 |
 |
|
|
|
1. Scicast: And the Nominations are...
 Ladies and Gentlemen, we are very pleased to announce the nominated films for the Planet SciCast Awards 2008.
Best Chemistry Film
- Combustion - Helston Science
- Can Liquids Flow Uphill – The Latchkids
- Ionic Bonding – Waldegrave School
- Turboturds – Team Titch
Best Biology Film
- The Richmond Park Deer – BB Films
- Reebops – St Marys
- Grow Your Own Body Parts – Queen Mary
- Flu Animation – Eagle Eye 3
The Institute of Physics’ Best SciCast Physics Film (all winners of the regional SciCast Physics Awards)
- Physics of Roundabouts - Dizzy
- Solids, Liquids, and Gases – Eagle Eye 2
- Under Pressure I – Carbon-12
- Electrostatic Charges – The Van de Graff Girls
- Vinegar Rockets – Simply Super Simple Science
- Central Locking – Joey’s TY Physics
Best Engineering Film
- Why Did The Millennium Bridge Wobble? – The Clown Fish
- Tinkerers and EMP Launcher - Tinkerers
- Magnets and Rollercoaster - Go
- Structural Engineering in Action – Helston Science
Best Entertainment Film
- Space Balloons – Eagle Eye
- Under Pressure III – Pupils Under Pressure
- Refraction – Vibrant Films
- Turboturds – Team Titch
Best Film by a Team which includes Primary School Students
- Around the Universe in 2.5 Minutes - Marshions
- Flu Animation – Eagle Eye 3
- Heartbeat – Badminton Young Scientists
- Breaking News – Eagle Eye 4
Best Film by an All Adults Team
- Floating and Sinking – Declan Fleming
- Attack of the Enzymes – Demented Schoolgirl Productions
- Combustion and Stoichiometry – Helston Science
- Friction (Sticky Books) – Back of An Envelope Productions
Best Technical and Artistic use of Film... Film
- Tinkerers and EMP Launcher - Tinkerers
- Magnets and Rollercoasters - Go
- Aerofoils – Gideon Farrell
- Refraction – Vibrant Films
Best Unpublishable Film
(This is a new category – some of the films sent to us were really great, but deemed unpublishable for either copyright issue reasons, or because whilst the people in the film were safe, it was felt that children copying them may not be!)
- Methane Bubbles – The Boyz In Green
- How to Curl a Football – St Pauls Sports Science Team
- Bermuda Triangle – M & H Productions
- Electricity Through Glass – Coseley TV
Best Film, the Juror’s Grand Prize
- Richmond Park Deer – BB Films
- Turboturds – Team Titch
- Solids, Liquids, and Gases – Eagle Eye 2
- Refraction – Vibrant Films
- Physics - Stronger Than The People Who Study It? – Starlink
Category winning teams get a ‘SciCastie’ block award, and medals as in the picture, and £250 of Amazon Vouchers, so well done, and good luck to all the Teams! The winners will be announced on the 15th April.
A list of the films with links to them all is available at the SciCast Blog
Note: There was an Earth Science Category, but no entries! So you know how to have a good chance of winning a ‘SciCastie’ next year...
If you do want to make a film for Planet SciCast in the summer term – or any time between now and the deadline for next year’s awards, the 9th Jan 2009, please register your interest.
If you do, you will be richly rewarded with a pack containing our Handbook for Producers, posters, a 'Scilence! SciCast Filming in Progress' sign and more.
|
|
<<< Back to Top |
|
 |
2. The Big Experiment
|
 |
|
 The Big Experiment, a six series science programme aimed at GCSE students is a series of programme in which scientists perform inspiring yet shocking experiments to the most unenthusiastic class of children in a bid to inspire them to (not only!) pass their GCSEs. The series are curriculum approved and it aims to get even the most unmotivated of students excited by science.
As part of the programme, there are study aids to accompany each episode. The study aids contain an overview of the experiments, key lessons that students need for their studies as well as exam preparations.
Grab the study guide for the episode two which is free for all to use.
