STFC Small Awards Scheme
Public Understanding of Science and Technology
Successful Applicants in Round 00A (Spring 2000)
Mrs JL Patching, Swinton Comprehensive School, East Avenue, Rotherham, S64 8JW
Tel: 01709 570586 Email: j.patching@tesco.net|
£500 STIMULATING AN INTEREST IN ASTRONOMY
A contribution to the cost of hiring a stardome at an inner city school, principally to foster an interest in Astronomy in pupils from a cluster of Primary schools, but also to be extended to secondary school pupils to encourage older pupils to consider taking science degrees. The stardome will also be used to brief and update involved teachers.
Dr NA Hutton, School of Education, University of Sunderland, Gray Road, Sunderland, SR2 8JB
Tel: 0191 515 2379 Email: neil.hutton@sunderland.ac.uk|
£600 COMSET CONTINUATION (SPACE)
COMSET was a Millennium Award project, run by The Royal Society and British Association, to increase the understanding of scientific and technological issues by developing three university/community linked programmes in Sunderland. This Award will provide teaching support to the Sunderland Women's Centre for approximately 60 community representatives to deliver the 'Earth in Space' unit. This is the most challenging of the three units, owing to the community's lack of experience and confidence in this area of science.
Dr MA Barstow, Physics & Astronomy Department, Leicester University, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH
Tel: 0116 252 3492 Email: mab@star.le.ac.uk|
£3500 SEEING STARS II - ASTRONOMY & SPACE SCIENCE FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED
An extension to work already undertaken to make Astronomy more accessible to visually impaired people. The existing Braille Astronomy Guide is to be extended to include topical material on space and astronomy, with associated teacher notes, and a planetarium programme is to be developed for the visually impaired, based on the 'Seeing Stars' book but accessible to all ages.
Professor JC Brown, Physics & Astronomy Department, University of Glasgow, University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QW
Tel: 0141 330 5182 Email: john@astro.gla.ac.uk|
£7500 COSMOLOGY MEETS COMEDY
A contribution to the costs of writing and producing a comedy about science, to be performed at the 2000 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This would reverse the usual comedy trend, by portraying the scientist as a romantic hero in order to break down prejudices against science, and to introduce the audience to astronomical and cosmological ideas and principles in an accessible form.
Mr PJ Dunne, Department of General Education, Preston College, Fullwood Campus, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 8UR
Tel: 01772 225593 Email: pdunne@prestoncoll.ac.uk|
£4450 FULWOOD EXTENSIVE AIR SHOWER ARRAY PROJECT
This pilot project will develop a cosmic ray extensive air shower array, based on Preston College and two neighbouring secondary schools. The array will be capable of making real measurements on showers associated with cosmic ray primaries, and the project aims to stimulate the pupils' interest in particle physics, astrophysics and instrumentation topics (such as electronics and engineering).
Mr RW Wall, Physics & Astronomy Department, Manchester University, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL
Tel: 0161 275 4092 Email: rmw@mags.ph.man.ac.uk|
£500 12th ANNUAL UKSEDS SPACE CONFERENCE
A contribution towards the costs of this annual conference. It is principally aimed at university students with an interest in space science, although there are attractions targeting schoolchildren and the general public.
Mrs L Fosker, Robert Manning Technology College, Edinburgh Crescent, Bourne, Linconshire, PE10 9DT
Tel: 01778 42 2365 Email: mskee@globalnet.co.uk|
£600 SCIFEST-EDUCATIONAL SCIENCE FAIR
A contribution to the cost of an Educational Science Fair at Bourne, aimed at children between the ages of 7 and 18, with an evening session dedicated to the general public. The event aims to raise the general awareness of, and foster an interest in, a wide range of sciences, but particularly in Astronomy.
Dr JD Gillies, Publications Division, CERN, CH - 1211, Geneva 23, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 767 63 33 Email: james.gillies@cern.ch|
£5000 BRINGING THE ORACLE OF DELPHI TO THE UK
This project aims to bring the Oracle of Delphi, a play performed at CERN by the theatre company Mimescope, to the UK for performances at the Science Museum and the Edinburgh Science Festival. The play combines art and science to particularly investigate the Big Bang and the matter/antimatter relationship. It gives an interpretation of British scientist Paul Dirac's investigations and thoughts, as he realises that he has predicted the existence of anti-matter.
Mrs S Chaplin, Jodrell Bank Science Centre, Jodrell Bank, Lower Withington, Macclesfield, SK11 9DL
Tel: 01477 571339 Email: sc@jb.man.ac.uk|
£8000 ACCESSING THE LOVELL RADIO TELESCOPE
An Award to assist towards the mounting of an interactive exhibition at the Jodrell Bank Science Centre, designed to answer the most frequently asked questions about the Lovell Telescope and MERLIN, and to bring the public closer to the Observatory staff and their work. Physical access to the Telescope will be enhanced, together with the public's understanding of the workings of radio telescopes, both individual and arrays, and the roles of those scientists involved.
