To encourage bright and enthusiastic students to choose STEM subjects at A level and pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths a wide range of opportunities have been created, often by leading universities. These are not only a great thing to put on your sixth form and university applications, but also give you valuable advice and the chance to explore a wider range of subjects than you may have studied previously. Even if you are unsure about what subjects to study further, whether or not you wish to do A levels or what career you want to pursue I would still highly recommend applying as you may discover a new interest or alternative route into a career you are interested in.
For a full list of secondary school STEM opportunities, click on the '2 Secondary School' tab above.
Showing posts with label 2 Secondary School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2 Secondary School. Show all posts
BP Ultimate STEM Challenge
Take on the Ultimate STEM Challenge
BP has launched the Ultimate STEM Challenge, a competition in partnership with the Science Museum and STEMNET. This year, students aged 11-14 across the UK are being challenged to use their Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths skills to develop energy efficient solutions to real-world challenges.
Students will have the chance to compete for prizes, including a cash prize of £500 to spend on science equipment or a field trip. The celebratory final event will take place during British Science Week at the Science Museum in London. To find out more visit: www.bp.com/ultimatestemchallenge
Videos
Ultimate STEM Challenge
Why Enter?
Top Tips
Previous competitions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53oWJ60CLLs&list=PLt-RnO8FZu-MaaRWY5DDLFToI6-1dCIIA&index=4
How to enter
- Teams of up to 4 students choose from one of three challenges: Streamlined Ships, Better Buildings or Trim Turbines.
- The teams will then need to create a short film or presentation showcasing their project. The challenges can be completed at a STEM club, in class or as an independent project.
- Entries must be uploaded on the BP Educational Service (BPES) website www.bp.com/bpes by 15 January 2016.
LASAR Science and Religion Residential for students entering yr 10-12
The LASAR (Learning about Science and Religion) Project is running a residential programme for teenagers. The week will run in August at the University of Reading and will be full of workshops and experiments for teenagers entering years 10-12 to ask and discuss big questions. Each day will have a theme (Space, Genetics, Being Human and Robots) as well as an overarching theme of looking at the brain vs mind and ideas about the soul. The cost of the week is £200 (£100 Scholarships available) – which includes all accommodation, meals, equipment and resources including parts to build a robot of your own.
For more information about the week go to http://www.faradayschools.com/programme/ or for an application form send an email to LASAR@reading.ac.uk
Year 11: EDT Girls Inspire Courses
Apply now for an Inspire Year 11 Girls course at a top university! These STEM study skills courses will give you a headstart to A level STEM subjects, allow you to find out more about potential career and degree options, and learn essential study skills such as research, revision, teamwork and organisational skills. In addition, participants will have priority when applying for the highly competitive Headstart courses the following year.The courses take place over three days in June or July, depending on location.
Although they are very reasonably priced, if you need some financial assistance they offer a limited number of bursaries which you should apply for ASAP after applying for the course.
For more information and to apply, visit their website.
NPL Academy 2016
The National Physical Laboratory, Teddington (just south of London) is offering a week long NPL Academy in from the 11th - 15th July for GCSE and A level students interested in finding out more about physics careers. Selected students will have the opportunity to tour their lab, take part in team activities, build and launch water rockets, and work on a NPL project for the week.Typically there are 30-35 students on the programme, and so there is a lot of competition for places. However, despite this the application form isn't too complicated - the only question requiring preparation is 'Please state why you would like to be considered for a place in the NPL Academy (500 words)'. Since this is the only opportunity for you to sell yourself, make sure you really point out your strengths, any previous physics projects and experiences you had enjoyed, your career aspirations, and what in particular about the academy you find interesting (such as the opportunity to work on a real project).
This is a fantastic opportunity to find out more about research at a leading laboratory, and would be great to mention on a college or university application for subjects such as Physics, Engineering or Maths.
For more details and to apply, visit their website. The deadline for applications is the 31st January 2016.
Franklin Society: GCSE / AS Science Essay Competition!
All you need to do is write an essay for one of the given essay titles, fill in a quick application form and covering letter, and email it to the Murray Edwards College Franklin Society by the 8th January!
There are Amazon voucher prizes up for grabs, and of course participating in such a competition would be great to mention on your UCAS personal statement - even if you don't win the competition or decide not to apply to Cambridge for a related degree course.
For more information and to enter, visit the website!
Chemistry World Science Communication Competition 2016
Write an article (800 words) on the theme of "Public Attitudes to Chemistry" to win up to £500, have your work published in an edition of the Chemistry World magazine, and be involved in a 'special assignment' with Chemistry World and AkzoNobel.
The competition is open to students, post-grads and early career scientists anywhere in the world - excluding professional science writers.
There are two rounds to the competition - the first of which requires sending in your article, while the second involves an artistic/ creative presentation of your topic to an audience in March.
