Team up
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let's
work together
Dr Stephen Breslin Chief Executive Glasgow Science Centre
Working with partners is at the centre of everything we do.
Glasgow Science Centre is long established as a leading Scottish visitor attraction and an important learning centre for school-age children from all over the country. The first contact with the Centre for most people comes when they have children, either from word of mouth recommendations from friends as a “great day out with the kids”, or from children directly following a school visit. Each year we welcome hundreds of thousands of people, young and old, to enjoy an exciting, engaging and interactive experience with science. Through three floors of exhibits on the banks of the River Clyde and our brilliant science communicators, we entertain visitors and help them to better understand their world. All of us are very proud of our reputation, developed since the centre opened in 2001. We couldn’t have achieved so much without the enthusiasm and support of everyone involved: staff, parents, teachers and children. Increasingly though the centre is establishing a reputation as a key business partner and a premium venue for corporate events. This less well-known aspect of our continued success is the centre’s collaboration with a myriad of partners including government, the public sector, universities, colleges and industry. The Centre could not offer the quality and range of experience and education programme without the collaborative support of our partners.
3 For example, the ground-breaking and popular BodyWorks exhibition was made possible with the support and collaboration of dozens of organisations and individuals from charitable trusts, industry and academia. BodyWorks also had major sponsorship support from the Wellcome Trust and the pharmaceuticals giant GSK. Partnerships like this ensure that we can continue to invest in new and improved exhibitions and education programmes. Their association with Glasgow Science Centre enables our partners to underpin their commitment to the promotion of science, to encourage the next generation of scientists and engineers but also to work towards creating a “culture of science” within the wider community: helping young and old discover and enjoy science and understand its relevance to their own lives. We are currently working with the energy industry to develop a major exhibition which explores all of the science and technology that we use to power our world and to examine some of the critical issues related to future energy supply. We will be saying more about this soon. This edition of Mercury has taken as its theme “Collaboration”, emphasising our approach and illustrating that with examples from across our range of activities. These include initiatives with the Royal Society of Chemistry, who have appointed a Glasgow Science Centre science communicator, Dr Katy Mould, to promote chemistry to schools and teachers in Scotland, from her base at the Science Centre. We will also be looking at our hugely successful outreach programme, which has been supported by GSK for the last seven years and has taken science to hundreds of thousands of people across the country. Our coverage also includes collaborations with Skills Development Scotland, the Office of the Chief Scientist, and other valuable partners. We feature the progress of CoderDojo, a grassroots initiative aimed at encouraging young people to get into computing, now in its third year. Inspiring people with the wonder of science is at the heart of all that we do. It’s the collaboration with our partners that makes it possible. ||
For more information visit: glasgowsciencecentre.org/blog
Together we help promote a “culture of science” to children of school age, young adults and families.
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perfect
formula Dr Katy Mould Education Co-ordinator, Scotland Royal Society of Chemistry
INTERVIEW
Co-ordinator Katy finds the ‘perfect job’ promoting chemistry from a familiar base at Glasgow Science Centre.
Dr Katy Mould has a key position in the promotion of chemistry to schools and pupils, as she takes on a new role with partnership organisation the Royal Society of Chemistry. The Western-Isles born University of St Andrews graduate has been working as a Science Education Co-ordinator mainly at Glasgow Science Centre’s planetarium in recent years. Now she is working four days a week for the Royal Society of Chemistry, providing support to schools and teachers across the west of Scotland, Western Isles and Dumfries & Galloway as part of an extensive programme of activities promoting the chemical sciences in Scotland. The good news for the science centre is that Katy continues to be based there, and as part of her RSC duties will develop a programme of engaging chemistry activities for the centre. She shares responsibilities with another Royal Society of Chemistry education coordinator, Heather McFarlane, who is based at the University of Edinburgh and covers the Highlands and the east of Scotland. “We work with people in science education, providing the resources they need as well as personal development opportunities, both face to face and online,” explains Katy. “We are the conduit for information and resources amongst the chemical science community and teachers in the classroom.” The education co-ordinator roles are a key part of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s programme of activities for Scotland. Their programme manager for Scotland, Dr Bill Beveridge comments: “It is really important that schools are able to access the best and most up to date materials to illustrate the role played by chemistry.
