A STEM Ambassador's involvement can engage and enthuse both students and teachers. If you are interested in asking a STEM Ambassador to assist you can make your request here. We’ve created brief guides to encourage both STEM Ambassadors and educators to use the self-service. 

Teen Science Cafe

A new exciting club is coming to ‘Xplore!’ – the Teen Science Café (TSC)! An innovative and fun club which will bring the latest Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) straight to the teens attending. They will be inspired and excited about STEM subjects by bringing them face-to-face with people who work in STEM fields and engaging them in an interactive way and through discussion. And the TSC, which will run in ‘Xplore!’ monthly, has an innovative model of learning as the Teens themselves will run and shape the TSC – under the supervision and support of Adult Leaders. Therefore we are looking for ready and enthusiastic teens between 13 and 19 years old to join the Teen Leadership Team ready for the launch of the Teen Science Café in September. Please share about this and refer anyone with interest to us by contacting teenscicafe@xplorescience.co.uk. There will also be a separate welsh-language Teen Science Café too. Thanks!

CAER Heritage Hidden Hillfort Project Innovation award

The project is a collaboration between ACE & Cardiff University which works with local people and schools to discover and uncover the amazing 6,000 year heritage of Caerau & Ely. 

STEM Ambassador staff and students at Cardiff University School of Archaeology lead this very successful initiative.  The team are working with 3 local primary school pupils and teachers toarchaeological test pits in school grounds and create an exhibition for a new Hidden Hillfort Heritage Centre at Caerau Hillfort

STEM Ambassadors Dr Dave Wyatt and Ollie Davis are project Directors and recently won an award for their work over the lockdown last year Innovative archaeology in the time of the pandemic - News - Cardiff University

The ‘Big Dig’ asked community members around the Hillfort to conduct a ‘mini dig’ in their gardens. Their finds would be identified and examined by professional archaeologists.
‘Cupboard Archaeology’ involved a class of yr 5 pupils and 39 families uncovering the past by looking at ‘buried treasures’ in their homes

CAER Big Dig 2 will take place this Summer - with cross curricular learning outcomes and resources.
There is an exciting future anticipated where pupils and families learn about the rich heritage from the past on their doorsteps - with STEM Ambassadors

Energy Quest

Energy Quest 2021 is underway! Physics teacher Ed Male of Ysgol Harri Tudur in Pembrokeshire was the first to book this new version of the workshop which is funded by Shell and delivered by Engineering UK. 

We have some free dates left this term and have started taking bookings from September.

This new version of Energy Quest puts students at the centre of the action. By putting themselves in the shoes of engineers, young people explore different energy sources and investigate energy transfer as they design a solution to power a mobile phone.

Delivery is interactive – the facilitator takes the lead, until an urgent request for help comes in from Carlotta who has a challenge for students who are then guided to unlock their engineering capabilities. To help join the dots, students have the opportunity to meet young people who were just like them a few years ago, to see how they progressed into an engineering career.

Book a workshop for your students. It’s a great way to revisit core curriculum content and to bring relatable role-models into the classroom. Contact llinos.misra@see-science.co.uk to book this workshop for your KS3 class.

The Chemistry of COVID workshop is proving popular! Suitable for years 7 and 8, it explores micro-organisms, the spread of infectious diseases, COVID-19 and vaccines. Hands-on activities include ‘Build a virus’ and ‘Design a mask’. We have a couple of dates available for this term (contact llinos.misra@see-science.co.uk) but for those that miss out, the resources will all be available on our website in September.

Spotlight on CGI: Innovating Careers for students. Tuesday 15 June 4 - 5pm. Online

CGI STEM Ambassadors are launching their new STEM offer at a session for teachers in Wales only

CGI is among the largest IT and business consulting services firms in the world, offering end-to-end IT services and IP-based solutions for government and industry clients. With 6000 members across the UK, CGI have 21 offices, including Bridgend and St Asaph in Wales.

