inside
STEM
SUMMER EDITION 2015
welcome
Dear STEM Ambassador,
Welcome to our Summer-Autumn Edition of Inside STEM This season we have more fascinating and diverse stories about how STEM Ambassadors in the North East are communicating their passion and knowledge of STEM topics to pupils in both secondary and primary schools. If you have a project or story that you'd like to share we would love to hear about it – please email us with details and any photos at ambassadors@dundeesciencecentre.org.uk Over the last few months, Lucy and Jess have been driving around the North East of Scotland visiting schools from Inverurie Academy, Aberdeenshire to Breadalbane in Aberfeldy, meeting with teachers of STEM subjects to find out how YOU, STEM Ambassadors can continue to offer the invaluable support that you have provided. We have a whole variety of exciting STEM Ambassador activities for you to sign up to over the next term. • • • • •
Careers talks Professional Learning support STEM Club projects Life Science Projects Festival events
You can browse through these by signing into your STEMNET account at www.stemnet.org.uk and clicking on “Search STEM Ambassador activities”. Yet to sign up to your first STEM Ambassador activity? Not sure if there are any activities for you? Need some guidance and support?
Introducing the team Recently we’ve had some changes in our team, but we’re now a bit more settled and would like to take this opportunity to offer a reminder of who we all are and how best we can support you. All of the team may be responding to your enquiries via email and telephone – so we’d like to put a face to the names! Lucy is the STEM Programmes Manager, with a responsibility for the STEMNET programmes in the North East of Scotland. This involves making sure all STEM Ambassadors receive their induction, PVG and additional training as required. She also ensures all 56 North East Secondary Schools receive tailored support in STEM subjects and their STEM Clubs.
We are here to help! Please let us know if there is anything we can do to support you, even if it’s just to bounce ideas around or have a chat about how you can get more involved, and what activities would suit you and your experience! We would be happy to put you in touch with the right school local to you, or suggest some remote support that you could provide to teachers across Scotland and beyond!
Jess is our STEM Learning Officer, looking after the School Advisory Network for teachers and making sure all our communications and newsletters are delivered to you with exciting stories. Jess also makes sure that STEM Ambassadors are supported throughout the volunteering process and will often be the one responding to your emails.
Emily is the STEM Learning Administration Assistant. Amongst a variety of roles in the team, she is currently taking the lead on PVG applications and support, so you may find that you’ll get a reminder from her! Emily will also be looking after your STEM ID cards – so if you’re awaiting this, get in touch and we’ll confirm if we have a photo and up to date postal address for you.
STEM in Context Events: Dates confirmed! Following the success of our STEM in Context Networking events earlier this year, we are planning our upcoming events for the new term. We’ll be trying some new locations to make the events more accessible to teachers and STEM Ambassadors across the region. These events are an excellent opportunity for STEM Ambassadors to meet local teachers, plan activities and find out more about STEM Challenges and Schemes you can get in involved with...whilst enjoying a hot drink and buffet. Upcoming Dates include: • Perth College – Monday 21 September 5-7pm • Montrose Academy – Wednesday 30 September 5-7pm • Ellon Academy – Wednesday 7 October 6-8pm (This event will take place alongside Ellon’s popular annual careers fair for pupils & adults, sponsored by BP) To sign up to any of these events, please visit: www.dundeesciencecentrestemlearningteam. eventbrite.com As always we are only at the other end of the phone or an email away should you have any questions or would like our support. You can contact us at ambassadors@dundeesciencecentre.org. uk or by calling 01382 868610.
Visit Dundee Science Centre – for free! Remember that all STEM Ambassadors are welcome to visit Dundee Science Centre at no cost. If you and your friends and family fancy putting your DJ skills to the test or want to discover the science of sound in our magic music-making playground, come visit our brand new Music Mayhem Exhibition for all ages, which incorporates many exciting, creative sound sculptures and good vibrations - sure to guarantee that it hits all the right notes! If you do visit, come and say hello – you may need to show your STEM ID card when you arrive, or let us know in advance that you’re coming so we can inform the rest of the team and ensure you have a VIP experience.
