STEM Blog

We are excited to share the updated lists of Funding & Festivals:

Grants & Funding

STEM Grants and Funding (June 2023)

30th June 2023 deadline has been set for the Edina Trust Grants (open to schools across Glasgow and South Ayrshire). The Edina Trust Science Grant Scheme (SGS) is a non-competitive grant scheme. Funding is set aside so that there is enough for every school and maintained nursery in eligible areas to get the full amount.

Royal Society of Chemistry has recently launched the Inclusion and Diversity Fund – socioeconomic inclusion special call. Up to £5,000 available for projects to improve socioeconomic inclusion & accessibility within the chemical sciences.

STEM Festivals

List of National Science Festivals (Updated June 2023)

May and June have been busy months for Festivals.

The Royal Highland Show is taking place at Ingliston between 22 and 25 June 2023. School groups are welcome on the Thursday and Friday.

A variety of festivals are planned for September.

On Thursday 1 June, Ian Stewart (Development Officer) and Colin Dorman (North Lanarkshire STEM Officer) hosted a successful in-person STEM Nation Award information session for colleagues in North Lanarkshire.

Ian is looking forward continuing to support settings with the beginning stages of the STEM Nation Award, at two further events this week:

• Tuesday 6 June – Renfrewshire STEM Showcase
• Wednesday 7 June – West Partnership Teachmeet (South Lanarkshire)

Where to find support for Sciences – list of various useful resources for practitioners.

Welcome to the fortnightly STEM planner. Keep reading to find out more about exciting STEM developments across Scotland. Please feel free to share this planner with colleagues and school partners.

STEM Nation Award programme update 

The STEM Nation Award Programme is open for ELC settings, schools and CLD Settings. The STEM Nation Award Programme provides a focus for colleagues across a setting to work collegiately to identify, celebrate, promote and develop excellent STEM learning

Registrations:

• 14 organisations have registered as official STEM Nation Award Supporters (Support Page).
• Since January, 33 new settings have registered for the Programme.

Sessions:

• Since September 2022, we have hosted 18 STEM Nation Award information sessions for local authorities.
• Regular drop in sessions continue to be scheduled (Events Page)

Submissions:

• February window – 15 settings submitted evidence – all of which have been awarded at least one element.
• May window – 6 settings have submitted evidence.
• Braes High School (Falkirk) achieved the Full STEM Nation Award in early March.

There are a range of Online Resources, to support your registration and engagement in the programme.

Look out for our upcoming feature – Spotlight on STEM Nation Award recipients.

Share1thing – Secondary Sciences Network

Our campaign asks you to #Share1Thing you are doing that’s working well or one thing you’d like some advice on – all focused on the Broad General Education sciences. It was great to hear your ideas during a fantastic session of sharing at the recent BGE meet.

We are continuing this discussion at a time when you might be reviewing/looking for ideas. Please share any ideas you have, big, small, new or old! With over 800 members in the SSN network we hope this fantastic knowledge exchange can continue.

The folders currently are as follows (feel free to create your own if what you are sharing doesn’t fit!):

1. Course Outlines and Planners
2. Course Ideas and Activities
3. Skills
4. Approaches to P7 – S1 Transition
5. Assessment – Strategies and Resources
6. Topical Science
7. DYW – BGE Science Resources

Many colleagues have already kindly shared their resources, even if you’re not quite ready to share, get logged in and take a look at all that’s currently available in the Secondary Sciences Network.

Click here:

BGE channel files section.  Join Code: uh9sf32   (NB you will need to be logged into Glow to access this).

We appreciate your ongoing engagement and commitment to Secondary Sciences. Don’t forget to pass the join code (uh9sf32) on to any interested colleagues.

West Partnership STEM TeachMeet

The West Partnership will be hosting a STEM TeachMeet on Wednesday 7th June 6pm – 8.30pm.

If you would like to be part of this and share your practice or simply attend, please complete this form. 

Creative Collaborations for Sustainability conference

We are delighted to bring you the news of a forthcoming event run by Creative Scotland and Education Scotland. The Creative Collaborations for Sustainability conference aims to explore the opportunities for developing Learning for Sustainability in, about and through the arts, investigating through a variety of discipline-specific and interdisciplinary workshops how people and communities value and engage with the natural environment. Creative Collaborations for Sustainability seeks to support teachers in developing confidence to use arts approaches in their practice around Learning for Sustainability.

