The
Aberdeen Astronomical Society
were also involved and provided
telescopes and shared their
expertise on stargazing with the
public.
Members of the public enjoy Ferrofluid during Magnetise Your
Brain- a Meet the Expert event
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This was the first of ten Meet the Expert events over the course of the 11 months totalling in-depth
engagement with 1,467 people (as this number reflects the number of people who attended a talk
or spent time with experts on the exhibition floor at their interactive stands).
Some of the more successful events we ran included:
Members of the public are
amazed by the levitating magnet
during Magnetise Your Brain- a
Meet the Expert event
Magnetise Your Brain- an expert talk by Michael Stringer of
The University of Aberdeen- this talk was run on two
separate occasions in conjunction with experts from
Aberdeen BioMedical Imaging Centre having an interactive
stand on our centre’s Exhibition Floor, where they used
magnets to engage and inspire visitors young and old alike.
We were very lucky to meet Michael Stringer at the EYU
training academy at Dundee Science Centre.
Vision for the Future- an exhibition and talk by Dr. David
McFarlane of the University of St. Andrews. The exhibition
and interactive talk both showcased millimetre wave
technology and was fascinating as the applications of this technology are vast, ranging from radar
volcanology to security scanning!
Inspiring family audiences
Being a small science centre we rely very
heavily on programming and being involved in
this project has allowed us to add new high
quality and high impact, space and physics
programming to our public showcase. We were
thrilled with the new and exciting Family Show
which ran over the Easter holidays and
embraced space as
the theme for our
public programming
for summer as well.
We developed an
‘Astronaut Training’ workshop for the summer holidays which also made
use of STFC and ESA stories, though we did not count these numbers in
our family reporting. Over the summer, Satrosphere was also lucky to
showcase the STFC Lunar Rocks and 1,431 people were able to engage
with these rocks through a family friendly workshop.
Members of the public see Doppler Radar in
action at Vision for the Future- a Meet the
Expert event
In total 5,805 people saw the Explore Your Universe family show at
Satrosphere or on outreach and conservatively another 2,500 people
would have been exposed to exciting STFC stories as part of our Summer
Graduates of the
Satrosphere
Astronaut Training
Camp
45
of Space programming.
We took the public show on outreach as part of the TECHFEST in September (Aberdeen’s annual
science festival) family weekend where 1,300 people saw the show in just two days! The show has
also featured in the Banff and Buchan College family day sponsored by Shell Education, where the
show was delivered to 200 people in one day.
Inspiring school students and teachers
Our education programme was lacking a space/physics themed workshop and so the addition of the
Explore Your Universe workshops was exciting and valuable for us. These workshops/shows gave us
confidence that we were adding top quality programming which showcases cutting edge research
with fabulous high impact kit! We could not
wait to get started rolling it out to schools!
The bookings came fast and furious for
primary schools, all age groups wanted to
take part, which led to the development of
the new ‘Bending Light’ workshop for lower
and middle primary level. However, the
secondary bookings were slow from the
start, despite the fact that we were offering
free visits for all secondary pupils taking
Pupil experiences a very bad hair day!
part in Explore Your Universe programming
from the beginning of the project.
Audience research and liaison with the target audience revealed the spring term was too busy and
so we hoped that we would have better luck with bookings after summer but they did not pick up
much despite direct targeted e-mails to all of the science department heads in Aberdeen City and
Aberdeenshire. We began to offer the masterclass as free outreach in secondary schools from
September but still had very little uptake. The few schools that did come had very short, sharp visits,
staying only for 1 hour most of the time. It seems timetable constraints was a barrier for engaging
with secondary schools with teachers reporting that taking the pupils out of school is very difficult if
the time cuts into other classes.
Before and after shots of memory metal demo- note how the expressions have changed!
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All the secondary schools that did attend really enjoyed themselves and the teachers were surprised
at the quality of the workshop, how well it aligned with the curriculum and the way it put the theory
into a real world context for the pupils through the science stories of the STFC.
