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STEM Opportunities 10.8

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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!


Event postponements: March 2020 - April 27 inclusive

Unfortunately, the STEM Outreach Team are postponing all upcoming school events and activities until the end of April 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 via the website - www.stem.leeds.ac.uk

We are sorry we are unable to fulfil our commitments at this time and hope we can assist with your HE programme at some point in the future.  If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact stem@leeds.ac.uk

Access our online courses for schools


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 careers 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 careers 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 unravelling 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 PhD 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 PhD student Ben Pickering

Destiny Tank with PhD student Daniel Tek

Ice Nucleation with Post-doc’ Dr Tom Whale


Futher 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


The University of Exeter Educational Impact of School Closure survey.

The Univesity of Exeter's Centre for Social Mobility is conducting a rapid response project exploring the impact of school closures. They are calling for respondents from parents, teachers, pupils (over 16) and WP/Admissions staff. The outputs will be shared with OfS and policymakers.

Further information: More information can be found here, along with the link to the survey.