September


2016


Welcome to the September issue of the Sparxx monthly newsletter!

It's a double celebration this month! The Sparxx newsletter is now a year old and Great Britain and Northern Ireland came second in the medal table at the Paralympics. We don't have a birthday themed issue, but we will be reporting on our celebrations in the coming months. This month's themes are Inspiring Women, Bioengineering and Civil Engineering.

Charlotte Kerr, a Civil Engineering student and the 2014 WISE Girl Award winner is our Sparxx of the Month. On the Career Wall you'll find the new 'Female Face of Civil Engineering' publication and more inspiring women in the  Did you know?   section; Constance Tipper who discovered why Liberty Ships were breaking in two during WWII, the civil engineer Molly Fergusson and the women who built Waterloo Bridge during WWII. The 'Inspiring Women in STEM' Blog has the NWED 2016 'Draw an Engineer' competition winners. The Organisation of the Month 'Engineer Your Life' provides a guide to engineering for high school girls with more inspiring women.

The Video of the Month section is all about Bioengineering and includes a winning video that uses dance to explain hip replacement. Also in the Did you know? section we have an article on prosthesis and biomimicity. Amputees can now feel texture with a bionic fingertip and you can find out 'How sensitive are you?' in the DIY section.

In the Fun Stuff section the GEN game lets you use biomedical objects from the National Museum of Scotland collection to diagnose and treat a digital creature. Nicola Asker reviews the Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe in the Book Review
section .

Another bumper News  section this month with work experience placements at STFC, Energise Anything!, Tomorrow's Engineers Week 7-11 November, GirlsGetSET scheme, Engineering Is, Wonderlab, Greenpower International Final, Construction Youth Trust call for votes, nominations for the 2017 FDM everywoman in Technology Awards and the 2016 WISE Awards Shortlist.

For Our Educators  there is money from the grant scheme for enriching maths teaching, the School Biology Teacher of the Year Award and Educated Yorkshire 2016.

No birthday cake for Sparxx, but you have an opportunity to take part in the Bio-Bodies Bake-Off 2016 competition!   Six new Competitions this month as well as lots of Events to go to all round the country. 
SparxxoftheMonthSparxx of the Month

Charlotte Kerr - Sparxx of the Month
Charlotte Kerr
 
Our September Sparxx of the Month is the driven and focused Charlotte Kerr who co-hosts Positively Pink Engineering, won the 2014 WISE Girl Award and is aiming to be a flying female civil engineer!

After being introduced to engineering by her physics teacher, Charlotte was hooked. She found out as much as she could about civil engineering through research and work experience, before applying for an ICE QUEST Scholarship with Mott MacDonald to study at Heriot Watt University Edinburgh.

Read the full interview here

"'No' to me means 'Next Opportunity!' Do not give up - stay focused on your 'next opportunity.'
CompetitionsCompetitions

Check out our Competitions  page to find out about more exciting challenges.
  • Bio-Bodies Bake-Off 2016
The Physiological Society is delighted to be bringing back the Bio-Bodies Bake Off again for 2016. Using creativity and originality to rise to the top, entrants should produce a baked cook representing physiology, the science of life: if you are able to use sugar craft to show cell division, or shortcrust pastry to demonstrate muscle function, savoury or sweet, we want to see it.


Closing date: Friday 7 October 2016, 5pm GMT; Shortlisting dates: Saturday 8 October - Wednesday 12 October 2016; Public vote dates: Thursday 13 & Friday 14 October 2016
  • CyberCenturion
Registration is now open for CyberCenturion, the cyber security competition for 12-18 year olds.

Led by leading cyber security company Northrop Grumman and facilitated by Cyber Security Challenge UK, CyberCenturion is the UK's first cyber defence competition for 12-18 year olds, and offers students the chance to experience simulated real world cyber security threats. The competition is part of the company's commitment to promoting STEM education and growing the UK's pool of cyber talent. 

