Dear STEM Teachers,

Welcome to the Spring edition of STEM news, highlighting lots of opportunities for yourself and your students to take part in STEM activities. We are happy to talk through any of the opportunities on this list, just get in touch at

Opportunities for Students

Opportunities for Teachers

OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS:

STEM Clubs Week

Biology Challenge

All Aboard Competition

Nuffield Research Placements

Robots vs. Animals

Atkins Work Experience

British Science Week

I’m a Scientist, I’m an Engineer

Maths Inspiration Lectures

Your Green Future

Big Bang South West

nQuire-it

STEM Clubs Week 2nd-6th February

STEM Clubs Week is for all secondary schools throughout the UK! The theme is Celebrating Diversity, check it out on Twitter #STEMClubsWeek

STEM Clubs Competition

All STEM Clubs can enter this national competition to win £200 of vouchers for their STEM Club! STEM Clubs can submit photos or videos and a 50 word description of their activity at http://www.stemclubs.net/stem-clubs-week-2015/ with images or videos of their STEM Club activity carried out in STEM Clubs Week. Prizes will be awarded for the most creative approaches to the following:

·  Most unusual activity

·  Best activity involving the most people

·  Best all-STEM activity (cross STEM departments)

Photos and videos sent in are being made into a gallery that you can see here: http://www.stemclubs.net/gallery/.

Ambassadors into STEM Clubs

We have recently had a number of STEM Ambassadors contact us regarding working with extracurricular STEM-themed clubs. They can often mentor students, help with projects, share their specialist knowledge or just lend a helping hand. Recently we’ve had STEM Ambassadors help run an engineering breakfast club, high-speed camera workshops and Raspberry Pi coding clubs. Get in touch if you’d like to discuss how STEM Ambassadors can support your existing club, or help you start a new one.

Biology Challenge - Open to students aged 13 – 15, Biology Challenge tests your student’s biology knowledge! Questions will be set on the school curriculum but will also reward students who have shown enthusiasm for the subject by watching natural history programmes, or are aware of our natural flora and fauna. The Challenge consists of two, 30 minute online papers and will take place in schools from 2nd - 27th March 2015. Please register by 27th February 2015 via: https://www.societyofbiology.org/biology-challenge

All Aboard Competition

The All Aboard Competition is run by the Transport System’s Catapult on behalf of the Department for Transport. The Challenge is for students aged 14-18 years old to come up with innovative solutions to make buses more accessible for people with visual or hearing impairments. There are exciting prizes and the chance to go to the National Big Bang Fair. The closing date is 13th February. For more information go to http://www.theallaboardcompetition.co.uk/

Student Placement: Nuffield Research Placements
Year 12 students can apply for 4-6 week research placements over the summer, where they have the opportunity to work with scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians to conduct their own research-based project. Students who have been in receipt of Free School Meals may be eligible for an additional bursary. Deadline: 27th February. To apply, students should go to www.nuffieldresearchplacements.org, or for more support you can get in touch with us directly.

Robots vs Animals Zoo visit – Bristol Zoo, 25th February, 5th March *new date*, 18th March, 21st April 2015. The Bristol Robotics Lab have teamed up with Bristol Zoo to create unique sessions for Year 8/9 students. Zoo staff and robotics engineers will teach the students about biomimicry and how robotics research can learn from studying animals. Students will get to interact with a range of animals and cutting edge robotics research as they decide which are better, robots or animals?! For more information: http://robotsvsanimals.net/schools-programme/

Robots vs Animals competition - Key Stages 2-5 are invited to design their own animal-inspired robot to win robotics prizes for their school or STEM club. Students answer the challenge “What amazing animal ability would you use to design a useful robot?” The competition is aimed at encouraging creativity and inspiring nature-lovers to engage with engineering. Designs can be drawn, described (or made!). The closing date is 18th May 2015. Winning designs will be exhibited at the Festival of Nature in Bristol, June 2015. For more information: http://robotsvsanimals.net/competition/

Atkins work experience

If your Year 10 students are interested in work experience at Atkins, the deadline for applications is the 1st March. They will be running two weeks from 29th June – 10th July. There will be a similar opportunity for Year 12 students (date tbc). For more information or an application form please get in touch.

British Science Week, 13th -22nd March

British Science Week (formerly National Science and Engineering Week) is a great opportunity to get your students excited about STEM. Check out the website for events, activity ideas and resources to download: http://britishscienceweek.org/

If you’d like to discuss your ideas with us and the possibility of STEM Ambassadors supporting your activities, please get in touch as soon as possible!

I’m a Scientist, I’m an Engineer

I'm a Scientist and I'm an Engineer will be running during British Science Week this March and again during June. For two weeks your students can take part in live text-based chats with real scientists and engineers in the free, online events. The online nature of the event helps to give all students a voice, and encourages students to ask the questions they might not be confident asking in front of the whole class. You can find out more information and apply at the links below.
For more information about registering for the June events, take a look at http://imascientist.org.uk/teachers and http://imanengineer.org.uk/teachers. If you have any questions, or would like more information you can contact Josh at , or call 01225 326 892.

