SCIENCE YEAR NEWSLETTER - ISSUE 57 Week ending Friday, 8th March 2002 In other words, this is the day that begins Science Week. [cue FANFARE] If by any chance you've not heard of Science Week - firstly, that's amazing! And secondly - here's what you need to know: Science Week runs from today until the 17th of March (a value-added 7 days by anyone's reckoning). What it is, is an annual bringing-together of science- and technology-related events for everyone. It’s snowballed in size over the last few years, and all round the UK there will be activities, demonstrations, talks and you-name-it-someone’s-doing-it projects taking place in venues large and small. So no matter where you are, you should be able to find something that's right up your street, down your microscope or across your cosmos ... More about all that in a moment, but first, here’s what we have in store in this newsletter: • SCIENCE WEEK uncovered • DISCOVERY DAY at the Royal Albert Hall • The EDUCATION SHOW starts in Birmingham... • … with READY STEADY SCIENCE experiments a go go • Reminder about that £1m WORTH OF FREE SCI/TECH KIT for schools • HIT THE LIGHTS! – with our new optics quiz • BALLOONS RELEASED to celebrate Scottish Science Week • WELLCOME TRUST CENTRESTAGE – come see their shows • Discussion group launched for S.E.N. Professionals • ISAAC NEWTON EXHIBITION • Longitudinal ASSEMBLY idea • Investing in NANO-TECHNOLOGY conference • Royal Society’s SUMMER SCIENCE EXHIBITION • JOB OPPORTUNITY for physics guru – reprise • Another doggone Q & A from SCIENCE LINE • Recommended DINO-WEBSITE of the Week • CHALLENGES of the week • JOKES of the week • AOB SCIENCE WEEK Back to Science Week. There are so many events going on, make sure you know what you’ve got to choose from in your area. To find out, visit the British Association for the Advancement of Science's website at http://www.the-ba.net - scroll down to 'Science Week' in the Quick Find box. The BA are the organisers of Science Week so all events are registered with them – and if you click on their map of the UK where you live, you’ll get a list of what’s going on in your area. Have a peruse and be inspired! If on the other hand you'd like celebrate the week with an experiment or two at home or at school, but you don't know where to start - we've got a few ideas up our cyber-sleeve you might like. Tell you about those in a moment. Meanwhile: > top A HALL OF A LOT OF SCIENCE at ‘DISCOVERY DAY’ Yesterday the Royal Albert Hall in London was alive with the sound of … not music, but science. Prince Albert himself would certainly have approved of the ‘Discovery Day’ initiative as, when he originally conceived of the Hall, he was just as concerned with promoting the sciences as he was with the arts and academia. But what would His Royal Prince Consortness have made of a dayful of 4000 school kids and teachers charging around from box to box and bar to bar, doing everything from making-their-own-slime, to inspecting NASA moonrock samples, to re-creating the chemistry of comets and ducking/whooping as (real) birds of prey circled around the auditorium? Well, he’d probably have loved it – everyone else did. And hats off to the BA for an extremely well organised event which set the tone for today’s launch of Science Week. > top THE EDUCATION SHOW If you’re a teacher you’ll know all about the annual Education Show, which this year is taking place at the NEC in Birmingham. If you’re in the area and you’ve not been along yet, you still have a chance as it’s open tomorrow (Saturday) too. As the name suggests, it’s all about communicating the latest in educational developments and resources. There’s a huge range of seminars on offer, and you can see the full list on their website at http://www.education-show.com . Entry to the show is free, and the seminars cost £10 + VAT for the first one, then half price for others. Free - and indeed priceless – are the experiment activities being performed by the Science Year team. These lively edu-tainment science demos are going by the name of ‘Ready Steady Science’ and ‘Sensational Science’ – and SY team have spent several weeks honing their skills, popping glucose tablets, and watching re-runs of old Blue Peter programmes to make sure their presentation skills are second to none. So roll up roll up if you happen to be anywhere the NEC tomorrow… Surely only a crazy fool would want to miss this?! > top READY STEADY SCIENCE Whether or not you make it to the Education Show though, you can still have fun with those ‘Ready Steady Science’ experiments. Your kitchen on a gloomy/rainy/snowy Sunday afternoon (as per current forecast for this weekend) is the perfect place for some home science. With minimal equipment, you’ll be able to create an active mini-volcano, power-up a soap-propelled boat, or reconstruct how the moon got to look the way it does with the intriguingly named ‘Cocoa-Craters’ activity… Instructions and tips for all these activities and more are online on the Science Year website - click here. > top WHO WANTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR £1 MILLION OFFER? Just a reminder that as part of the Science Year KitPot, the Royal