Now in its third year, CyberCenturion is attracting teams from schools around the UK to compete for a place in the national finals which will be held in London, in April 2017. CyberCenturion can be played in or outside the school environment, and only requires a responsible adult to manage the team. The competition begins with a series of rounds played virtually in which the teams are supported by their Team Leader who has access to training materials and live online support from the CyberCenturion HQ. The top scoring teams are then invited to join the face-to-face national finals, where after four hours of intense competition against the clock, the winning team is announced. All training materials are provided together with guidance and support for the team's leader, opening the door for many other organisations including parents to host independent groups of young people to enter the competition. To get through each virtual round, a good internet connection is the only pre-requisite. We are currently looking for teams to enter the CyberCenturion competition for the 2016-17 academic year. Entry is free, and there is no limit to the number of teams that can enter.

To enter now or for more information please go to https://cybersecuritychallenge.org.uk/competitors/cybercenturion/ or contact Nikki 

DEADLINE: 9th October 2016
  • Race for the Line - BBC Micro:bit Model Rocket Car Competition England & Wales
The Bloodhound Project competition 'Race for the Line' is now open and this year primary schools can enter. 

Inspired by the rules governing the Word Land Speed Record attempt that the 1,000mph BLOODHOUND Supersonic Car is targeting, the model rocket cars must blast along a wire and through a set of timing gates with a BBC Micro:bit accelerometer on board gathering vital data that enables the Teams to modify and improve their designs. Teams compete at open race days at one of 120 regional Race HUBs. 

The top two primary and secondary school teams from each hub will qualify for the regional finals in March 2017. The winning primary and secondary school teams at each of the 15 regional finals are invited to the national finals held in June at the Santa Pod Raceway, Northamptonshire. The winning team will be invited to join the BLOODHOUND Team in South Africa for a once in a lifetime trip to see the Supersonic Car making history on the Hakskeen Pan.

There are over 25,000 rocket car kits to give to competing schools.

DEADLINES: register by 31st October to receive a free rocket car kit;  regional finals held in March 2017; national finals for top teams from each region held in June 2017.

  • Year 9 School Science Prize 
For our Year 9 School Science Prize we are asking students to write a 500 word essay entitled "Why I love science", as described in the attached poster. All participating students will receive a certificate, and the top 15 students will be invited to RAL for an evening celebration on Tuesday 13 December 2016.  The 15 finalists will receive a book token, a special tour of our high power lasers and be asked to give a two minute presentation on why they love science.  The overall winner will receive an iPad mini. 

To enter please ask your students to email their essays to visitral@stfc.ac.uk, along with a teacher's contact and school name.

DEADLINE: midnight on 21 November 2016.
  • Talent 2030
Talent 2030's National Engineering Competition for Girls is a FREE competition that offers girls the chance to win £500 for themselves and £500 for their school.

The competition invites all female students in secondary education to solve  the major challenges of the 21st century, to get creative, get thinking and most of all - have fun!


All shortlisted finalists are invited to attend the Big Bang Fair in March 2017. 

DEADLINE: 16th December 2016
  • Ultimate STEM Challenge 2016/17
Teams of two to four students aged 11 to 14 from across the UK are asked to put their Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths skills to the test and win some fantastic prizes, including an invitation to a celebratory event at the Science Museum, an Ultimate STEM experience day, £500 for their school and Science Museum goodies.

The challenges are designed to inspire all of your students, not just the science enthusiasts!

Choose one of three real-world challenges based around the theme of thinking creatively - 1: Rescue Rockets, 2: Future Flight and 3: Auto Arms


DEADLINE:  13th January 2017

The deadline for these competitions will be here before you know it.
  • FLL Challenge 2016: ANIMAL ALLIES
Get ready. Get set. Roar! Or you could bark, quack, or squeak, because the 2016 ANIMAL ALLIES season is all about our furry, feathered, and finned friends. In the 2016 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenge, more than 28,000 teams of students aged 9 to 16 will look into the eyes of our ANIMAL ALLIES. What might become possible when we learn to help each other?  

