SCIENCE YEAR NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 47 Week ending Friday, 14th December 2001 Attention all shipping: another tidal wave of Science Year news heading towards your vessel. Science-related updates, events and quizzical facts veering westerly throughout UK. Information content fair to good, hopefully increasing to gale force at times. Jokes as ever moderate to poor, backing southerly with occasional drizzle. Batten down your hatches! Area forecasts for the next screenful or two: 1. Send a friend an E-SNOWFLAKE 2. Attention all you BRIGHT YOUNG SCIENCE WRITERS 3. ASE CD-ROMS arrive in SCOTLAND 4. BBC TV's ROUGH SCIENCE - expert assistance requested 5. Steve Jones's LECTURE RESOURCES now online 6. Funding wishes could be GRANTED by Royal Society 7. Chip in to help out the ALTERNATIVE ENERGY CENTRE 8. Where does all that SQUIRREL POO go? 9. Question of the Week: getting to the bottom of SNOW 10. Unforgettable MNEMONICS 11. Wrap up for our recommended WEBSITE OF THE WEEK 12. Woops two slight APOLOGIES (but no diamond companies involved) 13. JOKES First of all ... an alternative to sending out those old-fashioned cardboard greetings cards to your nearest, dearest and colleaguiest. Tony Stiles from Science Year’s web studio Telepathy has been burning the midnight oil and drinking the midnight coffee creating the BEST SEASONAL E-CARD IN THE WORLD EVER! And it doubles as a screensaver. It takes the form of a delicate yet constantly moving snowflake in space, reminiscent of a kaleidoscope image ... Guaranteed give any computer screen a seasonal touch of class. Have a look for yourself - and then send it to a friend or ten. YOUNG SCIENCE WRITERS AWARDS From images to words, and the quest to find the next generation of individuals who can write about science in a way that’s clear, accurate, easy to get to grips with ... and enjoyable to read. For the past fourteen years, the Daily Telegraph has been actively engaged in scouring the country to find new science communication talent through its UK-wide competition, the Young Science Writer of the Year Awards. Roger Highfield is the Science Editor of the Telegraph, and himself one of the UK's leading science writers. He helped set the original competition up, and he says it’s never been more worthwhile. "Having judged thousands of entries and met dozens of winners, I feel as enthusiastic about the awards today as when we set them up in 1987," he says, "and the standard of entries today is higher than it has ever been." Good job too – because we need all the engaging writers we can get at a time when our lives are increasingly shaped by science and technology. As Roger puts it, "Science is the primary driving force of modern culture, from its profound effect on the economy and health to its application in high technology and the endless ethical issues thrown up by biological research. This competition serves a key role in helping the public make sense of science by encouraging young people to engage with leading edge research, making that work known to a mass audience and helping to find tomorrow's popularisers." This year the competition is being sponsored by the chemical company BASF, and supported by Science Year, and you can link directly to the Awards from here. There are two age categories in the competition, 16-19 and 20-28, and there are a range of prizes in each category, topped off with an all-expenses-paid-trip to one of the biggest science-fests in the world, the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. And having your work published in such a prestigious environment won’t do one's future career any harm either... many previous winners have gone on to become journalists with publications such as New Scientist. You'll find all the competition information you need on the site - from the nuts and bolts of how to enter, to tips from experts on how to write about science. There are also examples of previous winners' work to give you a further taste of the range of subject matter available and how it's done. Good luck to all entrants - go for it! ASE CD-ROMS - SPECIAL DELIVERY TO SCOTLAND Those complimentary classroom-resource CD-Roms developed for Science Year by the ASE are now winging their way up north. Thanks to funding from SEED (the Scottish Executive Education Department) the first two of the CD-Roms, 'Who am I?' and 'Is there Life?' are now on their way to Scottish secondary schools. So if you’re a teacher there, keep an eye on your post. NB you don't have to register for these CD-Roms, they'll be sent out automatically. The even better news is that references to the 5-14 Guidelines will now