5 “Young people can be surprised to discover how much chemistry underpins daily life. “People are familiar with high profile examples of the chemical industry, such as the Ineos plant at Grangemouth, but if you ask the question ‘Which products can you buy in a supermarket that have been produced with the help of a chemist?’, very few will come up with the correct answer; almost every single product on the shelves, both in the food and non-food aisles. “Our education co-ordinators are central to our efforts to get these messages across. They are a key point of contact for teachers and schools. We need more scientists, and the next generation of scientists will come from the current generation of school children. “The chemical sciences are terrifically important to our economy. Scotland has over 200 chemical sciences companies, employs around 14,000 people and, with exports of around £3.7 billion every year, our chemical industry is Scotland’s second top exporter.” Katy describes her role as “almost the perfect job”, combining education and science. She travels across her patch as part of the job’s outreach role, and also helps teachers navigate their way through the more than 4,000 resources available to them on the Royal Society of Chemistry’s LearnChemistry website: www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry. “Teachers need this level of support; it is a good way to find useful teaching materials that match the curriculum and can be tested online before introducing in the classroom, adds Katy. “Chemistry is in everyday life, whether we are dyeing our hair or cooking our meals. Learning about it – and about the “STEM” subjects generally – gives people a huge range of transferable skills and contributes to building a scientifically literate society.” ||
For more information visit: www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/blog
We cannot underestimate how important the chemical sciences is to the Scottish and UK economies.
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Just add
water
Helen Lennox Head of Corporate Affairs Scottish Water
INTERVIEW
Long-standing partnership has been ideal for Scottish Water’s public engagement.
Scottish Water? It’s all about fresh water reaching our homes, and taking sewage away from them, right? Yes, that’s right. Scotland’s water is supplied to homes and business premises up and down the country without too much attention being paid to how it gets there, or where it goes afterwards. The Scottish Water story is a lot more complicated than that, however and Glasgow Science Centre has played an important role in helping the stand-alone public body to explain that to school children all over the country. “We have had a fantastic experience with Glasgow Science Centre,” explains Scottish Water head of corporate affairs Helen Lennox. “We are reaching schools all over Scotland, and it is very successful, and the children love it. We find the science centre team very pro-active and positive to work with.” Now, the two partners have launched a ground-breaking initiative to bring the water story to communities throughout Scotland using nine mobile exhibitions designed by the science centre. The mobile exhibits provide a fun, hands-on, interactive opportunity for Scottish Water to have conversations with customers of all ages about water-related topics including the water cycle, water and waste water treatment, water efficiency, how to properly dispose of bathroom and kitchen waste, water quality and testing, renewables, water and health and WaterAid. The idea is that the mobile shows will help build customers’ understanding of the work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure everyone enjoys the best possible quality drinking water when they turn on their tap, while protecting and enhancing the natural environment.
7
We find the science centre team very pro-active and positive to work with.
The mobile exhibits, which will be piloted initially in the Glasgow area before a national roll out, include: »» “The water cycle” – a holographic display. A simple animation introduces three key words: evaporation, condensation and precipitation. With the help of a dramatic visual illusion, the water cycle comes to life. »» “The pipeline challenge” – a five-level game where, working against the clock, learners chose to lay water or sewer pipes between reservoirs, towns, and treatment works while avoiding obstacles along the way. »» “Clean it up” – with the aid of retro computer games, learners take a journey through a waste water treatment works, with the challenge to clean up the waste water. At 2 key stages, the aim is to remove rubbish such as nappies, wipes, fat, oil and grease and the next stage to remove remaining organic matter, leaving the water ready to be returned safely to the environment. Other mobile exhibits include; Carrying water, Life in a drop of Water, Pumping Station, The Sewer Pipe, Water in Your Body and Water of the World. As well as the hands-on mobile exhibits, three of them will also be available both as games to play on the Scottish Water website, and for the first time, educational apps can be downloaded and played from both Apple iOS and Google Android app stores. “It is a great way to educate people and also to reach them. We don’t have direct access to customers, because water bills come in with the council tax,” points out Helen Lennox. “This way we can reach children, teachers and parents about water efficiency and other water issues that are really vital for us and all of our stakeholders too.” The mobile exhibits have been developed by Glasgow Science Centre with support from partners including BT, Veolia, Rossshire Engineering, ID Systems UK, WGM Engineering, TCS and Amey Black & Veatch. ||
For more information visit: www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/blog
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in the
open
Air
Joanne Dempster Education Co-ordinator OPAL
INTERVIEW
Encouraging people and communities to get outdoors and find out more about their local environment.