FLL challenges young people to think like scientists and engineers. During the ANIMAL ALLIES season, teams will investigate and solve a real-world problem in the Project. They will also build, test, and program an autonomous robot using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® technology to solve a set of missions in the Robot Game. Throughout their experience, teams will operate under FLL's signature set of Core Values, celebrating discovery, teamwork, and Gracious Professionalism®.

DEADLINE: Team registration closes October 2016; UK and Ireland Final February 2016
  • TEENTECH City of Tomorrow
To take part in the TeenTech City of Tomorrow working to the brief of 'smarter, kinder, safer' young people, individually or in small teams, have to design and construct architectural models of buildings to sit on the footprint of an A4 card - but buildings can go out as well as up. Together they will develop ideas for the connected city, addressing issues of how we will live, work and play in the future. Materials used to build project models should be recycled or cost no more than £10 if bought specially. Once young people have constructed their buildings they are invited to enter them into the annual City of Tomorrow competition.
 
The City of Tomorrow 2016 competition is for young people aged 7 to 14.
 
DEADLINE: All building designs uploaded before October 31st will be considered for the 2016 TeenTech Civic Hackathon & Final. Entries submitted after this date will be considered for the 2017 final.
  • The Big Bang UK Young Scientists &,Engineers Competition
The  National Science + Engineering Competition  has been relaunched as  The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition.

The Big Bang Competition lets more young people than ever showcase their science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) projects and rewards and recognises their a chievements. It's open to UK residents in full-time education or training (year groups 7-13 in England/Wales, 8-14 in Northern Ireland and P1-S6 in Scotland).

Online applications are now open until 20 November 2016.

Finalists will showcase their projects to thousands of visitors at The Big Bang Fair 2017, 15-18 March in Birmingham, the UK's largest STEM celebration for young people. Winners will get a range of fantastic prizes, including the chance to be crowned UK Young Scientist of the Year and UK Young Engineer of the Year, as well as special prizes from companies including BAE Systems and Rotary International.

www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/competition is open to all 11-18 year olds living in the UK and in full-time education.

DEADLINE: 20th November 2016

Still plenty of time to enter, so get a headstart and check out our Competitions page... 
  • Artful Physics
Entries are now open for Artful Physics, an exciting creative science competition for children from age 9-18, challenging them to create an artistic piece that engages young people in physics and astronomy that could inspire future scientists. 

DEADLINE: 16th December 2016
  • Design For A Better World
Design for a better world offers an exciting new global design challenge and competition for students aged 11-14 years.

DEADLINE: 16th December 2016
  • Win a Lego Windstorm Education EV3
'As technology advances we are able to improve the quality of our life in many ways. We may soon see driverless cars on our roads but our own homes can even now become connected homes which allow us to interface with them via our smart phones. In that new world, how would you like to be connected with your home, and how may being connected with your home improve the quality of life for your family?'

This competition is for individuals or  groups (only ONE entry per school) aged 14-18. Winners will be announced on the department's website and winners will be informed individually by the 31st January 2017.  Entries to be sent by email to the Head of Department  david.howard@rhul.ac.uk  either as an attachment, a YouTube link or a cloud storage link.

DEADLINE: 31st December 2016.
  • Cisco Little BIG Awards
CAN YOU CONNECT THE UNCONNECTED?

We use the internet every day: on our computers, on tablets and mobile phones. You can watch TV, make phone calls, send photos, and shop - all on the internet. But even today less than 1% of all things are connected to the internet. What happens when your microwave, your central heating, your car, or even maybe your school workbooks are connected to the internet?

Cisco invites your school to   take part in the Little BIG Awards to show us how you think your life could be made better by connecting everyday things together.

September 2016 Challenge Kick-off; January/February 2017 Regional Finals; March 2017 National Final

DidyouknowDid you know?