be included in the teachers' materials on the forthcoming CDs 3-5 (although the first two currently only refer to the English curriculum). And it's full steam ahead in Scotland in other ways too. Science Year co-ordinator Fiona Selkirk posted this pre-Christmas bulletin: "The Scottish Science Year team is running hard to catch up with the rest of the UK. We're working on our website, which will have lots of useful links back to the main Science Year site (we don't believe in reinventing wheels up here!) as well as a comprehensive database of events and activities happening in Scotland. "We're investigating, studying and costing the possibility of bringing to Scotland some of the special events being planned for Science Year and also for making more of the superb resources available up here too. So keep watching this space! In the meantime, if you are in Scotland and planning something special for Science Year, or the BA's Science Week in March, or even if you already do great things in Science and Technology but we don't know about it - please, let us know and we'll put you into our database." To get in touch with Fiona and the Scottish SY team, send an email to: scotland@scienceyear.com or call the freephone number (0800 731 2773). ROUGH SCIENCE TEACHERS WANTED Meanwhile, did you hear the one about the five scientists who were stranded on a remote island with no modern technology, and told they had to work out where in the world they were ... in just three days? This was the opening scenario in last year's award-winning BBC2 'Rough Science' series. (And yes, they did manage to pinpoint their location on the map with startling accuracy, through some amazingly ingenious thinking and doing, eg. the radio made out of a saucepan which enabled them to pick up a crucial time signal from the outside world...) A year, and many science-based challenges later, a second series of 'Rough Science' has now been filmed and is due for broadcast in March 2002. This time, the programme has joined forces with Science Year, and there are going to be devilish ‘Rough’ challenges that everyone can have a go at featured on both the Rough Science website and Science Year’s. But these challenges are not going to be easy ... oh no. We can't give away any specifics of what'll be involved at this point as it’s all currently locked in a huge box with TOP SECRET stamped across it, but let's just say the challenges will appear weekly, and the appliance of science and a bit of lateral thinking will be called for. To open up the competition to as many people as possible, we would like to recruit a help-panel of ten science teacher type people, who will be able to provide tips and advice by email to challengers if they find themselves a bit stuck... Does this sound like your kind of thing? It doesn’t matter if you're not actually a teacher, what we're looking for are switched-on individuals who know their scientific principles inside out and have the sort of inventive minds that can fashion a working washing machine out of a couple of old blankets and a wire coathanger - or could at least have a spirited try at it! As a reward for your help, you'll get a. the chance to be involved in a prime time tv programme b. the chance to meet Kate Humble and the Rough Scientists and c. a Mimeo kit – which if you’ve not heard of it before, it’s described as a "portable conferencing solution" on the box (American accent optional) but how it works is, you attach it to your whiteboard, hook it up to your computer, and voila, you have an electronic whiteboard. What more can we say?! Please email anne.mcnaught@scienceyear.com if you’d like to put your name down or get more details. And you can check out the previous series’ website at: http://www.open2.net/science/roughscience/ STEVE JONES'S LECTURE RESOURCES Not rough, but definitely ready, are the online resources following Steve Jones's lecture last month, 'Did Adam meet Eve?' If you missed it, the lecture was all about sex. Mention of which naturally secured the audience's full attention right from the outset. He didn't exaggerate though Professor Jones, his talk WAS all about sex, genetics and our ancestors - with fascinating links, curiosities, anecdotes and digressions along the way. The transcript of the lecture and other online materials are now available - free - from the top shelf of the Science Year website. Click here ROYAL SOCIETY PARTNERSHIP GRANTS The Royal Society are at it again. Giving away money with the simple desire to mix working scientists and engineers in with the school population, so as to foster scientific understanding and appreciation amongst young