Society is giving away £1 million of schools’ lab equipment to secondaries throughout the UK. It would appear that not all schools eligible have yet taken advantage of this amazing offer. But we think you should! There are NO strings attached. The scheme works like this: secondary schools throughout the UK each have the chance to choose one piece of science kit and one piece of design & technology kit from a pre-selected range. Teachers will also have access to training and resources relating to their chosen equipment, and will have the chance to purchase other kit at heavily discounted prices. The objective is to allow more students than ever to gain practical experience of carrying out experiments using high quality equipment similar to that found in university and industrial research laboratories. Examples of the pieces of kit on offer are: a temperature datalogger for portable use and long-term measurements; a smartcard control system to enable pupils to access the technologies; an electronics ‘factory’ for building and investigating circuits. All schools have been notified by now with details on how to apply for the equipment, so if all this sounds of interest, hunt around for a purple and black coloured folder with The Royal Society, Middlesex University and Science Year logos on top and bottom. If you absolutely can’t find it anywhere, you can fax and ask for the information to be sent again to: 020 8447 0340. Meanwhile, you can check out the science kit available at: http://www.sep.org.uk. And ignore the 28th Feb deadline it mentions … you have a few extra days to get in there. > top HIT THE LIGHTS! And talking of illuminating state-of-the-art equipment giveaways… Who’s for a groovitating ‘Double Disco Ball’? It may not be as educational as the Royal Society offer – but it’s got other good points. Like being MAD! A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words, so you here's a photo to get the full idea of what this remarkable device does. Suffice to say, Saturday Night Fever can now happen anywhere, anytime if you’ve got one of these and a power source to hand. Thanks to the Gadget Shop, we have three of these to give away, and all you need to do is submit a 10 out of 10 scorecard on our new online optics quiz, Hit The Lights! Feeling switched-on? Click there right now. LAST SEEN HEADING TOWARDS FINLAND… News just in: at 10.30am today, pupils from local primary and secondary schools were joined by weather-woman Heather Reid (she of the Giant Jump rain-tastic Scottish launch in September) at The Big Idea inventor centre at Irvine. Hundreds of balloons were released to mark the launch of National Science Week 2002 in Scotland, and the challenge for pupils was to predict where they will end up… Quite far away, that’s for sure – as there were south-westerly winds gusting up to 40 mph at the time of release. Using Met Office data, one school group made potentially the most accurate prediction, namely that their balloons would end up somewhere in the North Sea – or even as far as Finland. We’ll keep you posted! > top SCIENCE CENTRESTAGE – Wellcome say you’re welcome For the past few months, the Wellcome Trust have been working with schools on a project for Science Year called ‘Science Centrestage’. Groups of students have been invited to create dramatic works exploring contemporary scientific issues, and they’ve been enouraged to develop their ideas in collaboration with professional actors AND scientists. The objective is to see how drama can bring contemporary scientific issues to life and help pupils and their teachers, families and communities think about the impact of modern biomedical research on everyday life. The results should be very interesting – and well-informed. And you are most welcome to go along and see the performances for yourself, as six of the most innovative works are to be performed onstage around the UK. These regional performances take place over the next fortnight and details are listed at http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/centrestage . > top DISCUSSION GROUP LAUNCHED FOR S.E.N. PROFESSIONALS If you’re involved in teaching science to pupils with special educational needs, here’s news of a newly established discussion group that may be of interest to you. Adrian Fenton has been working with the Association for Science Education and the National Association for Special Educational Needs, and he’s formed an email discussion group, titled ‘Inclusive Science and Special Educational Needs’. He says, "The intention is to bring together schools, teachers and organisations with an interest in this area, to encourage networking. There are over 100 registered so far and it is intended that this number will continue to grow. It enables topics to be discussed and to share good practice." If you’re interested in getting involved, email Adrian on adrianfenton@ase.org.uk or potential users can subscribe to the list by sending an email to issen-request@freelists.org with 'subscribe' in the Subject field. Adrian adds, "If there are any schools catering for students with special educational needs who are doing events for Science Year/Science Week then