You can also follow us on twitter @dundeestemlearn for all our latest updates! Share your STEM events and what you get up to at work #STEMbadgeselfie
How to view and sign up for STEM Ambassador requests • Login to your STEM Ambassador profile; db.stemnet.org.uk/login • Under “Ambassadors” on the left hand side of the page click on ‘Search STEM Ambassador requests’ • All current STEM Ambassador requests for your region (North East Scotland) will show on the main page • You can filter STEM Ambassador requests by using the ‘keywords’ function • To view more information about a specific request,such as location or timing, simply click on the activity of interest • If you would like to sign up or find out further information about an activity, select the ‘Express Interest’ icon on the top left of the ‘STEM Ambassador Request Profile’ • A confirmation that you have expressed interest in an activity will show on your screen • A notification will then be sent to a member of the STEM Learning Team at Dundee Science Centre,who will contact you regarding the activity of interest
Update your Profile! Please remember to keep your STEM Ambassador profile up to date by adding all your activities. If you don’t have the time, let us know what you’ve been up to or planned and we can add activities for you! Please also make sure you have informed us of activities in advanced so you are covered by STEMNET’s Insurance.
Volunteer with
The gobel network of free computer programming club for young people.
Code Clubs are a nationwide network of after school coding clubs for pupils aged 9-11 that have truly taken off over the past few years. In particular, Scotland is doing well with a large number of clubs supported by STEM Ambassadors throughout the country. However, there are still areas that require your support! In particular, clubs in Perth and Kinross, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, and Angus could all benefit from the support of a STEM Ambassador mentor. You don’t need to have any serious background in coding (although it would definitely help!) and you can learn alongside the pupils as required. You just need to be interested in supporting the club on a regular basis. All the resources are available on their website: https://www.codeclub.org.uk/ and if you’d like more information just get in touch – we’ll then forward your information to the local coordinators – Martin and Lorna who are both fantastic STEM Ambassadors in the North East!
CoderDojo is a global movement of free, volunteer-led, community based programming clubs for young people. At a Dojo, young people between 7 - 17 learn how to code, develop websites, apps, programs, games and explore technology in an informal and creative environment. In addition to learning to code, attendees meet like minded people and are exposed to the possibilities of technology. We are on the search for mentors and coordinator to help setup 4 Coder Dojo’s in Angus libraries including: Arbroath, Forfar, Monifieth and Montrose. You do not need to be an expert! All you need is a passion and enthusiasm for coding and inspiring children.
If you are interested, please get in touch by either expressing interest on the STEMNET website or by contacting us directly at ambassadors@dundeesciencecentre.org.uk. For more info on Coder Dojo, please visit: https://coderdojo.com/about
Meet the STEM Ambassador Kirsty Miller, PhD Student in Social and Health Psychology at University of Dundee visited a Higher Psychology class at Perth Grammar to support Higher pupils with their research. We caught up with Kirsty to find out how it went... What inspired you to become a STEM Ambassador? “I am passionate about science and wanted to share my enthusiasm with others. In particular, I think psychology can be used to help encourage young people to become interested in science subjects as it is a topic that they can easily relate to. I also think it is very important to provide positive role models for young people, and to offer them as many opportunities as possible for their future lives and their future careers. In particular, I hope to show young women that STEM careers can be viable options for them, and try to give them interesting insights into life as a female scientist. “ Tell us about your experience at Perth Grammar... “I visited the school before the students started their research module (Psychology). For many of the students this was their first experience of research so I wanted to begin with a very simple demonstration to catch their attention. I asked them to draw pictures as a demonstration of how men and women think differently and this facilitated discussion regarding possible reasons for this. This activity led to some
they would need to consider when doing this. Finally, we had a session where the students asked questions regarding a variety of topics including my research, university, and psychology as a career.” How much planning/time was spent preparing for the activity? “I didn’t have to spend too much time planning for my activities. I didn’t need many resources, so I spent several hours familiarising myself with the course the students were doing and several finding suitable activities for the students to participate in.”
Students from Perth Grammer’s Higher Psychology class.
hilarity as we discussed some of the ways in which men and women differ psychologically…. We developed this by considering how we could conduct other studies looking at gender differences. This discussion gave the students some background into how to conduct their own research and issues
Pupils weregiven a few minutes to draw anything they wanted from memory. One pupil blew Kirsty away by drawing a world map.
