Jumping to it

A seismic launch for Science Year

Science Year, launched in September 2001, is highlighting the brighter side of science. Anne McNaught, Web and Media Manager for Science Year, looks at the year ahead.

At 10.59 a.m. on 7 September 2001, an estimated million children in playgrounds throughout the UK were holding their breaths as the countdown commenced to the launch of Science Year. Not because they were aware of the programme of enhanced science resources headed their way, but because they were about to take part in a gigantic experiment.

They’d already made their own cardboard box seismometers and learned about earthquakes, they’d done their warm-up exercises, and they were now poised to begin jumping up and down for the next 60 seconds with as much stomping energy as they could muster. The question was: would they ‘rock the UK’?

By 11.01 a.m., the experiment was over, the seismic records were being analysed, and reporters from all round the world were besieging the phones to find out the results. Two new world records had been set in the process and, perhaps more importantly, in more than 5000 schools the morning had been devoted to science - a highly enjoyable experience, to judge by the hundreds of photos of leaping children with huge smiles and gravity-defying hair.

Back at the Science Museum in London, Secretary of State for Education and Skills Estelle Morris officially announced the beginning of Science Year, and outlined its aims for the coming 12 months. The ‘giant jump’, she said, perfectly captured the essence of what the year is all about. "A million young people out there today were focused on science and will remember this, and it’ll remind them that science is fun and science is for them. And if by the end of the year, we’ve made those young people realise how important science is and we’ve made them want to continue with science, I reckon we won’t only have had fun, but we’ll have struck a pretty good deal for our country as well."

Science Year was the brainchild of the Department for Education and Skills, and is managed by the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA). The British Association for the Advancement of Science and the Association for Science Education (ASE) are key partners, and additional generous support has been donated by commercial sponsors such as Intel, Pfizer, New Media and Oracle. It’s a UK-wide campaign - the Governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are supporting Science Year and the Department of Trade and Industry is playing a significant role in promoting links with business through the Science and Engineering Ambassadors Scheme.

Science Year will take place in schools, universities, homes, museums and science centres, and will target young people and the adults that influence them. The aim is to bring about a sustainable change in the public perception of science, technology and engineering both as subjects and as career options. To do this, extensive efforts have been devoted to making science-related teaching and learning more enjoyable for all - not least for the teachers themselves. A busy calendar of out-of-school activities and projects has also been developed and projects have been set up which widen the appeal of science into areas such as drama, community libraries, photography, and the hunt for the nation’s (officially) funniest joke.

NESTA itself has pledged to invest almost £1 million of its own funds into Science Year. The first fruits of that are a completely reinvigorated Science Line for online and telephone help with science questions and queries, and an online and printed directory of UK science centres. The Wellcome Trust is also a major contributor to Science Year. It is funding a nationwide Science Drama Festival for schools, Science Centrestage (see box below).

The plans for the year are continually evolving, but a baseline package of laboratory equipment and specially created teaching resources are already on their way to every secondary school. The ASE has also developed a series of five CD-ROMs to be sent out to schools every half-term. To help science teachers to feel at ease with their subject, the ASE is offering a relevant scientist ‘online’ throughout each half-term who will be available to answer questions and give assistance or insights whenever they’re needed.

For details of all Science Year events and projects, have a look at the Science Year website - itself an ever-expanding resource of materials and information - at www.scienceyear.com (NB The final results of the ‘giant jump’ can be found there as well in case you’re wondering how the story ended!) If you want to sign up to our free weekly electronic newsletter then follow the links from the website. That will keep you in touch with what is going on and when it is going on.

Science Centrestage: A dramatic opportunity for schools
Secondary school students are being offered the exciting opportunity to write, produce and perform a short play exploring some of the social and ethical issues raised by scientific progress. The most successful works will even find themselves on a national stage.
Launched in September 2001 as part of Science Year, the Wellcome Trust’s Science Centrestage initiative aims to inspire students aged between 11 and 16 to take an interest in science and communicate some of the related issues. Students taking part in Science Centrestage will be encouraged to think about advances in biomedicine, debate the wider implications and devise a short 20-minute dramatic piece that will convey their views and ideas to a live audience.
To kick off, teachers and pupils are being invited to attend one of ten one-day regional workshops in October and November. This will be an opportunity to learn about both science and drama from the experts - including professional actors, playwrights, representatives from local theatre companies and Wellcome Trust-funded PhD students and research scientists - and to start looking at ways in which a short play could be developed around a scientific theme.
The workshops will give science teachers an opportunity to make contacts with scientists, update their knowledge, and gain the skills and confidence to deal with social and ethical issues raised by biomedical science. Drama teachers will benefit from high-quality teaching by professional actors and theatre teachers, and gain ideas for using science as a topic for drama.
Back at school, participants will continue to receive ongoing professional support from Trust-funded scientists and local theatre education staff, who will help them write and rehearse a 20-minute play to high standards of artistic excellence and scientific accuracy. The process will enable students to develop both creative and analytical skills, and to discuss issues that may affect their lives.
In March next year, the productions will be performed to audiences at ten regional festivals in theatrical venues or science centres as part of the Wellcome Trust’s National Festival of Drama. Six pieces from selected schools will additionally be performed at a prestigious venue in London or Birmingham to invited audiences that will include the national media, and representatives from science education and national drama.
Participation is also likely to benefit schools applying for an Artsmark, a national arts award made by the Arts Council of England, which recognises schools making a strong commitment to the full range of the arts.
As well as providing schools with a way of showcasing the school and students’ work, a way of participating in Science Year, and helping schools acquire Artsmark status, taking part in Science Centrestage will also build the self-confidence of all participants. Students will develop valuable performance and presentation skills - and enjoy all the fun and challenges that come from taking part in an exciting creative project and performing at regional and national festivals. Above all, they will have an exceptional opportunity to see how exciting and relevant science really is.

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