Joanne Dempster is Glasgow Science Centre’s link to the imaginative UK-wide Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) project which aims to encourage people to get out and engage with their local environment. OPAL, a “citizen science” project developed originally at Imperial College, London, is a Big Lottery funded scheme first launched in England in 2007. Last year it expanded into Scotland, working with Glasgow City of Science, as well as Wales and Northern Ireland. Museums, universities and environmental organisations are all involved in the partnership project. Joanne’s appointment as OPAL Community Scientist, based at Glasgow Science Centre, has helped establish the “big idea” firmly in people’s mind within its first year of operation. “The idea is to get people outside, embracing the environment and learning more about what is around them,” explains Joanne. She has set about recruiting teams of volunteers to run local groups. The first were in greater Glasgow along with Stirling, Aberdeen and other locations. OPAL offers free resources to primary schools, as part of Glasgow City of Science’s broader remit, and also with the support of national body Education Scotland. So far around 80 Glasgow schools have participated, and the number is growing every month. So what do participants actually do? The OPAL is actually open to people of all ages, and in all types of community. Its resources and team help people to “get closer” to their local environment while collecting important scientific data. OPAL also organizes and participates in nature events and workshops around the country.
9 It relies on volunteer groups to achieve this, and also to make sure that each school or community gets involved at “grass roots” level. Groups that have already set up to work with OPAL include the community-based Friends of Maryhill Park and Friends of Elder Park, both in Glasgow. During 2015 Joanne will be working with more organisations like Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in Scotland. In Stirling, OPAL works with a wide range of schools including special needs and disadvantaged groups. In Aberdeen OPAL is working with primary and high schools, on the importance of outdoors play. “We have whole families out exploring, coming back with samples of what they find in the environment,” says Joanne. “Sometimes you’ll be talking to people who’ll say ‘we never visit our local park’ or ‘we had no idea there was so much to do, we are definitely coming back’,” she adds. OPAL’s target is to make more than 1m people across the UK more aware of the open spaces and conservation sites around them, and more knowledgeable about the contribution they can make to protect them. OPAL wants everybody to participate in projects to monitor the state of the natural environment and its biodiversity. It wants to help some of the most disadvantaged communities to identify, quantify and highlight environmentally deprived spaces. The project also wants to help scientists at universities, museums and wildlife organisations to build connections with those who have an aspiration or need to improve local environments. ||
For more information visit: www.opalexplorenature.org
We have whole families out exploring, coming back with samples of what they find in the environment.
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creating a
body
of
work
Katie Pinnock Director of UK Corporate Contributions GlaxoSmithKline
INTERVIEW
The perfect partnership: science, education and industry working together to improve people’s understanding of the human body.
BodyWorks on Tour passed a key milestone this winter when it engaged with its 500,000th person in Scotland since launching in 2008. The popular roadshow, which has visited schools, community groups and science events in every part of Scotland – from Shetland to the Borders – is a prime example of close collaborative work involving Glasgow Science Centre and a major stakeholder organisation. The global healthcare company GSK has sponsored BodyWorks on Tour from the start, including a significant refresh of the mobile exhibition in 2012. GSK’s charitable endowment now sees the science centre as a major partner, and one that can be relied upon to deliver high quality science education to any audience. “We could see back in the early days that the BodyWorks outreach programme was potentially ground breaking,” reflects Katie Pinnock, GSK’s Director, UK & Ireland Charitable Partnerships. “A key objective for us is to reach school children – we want to support science teaching both inside and outside the classroom. “We know that our future employees are sitting in those class rooms and we don’t want young people to switch off at such an important time for them, as they decide where they will study in future.” For Katie, the collaboration with Glasgow Science Centre has been perfect for both parties. GSK’s charitable grants have allowed the centre’s outreach team to plan ahead, preparing each year’s programme in confidence. For GSK, the relationship delivers its targets of reaching young people and communities on issues of health and health care, including preventative care.