Here's how to convince the brain that prosthetic legs are real

Amputee feels texture with a Bionic Fingertip
Paralympian athletes  use different lower-limb sports prostheses for running, jumping and other activities, they are designed to help athletes run faster, jump higher or further than other competitors. Form follows function.

Prostheses for everyday use need to be able adapt to different situations and perform a variety of functions like a real leg - not just excel in one discipline. One of the most promising engineering approaches for everyday prostheses is to closely model the biological design of a leg, ankle and foot, referred to as "biomimicity". 

Read the full article by Oliver Alan Kannape here .

C onstance Fligg Elam Tipper, a British metallurgist and crystallographer, discovered why the Liberty Ships were breaking in two during WWII.

Constance Fligg Elam Tipper.
In 1915 Constance Tipper was one of the first women to take the Natural Sciences Tripos. She worked on the deformation of crystals under strain and researched metal strength and its effect on engineering problems.

During World War II she investigated the causes of brittle fracture in Liberty Ships, the first all-welded pre-fabricated cargo ships. Constance established that the fractures were caused by the steel itself and not the welding process. She demonstrated that the fracture mode in steel changes from ductile to brittle below a critical temperature. The Liberty ships in the North Atlantic were susceptible to brittle failure due to the low ocean temperatures and the fatigue cracks were now able to spread across the ship's welded joint plates. Later on t he 'Tipper test' became the standard method for determining this form of brittleness in steel. 

She was the first person to use a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to examine metallic fracture faces. She used a scanning electron microscope built by Charles Oatley and his team, the second SEM ever built.

You can read more about Constance Fligg Elam Tipper  here.

Waterloo Bridge-The Ladies Bridge
Waterloo Bridge-The Ladies Bridge
Today the Thames riverboat pilots tell the story of Waterloo Bridge being built by  w omen during the Second World War. Official history had written this story out as Historian Dr Chris Wall discovered after years of trawling through archives.

Find out more about The Ladies' Bridge  here.



The trailblazing British engineer Mary (Molly) Isolen Fergusson OBE (28 April 1914 - 30 November 1997) was the first female fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, elected in 1957. In 1948 she became the first female senior partner in a UK civil engineering firm.

BlogBlog

Inspiring Women in STEM 

Winning entries from the NWED2016 'Draw an Engineer' competition for young engineers (4-11 years) have been used to illustrate this blog.

I Faulkner
If you were asked to name a famous inventor, scientist, engineer who first comes to mind? 

Was it a man (Brunel, Einstein, Edison, Fleming, Stevenson to name a few) or perhaps a female (Marie Curie anyone)? Was the image of them in your head in black and white or colour?

How often do you hear about the women in STEM who have been realising their potential and using their ingenuity to do great things?



Current

Festival of Imagineers
Mon 26th Sep - Sat 1st Oct

The Festival of Imagineers 2016 is a week-long programme of interactive exhibitions, workshops and activities by imagineers from all walks of life.

Expect a series of amazing FREE experiences to watch, try for yourself, join in and influence as you become one of our creative collaborators. Take a look through our full programme to find out what you can do and see.


Monster  Confidence
Thu 8th Sep - Wed 12th Oct

This Autumn, a dose of MonsterConfidence for the UK's young women in STEM, from the Stemettes for FREE.

#MonsterConfidence is our 2016 UK tour of Glasgow, Belfast, Birmingham and Cardiff in partnership with jobsite Monster.co.uk. We're holding half-day events for young women aged 15 and above to meet with local STEM companies and gain 'Monster Confidence' for their STEM careers via mock interviews, speed mentoring and career workshops chosen by attendees.

Visit monsterconfidence.co.uk to register and for more details.

Th e Engineering Season at the V&A
Wed May 18th - Sun Nov 6th 
 
The Engineering Season at the V&A (18 May - 6 November 2016) will celebrate the 'unsung heroes' of design that create and shape the built world. The exciting line-up includes a major retrospective of the engineering legend Ove Arup, a display highlighting the global impact of contemporary British engineers, a garden pavilion woven by a robot, and a packed events programme exploring some of the most advanced engineering taking place in the world today.

