PPARC Small Awards Scheme
Public Understanding of Science and Technology
Successful applicants in Round 03B (Autumn 2003)
Mrs SJ Rose, Eden Court Theatre, Bishops Road, Inverness, IV3 5SA Tel: 01463 239841 E-mail: sonia.rose@highland.gov.uk
DOME-SOLAIS AWARD 5,000
A project to offer presentations in a portable planetarium to schools throughout the Scottish Highlands. This Award will kick-start the project by use of the portable planetarium, through tours and through staff development. All presentations will be scripted by Highland Council science teachers, who will also produce the accompanying notes. The presentations will be performed by Eden Court Theatres own team of youth theatre arts workers, based in outlying parts of the Highlands. The children and young people in the Highlands are disadvantaged by the remoteness of the region, and because of transport difficulties they lack the access to opportunities that their peers in more urban or central areas may benefit from. But the wide horizons and long winter nights with skies unaffected by light pollution makes an early understanding of what they can see important for their education, enjoyment and appreciation of their environment. After the initial tour, there will be in-service opportunities for teaching staff in the region to enable them to make use of the equipment at their school.
Dr A Charalambous, Physics & Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT Tel: 020 7679 9016 E-mail: andy@hep.ucl.ac.uk
SCIENCE OUTREACH THROUGH YOUNG ARTISTS@ CERN AWARD 5,000
A project to celebrate the 50th anniversary of CERN, bringing together the worlds of art and science & technology to make use of the wide media cover for the celebrations. Young artists studying at prestigious UK art schools will be taken to CERN, to produce works inspired by their visit. These will be exhibited at the art schools, a Young Artists@CERN exhibition, and at the celebrations themselves. Further plans may include websites, a Touring Exhibition, and a video documentary. In addition to the UK initiative, a number of European art schools will also be involved. The exhibitions will be supported by display materials explaining the science behind the artworks.
Mr D Cockbaine, Dorset Asset & Valter Prize Trust, 60 Broadwater Ave, Poole, Dorset BH14 8QH Tel: 01202 745715 E-mail: david@cockbaine.freeserve.co.uk
SCHOOLS PROJECT: DETECTION AND MEASUREMENT OF COSMIC RADIATION AWARD 600
A project to pilot the construction of a simple Geiger counter and counting circuit that can be used to measure cosmic activity, from plumbers materials. This will demonstrate to schools that a Geiger counter is relatively easy to make from easily available materials, and that the electronics are also readily available. It is hoped that this will initiate and sustain schools interest in particle physics.
Mr KD Skeldon, Physics & Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Kelvin Building, Glasgow G12 8Q Tel: 0141 330 2047 E-mail: k.skeldon@physics.gla.ac.uk
ONE SMALL STEP, MANY GIANT MYTHS DEBUNKING MOON HOAX THEORIES AWARD 7,000
A project directed at the increasingly significant number who harbour doubts that the Moon landings actually took place, believing them to be hoaxed as part of a NASA conspiracy. The Award holder has identified that a common thread running through Moon Hoax books, websites and documentaries is a poor grasp of the basic astrophysics on which the claims are based, instead drawing analogies to conditions on Earth. This project will adapt the simple experiments described by author Philip Plaitt, in a series of lectures, to both stem the tide of belief in Moon Hoax theories, but also to stimulate interest in science and the use of scientific experimentation.
Dr A Sopczak, Dept. of Physics, Lancaster University,Lancaster LA1 4YB Tel: 01524 593615 E-mail:andre.sopczak@cern.ch
THE LANCASTER PARTICLE PHYSICS PACKAGE AWARD 9,974
The Lancaster Particle Physics Package was developed through a previous Small Award in order to introduce particle physics experiments into the classroom. The interactive package covers a wide range of aspects of teaching particle physics, and has proved to be very successful, reaching thousands of school students and the general public. This Award will able updating of the package, to reflect both the experience gained in the practical application of the package, and the rapid improvements in computer technology, particularly faster CPU speeds and improved graphics capabilities.
Dr GT McKee, School of Systems Engineering, University of Reading, PO Box 225, Whiteknights, Reading, Berks RG6 6AY Tel: 01189 318609 E-mail: g.t.mckee@reading.ac.uk
A UK MARS STATION NETWORK AWARD 4,385
A project to establish four Mars Stations, a concept developed by the Planetary Society to give both schoolchildren and adults the experience of actively exploring an unknown, remote environment. A Mars Station comprises a diorama, a physical simulation of a specific geographical area of Mars that can be explored remotely via the Internet. A Red Rover, composed of lego components, allows the website visitor to explore the diorama by driving the rover around the terrain. Visitors can be set challenges, such as retrieving samples. The UK network of Mars Stations will contribute to the international effort, led by the Planetary Society, to establish a global network of such stations.
Mr BA Notarianni, Northumberland Astronomical Society, 9 The Fairway, High Hauxley, Northumberland NE65 0JW Tel: 01665 712795 E-mail: ben@nastro.org.uk
DISCOVER SPACE AWARD 3,000
The Northumberland Astronomical Society has been running a public outreach programme for the local community for two years. This Award is to help overcome the inherent difficulties in organising outdoor visual observation sessions for large groups of people. The Award will contribute to plans including mounting CCD cameras on the telescope with a video camera to enable the projection of real-time images onto an indoor screen. A website will be created to encourage those members of the public inspired by the presentations to pursue their interest further. The society will also launch the NASTRO 75 Binocular Challenge, in which participants must observe 50 of the 75 objects listed as being observable from the UK throughout a year.
