February 5, 2015
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STEM and Food for Thought: Education Fund Phase 3

Participating in the Food for Thought project provides opportunity to raise awareness of STEM careers in the food and drink industry, one of our key economic growth sectors.

Recent figures estimate that 170,000 employees with STEM skills are required by 2020.

Apply now and take STEM forward in your establishment.

Applications can now be made to the Food for Thought: Education Fund Phase 3. The fund aims to support practitioners to build their confidence and capacity and to improve learning and teaching within food education in Curriculum for Excellence. Awards of up to £3000 per project are available. Apply now.

This year we are looking for schools to plan food education projects that:

aim to improve outcomes for learners in ways which seek to eliminate the inequity that currently exists amongst learners from different backgrounds and from particular vulnerable groups
plan to focus on Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce by improving work experience, career advice and careers education. This is why we are asking you to work with local businesses as by working more closely with employers we can all aim to ensure our work is taking account of their views and needs to developing the workforce of tomorrow.
provide the opportunity for staff to develop their knowledge and skills around food education
involve progressive learning and teaching in delivering and embedding food education
build respect around food education into the ethos of the school (i.e. not one off events)

Proposals must be submitted by Sunday 29 March 2015. You will receive a confirmation email once your application has been submitted.

Read also our news release: Food for Thought Education Fund serves up another course of funding.

February 3, 2015
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King’s College University : Aspires Project 2014

Many governments and organisations are concerned that not enough young people are choosing to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) after the age of 16.

There is also widespread concern that the profile of those who do go on to study STEM subjects and pursue STEM careers is too narrow, with women, working-class and some minority ethnic groups remaining under-represented, especially in the physical sciences and engineering.

Particular STEM fields are predicting or already experiencing significant STEM skills gaps that may impact negatively on the economy. There is also a pressing need to improve the spread of scientific literacy across all societal groups.

The ASPIRES study sought to shed new light on our understanding of how young people’s aspirations develop over this 10-14 age period, exploring in particular what influences the likelihood of a young person aspiring to a science-related career.

The project is a five-year study funded by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as part of its Targeted Initiative on Science and Mathematics Education (TISME).

In addition to researching influences on students’ aspirations, the project also worked with a small group of teachers to develop approaches for integrating STEM careers information into science lessons.

Access the report through http://bit.ly/1fkDdDy

February 2, 2015
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A nucleus of talent

First Minister meets Higgs Prize for Physics winners.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced the newest winners of the Higgs Prize for Physics, congratulating them on their success.

The prize is named after Scottish-based Nobel Physics Prize winner Professor Peter Higgs, whose work in the field has had a significant impact on modern day particle physics, and rewards pupils who show a particular aptitude for the subject.

Ms Sturgeon and Education Secretary Angela Constance met Professor Higgs himself and the four winners in the First Minister’s office on Thursday 29th January.

The winners are:

• Eilidh Birse – a former pupil at Boclair Academy in Bearsden who is now studying medicine at the University of St Andrews
• Julie Lynch – a former pupil at St Ninian’s High School in Giffnock who is now studying Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Glasgow and is continuing to take Physics as a third subject
• Stuart McGibbon – a fellow former pupil at St Ninian’s High School in Giffnock, now currently studying Physics at the University of Glasgow
• Raheem Beg – a former pupil at Perth High School who is currently studying mathematics at the University of Dundee

As part of the Scottish Government funded prize, they will travel to the internationally renowned CERN research facility in Switzerland in July to attend lectures and seminars on physics as part of the summer school programme, as well as talking to Scottish researchers about their work at the facility and their careers in physics.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

“Scotland has a wonderful history of scientific discovery and it’s encouraging to see that tradition continue through today’s pupils and students who continue to be passionate and excited to take on the scientific challenges that remain unexplained.

“Science is hugely important to Scotland in the modern era and the achievements of Professor Higgs – a man whose work is internationally renowned – are of course inspiring for any budding scientist. This year, the International Year of Light, also celebrates the incredible legacy of another Scottish physicist, James Clerk Maxwell, whose theories underpin the technology at the heart of almost all communications equipment we take for granted today.

“We are absolutely determined to support pupils to excel and remove any barriers that might prevent them from realising their full potential. This prize is the perfect example of hard work opening up life-changing opportunities. Today’s four winners Eilidh, Julie, Stuart and Raheem now have the opportunity to go to the fantastic CERN research facility in Switzerland to listen and learn from some of the brightest minds of our generation. We are offering them the chance to be the very best they can be – the vast knowledge and experience they will have access to is an opportunity that many across the world will envy.

“I’m therefore delighted to award a prize in Professor Higg’s name to these exceptionally hard working and talented youngsters.”

Professor Higgs said:

“Everyone in life has people that they admire and strive to be like – my own inspiration was Paul Dirac, a man who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1933 – and I’m honoured that an award in my name is used as inspiration to the younger generation of physicists.

“I congratulate Eilidh, Julie, Stuart and Raheem on winning this prize and I am sure they will have an amazing time at CERN where they will learn from the very best. I hope these four promising young talents go on to became esteemed in their own right.”

Background

Pictures of the First Minister meeting Professor Higgs and the prize winners will be available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/firstministerofscotland

The prize is awarded on merit, to the highest performing male and female Advanced Higher Physics candidates from a publicly-funded school.

February 1, 2015
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New STEM Scottish Education Award 2015

The Scottish Education Awards celebrate the hard work and success which takes place in Scottish education. They recognise the achievements of people who dedicate their lives to children and young people and showcase the valuable work and innovation in Scottish classrooms

This year a new award category for STEM, Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics, has been introduced.

