What a great opportunity to bring science into the school routine. But what makes them tick is a great idea … so here are a few that were prepared earlier. First of all, did you know that on each of the two ASE CD-Roms sent out earlier in Science Year, there's an idea for a science assembly? You can find these right here on our website as well. The first one is all about cloning and its ethical implications - click here to access it. The other one is about space exploration, and the arguments as to why it should or shouldn't be funded. This one features downloadable images to illustrate the assembly. Access it by clicking here. And here’s another great one: MORAL DILEMMAS – BROUGHT TO LIFE. AND DEATH. Created by Ian McHale of St Georges High School, Blackpool – he’s prepared the script for you and everything. This assembly is a bit like a balloon debate in which three characters from history appear before the students and each try to convince the pupils that they were the best … However, they are then joined by the Grim Reaper, who tells a rather more ghoulish side to the story of their contributions to science. Ian picked Alfred Nobel, Marie Curie and Fritz Haber – but you can of course replace these with your own characters as you wish… Here’s the script: "Welcome to this mornings assembly, this is the first in a sequence of science assemblies to celebrate the fact that it is science year and to get you thinking about science past and present and how it can change our lives. The theme of the week is moral dilemmas and to help us look at this I have 4 people. First 3 famous scientists, Alfred Nobel, Marie Curie and Fritz Haber. Each of these scientists will tell you what they have done to make our lives better. Then our fourth guest The Grim Reaper or Death will explain what they have done to damage or ruin many peoples lives. Your job is to listen very hard to each person then decide which person would we most like to remove from history, removing all the good and bad effects of this person’s discovery. You will have today to discuss it then you will be asked to vote tomorrow morning during registration. So listen very carefully. First Alfred Noble Alfred Nobel Hello my name is Alfred Nobel, you may have heard of me because of the Nobel Prizes. These are awarded every year to people who have made great advances in particular areas such as physics and chemistry or even peace. The winners receive cash and great prestige. I set up the Nobel prizes using the fortune I made from selling my inventions around the world. In 1867 I patented my most famous invention, dynamite. Dynamite was a safe convenient way of storing the explosive nitroglycerine so that it could be used for construction work, it helped to build roads, tunnels and canals across the world. Some people said it could be used as a weapon but I knew it was much to terrible for anyone to use it in such a way. I invented lots of things during my lifetime including synthetic rubber and silk in fact I patented 355 inventions which I feel is an excellent contribution to our world. But what about another point of view? Grim reaper 1 Alfred Nobel what a noble inventor he was, he never thought dynamite could be used as a weapon. Hmmm. Dynamite was one of the most destructive forces of the 19th century, it killed thousands and only a fool would not have realised how it was going to be used. Alfred's father was also an inventor, he invented mines which floated just below the surface of the water and destroyed several British ships in the Crimean war. It obviously runs in the family. Alfred was so obsessed with using nitroglycerine he kept working on it even after his brother died during their experiments, a real humanitarian. In his older years he was reported to have died which gave him the chance to read his own obituaries. He was horrified to see himself described as the dynamite king and merchant of death. His guilt for all he had done made him invent the Nobel prizes, don’t be fooled, he did more for me than you. Thank you, now to hear from Marie Curie Marie Curie In 1903 I presented my ideas about radioactivity to the scientific world. I had studied the element radium and coined the words ‘radiation’ and ‘radioactivity’. I received two Nobel prizes for my work. The work almost killed my husband, we didn’t realise how dangerous it could be. Radioactivity was used to help patients suffering from cancer. This was my initial idea but research into radioactivity has lead to all sorts of advances: nuclear power, irradiation of food, all sorts of real progress for the human race. During world war one I used my expertise to set up mobile x ray units which my daughter and I took to the front line to help as many people as we could. I am very proud to be one of the most famous and successful female scientists of all time and am very proud of everything I achieved. And again what does the grim reaper have to say? Grim Reaper 2 Yes Marie Curie did achieve a lot, she opened up a whole new field of science and a whole new field of death. Her daughters worked with her in her later years, and her son in law Fred worked with scientists in France who went on to work on the Manhattan Project in the USA. The Manhattan Project made the first two atomic bombs in the world which were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Millions died, war, and the world changed forever. Generations of people were affected by the bomb dropped years ago. Even when bombs are not dropped the people of Chernobyl can vouch for the fact that mistakes in nuclear power stations can last longer than a lifetime. During her life she was a noble and innovative scientist but her discoveries have led to mass destruction. I am her biggest fan. Finally lets hear from Fritz Haber Fritz Haber I am not as famous as my two fellow scientists but I like to think that my contribution has been as important. I worked on a process to make ammonia from its two constituents nitrogen and hydrogen. Ammonia is an incredibly useful chemical, it can be used in fertilisers and can produce better crops around the world. In this overcrowded world we need to be able to grow as many crops as we can, as efficiently as we can. Ammonia is a vital ingredient in fertilisers it provides plants with the nitrogen they need. I feel this is an essential discovery for the human race. I also received a Nobel prize for my work. Death, is there anything you would like to add? Grim Reaper 3 There certainly is, Fritz has been economical with the truth. Firstly he did not make ammonia to make fertiliser, this was a happy coincidence. Ammonia is used for explosives and this is why he was working on it, his discovery of the Haber Process is thought to have extended the first world war by a yea. Thousands more died because more explosives could be made. He was also very involved in the use of chemical weapons in world war I He was the driving force behind the use of chlorine gas in the trenches, a particularly cruel way to die. Although he never showed remorse for his work his own wife committed suicide because she could no longer live with the guilt of being married to such a man. Unfortunately before world war II he was kicked out of Germany because he was Jewish, who knows what else he might have come up with to help death if he had worked with the Nazis. Thank you all, now it is up to you. It is never easy to decide if a scientific discovery is always good for everyone, some people may not use it as we expect. Think carefully about who should be removed from history to make the world a better place and what good uses will also be removed. A real moral dilemma. The choice is yours, you can vote tomorrow and we will publish the results for your year and all of the other years in the science block." LIGHT UP ASSEMBLY sent by Janice Jee of Englefield C E Primary School, Berkshire "Light the bulb" QUIZ SHOW Quizmaster and contestants e.g. Mr Copper, Mrs Wood, Ms Plastic and so on, and the big question, the catch phrase, is 'can this contestant light the bulb?' The idea is to show electrical conductors and insulators done as an over the top quiz. It helps if you have an extrovert quizmaster, and have large pictures of unlit and lit bulbs that the contestants hold up. Used to great effect!! Go back