11
The company is an important employer across the UK, and operates two major research and manufacturing operations in Scotland, at Irvine and Montrose. But its involvement in BodyWorks on Tour is more than philanthropic: it is also about following through on its commitment to better health and science education. GSK’s other major partner in the UK is the Science Museum in London where there is a current health themed exhibition called ‘Cravings’, which examines the role food plays in our everyday lives. The simple idea behind BodyWorks on Tour is to use high-quality exhibits, models and imagery to help people understand how the human body works. Much of the knowledge attained during the outreach work it manages was brought back inside Glasgow Science Centre when its popular BodyWorks permanent exhibition was developed and opened in March 2013. Gaby Reid, of BodyWorks on Tour, emphasises that the exhibition is available 52 weeks of the year. Our dedicated facilitators operate the mobile show, creating bespoke events for large and small groups. “We always try to reach as many of the Scottish science festivals as possible. We have a cutting edge 3D show. For example, we have generated materials by taking the data from photographs of a cadaver that had been finely dissected, and recreated the process digitally, to create a fully 3D image of the human body. “This allows us to peel the skin to look at muscles, or look at the nervous system and respiratory system. People really respond to this vivid depiction of the body and how it works.” GSK’s backing has enabled the On Tour programme to visit and present in small rural areas and many areas of urban deprivation that the science community traditionally finds “hard to reach”, says Gaby. Continued>>
The centre does a fabulous job. They consistently deliver, and in fact deliver more than we expect or ask for.
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These experiences stay with young people. It is also helping people to develop their careers.
“The Commonwealth Games had a key impact for encouraging sports and health agendas. We travelled across Scotland with the Queens Baton Relay, and also directly interacted with 36,000 people at Glasgow Green encouraging active lifestyles.” BodyWorks on Tour also works closely with the National Health Service in Scotland, for example on its campaign to reduce tobacco smoking. Their sponsor points to an example of reaching people of all ages and backgrounds with simple concepts that are creatively delivered. “Everybody wants to see what it is like to pump air through healthy lungs and then compare them to those of a smoker,” comments Katie Pinnock. “It is this sort of thing we really like about the Glasgow Science Centre. They have a very creative and dedicated team. “A number of our employees are STEM ambassadors in Scotland. I think these things have a big impact. We all remember what it’s like to visit a museum or have somebody coming to school to address a meeting. “These experiences stay with young people. It is also helping people to develop their careers.” Pinnock believes that BodyWorks on Tour is showing an example to the rest of the UK, and is looking at taking the concept beyond Scotland and into Northern Ireland and England. “The relationship with GSK has been a fantastic example of what a partnership can achieve,” says Gaby Reid. And GSK’s Pinnock agrees: “It is a really successful relationship. We don’t need to be hands-on. “The centre does a fabulous job. They consistently deliver, and in fact deliver more than we expect or ask for. It has been way more successful than we certainly envisaged when we first became involved in 2008. “This is testament to the strength of the programme and the way the Centre delivers and engages with their audience.” ||
For more information visit: www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/blog
13
get with the
programme
CoderDojo started as a computer programming club for young people, and it has grown quickly from there.
CoderDojo – a grass-roots scheme aimed at promoting computer science to young people across Scotland – has completed its second full year amid growing popularity. From humble beginnings, CoderDojo has attracted Scottish Government money and other agencies’ support to become an essential element of the campaign to promote science and engineering to young people – all from its base at Glasgow Science Centre. Aimed at children aged seven to 17, CoderDojo is now making a big effort to spread its activities right across the country – and to attract more girls into the science subjects at school and as they get older. The programme came about when science centre CEO Stephen Breslin arrived back in Glasgow, having promised CoderDojo co-founder, the Australian entrepreneur Bill Liao, that he would help establish a programme in Scotland. Meanwhile, coding enthusiast Craig Steele had been investigating similar possibilities of promoting computer science to young people, having seen a similar programme in Ireland. The two got together and Craig started setting up CoderDojo from a new base at the science centre. Continued>>
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We have wanted to reach everybody, including many people who do not have access to universities.