I would be very pleased to hear from them. I was also pleased to speak to the Oxford Trust about their Science Centrestage drama work - there are a few special schools involved with this which is great to hear." > top ISAAC NEWTON BROUGHT TO LIFE Not literally of course, but if you are one of the many people fascinated by the man who revolutionised everything in science right up until Einstein revolutionised it again, here are details of an exhibition that may whet your appetite… It’s called ‘Footprints of the Lion: Isaac Newton at Work’ and it’s on display in Cambridge University Library Exhibition Centre. The exhibition features many of Newton's own letters and notebooks, some concerning his argument with Leibniz over the invention of calculus, others discussing his work on the refraction of light, some on his attempts to turn base metals into gold, others detailing his weekly expenses, (including laundry bill, and amounts lost at playing cards!) Also on display is Newton’s deathmask so you can literally peer into the face of genius. And there’s a prism which is reputedly one of the original ones used by Newton in his experiments with light. The aim is to show that being a great scientist was hard and sometimes physical work. Newton didn't suddenly 'discover gravity' because an apple fell on his head. He was a methodical thinker and hard worker, for whom falling apples were a typical manifestation of the mysteries he tried to untangle. As part of our ongoing series of lectures, there are still 2 more to go, the latter during Science Week. Again, admission is free. The exhibition is open Mon-Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 9am to 4.30pm until March 23rd. Admission is free. And there are two lectures happening too … Tuesday 12th March, 5pm A private scholar and public servant - Simon Schaffer Tuesday 19th March, 5pm Isaac Newton at work - Scott Mandelbrote > top LONGITUDINAL ASSEMBLY IDEA On a historically-related subject, if you’re a teacher and still looking for science-based themes for school assemblies, Jeremy Thomas of Launceston College in Cornwall emailed in to share his experience with you. Showing how best-selling history can be adapted to a young audience very effectively… He says, "(This assembly) is based on the 'Longitude' story in Dana Sobel's book. It can be very inspiring because it's about an 'ordinary' bloke, John Harrison, and how he won the greatest scientific prize of the day despite the prejudice and wheeler-deeling of his enemies in the scientific establishment. "As an assembly, it can be told as a story, illustrated by students holding model ships, globes, clocks, £20000 etc., or the more ambitious could try a mini-drama presentation (I've never been that brave, but the story always goes down well)." And Jeremy wins this week’s £25 voucher for cool-school ideas… > top INVESTING IN NANO-TECHNOLOGY The Institute of Nanotechnology would like us to pass on details about a meeting they’re holding on March 19 at the Royal Society in London. This is the second such meeting and follows on the phenomenal success of the initial conference back in Spring 2001. At this meeting, top industrialists, scientists and investors will be able to network and discuss real applications of nanotechnology and its future potential. The meeting is specifically targeted at the investment community - brokers, business angels, venture capitalists, and investment fund managers and a rosta of key industry figures has been lined up for the day. For further details, including online registration, please email Julie Strang on julie@nano.org.uk or look at their website, http://www.nano.org.uk > top THE ROYAL SOCIETY'S SUMMER SCIENCE EXHIBITION And another Royal Society connection. The crocuses may be barely sticking their heads out the ground yet, but it’s never to early to register yourself (and your class if you’re a teacher of post-16 students) for the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition. Twenty leading researchers will be convening in London to present their work at the Exhibition, offering a mixture of cutting-edge science, multi-media displays – and of course opportunities to mingle and network with the best. The exhibition is a great opportunity for students to find out what is really happening at the forefront of the science subjects they are studying. Chemistry, Biology, Physics and IT are all represented in the work of the research teams. Free, high-quality resources will accompany the exhibition enabling to allow teachers and students to undertake preparatory work, and follow up anything if interest after the exhibition. You can explore last year's exhibition online at http://www.sc1.ac.uk - a science website created for 16-19 year olds. And if you’d like to visit this year’s event, download the registration form from the Royal Society website http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk/education and return to Kirsty Brown by Friday 3rd May or as soon as possible. For more information contact; Kirsty Brown, Education Officer, The Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG. Tel: 020 7451 2561. Fax: 020 7451 2693. Email: kirsty.brown@royalsoc.ac.uk > top JOB OPPORTUNITY FOR LATERAL THINKING PHYSICS TEACHER We’ve mentioned it before, but here it is again – because they’re still seeking that perfect candidate… If you're a physics teacher with an interest in innovative teaching and a soft spot for computer software, Immersive Education wants to hear from you. They are an Oxfordshire-based software company, currently aiming to capitalise on their award-winning educational programme ‘Kar2ouche’, software that enables children to animate four of Shakespeare's plays. What they want to do this time is find a secondee who could extend their dynamic concept into physics teaching. Here’s the information they have for the successful candidate: "Working in Oxford, you will have the opportunity to apply your lateral thinking at every stage of the development process. You will conduct research, work with artists and programmers, run focus groups, trial the software, write support materials and liaise with local broadband consortia and Oxfordshire schools. Immersive Education is offering a bursary to fund this secondment, which will be paid directly to the school. The programme is underpinned by a management development programme run by HTI (Heads, Teachers and Industry) and contributes to accreditation for a Diploma in Management Studies." If you are interested you should contact Michelle Nursey at HTI on 024 7641 0104 or email m.nursey@hti.org.uk for further details. Full details are also available on the news section at http://www.hti.org.uk > top SCIENCE LINE QUESTION OF THE WEEK Is… ‘How much better are dogs at smelling than humans?’ And you can find the answer in the Science Line files at: http://www.sciencenet.org.uk/database/Biology/9706/b00736d.html Have a look at their other questions and answers while you’re there – they’ve got loads. And you can post your own question too. Or you can ring them, their lines are open from Monday to Saturday 1pm-7pm, on 0808 800 4000. Don’t delay, ask a science question today! (Oh – and it’s a completely FREE service – have we mentioned that before?) > top RECOMMENDED WEBSITE OF THE WEEK Last week we featured a site that featured audio files of birds’ songs … and this week, we have a site from Scientific American that features an audio file of a dinosaur’s roar. OK, a simulation – but based on scientific measurements and reconstructive techniques. Have a listen – ah, the sweet sound of the Parasaurolophus … there’s nothing quite like it. http://www.sciam.com/explorations/121597dinosaur/ > top CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK x 2 1. The NGfL Environment Challenge Test your green-ness and help protect Britain’s woodland while you’re at it… Check it out at: http://www.ngfl.gov.uk/environment . 2. The EPSRC Science Race is also up and running for Science Week and you can find out more at http://www.epsrc-sciencerace.net . The Science Race has been going for several years now, but this year there’s a new aspect to it – an online science-based Treasure Hunt that’ll take you to the four corners of cyberspace… > top JOKE OF THE WEEK Two this week - don't say we're not good to you. And the theme is: creating humans... First, thank you very much to Gill Hurst for sending in the following: Three scientists were in their lab one day and decided they were so smart they didn't need God anymore. One of the scientists went outside and starting talking to God. "God, we have decided that we don't need your help anymore, and to prove this, we want to have a contest. We believe we can build a human from scratch faster than you." God replied, "Ok, I'll take your challenge. Whoever makes a human first wins." Excitedly, the scientist raced inside to tell the others. A moment later they came out ready to begin. The first scientist reached down to grab some earth - when lightning forked out of the sky down towards his hand. And God said, "Get your own dirt!" And there's just time for one more: Four engineers were sitting around one day trying to figure out who might have designed the human body. The first one says, "I think it might be a Mechanical Engineer, because of joints and muscle and sense of balance." The other three nod their heads and say, "Yeah, could be." The second one says "Hmmmmm - I think it might be an Electrical Engineer, because of the nervous system and neural network." The other three nod their heads and agree, "Yeah, could be." The third one says "I think it might be a Chemical Engineer, because of hormonal balances and metabolism." And again, the other three nod their heads and say "Yeah, could be." Suddenly, the fourth one snaps his fingers and shouts out "I know! It HAD to have been a Civil engineer!" The other three ask "Why?" "Well," he says, "who else would put a waste water drainage right through a recreational area?!" > top ANY OTHER BUSINESS What? That wasn't enough? No other business to report this end, but if YOU have events, information or inspirational cool-school-science ideas, please send them in to us. All contributions gratefully received, and as many will be included in the newsletter as is humanly possible. Bye for now - and have a great Science Week! > top