Dr JD Pollard, Treviglas Community College, Bradley Road, Newquay, Cornwall, TR7 3JA
Tel: 01637 872076 Email: pol@treviglas.cornwall.sch.uk|
£2500 CORNWALL SCHOOLS ASTRONOMY PROJECT-GCSE ASTRONOMY
This project will produce a complete, paperless ICT-based package to deliver GCSE Astronomy to students and the general public, supplied partly (although not exclusively) via BT Learning Online product (BTLO).
Dr DI Steel, Joule Physics Laboratory, University of Salford, University Crescent, Salford, M5 4WT
Tel: 0161 295 3981 Email: d.i.steel@salford.ac.uk|
£2000 COMMUNICATING ROCKET SCIENCE
This Award is to enable the continuation of Dr Steel's pilot project to produce the weekly 'Ask a Rocket Scientist' column in the Manchester Evening News, and to both upgrade and extend the column to other local newspapers, BBC Radio North, and the University of Salford web site, and to possibly leading to access to the national press.
Mrs J Fitzjohn, The Education Business Partnership, PO Box 18, Llandysul, Carmarthenshire, SA44 4YD
Tel: 01239 711593 Email: j.fitzjohn@dyfedebp.org.uk|
£4800 NASA JOHNSON SPACE CENTER PROJECT-2000
An extension to an existing project forming part of the BT NASA programme. This aims to encourage pupils' and schools' use of information communication technology by developing partnerships between primary schools in Wales and elementary schools in USA. The NASA Space Science Project component of the programme involves five participating Welsh teachers travelling to the Johnson Space Centre to take part in a two-week workshop with American teachers.
Dr SVC Cobb, School of M3EM, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD
Tel: 0115 9514147 Email: sue.cobb@nottingham.ac.uk|
£3000 VIRTUAL RADIOACTIVITY LABORATORY FOR SECONDARY EDUCATION
This Award will contribute to the costs of revising and extending the existing Virtual Radioactivity Laboratory (VR RadLab) into a CD ROM which can be easily run on a standard PC at most schools, and distributing this CD-ROM demonstrator to 5000 UK secondary schools. The aim is to help schools to teach about radioactivity in a 'virtual' way, because Health and Safety regulations limit the use of real radioactive sources in schools. A survey will be used to gain feedback and evaluate the general potential of VR in science education.
Mr I Simmons, Inspire, St Michaels Church, Coslany Street, Norwich, NR3 3DT
Tel: 01603 612612 Email: inspire@science-project.org|
£4000 HERSTMONCEUX ASTROGRAPHIC DISCOVERY PROJECT
A project to repair both the 13-inch Astrographic Telescope at the Herstmonceux Science Centre and the dome in which it is housed. This will then be used to continue the fostering of interest in children already initiated via the Centre's Space Experience Days, and for the needs of special interest groups from the general public.
Mr CJ Axon, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Bath, Claverton Down, BA2 7AY
Tel:01225 323248 Email:c.j.axon@bath.ac.uk|
£5000 MUSIC OF THE SPHERES
A contribution towards the costs of performing the play 'Music of the Spheres' and its associated hands-on workshop at a number of venues in the South and West of UK, and the 'Creating Sparks' exhibition at the BA Annual Festival 2000. This play celebrates the lives of William and Caroline Herschel, who combined interests in both science and music, and therefore aims to enhance the public image of science by highlighting the integration of science with the rest of society.
Mr J Moreland, 54 Ashley Drive, Whitton, Twickenham, TW2 6HW
Tel: 020 8893 8865 Email: jimm@dircon.co.uk|
£2032 SPACE SCIENCE: CONTINUITY AND PROGRESSION
The 'Earth and Beyond' element of the Science National Curriculum between Key Stages Two and Three has been criticised by the last three Chief Inspectors' Annual Reports. This project aims to develop teacher understanding of continuity and progression in this element. The activity will focus on two Primary schools and two Secondary schools, developing strategies and producing a curriculum pack of ideas that would aid the continuity of teaching 'Earth and Beyond' in Key Stages Two and Three.
Dr M Afzal, The Kings School, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 2ES
Tel: 01227 595693 Email: ma@kings-school.co.uk|
£1500 NATIONAL SIXTH FORM 'FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE' CONFERENCE
A contribution towards the 2001 'Frontiers of Science' conference (a biennial event, an integral part of the Science Research Initiative) to be held at The King's School. Speakers at the conference, which aims to inspire the sixth-formers attending to pursue science beyond school and into a career, will include Sir Roger Penrose FRS, and Sir Martin Rees FRS.
Dr M Jardine, Physics & Astronomy Department, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews, KY16 9SS
Tel: 01334 463146 Email: mmj@st-andrews.ac.uk|
£4500 SUPPORT FOR ASTRONOMY ROADSHOW
A project to provide continued support for the Astronomy Roadshow, which is provided by the University of St. Andrews, and consists of a Starlab planetarium, a portable computerised telescope, a notebook computer and video projector, and display boards and posters. Use is primarily directed at schools, although evening shows are undertaken for the general public.