The second episode will be shown on Thursday at 9pm on the Discovery Channel and it’ll be repeated on Sunday at 6pm. You can catch up with the first episode on the Discovery Channel website.
|
|
|
|
|
3. Stump the Scientist
|
|
|
 This week’s query comes from Janice Hodge of Greneway Middle School
“My maths has fallen by the wayside... When we are teaching year 5 about dissolved gases we cheerfully weigh a bottle of Fizz, give it a shake and gradually release the gas. Repeat this several times it is surprising that you can see several grams difference before and after shaking. Now in theory if we know the weight of carbon dioxide we should be able to work out how much volume of gas this represents at standard temperature and pressure. You see - I really want to know how much burp there is in a can - and as you can understand - so do year 5.”
If you can help or have a burning question of your own then send us an email with STUMP THE SCIENTIST in the subject line to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk
|
|
|
|
|
4. Activity of the Week:
|
|
|
Linking very nicely in to an activity about bubbles and gas... Smooth Planet Science, ve – ery smooth.
 Floating and Sinking Bubbles
You will need:
- A high sided basin: a small fish tank or see-through aquarium is best.
- A bowl which fits in the basin or tank.
- Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).
- Vinegar: you'll need about twice as much vinegar as sodium bicarbonate.
- Good quality bubble mixture and wand.
What you do
- Place the bowl in the basin and a fill it a third full with sodium bicarbonate, making sure the sodium bicarbonate is spread out
- Fill the bowl up with vinegar and very gently give it a stir to make sure all the sodium bicarbonate is reacting, and take your hand out without stirring up the air in the basin too much.
- After a few seconds, start blowing bubbles above the tank so they sink down into it. Don't blow them straight into the tank as you risk blowing the carbon dioxide out.
- If there is enough carbon dioxide in the basin, the bubble will begin to hover over the bowl.
What's going on?
The sodium bicarbonate and vinegar react and release lots of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide molecules are heavier than air (which is made up of mainly nitrogen and oxygen), this makes carbon dioxide gas more dense than air. The carbon dioxide sinks to the bottom of the basin. The bubbles contain air and are less dense than this carbon dioxide layer, so they float on the top of it in the same way that wood floats on water.
Gases can travel through the skin of the bubble: they dissolve in the bubble, which is made primarily of water, and they also evaporate out of the bubble. Under normal circumstances the amount of air moving from the outside of the bubble to the inside is the same as the amount of air moving from the inside to the outside - so the bubble remains the same size. When the bubble is next to the carbon dioxide layer the bubble grows. As carbon dioxide is more soluble in water than air, more carbon dioxide moves into the bubble than air moves out of the bubble, and to balance out the pressures the bubble must grow. The bubble then starts to sink, for the same reason as floated earlier: now that the bubble is filled with carbon dioxide it is more dense than air, and at the same density as the surrounding carbon dioxide layer, so gravity takes over and the bubble ends up at the bottom of the basin.
This activity was taken from the Planet Scicast site.
Keep checking back for new films and, whilst you’re about it - how about submitting one of your own?
|
|
|
|
|
5. Mouses at the Ready
|
|
|
 Eureka! The Museum for Children is a magical place where children play to learn and grown-ups learn to play. Based in Halifax, Eureka! is the leading museum of its kind in the UK and gives children aged 0-11 and their families a fun-packed day out.
 This Easter it’s time to get your explorer’s hat on for The Dinosaur Dig at Eureka! The museum is going prehistoric this March and April with a dinosaur dig where visitors can hunt for dinosaur bones and fossils. Taking place from 21 March-13 April 2008, The Dinosaur Dig will give children and their families a great opportunity to find out more about their favourite primeval monsters. The Eureka! Park will be transformed into a dig where children can become a palaeontologist for the day, look for relics, learn about how and when dinosaurs lived, get creative with fossil-rubbings or curl up in a giant ribcage for dinosaur story tales.
To find out more about Eureka! visit www.eureka.org.uk
We have TWO family passes to give away. If you’d like to win one then email us with your name and address, and the words ‘DIGASAURUS’ in the subject line, to planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk.
The draw will take place at 5pm on Wednesday 19th March.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
March Magnetic Quiz
Aah... March! The month of magnetism! (Well, it is here on Planet Science anyway.) If you haven’t played Polarity yet then this is your big chance as it’s the prize for our new magnetic majestic quiz. Positive people who feel the force most strongly and attract all the right answers will go into the draw to win a game.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
New Activities from Planet Science
The Little Watering Can is a new interactive game for our very youngest visitors to Planet Science.
Hats Off to Science! is about those transferrable skills that science gives you. It’s for science teachers of 11 – 15 year olds, and comprises a collection of activities and profiles of role models.
