Ask a STEM Ambassador to visit your school

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

• Video guide for teachers and group leaders 

The  video guide outlines how to use the web platform  and  helps teachers and group leaders find the right STEM Ambassador for their activity.

Give us your Ambassador feedback

If an Ambassador has visited your school, or if you have met an Ambassador at an enrichment activity, we would be very grateful if you could fill in our teacher feedback form. Please encourage colleagues to respond.

Visitors had a chance to pot their own plants with hands on engagement. Following a request several STEM Ambassadors took part and helped the RSB deliver a very full day of engagement. Phillipa Skett of the RSB sent a warm message of thanks

‘A huge thank you this weekend for volunteering with us at Conwy Feast.
 We had an amazing time, and I hope you enjoyed yourselves!
 It was lovely to meet you all and Raghav and I had a great time getting to know you all throughout the weekend.
 We spoke to approximately 700 people across the two days, and potted probably thousands of seeds in the process’. 

CREST Discovery Days

During September and October, See Science delivered CREST Discovery Days at 9 Welsh secondary schools. The days were funded by the British Science Association with the aim of kick-starting projects that pupils could develop for entry into the Youth Industrial Strategy Competition.

The Discovery Day challenge was Sustainable Solutions which was originally developed with Welsh Government Funding and looks at how Industry and Innovation has changed in the South Wales Valleys over the past 200 years and the current need to move towards sustainability. The challenge for pupils is to come up with a solution - in the form of an App, a communication campaign or an invention – that will encourage people to lead more sustainable lifestyles.

Sustainable Solutions is just one of many Discovery Day challenges suitable for pupils aged 10 to 14. They are designed to be delivered in a single day but can also be done over a series of lessons or STEM Club sessions. Every pupil achieves a CREST Discovery Award. There are challenges on a wide variety of topics and can be found in the Resource Library on the CREST Awards website here.

There were some great ideas from each of the schools: Pentrehafod, Hawthorn, St Cenydd, Llanidloes, Idris Davies, Rhyl, Coedcae, Fitzalan and Cefn Saeson. We sincerely hope that we will hear that some of the teams have made it to the Youth Industrial Strategy Competition Final at the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham in March!

ASE Cymru Conference  16 November. National Museum Cardiff - Adventures in Science
 

The Association for Science Education annual regional conference will have a very special guest this year! Coinciding with the arrival of certain very famous dinosaur skeleton - thanks to Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure - the ASE Cymru Wales Conference will take place on 16 November at the National Museum in Cardiff.

One of the CPD highlights of the year in the region, this event - this year entitled Adventures in Science - is all about helping science educators embrace the most effective teaching strategies to help our students/pupils be inspired by science and learn to their full potential.

We have curated a rich programme of seminars and workshops. With strands covering both primary and secondary education, the day will be packed full of insightful thinking and knowledge sharing. From a keynote on Altitude and Attitude from Tori James - the first Welsh woman to climb Mt Everest - to an exploration into the science of dinosaurs with Cindy Howells, curator of palaeontology at the museum.

Chemistry at Work Day

for Yr 9 pupils Swansea University – Jan 24^th 2020

Once again, See Science are organising a Chemistry at Work Day at Swansea University on January 24^th. The day is funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry and run by Professor Simon Bott and his staff and students from the University’s Chemistry Department. The aim of the day is to provide pupils with a better understanding and awareness of the importance of chemistry in our everyday lives and to highlight the varied chemical science careers available.

Pupils will take part in 4 different hands-on workshops throughout the day where they have the opportunity to carry out practical chemistry activities in the department’s state of the art labs.
Some places have been booked already so get in contact soon if you would like to bring a group of up to 30 year 9 pupils along. To book or for more  information about the day please contact Llinos at llinos.misra@see-science.co.uk

Swansea University Chemistry Department offer huge outreach opportunities for schools in the South Wales area - click here to see some of the available courses on offer in their state of the art University Labs.

To help you bring this competition to life, you can request a STEM Ambassador to support you and your class in entering this year’s Ultimate STEM Challenge.Read our guidance on how to request a STEM Ambassador to support you and your entry.
BP has also designed a range of free curriculum-linked resources for pupils aged 9-14 that will help you deliver exciting science lessons and inspire entries for this year’s competition.
There are some brilliant prizes up for grabs including:

• two lucky schools will win £750 to spend on school equipment or field trips
• attend an exclusive, all expenses paid experience at a one-day Hackathon
• meet real scientists, coders and designers to help bring their ideas to life

The deadline for entries is 14 January 2020.

Primary Engineer Competition - fully funded STEM competition including free resources

 
Primary Engineer and QinetiQ are inviting you to take part in a fully funded national STEM competition.  
 
The Leaders Award ‘If you were an Engineer what would you do’, is a curriculum-based competition that helps build literacy, design and technology skills and career related learning for pupils aged 3 to 19.  Click here for a Leaders Award introduction. 
 
Register today  and download your FREE resources, including:

• Project overview (links to current educational research including the Gatsby Benchmarks for Careers Related Learning and FAQ)
• Curriculum mapping to National Curriculum
• Lesson Plans
• Online live chats/ interviews with Engineers
• Free Training – masterclass twilights are available across the country

Engineering is all around us, from the cars we drive in, TV screens we watch to the food we eat. It is what makes our lives liveable and as such forms the basis of discussion, creativity and problem solving. How can we make life better for others and ourselves?
Children, pupils and students in Early Years Settings, Primary and Secondary Schools are invited to interview an engineer, identify a problem, draw and annotate a solution to it on an A4 or A3 sheet and explain on one side of A4 (or less) why their solution should be manufactured by engineers.
All entries receive a named certificate. Shortlisted entries are displayed at regional exhibitions and awards presented to the best from each year group.
We will also be offering a Leaders Award Masterclass helping teachers maximise the programme in the classroom, exploring the curriculum links and expanding the literacy and creative aspects of the programme. For further information on one-day courses which are offered across the country, please email info@primaryengineer.com.
 

Please click on the link below, or alternatively type this link into your browser:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/3RFRXCC
We would really like your input to help us shape our ideas at this exciting stage in the
project and this survey outlines some of those ideas. This survey should take about 7-10
minutes to complete. All completed surveys will be entered into a draw to win a £50
Amazon voucher.

Royal Society of Chemistry. - Funding for Chemistry Clubs
The funds are targeted at activities run at schools/ colleges outside the normal science timetable which may be focused on generating interest in chemistry in all ability levels or which may provide opportunities to stretch and challenge the already able and motivated.  

Applications from existing chemistry clubs looking to expand/ enhance activities would be welcome as would those from colleagues interested in starting a club.  

An application would need to indicate how the longevity of the proposal was ensured and how best practice and experience from it might be shared within and between other (perhaps feeder) schools.  The application will be made by a teacher at a primary or secondary school for sums up to £1000.
Next closing date. 15 November 2019   Details here.