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STEM Opportunities 10.10

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STEM Opportunities Newsletter
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STEM Opportunities is our monthly newsletter for teachers which details upcoming events and information that may be of interest.

Check out our most recent issue below and subscribe here to receive future issues!



LATEST NEWS



Update on STEM Event Postponements: (March 2020 - July inclusive)

Unfortunately, the STEM Outreach Team is postponing all upcoming school events and activities until the end of July 2020 due to Covid-19. This is in light of the recent advice from the UK Government regarding the Covid-19 virus regarding non-essential contact and unnecessary travel.

For some events taking place from May 2020, we will be providing online learning resources for students and teachers. Keep an eye on what's coming up via the events section of the STEM website.

We hope to able to honour existing bookings by delivering online content with current students and academics. If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact stem@leeds.ac.uk

View our online STEM courses for schools

View online presentations and resources 


Electrifying Women: Online Videos and Activities in Celebration of International Women in Engineering Day

In celebration of International Women in Engineering Day on 23 June 2020, Electrifying Women has developed a series of online videos and activities for teachers and students to explore the history of women in engineering.

Electrifying Women, a project led by Dr. Graeme Gooday and supported by the Women's in Engineering Society at University of Leeds.

Resources for students:

A film about the history of women in engineering such as Lady Katharine Parsons’s speech to the Victory Meeting, Newcastle Upon Tyne, 9th July 1919 (7 mins)

 

5 short films about key skills needed to be an engineer (1 min per film)

Resources for teachers:

Creative Writing Pack for teachers including examples of women engineers

Further information:

For more information visit our Engineering 11-16 Programme page

#ELECTRIFYINGWOMEN


Year 13 Transition Course

Target Audience: Students who studied A-Level Mathematics and are progressing to an undergraduate degree in mathematics, engineering, physics, or a related subject.

The Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP) is delighted to offer Year 13 students free access to a university transition course designed to support students who have studied A-level Mathematics and are progressing to an undergraduate degree course in mathematics, engineering, physics or a related subject.

The course will be hosted on the online platform Integral. Access to the resources requires a free login – every school/college registered with the AMSP is provided with these login details which they can pass on to any student within their institution.

Further Information: 

Further information about this course can be found on our Year 13 transition course page.


FutureLearn Schools

FutureLearn Schools is a new initiative offering free access to hundreds of online educational resources for school students aged 13+, to continue and expand their learning. Teachers and Students will be able to access hundreds of free courses from top universities,  as well as additional guidance and support such as a Coronavirus support hub from TES and support for parents and learners from Pearson.

The University of Leeds has many courses available through the initiative. Courses that may be of particular interest to STEM students and teachers include; Discovering Science: Science Writing, Ecology and Wildlife Conservation, Computer Programming for Everyone, Discovering Science: Medicinal Chemistry, Discovering Science: Global Challenges, Atmospheric Chemistry: Planets and Life Beyond Earth, Discovering Science: Chemical Products, Discovering Science: Atmospheric Chemistry, Food Science and Nutrition: From the Farm to you. There is also a course about Preparing to Learn Online at University

Further information:

For further information and access to over a hundred should courses check out the FutureLearn website.


IAI Physics Course (for teachers of students aged 15-17)

The IAI Physics Course is a six-part educational course for teachers of students aged 15-17. The course, funded by The Ogden Trust, is intended to provide much-needed e-learning resources to physics teachers all over the UK.

The course does not cover core syllabus content. Featuring renowned physicists such as Carlo Rovelli, Sean Carroll, and Laura Mersini-Haughton, the course aims to spark students’ curiosity by engaging them with exciting themes such as the Big Bang, space exploration, and dark matter.

Further information:

The course is freely available for physics teachers here.

At the bottom of the page is a link to a Google Docs folder containing all the resources, a teacher survey, and an overview (which itself contains links to the videos.)


Virtual Open Days: 29 June-10 July.

Following government guidance, The University's June undergraduate open days will not take place on campus as planned.

From 29th June to 10th July, we’ll be running a series of live virtual events. This will be a great way to discover Leeds from home. You’ll be able to tailor your experience, get a feel for campus, and ask questions to our academic staff and students.

Further information: 

Find out more about the open days here

Register your interest to receive Virtual Open Days updates. You will receive an email informing you when you can create your Virtual Open Days account. This will allow you to view our schedule of live talks and book your place on sessions that interest you.


Be Curious showcase

Preparations are underway to bring world-leading research to people in the comfort of their own homes as the hugely popular Be Curious showcase makes its virtual debut.

Amongst the many things to enjoy in the virtual showcase, join us to meet (and make!) the #LOOminaries in Arts and Crafts Week. Pioneered at home by Professor Lorna Dougan (School of Physics and Astronomy) and Dr. Paul Beales (School of Chemistry), the #LOOminaries are people who inspire or influence others, crossed with the humble loo roll!

Check out the growing gallery of #LOOminaries that have already made their way to Twitter and why not make your own to add to the bunch in time for #BeCuriousGoesVirtual

Further information:

Upload to Twitter using #LOOminaries or send them to L.Dougan@leeds.ac.uk

You can see some of the #LOOminaries creations here.


University of Leeds Teachers and Advisors Ezine. 

There is now a new newsletter bringing together all of the exciting new resources we have been developing across the Educational Engagement service. Here you can find details of our recently launched activities and materials including online workshops, presentations, and digital resources.  New content will be added over the coming weeks.

