Thanks to funding by the Wales Science Year Small Grants scheme, costs have been kept low and for many schools the project sessions have been FREE.  

The projects:

The Penguin’s Cold Feet – How animals and humans cope with extreme environments.  Why are the Penguin’s cold feet the secret of its survival and what has this got to do with a cup of tea going cold?

The Aliens are Here – Biology meets the X files.  How our country is under attack from alien invaders, plants and animals that belong somewhere else that could change our countryside forever.

Why Give a Damn? – everyone’s talking about the environment, but why does it matter?  This fresh look at environmental issues from the perspective of energy use answers the question, “Why the world can’t ever keep up with human activity?”.

Rocks Float, I’ve Proved it! – a look at the evolution of scientific thought, experimental design and why statistics should only be believed sometimes.

Complete project breakdowns, curriculum details and plug-in options are still being finalised.  For further details, check out the Q&A page or contact Howie: science@howie.info or telephone 01639 633947.

Wales Science Year:

This is the second round of Wales Science Year Grants. The first round was finalised in January and in February Jane Davidson AM, Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning, announced further funding.

Grants are available for all maintained secondary schools including SEN to a maximum of £500 and to other publicly funded organisations to a maximum of £3,000. Criteria for funding and application forms may be downloaded from the Wales Science Year web site at www.walesscienceyear.org.uk The closing date for applications is Friday 19 April and all projects should be completed by 31 July.

Further information may be obtained from Dr Sue Cavell, National Co-ordinator, Wales Science Year, phone (029) 2047 5475 or email sue@walesscienceyear.org.uk

The broad aims of Science Year (UK) are:

• to raise the profile of science and its impact on society;

• to generate excitement about, and to stimulate creativity and innovation in, science-based teaching and learning;                    

• to  make science accessible and appealing to all young people; and

• to raise awareness of the career opportunities in science.

These aims have been adopted and made specific for Wales so that science activities become more accessible and exciting for everyone. It is hoped that, in turn, this will lead many young people to consider a career in science. The focus of Science Year is the age range 10 to 19 years, which is rather broad in terms of a target range when we consider that the needs, interests and aspirations of these ages are quite different. The principal focus in Wales is on secondary school students as the problem of students turning away from science as a career in favour of something that is perceived as less demanding, more interesting, or more lucrative, is widely acknowledged. This is particularly so in the middle years of secondary school.

Science needs to be seen as exciting, challenging and relevant by students. This is not a new idea. However, a great deal has been written about ‘teaching for understanding’ and the psychology of learning, but perhaps now the focus should be on ‘science for excitement’ dispelling the myth that science is hard or boring, or ‘science for me’, illustrating the relevance of science to all students.