MOUTHY: INTO THE ORIFICE
Fri Jul 1st - Thu Nov 24th

From human spit crystals and the science of snogging to hacked prosthetics that allow your facial movements to control digital games, MOUTHY will be a season packed full of surprising experiences that invite you to get involved and connect with your mouth in new ways... 

Calendar of activities across King's College London Guy's campus and other surprising locations around London Bridge, London -  https://london.sciencegallery.com/mouthy/

Talking Science Series 2016-17
Wed 7th Sep - Fri 16th Jun 2017

FREE stimulating talks on science, maths and the Universe, for families, public and schools

Daresbury Laboratory - http://www.stfc.ac.uk/files/daresbury-talking-science-2016-17/
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory - 
October

Physics Connect: An Introduction
Sat 1st Oct 9:30am  - 1:00pm

Physics Connect - a network for female students - is running an introductory session for Year 12 students at Northumbria University. This half-day event will provide a mix of academic physics support, networking, and careers information. The event is open to all female students of Physics in Year 12 and their teachers. 

This is a wonderful opportunity to surround yourself with like-minded people either at a similar stage of their school career, or who've been there too.  Travel bursaries are available.
Peterborough STEM Festival
Sat 1st Oct

A celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Women in STEM.  Workshops, demos/exhibits. speakers/talks and more.  FREE event for the whole family.


Engineering the Future Festival
Thu 6th Oct 9:30am - 4:30pm

Look 50 years into the future of engineering

Practicing engineers will get a taste of the likely developments and challenges of the next half century. You'll hear about how sustainability has re-invented our perception of progress, new medical technology, how we will engage with increasingly intelligent machines and what our future homes and cities might look like by 2066.

Students aged 11-14 will get a taste of being an engineer for a day, with practical workshops, an "explosive" talk from Children's BBC science presenter Fran Scott and a hands-on exhibition.

The day concludes with the President's Address, where you will hear from Professor Jeremy Watson, and the President's Festival Dinner in the spectacular Thames-side Riverside Room at IET London: Savoy Place.

IET London: Savoy Place, London -  bit.ly/25dwR8K

GeekGirl Conference 2016
Sat 8th Oct

The GeekGirl Team is really excited to announce the conference theme for 2016 - The Way We're Wired
The internet has changed the way we're wired, from our mental health to how we find romantic partners. Technology has impacted our online and offline behaviours. But we're also changing the way we use technology, from AI to robotics, it's evolving fast. GeekGirl Meetup's annual conference deep dives into how tech is changing us and how we're shaping tech.


Biology Week 2016
Sat 8th Oct - Sun 16th

An annual celebration of the biosciences, with events around the UK and beyond


WIKITHON. Women engineers in the First World War and after.
Tue 11th Oct 10:00am - 3:00pm

This free one day collaborative project will look back at the role of women in engineering and technical disciplines during the First World War and beyond, and will start to bring out some of the stories documented in the newly digitised Women's Engineering Society archive. In collaboration the University of Leeds, the University of Leicester, the team at the IET archive, Wikipedia, and many others contributors the day will be an informative and interactive and entertaining event which will set the stage for further collaboration on this important and as yet largely unexplored part of our heritage.


Ada Lovelace Day Live! 2016
T ue 11th Oct

Playing h ost to the UK's most fabulous women in STEM, ALD Live is an entertaining evening of geekery, comedy and music suitable for everyone over the age of 12. 

IET Savoy Place, London - http://findingada.com/events/

Into The Blue
Tue 25th Oct - Sat 29th

NERC Into The Blue showcase is taking place in Manchester during 
October half-term (25-29 October 2016).


Have a look at the  Events  page to find out more

November

Tomorrow's Engineers Week 2016
Mon 7th Nov - Fri 11th

Tomorrow's Engineers Week shines a spotlight on engineering careers in a way that young people, and particularly girls, may have never considered before. 