Further information: The May edition of the newsletter is available here


Student Success Academic Skills Presentation

The Student Success Team in partnership with Skills@Library has developed an Academics Skills Presentation. This webinar is relevant to all Teachers, Advisors, Parents, and Carers.

Further information: Sign up to watch the presentation please fill in your details via this link.



DIGITAL RESOURCES



Online Courses with Future Learn:

The University of Leeds provides a number of free quality online courses to help students make the transition to university.  These courses can be used as a classroom enrichment resource or independently by students to discover exciting subject areas presented by leading academics.

Further information: To see what courses are available please visit the Online Courses section of the website.

Below we have highlighted two courses that might be of interest.


Online Course: From the Farm to You

Subject area: Food Science and Nutrition
Educator: Dr. Matthew Francis, Teaching Fellow in the School of Food Science and Nutrition

The latest course is Food Science and Nutrition: From the Farm to You. During this course, you will follow food’s fascinating journey from the farm to your body and explore new food technologies and nutrition around the world. You’ll learn how food science and nutrition will help you to understand and study the fascinating world of food.

The course is now open for enrolments and learners will be able to access the content from March 16. The course will remain open for enrolments for a period of 8 weeks.ce Nucleation with Post-doc’ Dr. Tom Whale

How to apply: Sign up here: Food Science and Nutrition: From the Farm to You sign up


Online Course: Discovering Science: Medicinal Chemistry

Subject area: Chemistry and Medicinehttps://www.futurelearn.com/courses/anatomy-know-your-abdomen
Educators: Paul Taylor, Professor at the University of Leeds. Pro-Dean and research cancer & evolution. Martin McPhillie, research scientist/Teaching Fellow within the School of Chemistry at the University of Leeds. 

Discover how chemotherapy has evolved, and some of the breakthroughs and developments chemists have made in the fight against cancer over the last 10 years.

Diagnostic imaging examines how scientists learn about and treat, the inside of the body without invasive surgery. You’ll explore how modern imaging techniques diagnose problems quickly and safely, and how diseases which may not previously have been picked up are identified.

Intrigued? Then sign up for this short course to find out more.

How to apply: Sign up here: Discovering Science: Medicinal Chemistry


Engineering: Online Resources for Key Stage 3 - 5 

Check out these Engineering resources online for students to download. From career maps to an Introduction to Coding & Design online course for KS5 students.

Find out more here: Engineering resources online  

Are you interested in studying computer science at University and want to find out more about degree apprenticeships? Read Sam’s blog to find out what his day looks like, why he choose a degree apprenticeship with PwC plus career advice.

Read the blog here: https://blog.teachcomputing.org/flying-start/  

Other recommended Engineering resources for prospective students:

 'Meet the future you' quiz

This is Engineering short videos  


Biological Sciences: Online Resources for Prospective Students

Explore our free online courses through Future Learn to continue studying, build professional skills, and connect with experts.

Discover the human abdomen and how it works, looking at its key features and common problems;

How to apply: sign up here: Anatomy: Know Your Abdomen

Other recommended courses include 'Causes of Human Disease: Exploring Cancer and Genetic Disease'. Learn how the unraveling of genetic code has led to a deeper understanding of genetic diseases and cancer.

How to apply: sign up here: Causes of Human Disease


YouTube Videos from the Faculty of Environment:

Check out these videos from the University of Leeds Faculty of Environment. Watch as Ph.D. students and Post Docs share their expertise with you.

Tornado in a bottle with Instrument Scientist, Dr. Lindsay Bennett

Convection Tank with Instrument Scientist, Dr. Lindsay Bennett

Cloud in a Bottle with our resident cloud expert Dr. Jim McQuaid

Aerosols in Clouds: Geoengineering Example with Ph.D. student Ben Pickering

Destiny Tank with Ph.D. student Daniel Tek

Ice Nucleation with Post-doc’ Dr. Tom Whale



FURTHER RESOURCES AND INFORMATION



‘ELECTRONICS EVERYWHERE’ Free Classroom Resources for Teachers

Target audience: For Post 16 Physics and Computer Science teachers.

The project is a collaboration between the UKESF and the University of Southampton, with support from the Institute of Physics and Computing at Schools. It is focussed on raising attainment in the A-Level subjects (Physics & Computer Science) and promoting Electronics. This is achieved by providing online resources linked directly to the curriculum and by training teachers.

You can find out more about the projects here: https://www.ukesf.org/schools/electronics-everywhere/

In Summary, Electronics Everywhere provides:

  •  Online resources. These are manufactured in the UK and can be loaned, free of charge, to state schools.
  • Aligned with the A-Level curriculum for both Physics and Computing
  • Connecting physics and computing curricula, through real-world contemporary contexts, to future engineering careers
  • Enabling teachers to deliver the Computer Science and Physics A-Level curriculum in a more engaging, hands-on, way
  • Supporting materials for teachers, such as ‘real-world’ engineering problems: https://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/sites/www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/files/logic_problems.pdf
  • Explainer videos available on-line, along with extension work
  • Physical kits are available for your class once your school is open again

To register your interest contact: electronics.everywhere@ukesf.org


SciCurious

A podcast that highlights LGBT people in Science. SciCurious brings you stories from some of the brightest minds in the world who research or work in STEM fields. The people featured on SciCurious are all part of the vibrant and diverse LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer, and much more) community.

Further information: https://www.scicurious.co.uk/here-to-make-it-clear


STEM Learning Resources 

STEM Learning provides a number of free resources suitable for home learning, family activities, and in-school activities. They are currently working hard to develop and roll out a range of materials.

Further information: https://www.stem.org.uk/home-learning