This session will cover an introduction to CGI, our EmployABILITY programme and an overview of our Apprentice Programmes. We currently offer Higher and Degree Apprenticeship opportunities in Wales and have been ranked as a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer.

Suitable for teachers and STEM Ambassadors. Details and booking here.

Financial Foundations secondary school workshop for Teachers and STEM Ambassadors. Thursday June 24, 4 - 5pm. Online

Confidence in managing budgets and finance is a key skill for all pupils and an important pillar of the curriculum, including health and wellbeing.

To assist teachers STEM Ambassadors from Nat West will introduce you to their Financial Foundations workshops covering year groups in Secondary Schools. These workshops are delivered in schools but can also be experienced in online classes.  Suitable for teachers and STEM Ambassadors this session will cover Financial Skills as key skills and help Health and Wellbeing.
STEM Ambassadors will gain experience in how to develop an interactive session to engage 15 yrs + students.  Book here.

ASE Cymru - Chemistry in the Curriculum for Wales. Tuesday 6 July 4.30 - 5.30pm. Online

This session will explore the Royal Society of Chemistry's Chemistry in Curriculum for Wales: curriculum planning support (progression step 4), including how to best use it. We will look at how different progression statements are linked and how chemistry skills and knowledge can be taught in a local, relevant context. There will be an opportunity to discuss and share possible contexts with other teachers.

This session is best suited to science teachers who are seeking ideas and support with how to include chemistry in their new curriculum.  Details and booking here.

Armourers and Brasiers Tata Steel Sixth Form Materials Prize 

The Armourers and Brasiers Tata Steel Sixth Form Materials Prize has been designed to give learners structured opportunities to find out about materials science and engineering outside their normal lessons.  It can be run as a formal extra-curricular activity led by a teacher or learners can work through the Prize modules independently.  In both cases a sustained commitment of approximately 12 hours is required.

The competition is open to year 11 and year 12 (or equivalent) students from the UK studying that have an interest in pursuing a STEM career.   The students must make a commitment to engaging with the project and devoting a minimum time of around 12 hours to learning more about materials. There is no limit to the number of students that can take part in the competition from one school, however you may only nominate up to five students to enter each year for the national competition. 

The deadline for registrations is 31 July 2021. The closing date for the submission of entries is Friday 09 September 2021. 

Details here.

Technocamps Home of the Future Competition

Can you develop a game that shows energy efficiency in the home and the issues surrounding it?

Our new competition, in partnership with Energy Saving Trust and NEST, is asking pupils (up to the age of 16) to design their own game, using any programming software, that would make a house more environmentally-friendly.

The winning game will be published on the Energy Saving Trust website and the winner will receive a £100 One4All voucher for themselves and £2,000 for their school to spend on equipment. The first runner-up will receive a £50 voucher for themselves and £1,000 for their school, while the individual or team who comes in third will win a £25 voucher and £500 for their school.

Details and registration here.

Amazon Future Engineer Bursary

The Amazon Future Engineer bursary is a national bursary programme aimed at supporting women A-level and BTEC/OCR (or Scottish equivalent) students from low-income households who wish to study computer science or related engineering courses at UK universities.

Women are still significantly underrepresented in engineering and technology in higher education. UCAS data on university application and acceptance figures for the 2020 cycle highlighted that women represent just 16% and 18% of accepted applications to computing and engineering degrees respectively. At the current rate of progress, parity of women on engineering degrees will not be achieved until 2085. We cannot wait that long.

These bursaries aim to help address underrepresentation and accelerate the rate of progress. They will provide successful women applicants with a financial support package worth £5,000 per year for up to four years of study to cover expenses related to attending university, including tuition fees or accommodation and living costs. 

By removing some of the financial barriers that may impact on university studies and career trajectory, recipients can remain committed to their courses and stand the best possible chance of success.

Awardees will also gain exclusive access to networking groups to meet positive role models, interact with like-minded peers, build long-term relationships, and benefit from collaboration opportunities.

The closing date for applications is 4pm Monday 14 June 2021.   Details here.