24 April 2007

A cosmic launch for CELS

Nottingham Trent University’s Centre for Effective Learning in Science (CELS) celebrated its official opening with a CELS-style hands-on science welcome.

Guests from the world of science and education, including Malcolm Wicks MP, Minister of State for Science and Innovation, gathered for the event which took place at the end of last month. Dr Adam Hart-Davis, media presenter and science enthusiast, carried out the official opening and gave an informative and hugely entertaining talk entitled “Exploring the Cosmos”. Research for his forthcoming BBC television series has taken him around the world to explore the latest ideas and research in cosmology.

CELS is an exciting development in Higher Education that aims to make science relevant, accessible and achievable to all ages of student. This is achieved through working with local schools and colleges to deliver exciting and interactive experiences in science, and by developing better ways of teaching science to undergraduates.

CELS seeks to address national issues facing science, such as the lack of interest shown by young people in science and technology; the increasingly diverse range of academic backgrounds of students studying science in higher education; the popularity of interdisciplinary sciences (such as forensic science) at undergraduate level, compared to ‘pure’ science courses.

The Minister found his visit very interesting and asked for more information to be sent to him on what CELS does. He was impressed with the way that CELS takes hands-on science into schools and works with all age groups.

The new CELS building forms the nucleus of a science education development centre which includes a 100 seat lecture theatre, three seminar rooms, an IT suite, a school lab, meeting and exhibition space.