• Tuesday 20 June for secondary practitioners
• Wednesday 21 June  for primary practitioners

See the dedicated website for more details: Creative Collaborations for Sustainability – Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Sign up through the Eventbrite page: Creative Collaborations for Sustainability Tickets, Glasgow

Fife STEM Futures Festival

Fife STEM Futures Festival will run from 12 to 16 June. During this week, lots of STEM partners will deliver an array of STEM workshops in Fife schools. The virtual site (under construction with open access) is set to be launched at the end of May and will include further news, links, challenges and resources which learners, families, practitioners and partners can engage with to celebrate STEM in Fife.

https://bit.ly/stemfutures

DYW – Scientific Technologies Foundation Apprenticeship – Iona’s Story

The Scientific Technologies Foundation Apprenticeship can have an impact both in engaging girls in STEM and also by addressing workforce development and regional skills requirements.

Scientific Technologies Foundation Apprenticeship – Iona’s Story

The DYW Senior Phase Curriculum in action:

Views of young people short videos:

IT FA Benefits & Skills Development Pathways

Food & Drink Technology Foundation Apprenticeship: Lily-Anna’s experience

Creative & Digital Media FA Benefits

Ross Construction Pathway

Parity of esteem & the work based curriculum – the development of the technical and professional qualifications:

Thistle Seafoods interview: Manager’s perspective – YouTube

Science Tech Employer – Bringing new talent into organisation

Science Tech Employer – Bringing new talent into organisation2

Science Tech Employer – Bringing new talent into organisation3

Engineering FA – An Employer’s Perspective

Engineering FA – Work Placement Activities

Food & Drink Technologies FA Placement Activities

Creative & Digital Media FA Placement Activities

Scientific Technologies Aberdeenshire Council Foundation Apprenticeship: Placement Activities

Engineering FA – Work Placement Activities

Merck Modern Apprentice opportunities

Modern Apprentice opportunities at Merck for school/college students – start with Merck in July for the induction and to be settled into the workplace just before starting college. Partnered with Glasgow Clyde College and Forth Valley College as the supplier of the academic study.

Merck are looking for two Modern Apprentices for Engineering.

Apply to this email address:

engineeringmanager@merckgroup.com

There are also opportunities for two lab MA positions which will be shared very soon – one position in Molecular and one in Microbiology.

All the MA positions will be based in Glasgow.

Opportunity for pupils to investigate their classroom air quality!

SAMHE is now official launched and are inviting UK schools to register. Schools will receive a free air quality monitor linked to an interactive Web App where teachers and pupils can view the data in a range of formats and use it in in-app curriculum-linked activities. SAMHE (pronounced ‘Sammy’!) stands for Schools’ Air quality Monitoring for Health and Education. It is a new DfE supported research project which brings together scientists, pupils and teachers to help understand indoor air quality in UK schools. SAMHE was designed in partnership with schools to ensure it meets their needs and is fun and engaging for pupils. Teachers say that it’s “powerful to see the live feed of the data” and the “range of options allows us to use this system across the STEM subjects”. Learn more and sign up on the SAMHE website.

European Hyperloop Week – 17 – 23 July 

July 23 – Main Public Day Exhibition event to be held in Edinburgh city centre (free)

July 17 to 22 – Kings Building Campus, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3FB – Public Ticket events £3.50 per person

• Exhibition, talks, “ask the engineers”, presentations – Kings Buildings Campus
• Demonstration Day – Testing on tracks of the Hyperloop vehicles – July 22^nd Kings Buildings Campus

Edinburgh is hosting the European Hyperloop Week 2023. Young engineering teams from across Europe will be presenting and showcasing their Hyperloop transport engineering & technologies.

A great chance for kids and families to engage and see the ‘transport of the future’ – linking technology, engineering, science, design and maths.

Some useful links below:

• What is Hyperloop? – Short 2 minute animation video
• What does European Hyperloop Week look like? – last year’s video
• Where people can book to attend or find out further information?

MVV Environment Baldovie

MVV Environment Baldovie will be opening its gates to the community. This outside event is set to inspire you to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. On the day you can enjoy some street food, get involved with challenges, games, and sign up for a tour of our Energy from Waste Facility. Children are welcome.

To secure your tickets please click the link below:

MVV Environment Baldovie tickets

Dates for your diary

West Partnership STEM TeachMeet   7th June

Fife STEM Futures Festival   12 – 16 June

Creative Collaborations for Sustainability conference   20 & 21 June

International Women in Engineering Day   23 June

Ian Stewart, Development Officer (STEM Nation Award), will be representing the STEM Team from Education Scotland at the 48th IOP Physics Teachers Meeting at Stirling University and the 26th Nigel Botting Meeting for Teachers of Chemistry at the University of St Andrews.

Ian is currently seconded from his Chemistry Teacher role in Midlothian. His main remit focuses on the STEM Nation Award and he also supports the Secondary Sciences Network (Glow Team – Join Code – uh9sf32) and a wide range of other activities.

Useful PowerPoints (uploaded as pdf):

Regular updates on https://bit.ly/STEM-Blog 

Where to find support for sciences (Resource links by subjects) 

Upcoming events from Education Scotland (filtered for STEM & Sciences)

We are delighted to now have 16 organisations registered as STEM Nation Award Supporters, they are listed on the Support Page.