" Rocket into STEM" Panel Event
Sat 12th Nov 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Rocket into STEM is a panel discussion, Stemettes style!

CareerWallCareer Wall
 

The Female Face of Civil Engineering uses an engaging visual style to show personal profiles of ten women working in a wide range of roles in construction. 



It aims to encourage more 14-16 year old girls to study STEM subjects and consider a career in engineering. By using role models of real women from varied backgrounds The Female Face of Civil Engineering directly addresses the misconception by girls, and particularly their families, that engineering careers are "not for them". Download the online version is at  tffoce.net and printed copies are being distributed via STEM organisations and schools from the start of the new academic year.  Copies can be requested by email to   tffoce@cgl-uk.com.  

The Female Face of Civil Engineering is published as an outreach initiative by CGL, a national ground   engineering consultancy where 45% of the workforce are female.
OrganisationoftheMonthOrganisation of the Month


A guide to engineering careers for high school girls!  Imagine what life would be like without pollution controls to preserve the environment, life-saving medical equipment, or low-cost building materials for fighting global poverty. All this takes engineering. In very real and concrete ways, women who become engineers save lives, prevent disease, reduce poverty, and protect our planet.  Dream Big. Love what you do.  Become an engineer.

NewsWork Experience placements at STFC

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) one of Europe's largest research organisations offers work experience placements.

Activities carried out cover a wide range of science, engineering and technology, including materials science, engineering and instrumentation, particle physics, space science, accelerator based technologies, information technology and computer science.

The Laboratories offer one or two week work experience placements to over 100 Year 10, 11, 12 and 13 students each year, many from local schools and around the country. Longer placements are available for Year 12 and Year 13 students over the summer. As far as possible they are placed depending on their interests indicated on the application form.

At Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Daresbury Laboratory, Year 12 students can occasionally be accommodated for longer periods, although this is always subject to supervisor availability, as part of a Nuffield Research Placement.
Energise Anything!

Energise Anything is E.ON's new education programme to inspire young people 
about STEM opportunities.

Exploring science and engineering through the unexpected, the programme includes quirky animations, curriculum linked investigations, home activities and careers inspiration all designed to help spark an interest in STEM.

How have you can helped your students to use, create, save or celebrate energy in an interesting way, enter the #MyEnergyHack competition for great prizes too! We have iPad minis up for grabs for individual entries or if you're entering with your school you, could win £500 to help boost your schools STEM learning.

For more information about the whole programme, visit http://www.eonenergy.com/energiseanything
Tomorrow's Engineers Week 7-11 November 

Tomorrow's Engineers Week shines a spotlight on engineering careers in a way that young people, and particularly girls, may have never considered before. 

We want everyone in engineering to get involved in some way, even if it's a simple tweet of support wit h #TEWeek16. You can start by following @Tomorrows_Eng on Twitter. 

Do you know any engineers that go unnoticed or need a little more limelight? You can nominate them as part of a feature on hidden engineers - or you can nominate yourself. Send a photo with the hidden engineer's name, age, location, job title and a short description (300 characters max) of their role to tew@claremontcomms.com

Or perhaps you can help answer schoolchildren's questions around how engineers will help tackle social and environmental problems. The #TEWeek16 team is compiling the questions and will need your help to provide responses. It may be a question around flood prevention, space travel or the global food security, we'll have to wait and see. We'll use your response to create content to share via social and traditional media during TE Week. If you and/or your employer are interested in working with us to inspire the next generation during Tomorrow's Engineers Week 2016, please get in touch via tew@claremontcomms.com.

GirlsGetSET scheme

GirlsGetSET is a GE Aviation Systems scheme designed to inspire girls to 
innovate and think about a STEM career.   

We aim to provide students with the opportunity find out about engineering, from engineers, through event days, projects and careers workshops. 