Craig started a monthly club in summer 2012, and applied successfully for funding from the Digital Makers’ Fund, which is supported by Nesta, Nominet and Mozilla. Soon there were CoderDojo clubs in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Inverness, Stirling, and at the West College Scotland in Inverclyde. CoderDojo is essentially a club – the name “Dojo” stems from the Japanese word for a martial arts meeting place – where skills in coding, computer games and related activity are discussed and developed. Last year additional funding came from the Scottish Government’s Digital Participation Team to help establish new Dojo clubs in areas of “digital exclusion”, starting with Glasgow, where as many as 40 per cent of households do not have access to broadband internet at home. Three clubs have been created in the Royston and Castlemilk areas as well as the Mitchell Library in central Glasgow. “We have wanted to reach everybody, including many people who do not have access to universities or who may not visit somewhere like Glasgow Science Centre, and to date this has gone very well,” said Craig. One key aim of CoderDojo is to encourage more girls to become interested in computer science in all its forms. While the proportion of girls attending clubs in the cities is high – up to 40 per cent in some cases – the overall average is much lower. The CoderDojo team recently ran an all-female club meeting at the science centre, attracting more than 40 girls. The idea was to provide a forum for girls who often feel less comfortable among boys, who often show great confidence in science subjects, even where their abilities and knowledge may be the same as girls of the same age. This is particularly true with teenagers, rather than younger groups where girls are generally less inhibited, the team have found. “We had more than 40 girls at that event, which was aimed in part at attracting those who might not have attended previously. Some brought their friends, or their sisters, and the session was more than twice as long as the usual ones in order to give them a chance to try out a variety of activities,” explained Dr Claire Quigley, now part of the CoderDojo team. The girls worked around four main activities, covering a coding game where a cartoon “robot” on screen is controlled by moving your body, another activity where an animation with music is generated by code, a coding puzzle themed around the film “Frozen”, and a paper and pencil games design exercise. One of the female mentors on hand was a very experienced member of a major Scottish based games company.
15 Dr Quigley and another colleague, Dr Martin Goodfellow, are now working full time from CoderDojo’s base at Glasgow Science Centre. That move has been funded in part by Skills Development Scotland, which has a close and growing partnership with the centre. CoderDojo was listed by a national newspaper among the “New Radicals”, a list of 50 organisations who are changing society “for the better”. The team was invited to the House of Commons to speak about its work, as CoderDojo continues to grow across the UK. “We are trying to be as ‘joined-up’ as possible,” commented Craig. In the most recent six-month period for which there are statistics available, CoderDojo engaged 474 young people in 39 sessions. Encouragingly, given the targeting of girls, female participation rose from 18 per cent to 26 per cent during the last two years. That represents progress, although the figures indicate there is further progress to be made. All of this activity is a crucial example of the overall national effort to boost interest in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects among school students and under-graduates. “Now we have a couple of years’ experience we have a strong idea of what works in terms of engagement. CoderDojo is getting strong but we always need to stress that we are seeking a rich vein of volunteers who work as mentors,” added Craig. “Sometimes people have a great involvement but they inevitably move on, so we always need fresh recruits, whether from universities, colleges or companies.” ||
For more information visit: glasgowsciencecentre.org/blog coderdojoscotland.com
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Raising the
profile
Joanne Ward Head of Science and Society Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser The Scottish Government
INTERVIEW
The perfect partner for Government, industry and other stakeholders.
Glasgow Science Centre is developing closer links with the Scottish Government’s Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser (OCSA) as the effort to raise the sector’s profile steps up all over the country. Government strategy towards developing a more science-aware population has increased in recent years, in Scotland and the UK. Politicians, civil servants, academics and others all see the importance of encouraging greater science literacy generally, and particularly amongst our young people. The promotion of the so-called “STEM” subjects – science, technology, engineering and maths – is key to achieving a well trained workforce and one that can develop sustainable careers in future. With all that in mind, Glasgow Science Centre presents a perfect partner for Government, industry and other stakeholders. Its position as a top-class visitor attraction and a highly attractive conference and dinner venue means that it can provide some of the “infrastructure” for science partners. The centre also provides access to key elements of the population, including families and schools, thanks to its highly trained science communicators and educators, as well as the experience it has gained from running a planetarium and developing world class exhibits like BodyWorks, which opened two years ago. “Glasgow Science Centre is a fantastic public resource, and one which I and my colleagues are deeply aware of, both as a venue but also as a source of knowledge about science communication and public access,” commented Joanne Ward, of the Office of the Chief Scientific Adviser’s Science and Society Team within the Scottish Government.