This category recognises establishments who are helping children and young people develop STEM skills and apply these across the four contexts for learning – curriculum, inter-disciplinary learning, ethos and life of the school and opportunities for personal achievement.

Nominations should be able to evidence the following questions and describe the impact on learners, the school and wider community:

In what ways do learners in your establishment demonstrate successful application of STEM skills?
In what ways are learners using STEM to develop skills for learning, life and work?
In what ways do you work with partners/parents/wider community to support STEM?

Nominations for this year’s awards are now open.

Nominations close 12pm on Monday 16 February 2015.

#primaryscience

January 27, 2015
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Introduction to Ecosystems -Professional Learning

If we don’t grasp why ecosystems function, it becomes harder to determine possible reasons for when they don’t, and makes it difficult to identify possible environmental threats to humans. In this course you will discover how organisms are linked together by complex interrelationships, how such links are studied and how the physical properties of a particular habitat interact with the organisms that inhabit it. Using case studies, you will come to learn how knowledge of ecosystems leads to understanding of their individual importance, and how they can be preserved.
Future Learn’s Introduction to Ecosystems online course starts on February 16th and aims to allow students to gain an understanding of the natural world, how the web of life works, with illustrations from around the world.

This course is intended for those with an interest in natural history, conservation or the environment and does not require any previous experience of studying these subjects.

January 27, 2015
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Agriculture and Food Security – Professional Learning

Food security is a complex, global issue, in which we all play a part. In this free online course, you’ll join experts from the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development at the University of Reading, to investigate our relationship with agriculture and your own food habits.

Future Learn’s Our Hungry Planet: Agriculture, People and Food Security online course considers how the food we grow, buy, eat and throw away relates to the global issue of food security. This course is aimed at anyone with an interest in food, food security and food waste; farming and agriculture; or sustainability. You don’t need any previous experience or qualifications to join it.

January 27, 2015
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Shale Gas and Fracking

Shale gas is seen by many as a cheap, clean and plentiful source of energy; a low-carbon ‘game changer’ helping us meet the world’s rapidly growing demands for energy and offering greater energy security. Its rapid rise has not been without controversy, however. Earth tremors, surface and groundwater contamination, and the effects of fracking on human and animal health are all high profile concerns.

New professional learning resources have been produced around the area of Shale Gas and Fracking.

Future Learn are running a four week course, Shale Gas and Fracking: the Politics and Science. You’ll be able to hear from all sides of the fracking debate with this free online course. Understand what shale gas is and why it divides opinion.

Published in December 2014, Public engagement with shale gas and oil is a report on findings from public dialogue workshops published on the UK government website. This report summarises findings from a public dialogue which explored participant’s views on how to engage the public on shale gas and oil and coal bed methane. The dialogue, which was co-funded by Sciencewise, was designed to inform the Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil’s (OUGO) public engagement policy, inform industry’s development of a community benefits package and help stakeholders (from government and industry) to develop appropriate plans for local engagement.

January 27, 2015
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Circular economy Scotland – report

The Green Alliance in partnership with SCDI.

The report can be accessed through this link

Rising resource risks and the growing recognition of the economic value being lost in waste have raised business interest in the circular economy. These trends are feeding a more interventionist approach to resource policy in countries as diverse as the US, China, Germany, Japan and Korea. This analysis shows how Scotland could help to make its economy more circular, by assessing potential opportunities in three exemplar sectors; oil and gas, food and drink, and finance. These sectors all have a reliance on STEM skills and attributes.

The report explains that a circular economy restores old products, parts and materials back to their original use in a way that uses the least resources to deliver the same function. It outlines Scotland’s opportunities and challenges, derived from its particular political climate, policies, institutions and scale. The report considers the wider lessons on how Scotland might capture the biggest circular economy opportunities. It suggests that Scotland is well positioned to capitalise on its high social connectedness and policy leadership on low carbon technology to develop and pilot more innovative, valuable, and ambitious circular economy business models and technologies. The report concludes that Scotland needs a targeted, challenge-led innovation strategy run by institutions empowered to drive technically risky, but potential big win circular economy pilot projects. It suggests that this strategy will be more likely to succeed if targeted towards innovations that will help Scotland’s key sectors adapt to a more resource constrained world.

January 27, 2015
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ComPound Interest – Chemistry Resources

Looking for a weekly summary of both new chemistry research and studies that have been in the news? ComPound Interest is a blog by Andy Brunning, a chemistry teacher in the UK, creating graphics looking at the chemistry and chemical reactions we come across on a day-to-day basis. This week’s summary features a nanoparticle drug that prevents the spread of cancer in mice, the discovery of polymeric organic material on comet 67-P, and more.

The Infographics he creates can be used as corridor and classroom displays and cover Elements, Food chemistry, Colour chemistry, Organic Chemistry and many more. You can subscribe to receive new content posted on the site automatically via email.

January 23, 2015
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INSPIRE AND MOTIVATE PUPILS WITH BIOLOGY

The Society of Biology launched a project (June 2014 – March 2015) named “Biology: Changing the World”, funded by BBSRC and the National Lottery to promote and celebrate the lives and contribution of famous biologists to the way we live now.

The project utilises heritage plaques present on buildings nationwide to highlight famous biologists in local areas. A tablet based App (freely downloaded from App’s store) has been developed which locates plaques closest to the user giving information about the scientist, such as their life stories and their contribution to biology. Interviews with contemporary biologists are also included.

For schools, and in particular for children aged 7-10 years, there is a teachers booklet and poster available (free of cost) to explain the project with suggestions for workshops and lessons.

More details can be found on the website below.

http://biologyheritage.societyofbiology.org/bcw-schools