We engaged with 1080 pupils and 143 teachers in the schools workshop and just 192 pupils and 12
teachers for the masterclass. We will continue to work to prove that Satrosphere can make a
valuable contribution to informal learning for secondary schools. As the centre is largely seen to be
suited to younger children it is a stigma we
have been working to overcome for some
time now. Continued involvement in
national projects such as the Explore Your
Universe project certainly helps to raise the
centre’s profile and attract these new
audiences for relevant and meaningful
learning experiences.
We were also pleased to be able to include
the Explore Your Universe programming into
some science communication training we
facilitated for S6 (Year 12) Science
Ambassadors. This is an Aberdeen City
Teacher at CPD trying out home made spectroscope
programme where these pupils work to
support science learning in their local
primary school. These pupils will now go out into their feeder primary schools to engage classes
there with science, either though supporting the class teacher or running workshops/activities
themselves. The EYU masterclass provided a unique opportunity for the pupils to see different
demonstration techniques within a context relevant to their own studies.
We also ran a very successful CPD session with 21 primary teachers using STFC stories as a vehicle to
convey science outcomes from the Curriculum for Excellence. The session showcased the Explore
Your Universe kit and also gave the teachers ideas and experiments that they could easily implement
in class using STFC stories as a starting point for topical science projects.
For younger pupils we have created a new EYU
‘Bending Light’ workshop that focuses on light and
how it is used to learn about the universe. We ran
this workshop at TECHFEST in September
(Aberdeen’s annual science festival) and it was
very effective; the pupils loved it and the teachers
felt it matched the curriculum outcomes in a very
practical way.
Teachers at CPD using EYU spectroscopes
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Embedding the programme and its legacy
To continue the legacy of the Explore Your Universe project at Satrosphere we have embedded both
the schools workshop and the masterclass into our permanent education programme in addition to
the new ‘Bending Light’ workshop that we have developed for younger primary aged children. We
have also added the primary teacher CPD to our offerings for teacher training, also in our permanent
education programme. We will look for new opportunities to include the Explore Your Universe kit
and the STFC stories into our public programming and we are sure to feature a new version of the
Explore Your Universe family show in the second half of next year. As a result of the Explore Your
Universe project Satrosphere was inspired to seek and secure funding for our own inflatable
planetarium which we will use to continue to inspire our visitors with scientific breakthrough in
space and physics.
Our staff have benefited greatly from the expertly put together information folder, the extensive
training sessions and the conference calls. The information was shared with our Exhibition Floor staff
and they are now confident to conduct high level physics demos even though this is not an area of
expertise among any of our current staff. It is also fantastic to know that we have the contacts to
call for help or support should we need it, be it from other ASDC members or from experts at the
STFC. The networking and sharing opportunities allowed by this project have been invaluable to
Satrosphere and we intend to maintain and continue to nurture and grow these relationships.
We at Satrosphere would like to thank the ASDC and the STFC for selecting us to be part of this
fantastic project; it has provided excellent training, and support every step of the way. We would be
keen to see further development of the secondary programming as this is an area we would still like
to develop and an audience we need support to engage with. Perhaps if we could have more access
to STFC experts and could create a science festival type of event where we could engage many
schools at the same time, having them rotate though a masterclass and several expert talks all in one
visit we would attract more secondary audiences.
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Science Oxford
Introduction and Overview
Science Oxford is the public brand of The Oxford Trust, an independent charitable trust that was set
up in 1985 to ‘encourage the pursuit of science and enterprise’. Science Oxford has worked in
partnership with STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in Didcot, Oxfordshire for over 20
years, and the ‘Explore Your Universe’ (EYU) project was appealing because of the opportunities that
it provided us to develop and extend our partnership. In particular, since 2003 we have had the
contract with STEMNET to run the STEM Ambassadors programme for the region and RAL were the
first local organisation to make STEM Ambassadors part of their own education and engagement
strategy. We currently have over 100 STEM Ambassadors at RAL and they provide a key focus for our
collaboration. It was also obvious to us from the outset that we would only reach the target
audience numbers in the time frame by closely working with staff and STEM Ambassadors at RAL
and by using the opportunities presented by their own ongoing outreach programme as well as our
own. This approach extended beyond RAL to other partners too, such as the University of Oxford
Department of Astrophysics, Oxfordshire County Council and local museums and attractions.