Maths Inspiration

The popular Maths Inspiration lectures return to the Bristol Hippodrome on Monday 23rd March. The interactive lectures are aimed at Sixth Form students and able Year 11s. Tickets are £7.50 each. For more information and to book please go to http://mathsinspiration.com/spring-2015-events

Your Green Future, University of the West of England – 19th / 20th May 2015
Bristol / South Gloucestershire students (aged 13-19) will have the opportunity to work with over 30 businesses, exploring career opportunities in a low carbon, resilient future. Interactive activities are suitable for all curriculum subjects and designed to build personal, social and life skills. Places are free, find out more and book athttp://yourgreenfuture.org.uk/events/west-england-2015 or email

Big Bang Fair South West, Exeter University – 25th June 2015

Featuring explosive theatre shows and engaging, immersive activities, the Fair is more than just a great day out! It’s an opportunity to meet some of the South West’s leading scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians, and to discover how school subjects can lead to fantastic, rewarding careers. Plus, if your students have any sort of STEM-based project they would like to enter for the National Science + Engineering Competition then bring it along - all for free! To register, visit http://nearme.thebigbangfair.co.uk/South_west/

nQuire-it

This resource has been created by the Open University and is an opportunity for students to create and join scientific missions that help them to explore the world around them. Go to the website for more information and to take a look at the missions: http://www.nquire-it.org/#/home

OPPORTUNITIES FOR TEACHERS

STEM Planning

Teacher Placements

Free Geosciences Training

ASE Teachmeet

STEM Directories Grant

Engineering Education Grant Scheme (EEGS)

STEM Planning

Over the past year we have worked with a number of schools to help them develop a STEM plan for the year, either for a STEM club or for a whole year group, Key Stage or even the whole school. A STEM plan can help take the pressure off individual teachers, helps identify gaps in provision and collates all the proposed STEM enrichment activities in the school into one place. Below is an example plan that we have written with one school:

STEM Club Plan 2014-15 / Term 1 / Term 2 / Term 3 / Term 4 / Term 5 / Term 6
Activity / Long Project eg Go4Set / STEM Careers & Options / British Science Week / Topic: Sustainability / Enrichment week (Example Topic: Technology)
Content / Team working project that will be judged at the end. Include development of core skills e.g. team working, project and time management
Examples of projects:
Go4SET
Flying Start Challenge
Faraday Challenges
BP STEM Challenges / Speed Networking
Careers talks
Tea with a Scientist / Programme of activities for different year groups eg
Practical Action: Beat the Flood
Brunel Loan Boxes / Talks
Renewable Energy
Free Event: Your Green Future / Robotics
3D Printing (loan from Graphic Science)
Raspberry Pi
STEM Ambassadors / Team paired with Ambassadors from a local company / Range of ambassadors to highlight different careers / Engineers to support design and make activities / Engineers from energy sector / Computer scientists, enthusiasts

Please get in touch if you would like us to work with you to help you develop your own plan.

Teacher Industrial Partner’s Scheme (TIPS)

TIPS is a new joint initiative between education and industry that gives teachers an authentic experience of what takes place in modern engineering and technological organisations. Teachers will be placed in a local organisation for two weeks and get to experience many different parts of the business. The fee to take part is £360, but teachers from state-maintained schools can receive an ENTHUSE Award bursary of £1400 to help with supply costs. To find out more please go to www.slcs.ac.uk/go/nat/tips .

FREE Training: Geoscience Education Academy 2015

Free training is being offered to all Science and Geography teachers to help support teaching in Geosciences. The course runs from 23rd-26th July in London, with accommodation and expenses being paid. For more information or to book please go to http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/gea

ASE Teachmeet

Wednesday 25th February, Abbeywood School, Bristol, 5pm – 6:30pm

Come along to this informal gathering run by the Association for Science Education for anyone enthusiastic about science teaching and wanting to share ideas. For more information and to sign-up visit http://teachmeet.pbworks.com/w/page/88929374/Copy%20of%20ASE%20West%20TeachM

Grants for Enriching STEM activities

The Ri and The Causeway Foundation are offering schools up to £500 to take part in an Enrichment and Enhancement (E&E) STEM activity from the STEM Directories before July 2015. This is an exciting opportunity for students to take part in a mathematics activity and help integrate mathematics enrichment in school practice. The Scheme is now open and the deadline for applications is 9th February 2015 at 5pm. For more information and to apply, visit the STEM Directories website.

Engineering Education Grant Scheme (EEGS)

A new grant scheme from The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), offering up to £5,000 (or even £15,000 for special projects) The scheme is there to support projects that bring about a better understanding of the role of the engineer and the contribution engineering makes to society. Closing date for applications 3rd March.

http://www.imeche.org/knowledge/themes/education/engineering-education-grant-scheme-EEGS