Total Spanners! is a party for children (and adults!). Adding engineering as a featured subject to our ‘Little Horrors’ Halloween party, ‘Little Darlings’ girls sleepover party, the Undersea Party, and Space Party, all jam packed with as much science as we can spanner in.
|
|
|
|
|
|
DESIGNING DARWIN - competition
Organized by the British Society for the History of Science Outreach &
Education Committee.
Details and poster available online.
This competition celebrates the bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th birthday of his most famous work, On the Origin of Species in 2009. Prizes are offered for original designs that best illustrate the significance of either (or both) of these anniversaries.
Entries can be submitted electronically as
- A poster up to A3 in overall size
- An illustrated essay of 500 words
- A PC screensaver
There are three age categories for entrants, a prize of £100 being awarded in each category:
- 11-14
- 15-18
- 19+
Deadline: May 6th 2008
Enquiries to outreach@bshs.org.uk
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Science of Survival – teacher’s preview evening
The Science of Survival explores some of the most pressing issues facing us today, including availability of global resources and climate change, whilst showing us a sustainable future is possible, positive and exciting.
A Special Event for Teachers @ The Science Museum, London
Tuesday, April 1
6.30-8.30 p.m.
Teachers will be the first to see the exciting new exhibition, The Science of Survival. They will meet the development team with the chance to ask questions and discover how the educational resources relate to the curriculum. Plus enjoy a glass of wine and nibbles!
Enter a free raffle to win special prizes
Please book directly with the Science Museum by contacting: edbookings@sciencemuseum.org.uk
|
|
|
|
|
|
RSC Bill Bryson Competition
Calling all budding science communicators! If you're passionate about science and keen to get your message across, then this competition for you!
The competition is judged in two categories:
- primary school
- and secondary school.
All formats will be accepted, for example:
- posters
- PowerPoint® presentations
- school magazine articles
- information leaflets
- work from a science or after school club.
Cash prizes of up to £500 will be awarded to the best entries. An awards ceremony will be held in November during Chemistry Week.
Entries can focus on anything related to how science supports the world of sport - from methods used in drug testing, to enhanced sportswear or equipment, to specialised training techniques.
Closing date: 31st May 2008
For more information please the RSC site.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Making a Mint
If you’d like our free mint seeds to grow, poster etc. (even if you don’t want to run the enterprise part of the project) please do sign up for a pack, there are some left.
www.planet-science.com/outthere/mint
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7. Recommended website of the week
|
|
|
 If you think it’s a bit on the parky side at the moment then just be glad you’re not in Antarctica! The HMS Endurance Tracking project aims to increase everyone’s knowledge of the environment as a whole and show how the Royal Navy contributes to a better world, shaping our lives beyond their traditional military capabilities.
HMS Endurance is the Royal Navy’s sole Ice Patrol Ship. Flexible, capable and unique, she deploys each year in the autumn from her base port of Portsmouth in Hampshire, to the cold and ice of the Antarctica austral summer where she carries out her operational duties for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the British Antarctic Survey and the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office.
Follow the adventures of Anchor Bear through a photographic diary of his travels and supporting worksheets for Key Stage 1.
Read an account of diving in Antarctica. Plus get up close and personal with penguins. Including the rare albino penguin – bless the little pigment-less chappie. And you can find the answer to why there are no penguins in the Arctic.
By the way, if you’ve got a good website to recommend then send it along to us
at planet-science.news@nesta.org.uk with RWW in the subject line. Thank you very gladly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Remember last week when we were offering you three big human body posters?
The lucky winners are Rose Hummerstone of Canterbury, Sarah Van Baalen of Cornwall and David Williams of Warwickshire. Well done everyone! Prepare to be amazed (and make sure you’ve got a spare door to display it on!).
|
|
|
|
|
|
9. Joke of the week
|
|
|
A scientist, trying to prove his theorem, was doing a large experiment with liquid chemicals when he fell into the vat and became part of the solution
And because that’s such a short one -
The strong young man at the construction site was bragging that he could outdo anyone in a feat of strength. He made a special case of making fun of one of the older workmen. After several minutes, the older worker had had enough.
"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" he said. "I will bet a week's wages that I can haul something in a wheelbarrow over to that building that you won't be able to wheel back."
"You're on, old man," the young guy replied.
The old man reached out and grabbed the wheelbarrow by the handles. Then he turned to the young man and said, "All right. Get in."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
