Science in society - Small awards scheme 2007B
Successful Applicants in Round 2007B
Dr Nicholas Rattenbury - F501110/1
The University of Manchester, Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics
The Jodcast
Award - £6,000.00
The Jodcast has been produced since January 2006 and was funded in part by PPARC in 2007. It is hoped to continue this project a free twice-monthly downloadable audio programme on astronomy and space science. The Jodcast audience is around 1,400 listeners per episode. The Jodcast is now the main UK-based astronomy podcast and wishes to continue to maintain this position and increase its audience size significantly.
Mr Paul Haley - F500699/1
The Share Initiative
IHY –Frontier Science through Arts
Award - £14,870
This project aims to increase public understanding of solar science, especially among young people with special needs, during International Heliophysical Years 2008-09. This will be achieved by providing science arts workshops for up to 16 special schools as well as developing curriculum support materials linked to IHY for post workshop extension work and a teacher’s guide.
Dr Judith Pillinger - F500872/1
The Open University, PSSRI
Welcome to Wales – Space Sciences cartoon exhibition
Award - £5,027
The National Museum of Wales in Cardiff will, for 4 months in 2008, display the previously successful “Mars in their Eyes” exhibition (funded by PPARC) and there will be a good opportunity to update and extend the collection of mounted and framed cartoons to show other areas of solar system exploration and planetary science in line with recent interest e.g. lunar exploration.
Dr Paul Roche - F501129/1
Cardiff University, Department of Physics and Astronomy
Astronomy to a Captive Audience
Award - £11,851.40
The aim of this project is to work with young offenders on an Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme (ISSP) - the pilot will target four groups each of 15 young offenders in Gwent. Two short (10 week courses) will lead to a 3 credit OCN qualification. Additionally a longer programme will be delivered for those wishing to take the GCSE Astronomy qualification.
Dr Helen Mason - F500713/1
University of Cambridge Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics
Sun|trek - the Next Generation
Award - £4,500
The Sun|trek website went live at the end of June 2007 and its creators are encouraged by its use. STFC funding will enable the website to be updated to include sections on the latest solar observations from Hinode and Stereo. More promotional material will be purchased and use will be made of new technology and communication methods used by the “younger generation” e.g. video clips, links to facebook etc.
Dr Peter Edwards - F500821/1
Durham University Department of Physics
3D LHC
Award - £13,329.25
This project aims to develop a 3-D travelling school show which describes the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment at CERN. It is hoped that audiences will be informed and enthused about the LHC project. Young people will have an awareness of “How Science Works”. Above all people will be aware of the value and relevance of some of the big science questions the LHC is trying to address.
Dr Brian Cox - F500999/1
University of Manchester Department of Physics and Astronomy
CERN – LHC PODCAST and PODCAST website
Award - £6,000
Following the commissioning of the LHC and the receipt of data it is intended to produce at least 6 podcasts during 2008, to complement those produced previously with funding from PPARC. It is hoped that a target of one hundred thousand downloads across all podcasts will be reached by December 2008.
Mr Robin Wheldon- Williams - F501145/1
National Eisteddfod of Wales
Cosmology Exhibition – National Eisteddfod of Wales
Award - £14,600
This project will provide a presence in the Science and Technology Pavillion at the National Eisteddfod (Cardiff 2008). In the central exhibition area there will be Starlab a mobile planetarium as the central exhibit, and a novel show specifically on Big Bang and the history of the Universe. An Observatory will be attached to the Science pavilion and connected to the Faulkes Telescopes in Hawaii and New South Wales. As this will be the first live link for the National Eisteddfod it should attract a lot on interest. This is very much a bilingual project with specific emphasis on the Welsh language.
Dr Christopher Lester - F500756/1
University of Cambridge, High Energy Physics, Cavendish Laboratory
Cosmic Ray Spark Chamber for the East of England
Award - £5,900
A project to evaluate design and then build a transportable spark chamber similar to one designed by Birmingham University some 10 years ago. The chamber will be part of the CHaOS Road Show and other CHaOS events throughout the year and will be taken into schools, town halls, and county shows around the country. The chamber will form the centre-piece of the Particle Physics contribution to “The Physics at Work outreach programme”. At least 2100 school children will be reached.
Professor B.S. Sathyaprakash - F500972/1
Cardiff University School of Physics and Astronomy
Gravity beyond the apple
Award - £10,000
It is hoped to develop an engaging and interactive 50 minute show that explains the science of gravitational waves to 14-19 year olds so that they may have an awareness of the exciting challenges faced by astronomers researching in this field and also what such a discovery could mean to our understanding of the universe. 300 secondary schools in South Wales and the South West of England will be approached. The show will be toured at a subsidised rate to the first 15 schools to reply during the International Year of Astronomy in 2009.
Dr Ron Holt - F500905/1
Liverpool John Moores University, Astrophysics Research Institute
Out of This World Poetry
Award - £7,900
Young people in the Merseyside area will be encouraged to write poetry in a creative way on some aspect of astronomy. It is hoped that all who participate in this project will become more aware of the dynamic Universe in which they live. This project is in celebration of Liverpool’s status as European Capital of Culture in 2008 and further a book of poetry with six pages of astronomical images taken by schools using the Liverpool Telescope will be published and given to each participating student. A winner’s ceremony will be held at Spaceport in the Wirral.
Chairperson's report 2007(B).
Page last updated: 06 February 2008
by Gareth James