Meet the STEM Ambassador Siriol Griffiths, Clinical Embryologist, Aberdeen Centre for Reproductive Medicine
What have you enjoyed so far about being a STEM Ambassador? “I became a STEM ambassador in 2013, and have really enjoyed the events I have been a part of. I attended an event aimed at encouraging girls to enter STEM professions – this included short talks from me and other women about our jobs, and hands-on demonstrations such as building DNA out of pipe cleaners. I have also attended a networking event between ambassadors, schools and colleges. This event allowed me to see what the expectations of different institutions were of STEM ambassadors; and to make contact with college students thinking about a career in clinical science.” Have there been any particular highlights? “A highlight for me was taking part in a speed-careers event at a secondary school, where I spoke to groups of 14-year old pupils about my day-to-day work. The pupils were very interested, as for most of them it was the first time they had heard about the IVF process in detail. The boys did tend to giggle when I was talking about semen analysis though! I was delighted at the feedback I got from the organisers, which was that a number of the pupils had expressed an interest in Clinical Embryology as a career. I’m currently in touch with other secondary schools in my local area about arranging visits to speak to pupils.”
Why do you feel the STEM Ambassador programme is important? I enjoy my job immensely, and relish the opportunity to tell others about how rewarding it is. I believe it’s of great benefit to pupils to realise that there are a range of career opportunities to be had if they enjoy science. A personal benefit to being a STEM ambassador is meeting other ambassadors – ambassadors come from a wide range of backgrounds, and I found it fascinating to chat to a PhD student about her research into diabetes, and to a food scientist about his day to day work. Overall I have found being a STEM Ambassador to be an enriching experience that I’m looking forward to continuing.”
Meet the STEM Ambassador Cameron Moodie, Assistant Engineer Highways Design, Mouchel Group PLC
What inspired you to become a Civil Engineer? “I was inspired to become a Civil Engineer by my curiosity for how things work in all aspects of nature and life. I was very strong in Physics and Mathematics at school. I wanted to know how the world around me worked and what was behind all these things human beings once called magic. Physics and some mathematics helped explain this and later Civil engineering helped to answer my never-ending curiosity.”
What motivated you to join the STEM Ambassador Programme?
Great questions! Have there been any other particular highlights?
“When I became aware of the STEM ambassador programme it made me think how great it would have been to be able to speak to people who had chosen the career I was thinking about at school. It might be a good time to give something back and more importantly for free.”
“So far the highlight was the presentation of physics and waves to children at Kinnoull Primary School. They asked so many questions. And the amazing thing was they were good questions that I would have asked at University!
What activities have you participated in so far? “So far I have delivered a PowerPoint Presentation at Kinnoull Primary in Perth and a presentation to the Brownies in Bankfoot. I’m fairly new and shiny as a STEM ambassador!” Can you remember any of the best questions? • Is it true you can cause a glass to explode with sound? • How do you make a glass explode with sound? • Why do glasses filled with more water sound different the ones with less water? • How much does the planet weigh? • What is the planet made of? • Why does a tuning fork make a sound? • Why can we hear from further away when we use two cups with a piece of string together?
One child in particular asked a lot of intelligent questions and wasn’t deterred by his peers. He very much reminded me of a younger version of myself. Questions included: “Is it true you can cause a glass to explode with sound?” and “how much does the planet weigh”.
Meet the STEM Ambassador Congratulations to Chelsea Sievewright, winner of the Computer Science Undergraduate of the Year Award for the UK. Infrastructure Security Specialist at Prudential with a First Class honours degree in Ethical Hacking and Countermeasures, Chelsea has been involved in many events within and out with University of Abertay to try and break the stereotype that accompanies those with a background in IT.
What inspired you to pursue a career in STEM? “Growing up I discovered I had a natural ability to understand all sorts of technology, and at school I always received top marks for computing, but I hated the subject. Computing at school was boring, and despite my good marks, I never considered it as a possible career path. However, now I find myself finishing my degree in Ethical Hacking and having just won the Computer Science Undergraduate of the Year award for the UK, quite the contradiction! My path from school to university has not been a straight forward one. After school I spent a year at Dundee College, not because I didn’t have the grades, but because I had no idea what I wanted to pursue a career in. My mum pushed me to look at degrees in computing, so I did and found the course I am now completing, Ethical Hacking. It wasn’t until I looked further into computing that I realised, computing was so much more than what I was taught at school. I took a leap of faith, and started the course at Abertay.” What does being a STEM Ambassador mean to you? “I was extremely daunted starting this course. I had the stereotypical image in my head of what my fellow course mates would be like and for the most part, this stereotype was right! But I don’t fit this category, and this is what motivated me to take an active role in promoting STEM to young girls. I really could have benefited from a STEM ambassador visiting my computing class for two reasons: • I would have had a broader knowledge of the amazing technology careers that people can have after school. • If the STEM ambassador was female, this would have broken the stereotype in my head. As a school pupil, any guest speaker becomes more interesting if they are not what you expect.
