STEM Bringing STEM to life in the classroom
Schools must create the next generation of world class scientists if the UK is to compete on a global level
The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair will take place from 15-17 March 2012 at The NEC, Birmingham and will celebrate and raise the profile of young people’s achievement in science and engineering and encourage more young people to take part in science, technology, engineering and maths initiatives with support from their parents and teachers. School groups will be invited to visit the first two days of The Big Bang Fair, which will also be open to the public on the Saturday. Young people will leave enlightened about how science and engineering feature in everything they wear, eat and do. A number of apprentice, graduate and experienced engineers and scientists will be on hand to quiz and young people will have the opportunity to discover a great career. The Big Bang Fair hosts the finals of the prestigious National Science & Engineering Competition and is also the flagship event of National Science and Engineering Week 2012. The National Science & Engineering Competition 2012 is open to 11-18 year olds from across the UK who have completed a project or activity in any field of science, technology, engineering or maths. Entries can come from teams or individuals.
Finalists are invited to present their project at The Big Bang Fair. Here, they’ll have their own exhibition stand amongst the big household
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names to show off all their hard work to journalists, prospective employers and universities – as well as the school groups and VIPs attending The Fair. It’s a great opportunity to display their talents in front of many interested and influential people.
As well as the great prizes in all age categories, winners in the senior categories are crowned the UK Young Scientist(s) of the Year or the UK Young Engineer(s) of the Year at the National Awards Ceremony.
A showcase for STEM
The Big Bang Fair show floor offers a unique opportunity for students or children to interact with and understand - at first hand - how they can make an impact on the world. Through practical and fun activities, like designing a solar powered water heater, exploring radioactivity with a real Geiger counter or experimenting with a bionic eye, they can see where their classroom subjects could lead. They’ll also be encouraged to ask about everything from the first principles of physics to how to go about applying for apprenticeships, jobs or university courses.
Each of the zones, Go Global, Energise, The Next Factor, Body Talk, Making Trax and Farm to Fork addresses different real-life world issues - from the challenges facing our global village
to rising energy demands and from the competition for new ideas and innovation to the huge task of improving world health. You can meet some of the leading companies and organisations - face-to-face - and talk to people already working in some of the most interesting jobs around and find out what part you, your students or children can play in our future. There’s no need to book specific timeslots for activities and stands on the showfloor. You can just turn up, learn and enjoy.
Commenting on how STEM subjects can be made more interesting, Inta Bakewell, Head of Education at Twig Science says: “The first hurdle to keeping children engaged is for them to realise that science is not “out there” but right at the heart of the world around them. Science is not a collection of test tubes and a series of right and wrong answers, but a real, living experience. It solves problems and answers some of their biggest questions but you won’t easily enthuse children until they make this connection through a “wow” factor in their classrooms. “At home, they can find any bit of information they care to search for on the internet. The school experience has to take them further - how does this relate to me, and why should I care? “A real-life context is needed for science to come alive - forces learnt while on a rollercoaster, or at least watching a rollercoaster. Seeing and experiencing something vivid is the best antidote to indifference.
“Learning comes alive in the midst of emotional engagement - plenty of
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