people. Here's what they say... "Over £115,000 has been awarded to schools during the first year of the Partnership Grants scheme, enabling teachers to work with a practising scientist or engineer, so why don't you apply? "Your project must involve pupils between the ages of 5 and 16 and be a creative investigation. You can apply for travel and teacher supply costs plus the equipment needed to carry out the project. Grants range from £250 - £2500." The next closing date is Friday 8 February 2002. If you have any questions or would like to receive an application pack, please contact Kirsty Brown at kirsty.brown@royalsoc.ac.uk, or visit the Royal Society website on www.royalsoc.ac.uk/education. FOR SALE: ONE SLIGHTLY RE-USED PLOT OF LAND Over the last 25 years, the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales has been working and self-sustaining as a long-term experiment/demonstration of how an environmentally-friendly approach to lifestyle can succeed over the years. In this time, the inhabitants at the Centre have created a range of buildings, large-scale displays and other structures, and they've developed the area into a thriving wildlife habitat. The next step is for the Centre to buy the land underneath it all, which they haven’t owned previously. Owning the land will ensure the Centre’s long term future. As they put it, "Our home is too precious to lose. It is not just a beautiful and inspiring place - it also has a quarter century of investment, blood, sweat and tears - and a wealth of history. And it is a real home to many of our staff, including most of our volunteers, who are a living community testing all of the technologies we promote." So - they're asking for YOUR help. They need to raise around £300,000 to secure the land, and all contributions are extremely welcome. All donations should be sent to: Jacquetta Dean, CAT, Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 9AZ. For more information visit their website at: www.cat.org.uk . SMALL AND A BIT LIKE RAISINS And so to squirrel poo. Two weeks ago, Bob Sutton wrote to us with the following poser, which stemmed from the fact his school grounds are overrun with squirrels. As a science teacher, he had been put on the spot by another member of staff who’d been wondering about something… He wrote: "I was recently floored by an enquiry from one of my colleagues from the maths department - whose preoccupations are obviously on a different plane from my own... So many squirrels, so little poo - in fact none (as far as the casual observer can tell!) So come on," he challenged, "all you rodent experts: where do they squirrel it away, squirrels?" Well it's no good looking at the Science Year staff for that kind of high level stuff. Fortunately however, our partner Science Line were on hand and the answer is as follows. - yes but first, what's YOUR guess? OK, the correct answer is: As members of the rodent family, squirrels produce droppings like a mouse. These are not very big, about the size of a raisin, thus they are quite difficult to spot. The colour doesn't help either - the droppings are light brown. If you did go looking for squirrel droppings where you knew squirrels were nesting you would probably find some, but they do tend to be quickly degraded by coprophilic bacteria and fungi (those living entirely on poo). You can find more information on squirrels at: http://www.squirrels.org/t_faq.html Does this help, Bob? Hope so! Any other nature questions, anyone? SNOW Science Line have always been excellent value for money, as their remarkable question-answering service is COMPLETELY FREE. This week is no exception as they gave us the squirrel poo answer for nothing - and another question as a bonus ball. Here it is: What are the ideal conditions for snow? Dry and cold or wet and cold? The in-depth answer can be found at: www.sciencenet.org.uk/database/Geography/9810/g00113d.html. ... and if you've got any other questions for Science Line, visit their website at www.sciencenet.org.uk. Or give them a ring on 0808 800 4000, the lines are open from 1pm - 7pm Monday to Saturday. HEAVENS ABOVE Not content with giving us two questions this week, Science Line have also tipped us off about some heavenward goings-on over the next several days. All we need is for the clouds to clear. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all high in the sky over the next week - and the very best evening to see them will be tomorrow, the 15th. And you may even be able to see Jupiter's moons if you have a telescope... The International Space Station is also visible at the moment, in the early evening. To find out exact time and the direction to look for where you live, visit the website at: www.heavens-above.com . (And if you find the information confusing in any way, Science Line invite you to give them a ring and they’ll talk you through it). And you’ll just need to be away from light pollution. It’s speedy though – crosses the sky in a couple of minutes, so make sure you’re not fiddling with your thermos flask when it happens! RECOMMENDED WEBSITE OF THE WEEK This week we’d like to direct your mouse towards a supercool url, www.antarctica.ac.uk, the British Antarctic Survey’s site. The BAS, if you’ve not heard of them before, are a large and dynamic research organisation. Amongst many other achievements, they were the ones who first discovered the ozone hole over the South Pole, but their research is exceedingly diverse and their website is packed with news and information about all things Antarctic. They’ve even got what presumably would be called a ‘lifestyle’ section about living and working in the Antarctic – and check out that page about diving under the ice. You’ll need to revive with a hot cup of tea after just looking at the photo… APOLOGIES Last week we may have confused you with our link to the Crocodile Clips site. There was a hyphen missing! And in cyberspace, these things are obviously crucially important. The url should have read: http://www.crocodile-clips.com. Aha, yes that makes more sense now… And also, when we mentioned (and praised) the "awesome" links site at www.sheffcol.ac.uk/links/Science/ , we attributed all that good work to Sheffield University, when of course we meant to say, Sheffield College. Huge grovelling apologies for getting that wrong. Fortunately the newsletter-writer responsible is now on the waiting list for a brain transplant and will hopefully become a more accurate typist in the new year also… Meanwhile, apologies again. MNEMONIC CORNER Back to planetary matters. Can you still remember what order those planets occur in? Of course its: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, (Asteroid belt), Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. Or "My Very Energetic Maiden Aunt Just Swam Under North Pier" as we learned last week. Amongst various other catchy mnemonic phrases. We have been sent a new one, submitted by top Man Utd fan Chris Smith of Stone in Staffordshire: 'ManU versus Everton. ManU Just Scored Using Nine Players'. (But back on Earth, can they win the league, Chris?) On a mathematical note, P Whitehead sent us in "An easy way to remember how do to sines, cosines and tangent functions: SoHCaHToA. Sin. Opposite Hypotenuse, Cos. Adjacent to Hypotenuse, Tan opposite Adjacent side." So there's no excuse for forgetting! JOKES What MORE fun? What's the world of science coming to? Dave Hart at the BBSRC is the person we have to thank for the followng mathematical/historical diversion… "While on a visit to America long ago, Pythagoras visits a Indian settlement, where he is introduced to the chief. He sees three women, each sat on an animal skin with their children, around the campfire. Pythagoras is intrigued by this, and asks the Chief to explain. 'These women are my wives. This wife has borne me two male children, and to honour her I killed a Buffalo so she may sit with our sons upon its skin by the fire. The next wife has borne me three male children, and to honour her I killed a Grizzly bear so that she may sit with our sons upon its skin by the fire. But my other wife has borne me five male children, and to honour this I killed a hippopotamus so she may sit with our sons upon its skin by the fire.' Pythagoras thought for a while, looked at the chief and said ... 'So the sons of the squaw on the hippopotamus are equal to the sons of the squaws on the other two hides." * * * * * * * Fruit jokes Q. What is Ba(na)2? A. A banana. Hideous puns Q. What do you do when you find a dead chemist? A. Barium Q. What is the purpose of a Doctor? A. Helium Wince - SORRY! Seasonal joke found on the kids' site www.funology.com: Q. What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire? A. Frostbite There you go - now there's no excuse for not being the life and soul of your Christmas party! ... and if you want more, check out the Christmas Science Joke site at http://www.xs4all.nl/~jcdverha/scijokes/Christmas.html. Enjoy! ANY OTHER BUSINESS No other business... except to say as ever, please get in touch if you have any questions or contributions for us. Any teachers' enquiries should be sent to: Sci.teach@scienceyear.com Any other news, contributions for the newsletter, jokes or web-related ideas to: anne.mcnaught@scienceyear.com And have a great week!