17 Government officials across a range of disciplines – from food and drink to marine biology – are becoming more and more aware of the potential of partnerships with the science centre, as they work together to communicate key messages about healthy eating, environmental issues and more. In that context, the centre is the biggest centre within a close-knit network that includes Satrosphere in Aberdeen, Dundee Science Centre and Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh. Each takes its own unique approach to science education, but in several key areas they work together to help OCSA achieve its goals. “The Scottish science centres add value, impact and creativity to Scottish life – as well as enabling policy delivery,” adds Joanne. “Within the centres there are initiatives that encourage computer coding skills, information about careers in energy, engineering, and science, as well as healthier lifestyle choice, for example by showing the effects of smoking and obesity. “The BodyWorks exhibition and its programme of linked events and activities has been an example of that in Glasgow. It illustrates the power of well thought-out science communication, where the target audience is at the centre of everything.” OCSA has been encouraging leaders in various government teams to engage with the science centre network, in order to maximise the opportunities for closer collaboration and more positive outcomes. “The science centres are key partners for us. They support STEM learning, inspire our next generation of scientists, and stimulate debate and discussion on how science impacts on our everyday lives. Their expertise and world-class facilities make science accessible to people of all ages and abilities. “As a result the science centres support our shared aim of championing Scotland as a place where science and innovation can flourish, and where science is seen as part of our wider culture. In this context, collaboration between government and the science centres and other delivery partners is vital.” ||
The Scottish science centres add value, impact and creativity to Scottish life.
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in the
zone
Jo Walmsley Arts Producer Glasgow Life
INTERVIEW
Team work paid off at Festival 2014 for Glasgow Life and Glasgow Science Centre.
19 Arts producer Jo Walmsley had a great time working with Glasgow Science Centre on a special project at Glasgow Green during last year’s successful Commonwealth Games. Jo, from Glasgow Life and based at the Tramway, worked closely with a team from the Centre developing content for the Live Zone during the Festival 2014 event that was created to promote arts and culture in parallel to the Games. The whole site worked around the theme of “Home”, and included a “Back Garden” hosting sports, play and physical activity. This proved popular with Games visitors throughout the festival fortnight, when around 500,000 people visited the festival at the Green. ”We started thinking about the science centre during the planning stage, when we were looking at the programming of Culture 2014, explained Jo. “We already had links with them through the Queen’s Baton Relay, and we decided to work together on the summer event. The Games were a great opportunity for people to look at how the human body actually copes with health and fitness, so the science centre’s “BodyWorks” exhibition – and its “mobile” version at the Green – were incredibly appropriate, and popular.” Jo and her colleagues worked with the BodyWorks on Tour outreach team from the science centre. The two teams worked closely together from the start. “We came out to the science centre, and for some colleagues it was the first time they had been there. “We got into discussion about operational matters very quickly, tackling the complexities of the Games, especially dealing with the security arrangements for example. “We had a relatively short time to build the whole site at Glasgow Green. We had to remain aware that the site was also a “Field of Play” site for the Games, including two cycling events and, of course, the marathon. “The partnership with Glasgow Science Centre worked really well. We assessed different opportunities, aims and objectives, looking at where we shared audiences. “I hope we can work together in future. It is so good to find common ground with people and we’re looking for the next opportunity to work with the science centre.” Jo is a busy woman this year too, involved in the cultural promotion of Glasgow during coming major city events including the 2015 Turner Prize exhibition and award ceremony at the end of the year. ||
For more information visit: www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/blog
It is so good to find common ground with people.
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L E T ’ S TA L K A B O U T I T
Helping to stage the national energy debate.
The theme of Glasgow Science Centre’s next major permanent exhibition will be energy – how we generate it, why it’s important, how our future will depend on it. We shall be saying more about “Powering The Future” in the near future. But first we are hosting a public debate about the future of energy – “Powering The Future: Let’s Talk About It” – on May 5th. A highly-qualified guest panel, chaired by writer and broadcaster Iain Macwhirter, will discuss the challenges we all face as the energy sector moves into a challenging and uncertain future. Quite literally, the sector is considering how Scotland and the UK will be “keeping the lights on” in future. Challenges include: »» Tackling the impact of climate change and responding to carbon-cutting legislation »» Finding new sources of conventional energy including oil and gas »» Developing new renewable energy sources such as offshore wind and marine »» The future of nuclear The guest panel includes Professor Peter McGregor (University of Strathclyde), Gordon Ballard (Chairman, Schlumberger UK), Ken Cronin (Chief Executive, UK Onshore Oil & Gas), and Niall Stuart (Chief Executive, Scottish Renewables). The event is being brought to you in partnership with HeraldScotland, with the support of GlobalScot.