I’ve met some really inspirational women throughout my time as a STEM ambassador and as a keen woman in tech. As a student I have taken every opportunity I can to bring more women together and to reach out to younger girls. If I have inspired 1 female to pursue a career in tech then we are one step closer to breaking this social stereotype which surrounds STEM subjects. step closer to breaking this social stereotype which surrounds STEM subjects. I will soon be starting my career as an Infrastructure Security Specialist and will be joining the very small minority of professional women working within technology. I will continue promoting women in tech wherever I can and hope that the stereotype surrounding STEM subjects will no longer exist in the near future.” Abertay University are fantastic at supporting and developing their students to take part in public engagement with local schools. Many students become STEM Ambassadors and they are a fantastic local group of keen volunteers!
National events
National Events -There are always plenty of events taking place across the UK and beyond, so if you get involved in an event that hasn’t been advertised by Dundee Science Centre please let us know. We would be delighted to hear what you’re up to and the activity could be logged on your STEM Ambassador profile.
We will be hosting a training day on the Wednesday 19 August at Perth High School, where we will be training volunteers to deliver, or develop life science workshops alongside teachers and S6 pupils, in the hope that they will then be confident to support delivery of demonstrations and workshops at the 4 schools involved.
Life Sciences Event
If you would like to support these events or want to know any more information about the project, please get in touch with our team. This event requires commitment to just one school event, although we would be delighted if you would like to attend all events, including the STEMNET approved training.
Calling all life science Ambassadors: This September we will be co-hosting a life sciences project with Skills Development Scotland, Dundee & Angus College and other key partners. The aim of the project is to bring together life science representatives from across Dundee and the wider area, to go into schools and deliver workshops and careers networking sessions. Overall, the goal is to make teachers aware of available careers and to boost their links with life science industry and research. As a bonus, pupils will get to meet experts from these industries and academia, make informed subject choices and have a chance to have a go at some serious science workshops. 4 schools will be involved: • Perth High School – Wednesday 2 September • St John’s High School – Thursday 10 September • Baldragon Academy – Friday 18 September • Arbroath Academy (tbc Thursday 24 September) The workshops will have a focus on the below topics: • • • •
PCR Gel electrophoresis Elisa and immunology STEM Ambassador career networking session
Dundee Science Centre will once again be hosting Dundee Science Festival, taking place from Saturday 31 October to Sunday 15 November. The two week science & technology extravaganza brings events including workshops, presentations, exhibitions, free family fun days, brewing master classes and a schools programme to the city of Dundee. This year, the STEMNET team will be running 3 secondary school days and we are looking to recruit
You can also register interest for supporting the overall festival, for family fun days, community outreach events and more. We’ll be looking for keen volunteers to take a leading role in the delivery of large events. This would be a fantastic opportunity for anyone with an interest in supporting large scale STEM public engagement to get some experience. You may also be inspired to propose your own events for the festival next year! If you would like to be involved, please contact us at ambassadors@dundeesciencecentre.org.uk or express interest online using the keyword “festival” at www.stemnet.org.uk
STEM Ambassadors to help support and deliver workshops, presentations and career networking events – a unique opportunity for secondary school children to speak to experts and open their minds to all the career opportunities that come with studying STEM subjects. Get with the Programme: Computing – Monday 2 November Chemistry is everywhere: Zinc about it! – Thursday 5 November Physics of Light: A Discovery – Friday 6 November
Dare to be Digital is a premier video games development competition for University students and recent graduates. This year, Dare ProtoPlay 2015, the UK’s biggest indie games festival will take place between the 13 – 16 August. This four day event will be held in Dundee's Caird Hall and City Square and as well as showcasing games produced by student teams in the Dare to be Digital compeition, the festival also showcases many other indie games from local, national and international developers and offers a varied educational programme for the public. Most programmes are free to enter.
For further information, visit: http://www.daretobedigital.com/212_Dare-ProtoPlay-.html
TECHFEST: Aberdeen and North East Scotland’s Festival of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics will be taking place this September The programme will be available on www.techfestsetpoint.org.uk/tis soon! STEM Ambassadors often support this event and if you’re planning to take part, make sure you let us know.
Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September
To sign up to the Make it Digital event, get in touch and we’ll send on your contact details to the BBC Learning Team.
Throughout 2015 the BBC’s Make it Digital season is aiming to inspire audiences to get creative with coding, programming and digital technology through TV, radio and online content. As part of the season BBC Learning is visiting 13 locations around the UK this summer, with a roadshow that will introduce our audience to the basics of coding, programming and digital creativity. We will provide an informative experience using performances, interactive sessions and hands on activities which will hopefully encourage them to Make it Digital themselves.
Food and Science Teach Meet: National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, Tuesday 8 September 2015
BBC Make It Digital – Dundee City Centre Our Scottish event will be held in City Square in Dundee on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September, to make the event as relevant as possible for our visitors we are looking for organisations in the surrounding area to join us to offer local content. There are a couple of ways that you may be able to offer your support: 1. Taking part in Tech Talks – these will be 20 minute sessions run throughout the day 2. Offering hands on activities to the audience in the Digital Discovery Zone, that will in some way be connected to digital creativity, coding or programming, this could be anything from demonstrating a new product or helping them to have a go at coding or programming themselves.
For more information visit: http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/ newsandevents/events/2015/eventgeneral_tcm4865416.asp
Funding To support your outreach and engagement projects
www.royalsociety.org/education/partnership/
Biochemical Society
Royal Society of Chemistry
The Biochemical Society wishes to support scientific outreach activities that communicate the excitement of molecular bioscience to young people and the community.
The Royal Society of Chemistry’s Chemistry Club grant scheme is targeted atactivities that are at schools/ colleges outside the normal science timetable.Teachers can apply for funding up to £1,000 for their Club. Awards made four times a year.
Applications are invited for sums up to £1000 to assist with the direct costs associated with an event and expenses incurred (e.g. transport and/or teacher cover). Two rounds a year in April and September. The deadline for this round is Friday 25 September 2015. www.biochemistry.org/Grants/ScientificOutreachGrants.aspx British Ecological Society The British Ecological Society offers outreach grants of up to £2,000 to its members and others, including schools, to promote ecological science to a wide audience. Deadline for applications is Friday 11 September 2015 www.britishecologicalsociety.org/grants-awards/ outreach-grants/ Holmes Hines Memorial Fund Administered by the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council), the Holmes Hines Memorial Fund offers small awards to help individuals or organisations with any scientific or engineering based activities where public funds are not available. No set application date. www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/howtoapply/routes/pe/ holmeshinesfund/ Institute of Physics The Science and Technology Facilities Council, the Institution of Engineeringand Technology (IET) and the Institute of Physics run a small grants scheme designed specifically for schools and colleges. The scheme provides schools with grants of up to £500 for projects or events linked to the teaching or promotion of physics or engineering. Awards are made three times a year and the next deadline is Sunday 1 November 2015 www.iop.org/about/grants/school/page_38824.html Royal Society The Royal Society’s Partnership Grants scheme provides grants of up to £3,000 for science projects run at a school in partnership with a practising scientist or engineer. Awards made twice a year.
www.rsc.org/Membership/Networking/ InterestGroups/BMCS/education-support-group/chemistryclubs.asp Science and Technology Facilities Council – Small Awards STFC Small Awards offers the opportunity of funding ranging from £500 – £10,000 for projects in Public Engagement relating to STFC science and technology. www.stfc.ac.uk/1838.aspx Society of General Microbiology Grants of up to £1,000 to support microbiology teaching initiatives and events are available to School Corporate or School Representative Members of the Society. The next deadline is Friday 15 September 2015 www.sgm.ac.uk/en/grants-prizes/education-outreach-funds.cfm/ microbiology-in-schools-fund Wellcome Trust People Awards The Wellcome Trust supports biomedical research that aims to improve the health of humans and animals. People Awards provides grants of up to £30,000 for innovative and creative projects that engage the public with biomedical science and/or the history of medicine and awards are made four times a year. www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Public-engagement/Fundingschemes/People-Awards-and-Society-Awards/ Young Engineers and Science Clubs Scotland:For schools based in Scotland the Scottish Council for Development and Industry offers small grants to STEM Clubs in schools. www.yecscotland.co.uk/index.html