Dr PD Roche, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy, Cardiff University, PO Box 913, 5 The Parade, Cardiff, South Glamorgan CF24 3YB Tel: 029 2087 5121 E-mail: paulr@techniquest.org
EXPLORING METEORITE MYSTERIES AWARD 7,000
A project which aims to tap into the inherent excitement of handling ancient meteorites in order to stimulate interest in astronomy, particularly at this period of planetary science activities. Using meteorite samples purchased under a previous Small Award, the Award holder will collate a number of sets of eight meteorite samples, representing examples of the main classes of meteorite, suitable for simple analysis and investigation in a school laboratory. The packs will be supplemented by a CD-ROM, containing a number of PowerPoint presentations, plus a UK version of the NASA Exploring Meteorite Mysteries educational resource pack, which is pertinent to all ages from 10 18 years old.
Mrs DL Gault, 132 Knock Road, Ballymony, Dervock BT53 8AA Tel: 028 207 41712 E-mail: deniselgault@yahoo.co.uk
THE ROVERS RETURN - AWARD 2,000
A contribution to a project in which a team of Year 12 students will initially undertake to design a Martian rover using Lego robotics units, before progressing to a vernier robotics system. A second parallel group of Year 11 students, working in parallel and sharing information, will investigate the extension of the first groups work to consider the evolution of the lander into a craft capable of landing and moving on Mars. This second group will not construct a working model, which would obviously be beyond the technical resources available, but will build a scale model but will provide technical specifications and a mission concept. Presentations by both groups will inspire other students before all Year 10 Physics students undertake a Lego robotics project in June.
Ms P John, School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, Hampshire SO17 1BJ Tel: 023 8059 2159 E-mail: pj@soton.ac.uk
THE LIGHT EXPRESS ROADSHOW AWARD 540
The Light Express Roadshow was developed to foster an enthusiasm for science, particularly among GCSE and A level age groups. The Roadshow uses a high-powered multi-wavelength laser light show, a highly visual lecture and demonstration, and a set of hands-on activities to demonstrate photonics applications as a free service to schools. This Award will enable the holders to encourage and enthuse a broader student group about the value of studying science, through exposure to demonstrations and interactive exhibits; to raise the profile of the Universitys School of Physics and Astronomy; and to benefit teachers by providing both support for the curriculum and the opportunity to meet university staff and accompanying post-graduate students.
Mr CM Tracy, 16 Cranborne Road, Hatfield AL10 8AP Tel: 01707 258075 E-mail: charles@tracy.demon.co.uk
THE PARTICLE UNIVERSE AWARD 5,000
A contribution towards the cost of a free, web-based resource to develop and complement the stories about particle physics found in the Inside Atoms resource. The Particle Universe will explore current theories about the origin and evolution of the Universe, stellar observations, the life cycle of stars, nuclear fusion and some quantum mechanical ideas. This will help teachers by specifically supporting the cosmology and astrophysics units in the new Physics AS and A2 courses. The resource will include interactive diagrams, animations and quick questions. The project also aims To capture the interest of post-16 year-old Physics students and to encourage them to study Physics at a higher level, and to capture the interest of non-Physics students and the general public.
Mr W McClune, Grad School of Education, Queens University Belfast, 69 University Street, Belfast, County Antrim BT7 1HL Tel: 028 90 335941 E-mail: w.mcclune@qub.ac.uk
LEARNING SCIENCE, MAKING NEWS AWARD 9,900
This project proposes to capitalise on the large number of newsworthy events expected in the areas of astronomy and space exploration over the next two years. The aims are to make young people aware of how space science is presented in the media, to develop teachers experience and expertise in promoting partnerships between the scientific community, the media and their schools, and to contribute to the publics understanding of science via the reporting of astronomy-related topics in the Northern Ireland press, whether regional, provincial, local or community. Pupils from five schools, aided by science and media studies or English teachers, will research and write astronomy-related articles for publication. They will then be helped by an astronomy expert and a local journalist to develop their work further, with the eventual expectation of publication.
Dr RM Massey, Royal Observatory Greenwich, Greenwich, London SE10 9NF Tel: 020 8312 6735 E-mail: rmassey@nmm.ac.uk
STELLAR EVOLUTION: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF STARS AWARD 6,000
A contribution to the updating and reprinting of the successful booklet Stellar Evolution: The Life and Death of Stars, first produced by the ROG in 2001. This booklet describes the formation, evolution and death of stars, using images from the HST, ESO and AAO; and bespoke diagrams created by Dr Catchpole of ROG to explain astrophysical processes. The booklet supports the Earth and Beyond section of the English national curriculum at KS4, GCSE Astronomy, and the Cosmology and Astrophysics components of various A level syllabi. Although the booklet has a national focus, the producers have a key target of increasing the participation in astronomy, space science and physics-related education by students from socially-excluded backgrounds.
Mr S Ballard, Education Dept. Magna Science Adventure Centre, Sheffield Road, Sheffield, S. Yorks S60 1DX Tel: 01709 723103 E-mail: sballard@magnatrust.co.uk
THE WORLDS LARGEST EXPANSION CLOUD CHAMBER AWARD 5,000
This project aims to capitalise on the appearance of the Leeds Cloud Chamber (LCC) in the BBC Horizon programme The Hunting of the Quark. A continuously-working cloud chamber, fabricated on site, will be the focus of an exhibition about fundamental particles, to provide a teaching resource targeting KS1 and KS2 pupils. The graphical displays, text resources and content will be developed by AS and A2 Physics students from Wath Comprehensive School. A key achievement will be the involvement of post-16 year-old students in the creation of materials for a specific target audience. The Magna Centre will itself fund the accompanying display of the LCC itself, together with footage from The Hunting of the Quark showing the LCC in action.