21
So what are the challenges? Firstly, people want change, but there is a confusion on opinion on what we all expect from the energy sector. A recent Mintel study found that 77 per cent of people in the UK want more electricity to be generated from renewable sources. Many of them (73%) think that the government should support the renewables sector, and a similar number believe that industry plays a vital role in protecting the environment. On the other hand, 45 per cent of people want Britain to get its energy from the cheapest source available, and nearly a third admit that they do not care where our electricity comes from! Clearly those contrasting opinions cannot both be reconciled. We need more information about our energy options, and everybody – politicians, lay people and industry experts – has to get involved in the debate. The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) has reported that the UK only has 10 years to make key strategic decisions about its energy infrastructure if it’s to meet its legally binding climate change targets by 2050. Glasgow Science Centre is committed to providing a forum for the whole energy debate in Scotland, by hosting events like “Let’s Talk about Powering the Future” as well as planning the Powering the Future exhibition, which is expected to launch later in 2015. ||
For more information visit: www.glasgowsciencecentre.org/blog
For more event details and to book a ticket please visit: http://goo.gl/y0fp3Z
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FOR YOUR
DATESDIARY
My World of Work Live! From 3rd of April
Education and public visitors will be able to explore career opportunities in STEM subjects and get engaged with some fascinating science in our new series of workshops. Over the Easter holidays, you can program a handheld games console, draw in an extra dimension and try your hand at electronic engineering.
Edinburgh Science Festival 4th - 19th April
A celebration of science across the capital, providing exciting, engaging and educational activities the whole family can enjoy: from unique immersive workshops to sensational shows from the world’s best science performers.
Scottish Biomedical Postdoctoral Researcher Conference 24th April
Join keynote speakers Prof Mark Bradley, Chair of Chemical Biology at University of Edinburgh & Dr Susie Mitchell, Programme Director at Glasgow City of Science at this inaugural event at the Beatson Institute.
Sun Over The Botanics 26th April
‘Sun Over The Botanics’ events are your chance to see the surface of the sun safely using special telescopes which are designed for looking at the sun, and allow you to see Sunspots, granulation and prominences round the circumference of the sun.
Powering The Future: Let's Talk About It 5th May
Join Iain Macwhirter, Columnist for The Herald, and a panel of special guests for an evening of discussion and debate over the future of energy. See previous pages for full details.
Finding Our “Most Wanted”: The Bugs Count 21st May 1-3pm
OPAL will be exploring the variety of invertebrates in the Castlemilk Woodlands and keeping a special eye out for our six “Most Wanted” species as we go. Help OPAL to discover where our minibeasts are by taking part in their Bugs Count Survey and learn what makes the Harlequin Ladybird a deadly invader of the UK environment.
23 Astrophysics Workshop with Glasgow University 1st-5th June
S5 and S6 pupils will join researchers from the University of Glasgow in this interactive one-day workshop where they will investigate gravitational waves, stellar structures and evolution, cosmic rays and stellar wind. Students will see how physicists use computer simulations to carry out research, then do experiments of their own and have the chance to learn about stellar evolution under the starry planetarium sky.
Glasgow Caledonian University Research Day 5th June
Come along and find out how GCU is working on research in Public Health and Long-term Conditions, Social Innovation and Equalities and Justice and Urban Environments and Efficient Systems. Research Day 2015 will comprise of a central exhibition area and a range of guest speakers, reflecting GCU’s
Glasgow Science Festival 5th - 15th June
Glasgow Science Festival takes memorable events to nontraditional venues across the City where over 50,000 people from all ages and backgrounds, from novices to experts engage with science. The aim of the festival is to showcase and celebrate the outstanding contribution Glasgow and Glasgow based researchers make to the worlds of science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM).
Engineering Video Games and Beyond 15th June
Glasgow City of Science and IESIS present “Engineering Video Games and Beyond” where secondary school pupils will hear about exciting careers in software engineering – from cybersecurity to games development – from three experts at Abertay University, home to the UK’s first national Centre for Excellence in computer games education.
Ingenious Engineering with the Royal Academy of Engineering 8th-12th and 15th-19th June
This event will see P4-7 pupils put their problem solving hats on and immerse themselves in the world of engineering. This handson workshop will give them the opportunity to find out about the place of engineering in our world and the variety of engineering careers available.
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thanks Glasgow Science Centre would like to thank everyone who contributed to this edition, and especially our guests Jo Walmsley, Helen Lennox, CoderDojo Scotland, Dr Katy Mould, Katie Pinnock, Joanne Ward and Joanne Dempster. Thanks, also, to those who helped with photography and illustrations, facts and figures to make Mercury as current and accurate as possible. If you would like to contribute to future editions of Mercury, please contact us at
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