STFC RAL researchers and STEM Ambassadors experiment with the IR camera
Inspiring School Students and Teachers
As we are a small science centre, visited mostly by primary schools, the educational strand of the
project was delivered mostly as outreach in schools around Oxfordshire, as well as via school events
at RAL and school visits to Science Oxford.
Following our own training, we developed the 10-13 Workshop as an interactive presentation (or
show) as we felt the resources were more suitable to this format. We redeveloped the slides so that
photos and illustrations were larger and could have more impact and selected and developed
activities that would work best as demonstrations or allow for whole audience participation. We also
liaised with staff at RAL to ensure that stories from their site were incorporated into the script. Two
versions of the show were created – one suitable for Year 6 pupils (called The Space Show) and one
suitable for Year 7-9 pupils (called the Explore Your Universe Show). In total we presented 14 shows
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to the 10-14 age group, two of which were the Year 6 version (booked as part of a visit to Science
Oxford). In total we reached 719 pupils from 20 different schools.
Explore Your Universe Show with presenter Brian Macken showing new presentation slides
Our development of the 14-16 Masterclass followed more closely the outline provided by our
original training, with sections focused on the EM Spectrum as well as particle physics in the 2 hour
version. In practice, schools were more interested in the 1 hour version as it was a better fit to their
timetables and we tended to deliver the EM Spectrum section as it had wider appeal and more
accessible demonstrations. We also found ourselves delivering the masterclass to both Year 9 pupils
(either gifted and talented pupils or as preparation for Year 10) and Year 12 pupils (schools choosing
to bring older pupils to an event aimed at Years 10-11). In total we delivered 15 masterclasses to 355
pupils from 8 different schools.
Pupil looks at a ‘moon pot’ as part of ‘The Space Show’ at Science Oxford Live
For both teachers and pupils the kit featured in these sessions was a key highlight as well as having
an opportunity to see how the science connected to work being carried out by STFC researchers (at
RAL and beyond). It should be noted that in order to reach the audience targets in the timeframe we
had to deliver most of our school sessions free of charge, whereas we would normally charge
schools for this service.
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Inspiring Family Audiences
Most of the family shows were performed at our small science centre Science Oxford Live. As a small
centre with a small audience reach, we had to use the EYU resources to develop four different family
shows so that we didn’t keep promoting the same show to the same people. These shows were
called – ‘The Super Cool Show’, ‘The Light Fantastic’, ‘The Space Show’ and an overall ‘best of’ – ‘The
Explore Your Universe Show’. Our centre then closed at the end of June 2013 as a consequence of
our longer term plans and a move to a new site, so from this point we had to make use of a range of
other venues for family shows – including schools, local museums and attractions, the Green Man
Festival (a new venture for us) and at RAL. In total we performed over 25 family shows to 1850
people. In most cases we were able to generate some revenue through our delivery of family shows
– either via selling tickets or direct payment from venues.
Boy with the Van de Graaf generator at the end of a family show at RAL
Engaging Experiences with Scientists and Engineers
The partnership with RAL was especially useful when it came to planning and delivering
opportunities for the public to ‘Meet the Expert’, making good use of the project kit such as the
meteorite samples, IR camera, plasma ball, UV light and spectroscopes. Together, we enabled over
5000 people to talk to STFC researchers through 20 different events in a wide variety of locations.
The events took place not only at RAL and at Science Oxford, but also at places such as
manufacturing plants (BMW), university departments, race courses, town squares, theatres and arts
centres. Audiences were mostly family groups but also included school pupils, Scouts and PGCE
students. The interactions were facilitated by simple activities and demonstrations and we ran two
local training sessions to help us to develop this strand of the programme – one at the University of
Oxford Department of Astrophysics (18 attendees) prior to a big public event that they were holding
in January 2013 and one at RAL (12 attendees).