This year over 400 students have taken part in the following events:
- Year 7 - Egg & Spoon Challenge (programing a robotic arm and design a catapult)
- Year 8/9 - Themed days:
o Wearable Technology (experiencing Google glasses and designing wearable tech t-shirts)
o Desert Island (architecture, raft building and cryptography)
o Smart Cities (Arduino programming to create a traffic light control system and learning to script with Minecraft)
o Space (water bottle rockets, Mars Lander and Rover challenges)
- Year 10 - Dragon's Den and Aircraft Project (learning about aerodynamics and flight by building a model plane from balsa wood)
- Year 12 - GE Robot Olympics (Programming a robot to take part in Olympic events)
- Cheltenham Science Festival (Mars Lander Parent/Daughter Workshops)
- Farnborough Air Show (Workshops)
- Birmingham Event Day - over 150 students taking part in an engineering challenge
- Finals Day - over 250 students taking part in projects and activities

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GirlsGetSET/ and twitter:  https://twitter.com/girlsgetset
Engineering Is

The Faculty of Engineering at The University of Sheffield are launching a newcampaign "Engineering Is" to try and encourage more young people into engineering. 

The campaign builds upon the success of a book; The Crash Landing, written by members of the Women in Engineering Student Society at the University of Sheffield, which tells the story of a little girl (Suzie) who rescues an alien by building a new spaceship for him after he crashes in her back garden.

The aim of the campaign is to challenge perceptions of engineering and inspire primary school children, particularly young girls to consider studying engineering at university.

An e-version of the book is also being produced to make it as accessible to as many children as possible, and a website, where there will also be a 2-3 minute cartoon version of the Crash Landing story, four online games based upon fundamental engineering principles such as maths and problem solving and also downloadable lesson plans for teachers and information for parents.

The book and the resources will be formally launched in Parliament with the support of Paul Blomfield MP on Thursday 3rd November 2016 12pm, in time for Tomorrow's Engineer's week 2016.
Wonderlab

Science Museum announces Wonderlab: The Statoil Gallery, opening 12 October 2016

'Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious.' Stephen Hawking

Science Museum launches world-beating new interactive gallery. Interactive exhibits, live demonstrations, and an Explainer-led experience will reveal the beauty and wonder in the science and mathematics that shape our lives

Opens Wednesday 12 October -  sciencemuseum.org.uk/wonderlab
Greenpower International Final

The Greenpower Education Trust invites you to the 2016 International Final as a 'Electric Guest'


Over 120 teams of young people will participate in the 2016 International Final - the 18th edition of the prestigious annual event held at Rockingham Motor Speedway. You and your family are invited to join us for all or part of the day and experience Greenpower for yourselves.

Sunday 16th October - Rockingham Motor Speedway, Corby, Northamptonshire, NN17 5AF

Please RSVP here
Construction Youth Trust calls out for votes to bag a share of a £12.5million carrier bag charge fund

Construction Youth Trust is bidding to bag a massive cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.

The supermarket has teamed up with Groundwork on its Bags of Help initiative, which see grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 - all raised from the 5p bag levy - being awarded to environmental and greenspace projects.

Three groups in each of Tesco's 416 regions have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and Construction Youth Trust is one of these groups.

The Trust works with young people aged 14 to 30 from challenging backgrounds to help them overcome barriers and access employment opportunities in the construction industry. They offer young people the chance to find out more about careers in construction by giving them experience, the opportunity to meet employers in the industry and take part in informative and practical courses.

Voting is open in Tesco stores from 26 September to 9 October. Customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.
Nominations are now open for the 2017 FDM everywoman in Technology Awards

Advance rising stars & build the talent pipeline

The 'One to Watch Award' is awarded to an individual aged under 20 who is actively encouraging girls to study STEM subjects at school-level. This Award seeks to identify young game-changers and is open to inspirational students or apprentices.  If you know someone whose invaluable contribution to tech deserves to be applauded or would like to put yourself forward,  nominate them here by 3 October 2016.

Winning the 2016 One to Watch Award enabled Nayana to extend her network, make valuable new contacts in leading tech organisations and gain work experience with international IT services company, ATOS. Hear first-hand from Nayana about her Awards experience here.