We are pleased to share a few upcoming events from Supporters:

• TechFest – wide range of events coming up in May and June
• Glasgow Science Centre – various programmes for schools
• The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) welcomes school groups to The Royal Highland Show on Thursday 22nd June and Friday 23rd June 2023

Science Ceilidh

Science Ceilidh  are launching the Curiosity In Communities Network. The network is open to everyone interested in the role of STEM to support Community Learning and Development (CLD) practice outcomes with and by young people. CLD practitioners, science educators, researchers and anyone else interested are invited to connect, build collaborations and share learning together.

The next Community of Practice meeting is at 11am on 14 June 2023. They will be spend the first half hour running through the Curiosity in Action application process for any youth groups and researchers interested in applying for the action research programme. They will then have a few spotlight case studies of current projects using STEM to support youth work outcomes, if you would like to put yourself forward for this, please get in touch! There will also be breakout rooms based on the interests of those in attendance and space for networking and exchanging resources. (Eventbrite Link).

STEM Nation Award

The STEM Nation Award Programme is available for ELC Settings, Schools and CLD Settings. For more information please review the below slideshow and the online resources.

Ian Stewart, Development Officer (STEM Nation Award), is very excited to be able to represent the STEM Team from Education Scotland at a variety of events for Chemistry Teachers in May 2023.

Ian is currently seconded from his Chemistry Teacher role in Midlothian. His main remit focuses on the STEM Nation Award, however he also supports the Secondary Sciences Network (Glow Team – Join Code – uh9sf32) and many other activities.

Useful PowerPoints (uploaded as pdf):

Regular updates on https://bit.ly/STEM-Blog 

Where to find support for sciences (Resource links by subjects) 

Upcoming events from Education Scotland (filtered for STEM & Sciences)

Secondary Sciences Network: BGE Meet –  Tues 16 May 16:45 – 17:45

Looking to develop your BGE? Come along to share practice, hear new ideas and collaborate. (#Share1Thing)

Sign up here: Secondary Sciences Network – BGE Meet Tickets

Secondary Sciences Network: N1 – N3 STEM resources from Open Tay – Tues 23 May 16:00 – 17:00

Come along to hear about Open Tay Learning – an interactive, free resource bank, for teachers and learners which aims to promote attainment and recognise the achievement of learners in STEM subjects at National 1-3 levels. This flexible resource bank can be used by teachers and learners to support learning, either in school or at a place of their choosing.

Sign up here: N1 – N3 STEM resources from Open Tay (hosted by Secondary Sciences Network)

Seisean Fiosrachaidh Prògram Duais Nàisean STEM/ STEM nation award information session for Gaelic Schools – Tues 23 May 16:00 – 17:00

Bidh an seisean seo a’ toirt iomradh air Prògram Duais Nàisean STEM, a’ toirt a-steach buannachdan is nàdar a’ phrògraim. Bidh cothroman ann airson luchd-obrach beachdan a dheasbad ’s dùbhlannan a dh’fhaodadh a bhith ann aithneachadh. Bidh an seisean seo na ùidh do luchd-obrach ann am Foghlam tro Mheadhan na Gàidhlig.

This session will provide an introduction to the STEM Nation Award Programme, including the benefits and nature of the programme. There will be opportunities for practitioners to discuss ideas and identify potential challenges. This session will be of interest to practitioners in Gaelic Medium Education.

Click here to sign up: STEM Nation Award Programme information session for Gaelic schools

The STEM Nation Award Programme is open for ELC settings, Schools and CLD Settings. The STEM Nation Award Programme provides a focus for colleagues across a setting to work collegiately to identify, celebrate, promote and develop excellent STEM learning

We thought it may be useful to share a current update on the STEM Nation Award:

Registrations:

• 14 organisations have registered as official STEM Nation Award Supporters (Support Page).
• Since January, 33 new settings have registered for the Programme.

Sessions:

• Since September 2022, we have hosted 18 STEM Nation Award information sessions for Local Authorities.
• Regular Drop In Sessions continue to be scheduled (Events Page)

Submissions:

• February window – 15 settings submitted evidence – all of which have been awarded at least one element.
• May window – 6 settings have submitted evidence.
• Braes High School (Falkirk) achieved the Full STEM Nation Award in early March.

We are very excited by engagement and look forward to more opportunities in the coming months.

There are a range of Online Resources, to support your registration and engagement in the programme.

List of STEM Grant and Funding Opportunities

If your school is based in Glasgow or South Ayrshire you can apply for the Edina Trust Science Grant Scheme.

List of National Science / STEM Festivals

May and June are busy months for the Festivals, including Falkirk Science Festival, Pint of Sciences, Bang Goes DG!, TechFest and Fife STEM Futures Festival.