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Researcher demonstrating with the plasma ball at a ‘Meet the Expert’ event
Almost all of the ‘Meet the Expert’ events were coordinated by other local partners, with Science
Oxford supporting researchers via our original training, as well as in person on the day and through
the provision of relevant EYU kit. For events not run in science establishments with STFC funded
researchers (e.g. a Careersfest organised by the Oxfordshire County Council at BMW Oxford) we also
took responsibility for recruiting the scientists. We reached an agreement with RAL that we could
count audience numbers towards our ‘Meet the Expert’ target if we had either directly trained the
researchers involved or were present on the day ourselves to assist with the interactions with the
public.
Embedding the Programme and Its Legacy
The four different family shows that were developed using EYU resources (‘The Super Cool Show’,
‘The Light Fantastic’, ‘The Space Show’ and an overall ‘best of’ – ‘The Explore Your Universe Show’)
are all likely to be performed again to family audiences in different settings around Oxfordshire as
part of our ongoing programme. For example, we will be performing ‘The Space Show’ at Chipping
Norton Theatre in February 2014. We now have three new additions to our schools outreach
programme as a consequence of the project – a’ Space Show’ for upper Key Stage 2 pupils (9-11
years), an ‘Explore Your Universe’ show for Key Stage 3 pupils (11-14 years) and a Physics
Masterclass for Key Stage 4 pupils (14-16 years). These were all included in our 2013-14 school
brochures.
Marketing and Promotion
We used opportunities provided by the project to increase our own social media activity (Facebook,
Twitter) and to generate local press releases. This led to interviews on Radio Oxford in December
2012 and March 2013 as well as an article in the local press in April 2013. The role of Marketing
Manager for Science Oxford was made redundant at the end of March 2013 as it was closely related
to the existence of our science centre which was closed in June. This meant that we weren’t able to
capitalise on opportunities provided by the project as much as we would have liked to.
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What the Project has Meant for Your Organisation
Our delivery team have really valued the opportunity the project has given them to increase their
own knowledge of the research that takes place at RAL and how RAL teams and departments
contribute to larger international projects (such as MIRI – one of the infra-red instruments on the
new James Webb Space Telescope that was developed by a team at RAL). It is this knowledge, as
well as the project kit and new personal contacts that will enable us to develop an ‘Explore Your
Universe’ legacy through our ongoing education and public engagement programmes. Certain key
items of kit, such as the Van der Graff generator, the plasma ball and the IR camera are also likely to
be integrated into a number of other existing shows too, and we will continue to link the use of such
items to STFC contexts.
Girl experiments with the plasma ball at the end of a family show at RAL
The Future
In terms of the future we would really value an ongoing supply of STFC stories and updates that we
can link to our use of the EYU kit as part of our school and public programme. We are fortunate that
we are situated so close to RAL and we are planning a post-project meeting with their public
engagement team to discuss how to best work together to secure a legacy for the project in
Oxfordshire.
Brian Macken from Science Oxford talks about solar research carried out by STFC RAL
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Winchester Science Centre (formerly Intech)
Introduction and overview
Winchester Science Centre is a leading hands-on science and discovery centre dedicated to
engaging, enthusing and inspiring people about science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The independent educational charity, which runs the Science Centre, was formed in 1985 as a
strategic initiative with local government and businesses, to address the shortage of young people
entering technical careers at both the regional and national level. In 2008 the Science Centre opened
the UK’s largest capacity planetarium, a state of the art digital immersive theatre, which boosted
school and public visitor numbers and adds a new and exciting facility to the centre. Since opening
its doors at the existing site in 2002 visitor numbers have grown and there is still potential for
further growth. Today the total number of visitors is 155,000 of which 32,000 are students visiting in
school groups.
The Science Centre was delighted to be selected to be a core partner in the Explore Your Universe
(EYU) project. This enabled the science communication team at the Science Centre to expand the
programme being offered through both formal and informal learning opportunities. It also offered
joint-learning to be shared throughout the EYU science communicators within the entire
partnership.