2016 WISE Awards Shortlist

WISE is delighted to announce the shortlist for the 2016 WISE Awards. 

A record number of nominations were submitted across 
10 different categories. The inspirational shortlist spans a vast variety of occupations - teachers, companies, universities, students and professional institutions feature on the shortlist thanks to their contributions and commitment to growing the female talent pipeline.
VideooftheMonthVideo of the Month

Impressed by the Paralympic athletes and Dame Sarah Storey who won her 14th Paralympic gold medal?  Bioengineers help some of the P aralympic  athletes  achieve their success.  Bioengineering applies engineering principles and techniques to problems in medicine and biology, which includes the design and production of artificial limbs and organs.


Intro to Bioengineering 101 - UofL
Intro to Bioengineering 101 - UofL


Delphine Dean - Career as a Bioengineer
Delphine Dean - Career as a Bioengineer

The winner of the moving image category in the 2014 Image of Research contest sponsored by the UIC Graduate College, this video by Christopher Knowlton, bioengineering, uses dance to explain hip replacement.

Beautiful Bioengineering
Beautiful Bioengineering

For more inspiring videos, check out our Videos page.

FunStuffFun Stuff

GEN
An innovative strategy game where you can use biomedical objects from the museum collection to diagnose and treat a digital creature.

The idea is that you get your very own sickly little blob to love, nurture and defend from all manner of illnesses using diagnoses and treatments, many of which are objects at the National Museum of Scotland.

Play the game  here

WARNING: Sparxx has heard the game can be can be highly addictive! 

DIYDIY

How sensitive are you?


Are your lips more sensitive than your fingertips? Is the skin on your arms  as sensitive as the skin on your legs?
 
Try this experiment from Planet Science and find out.

ForOurEducatorsFor Our Educators

Grant scheme for enriching maths teaching

The Royal Institution (Ri) is offering UK state schools
grants of up to £500 to host a maths 'enrichment and enhancement' activity for their teachers and students.

Funded by the Clothworkers' Foundation, the scheme is designed to integrate maths activities (such as shows, talks and workshops) into school practice and to support teachers' professional development. Successful applicants will receive £500 towards any maths activity listed on the STEM Directories as long as it is held between January and July 2017.

Eligible state-funded schools, academies and FE colleges must complete the online application form by the closing date: 30 October 2016.

For more information and to apply, visit the STEM Directories website or email
stemdirectories@ri.ac.uk

School Biology Teacher of the Year Award

Are you or do you know an amazing teacher of biology who deserves recognition? Why not nominate them for an award to recognise their talent and skill? 

The School Biology Teacher of the Year Award will open this week for nominations from or of teachers who are working with students aged 11-18 years old; teaching pre-university level biology programmes of study; currently employed in a UK based school or college. 

The 2016/17 award opens on 1st September and the deadline for nominations is 23rd December 2016. This year's winner will receive £500 for themselves and £500 of Oxford University Press resources for their school in addition to prizes from UK 3B Scientific Ltd.

Educated Yorkshire 2016

Educated Yorkshire 2016 (EY16) is coming to Leeds on 10th November at Centenary Pavilion, Elland Road.

Educated Yorkshire is specifically for anybody to attend who is a leader/influencer from the education sector. Headteachers, Assistant Heads, Principals, Deputies, Heads of Departments, Business Managers, SENCOs; from schools, colleges, universities, PRUs or equivalent. Also Heads of Department for Councils Education, National Curriculum, Government Funded Organisations in Education.  A full day of collaboration, inspiration and trading with everything Education.

Seminars, exhibition stands, debates, WIFLEs (What I Feel Like Expressing), connections, trade, learning, opportunity, inspiration, innovation.

BookReviewBook Review 

Looking a for a new book to read after the summer? This month our expert book reviewer Nicola Asker reviews the 'Thing Explainer' by Randall Munroe - a book she thinks young enthusiasts and "grown engineers will find fascinating"!



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