The deadline for submitting your article is the 8th January 2016.
For more information, visit their website.
Maths Inspiration Lecture shows!
Maths Inspiration is touring England and Wales, holding great shows near you to inspire students aged 15-17 to continue studying Maths. They generally compose of three lectures on fascinating topics such as 'Adventures in the Fourth Dimension', 'Maths of TV Game Shows' and 'Bouncing Bombs and Boomerangs', designed to give you an insight into exciting real world and theoretical applications of maths.The events are being run throughout the year - for Autumn 2014 events, click here.
For every ten students booked, schools get a free teacher place - so encourage your school to run a school trip!
BP, Science Museum and STEMNET Ultimate STEM Challenge
BP, the Science Museum and STEMNET have created a new competition for teams of 2-4 students aged 11-14 to win some fantastic prizes.The teams must chose one of three categories and carry out some experiments, create an innovative design, or otherwise investigate the challenge set for each. They must then complete a simple entry form and submit either a power point or video showcasing their work.
Prizes include an invitation to the celebratory event at the Science Museum, London, £500 for the school, and some Science Museum goodies.
This competition would be ideal for STEM clubs or as an extended classroom project, and optional activity packs are provided on the website to get you started.
Your project may also qualify for a Bronze CREST Award from the British Science Association, for more information click here.
The deadline to submit your entry is the 16th January 2015, and the final judging takes place on 23rd March 2015 at the Science Museum.
For more information and to enter, visit their website.
British Science Festival
I attended the British Science Festival in 2013 in Newcastle as part of their student bursary programme. It was an absolutely fantastic week - I was inspired by a huge range of scientists, as well as making many new friends. For more information on what I got up to last year, see the Blog section of this website.
Learn to Programme (age 9-11)! Volunteer to run a Code Club (older people)!
Code Club is a fantastic organisation organising and providing resources for small after school "Code Clubs" around the UK.If you're a student, join your local Code Club to learn how to programme computers in a fun and interactive way! You can complete a variety of short projects, such as creating games or webpages, in order to learn how to use Python, CSS and HTML code.
If you're a university student with some knowledge of coding (you don't need loads of experience!) volunteer to help out at a local Code Club to gain great transferable skills for your CV, keep your coding skills refreshed, and have fun!
If you're a primary school teacher, think about setting up a Code Club as a fun after-school activity for your students, or use the Code Club resources in your IT lessons. Programming is a really useful skill to have, and the younger you start to learn any new language (and code is the language of computers) the easier it is! These fun projects are a great way to introduce your students to the idea of actually controlling a computer and understanding how it functions, rather than just how to write word documents.
For more information, visit their website.
AstroCamp!!!
AstroCamp is a star party in the Brecon Beacons which happens twice a year - the next camp is the 7th - 10th May 2015. Anyone interested in astronomy is welcome, you do not need to be an expert or have any expensive equipment. There is a great social scene too so you can chat to other enthusiastic people and enjoy the atmosphere.For more information and to book tickets, visit their website.
REACT Foundation Year 11 Scholarship Programme
The application form seems fairly simple - you just need to fill in your predicted grades and answer a few questions. The key ones are:
- Why do you think you should be the award winner for the REACT Foundation Year 11 Award for your school?
- What are your hobbies and interests?
- Give details of membership of any youth organisation (including length of membership)
- Any other relevant information
Start working on your application soon - the deadline is the 28th February 2015!
There is only one award available per school, so spend some time making your application perfect!
There is only one award available per school, so spend some time making your application perfect!
For more information and to apply, see their website.
Fantastic FREE resources on Scientists in Sport from GSK!
We think about scientists as discovering new sub-atomic particles, creating revolutionary drugs and occasionally blowing a few test tubes up - but another exciting area scientists are heavily involved in is sport, which arguably has a greater impact on many of our lives.Did you know scientists have shown that practice really does make perfect - by rewiring your brain, and cutting edge technology gave the Olympic athletics track the perfect mix of durability, springiness and grip?! Scientists design fantastic new materials for super-lightweight bike frames to allow cyclists to break world records, understand our bodies to optimise training techniques, and create anti-doping tests to ensure fairness for all.
To inspire students aged 11-14 to study STEM subjects, GSK has created a wide range of fun lab activities and factsheets (available here) on topics such as 'Anatomy of Success' and 'Brain Power', all of which would bring science to life in the classroom or provide excellent activities for science clubs - forward on the link to your teacher so they can use them in their lessons! You can also look through the resources yourself at home or with a group of friends - but make sure you read any safety guidelines and ask an adult to supervise any of the lab activities.Even more exciting is the opportunity for the students to meet some of the programme’s
ambassadors including world class athletes Beth Tweddle, David Weir, the Brownlee Brothers and
Jenson Button, who are all actively supporting the programme by delivering it to schools and sharing
their expertise about how STEM has shaped modern sport.