Inspiring school students and teachers
As part of this project the Science Centre delivered a series of workshops targeting different age
groups, offered as in-reach and out-reach. These workshops proved a useful showcase the STFC
technologies and equipment, which most schools would not usually have the ability to come in
contact with. The Science Centre has a wide catchment of school groups, both in ability and sociodemographic profile. Through involvement with this project 1,219 school children and their teachers
were engaged with EYU, helping to inspire and encourage science teaching and learning in the south.
To add value to this project, parts of the Science Shows were also incorporated into a specifically
designed planetarium show using our presenter-driven Uniview system. It included thermal imaging
demonstrations and smart materials showcase with illustrations of the real- world applications in
astronomical research and weather systems on the planets. Alex Boxley developed an "Explore Your
Universe" interactive lecture about particle physics and this is now included in the new education
brochure
Inspiring family audiences
The science communication team and the panel of experts both presented events aimed at families.
These took place on and off-site. These sessions were a great success and all those in attendance
enjoyed the opportunity to ask their questions, receiving detailed and accurate answers. The science
communicators and experts were able to describe their professional roles by outlining their daily
activities in the workplace. This had a particular impact on the younger members of the audience,
many of whom commented on how they were inspired to explore STEM career options in the future.
A large number of families viewed the live Science Shows and also individually participated in the
hands-on sessions, with experts showcasing the equipment.
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Engaging experiences with scientists and engineers
The panel of experts greatly assisted with the impact of the overall programme presented. Two
examples of this are the events that took place during World Space Week, with employers from a
range of STEM employers including Astrium and Arqiva involved in delivery of events, and the 90 live
planetarium shows that were presented in the STFC mobile dome which was taken by a team of 16
people from the Science Centre (experts and science communicators) to a large public festival called
CarFest. A number of pieces of EYU equipment were included within these planetarium shows over
the three days. A written quiz was also offered which over 150 people completed over the course of
this event. Feedback from audience members was that they were fascinated with the practical
application element of the knowledge that they had obtained and delighted to have met experts in
the field.
Embedding the programme and its legacy (including inspiring staff, and any items that have been
included in other areas of your programmes)
There were a number of changes to the science communication team during the project. The
delivery of the EYU project assisted to provide excellent team building opportunities and to offer
clear deliverable elements to add into the new programme of activities which resulted. The
introduction of live Science Shows for the general public provided a creative outlet for the team. This
also offered training opportunities, with staff training (for example) SEPNET and EXCEL students.
Building new relationships
A number of new relationships have come through delivery of this project. This includes STEM
employers and STEM Ambassadors (as a number of STEM Ambassadors trained to use the
equipment as part of the programme.) In addition a key relationship with SEPNET, through their
student placement programme, was formed. The partnership with The University of Southampton
was further strengthened and through this project work took place with their EXCEL students.
Additional outcomes (e.g. tell us if you worked with disadvantaged groups, new audiences,
festivals and other partners)
A home educator’s programme is being trialled.
Marketing and promotion (including digital media, newspaper coverage, etc)
A variety of marketing elements were implemented as part of this project. This ranged from posters
and adverts, through to utilising the EYU banners at public events such as The Winchester Hat Fair
and CarFest, where the public engagement offer was delivered.
What the project has meant for your organisation (increased profile, new capabilities, increase
confidence of staff, increased breadth of content, new partners, etc)
This has been a hugely valuable project for the organisation. It has enabled the Science Centre to
work with other core project partners, to share learning, to develop new strands, to work with
experts and to expand the overall formal and in-formal programme.
The future - what has worked well and what you would like to develop or improve. What would
you want to see more of in the future, what would improve the programme?
Two elements:
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-
It would be useful to work on the creation of additional learning materials (on-line resources
etc.)
Each of the partners could perhaps trade their different versions of workshops and shows
which they developed as part of this programme (as they will by the end of the project have
been adapted)
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