News
Friday 7 March 2008
Conservation ideas add to science week excitement
Water-saving solutions for schools which have been designed and developed by pupils will be assessed during a science, engineering and technology celebration event at Nottingham Trent University. Pupils from ten East Midlands’ schools have submitted their conservation ideas for the Go4SET Celebration Assessment day on Thursday 13 March.
The event forms part of Nottingham Trent University’s National Science and Engineering Week activities, running from 7-16 March.
Go4SET is an Engineering Development Trust initiative – being hosted by the university’s Centre for Effective Learning in Science – which aims to stimulate pupils’ interest in science, engineering and technology, and raise their awareness to future career opportunities.
The school teams, which have linked up with industry mentors, have identified areas of their school sites and how they can be used to collect and store rain which could be used as an alternative to mains water. The 13 and 14-year-olds will demonstrate their projects to a panel of judges before separate awards are made for innovation, team work, students’ choice and best overall.
As part of National Science and Engineering Week, CELS will also be running a series of forensic science workshops on 11 March at King Edward VI School in Lichfield. This will involve pupils, taking and analysing fingerprints, taking plaster casts of footprints, and using microscopes to compare soil samples and fibres.
On 12 March CELS will visit Burghley House in Stamford giving a range of workshops to pupils to demonstrate the exciting science which lies behind bubbles and foams, and what makes things bang and explode.
Natasha Neale, event organiser on behalf of CELS, said: “Go4SET promises to be a fantastic event, with some really imaginative water conservation ideas from pupils. They have really risen to the challenge and the day aims to be a celebration of all their hard work over the last ten weeks.”
CELS Outreach Coordinator, Georgina Westbrook, added: “We are also looking forward to taking CELS out on the road where for the first time we will introduce a forensics element to our National Science and Engineering Week workshops.”
ENDS
Notes for editors: Go4SET was piloted in London, Aberdeen and Glasgow in 2006/2007 and rolled out nationally from the autumn term of 2007/2008. The project phase begins with the launch event where teams are introduced to the Go4SET Water Conservation Project and their company mentor. Following this the project provides a 10-week SET experience that takes place between November and March.
For more information visit the Go4SET website or contact Geoff Jellis.
National Science and Engineering Week is an opportunity for people of all ages, areas and organisations to take part in science, engineering and technology activities. It is coordinated by the BA in partnership with the Engineering and Technology Board and funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
For more visit the National Science and Engineering Week website.
CELS aims to create a more relevant, accessible and achievable image for science within both the higher education and school communities. Based on the university’s excellent record in science teaching and nationally recognised widening participation activities, CELS enables academic teams to develop and trial new approaches to teaching and presenting science to both communities.
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