For more information and to access their fantastic resources, visit their website or follow @GSKScience on Twitter.
Wide range of free public STEM lectures at Imperial
Imperial College, London, is offering a wide range of usually free STEM (and related subjects) lectures for the public. These are often presented by experts in each topic, and would be great to mention on a college or university application as well as being interesting and informative.Places are generally limited and offered on a first come first served basis, so make sure you remember to register in advance!
For more information and to book, visit their website.
Smallpeice Trust - Engineering (and related) Summer Courses across the UK for students in school years 8-12
Some of the courses are free, and those which do charge are generally very reasonably priced.
A summer residential course is a fantastic way to find out more about potential careers or university courses, as well as being excellent to mention on a college or university application form.
Year 11 and 12 students may also be interested in EDT Headstart and Inspire courses.
Places are offered on a first come first served, so get your application in now!
For a full list of the courses offered, please click here.
I had a great time on a Materials for Energy Smallpiece Trust course over the summer holidays. We were able to speak to engineers from nearby universities, and they gave some particularly interesting talks on why some materials are chosen for certain jobs and the properties of these materials that make it suitable. Discovering more about the life-cycle of these materials was also particularly interesting, for example learning about the material used for the blades in many different engines was inspiring. We were also able to spend a day at Rolls Royce and discover how the business evolved and the development of their engines. We were able to speak to engineers from Rolls Royce and learn from the professionals all about the engineering details behind specific parts of the engine. It was a great few days and I thoroughly being able to meet some great people who are all just as interested in studying a STEM subject as I am. It has highlighted the pathway which I hope to follow and I hope to gain a place on a similar course next summer.
Anna Prescott (participant 2013)
Cambridge Chemistry Challenge
Every year, the online Cambridge Chemistry Challenge takes place from November to June. Each month, a new set of cryptic Chemistry quiz questions is released and Chemistry enthusiasts worldwide of all ages compete to answer the questions as quickly as possible. There are monthly and overall leaderboards, and the competition is surprisingly fierce! It is a great fun competition requiring not only good chemistry knowledge but also good Googling skills and ability to spot subtle clues in the questions! If you need any hints, there's usually a popular Student Room thread but make sure you have go at the questions yourself first!
There's also a popular Lower Sixth paper, which is sat in schools in June each year - if your school doesn't already do it, ask! This is a great thing to add to your UCAS form, and the top scorers will be invited to attend a residential camp at the University of Cambridge at the end of August! For past papers, have a look on the downloads page of their website.To sign up for this years online competition or look at past quiz questions, visit their website.
I have taken part in the online competition for the last two years, and it has been good fun! The questions don't just test your Chemistry ability but also general knowledge - for example one question required you to recognise pictures of famous chemists while another involved calculating the minimum mass of carbon that would be required to coat the surface of the Earth in a single graphene sheet! Some people take it more seriously than others and stay up all night to complete the questions as soon as they are launched (midnight), but most of us wait until the next morning! You have a whole month to complete each set of questions, but the longer you leave it the lower your score.
I did the Lower Sixth paper last year, and it was surprisingly challenging! It is similar to the Maths Challenges and Chemistry Olympiads in that it is a fun competition requiring you to really understand the subject and apply your knowledge to very unfamiliar situations. Even if you don't achieve a Gold award, it's still good to mention your participation on your UCAS form as it shows an interest in the subject outside of your A level qualification. The residential camp also sounds amazing!
Katie Prescott (participant 2012-13)
Warwick: Unitracks program for disadvantaged high achieving students
Qualifying students must fit all of the following criteria:
Selected students are invited to a range of events to boost their skills, confidence and academic achievement - this includes exclusive visits to several top universities, subject masterclasses, a business enterprise scheme, summer schools and personalised mentoring and advice.
This is not only a fantastic opportunity to gain support for your studies, but would also provide you with many excellent events to mention in your UCAS personal statement.
For more information, visit their website.
This is not only a fantastic opportunity to gain support for your studies, but would also provide you with many excellent events to mention in your UCAS personal statement.
For more information, visit their website.
Liverpool Physics Outreach Events
For more information and to book events, visit their website.
Physics Work Experience Placements at the University of Surrey for students in year 10 or above
If you are a student in year 10 or above and interested in studying Physics at university, apply now for a week-long work experience placement at the Physics Department of the University of Surrey.Work experience is a great way to find out more about potential careers and applications of a subject you really enjoy at school as well as showing your enthusiasm and dedication to a subject you wish to continue studying further at college or university. Work experience students at the University of Surrey can expect to complete an experiment in the university's laboratories with their high-tech equipment, find out what it is like to study physics at university, explore other areas within the university, and give a presentation of their results.
For more information and to apply, visit their website. The deadline for applications is the 30th November 2014.
If you live too far away from the University of Surrey, check out the websites of local universities to see if they are offering similar work experience programmes.
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