Sense about statistics

An opportunity to look at every tabloid quoted 'statistic' with improved insight - read this from the 'Sense about Science' web-site. It addresses such pertinent question "What is the average? and which one should I use?", "what is the range and are you just quoting the extreme (and unlikely values)?" and points out that big and small numbers have to be put in the correct context.
It includes input from Professor David Spiegelhalter (whose excellent blog Underrstanding Uncertainty is here) on the subject of uncertainty and confidence intervals (i.e. how sure are we?).
People who hate speed-cameras will enjoy them being used as an example of what is know as "Regression to the mean" and attribution of camera placement to accident rate reduction (i.e. this is not necessarily true - hello uncertainty).
A section about absolute and relative risk deals with the "Bacon Butties cause cancer" type of story.

A recommended read that, despite containing the work 'statistics' in it's title, is clear, readable and understandable....

Science - It's a Girl thing

The EU has started a campaign to encourage girls into science careers and have a web-site here.
On Twitter (see #sciencegirlthing) and the press, there has been quite a bit of controversy about a video trailer that they released (and after reactions pulled it - a copy is, as far as I know, still on YouTube - use that Google  interweb-thingy...).
I've tried to stay out of the debate as, video aside, the web-site has merit as does the good intention.
EU's viewpoints are here in this FAQ.

I would still have the person who put a lipstick in the Science logo taken away for a good talking-to (which is a kinder fate that some other commentators would suggest) , but it is really important to get all school-children interested in science. 
Not just for careers - science shapes and permeates our modern world. Major decisions are made and without an understanding of the scientific issues it is difficult, if not impossible, to have informed inclusive public debate. So scientific literacy is a vital citizenship skill.
Please do not let the controversy influence you, visit the web-site and reach your own verdict...
(Its a people thing).

Another 'Messy Church' event

Two saturdays ago, I did another of these events.
Being Pentecost there was a loose theme on wind, fire and speaking in tongues. A quick head-count of the families attending indicated over fifty people on the the night.

I provided two science engagement activities ( one for outdoors and one for indoors if the weather let us down). These were the Stomp Rockets and one based on the Stroop Effect (to demonstrate how an experiment is designed and statistical analysis of the results). The latter didn't get much attention (It would probably work better at a science fair type venue). The rockets did much better. One thing that was almost as good as the children enjoying launching their creations was the parents reactions. They seemed to think that the rockets wouldn't go very high or far when propelled by my pipe and 2-litre bottle launchers. This notion was quickly abused by the first few flights :-). I think that there may still be a couple of the rockets stuck on the church roof (sorry about that....).

Food Factory series - how does convenience food get made?

New series of Food Factory - looking at how foods are made for supermarkets.
Answering questions like "How many Tomatoes in a cuppasoup sachet?"* and "Are there any oranges in orange squash?"
Interview with Stefan here with a few clips as well.
It's on BBC1 at 7:30 on Mondays -looks good.

* 12 tomatoes (apparently)...

RCUK funding to bring research & researchers into secondary schools...

This may be of interest to Universities & secondary schools looking for engagement funding:

RCUK School-University Partnerships Initiative

RCUK School-University Partnerships Initiative is a new initiative worth £1.5million over three years to create and build partnerships between universities and secondary schools. This partnership working will support researchers’ direct engagement with students and bring contemporary and inspirational research contexts into formal and informal learning to enhance and enrich the curriculum. Funding of £150,000 is available to successful HEIs over three years. The call opens today (18 June 2012) and closes 25 September 2012.

Further information is available within the Call for Proposals (http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/per/Pages/Schools.aspx).

Free Year 9 STEM event opportunities

This may be of interest to teachers of Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics:

Attention Teachers - FREE STEM Days Apply Now!

Thanks to our sponsors, we are pleased to announce that we have a number of STEM Days up for grabs starting in September 2012! These are available to maintained schools in most regions of the country (too many for us to list here).

STEM Days involve working with 50, Year 9 students on a design and make project and are especially useful to students with a particular interest in, or aptitude for, problem-solving, design, manufacturing or engineering. 

We will fit the course around whatever rooms and equipment are available. All you need to do is supply the appropriate number of supervisory teachers and technicians in line with statutory requirements.

STEM Days are usually priced at £595 plus expenses but thanks to our sponsors, we are able to these to schools absolutely free!

These free STEM Days are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Don't miss out, call Kirsten Brami on 01926 333200 or e-mail kirstenb@smallpeicetrust.org.uk to find out if your school will qualify for a free STEM Day.

Gemma Murphy, Head of Marketing and Development

Direct Tel: 01926 333214 Mobile 07974 015267

Follow us on Facebook and  twitter!

View our student, teacher, parent and partner videos

The Smallpeice Trust, Holly House, 74 Upper Holly Walk, Leamington Spa CV32 4JL Tel: 01926 333200  Fax: 01926 333202  www.smallpeicetrust.org.uk The Smallpeice Trust is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England. Company number 00882371. Registered office, Holly House, 74 Upper Holly Walk, Leamington Spa CV32 4JL. Registered Charity number 313719

Making Stomp Rockets for Scout Family Camp (part2)

This Bank Holiday weekend lived up to its reputation with heavy rain on Sunday and showers on Monday.

Scout Family camp-site (wet & windy)

A Zorbing ball

This worked in my favour, as on Saturday I had only a few people doing the science activity as (quite rightly) they were taking advantage of the atypical sunshine and doing things like Zorbing (Big inflatable ball that rolls around with you inside) Human table football etc.
On the Sunday I had more takers. I had over 15 children try the science activities (out of about 50 registered for the camp consisting of Explorers, Scouts, cubs, beavers and younger siblings).
This event was different from other engagement activities I've done with fewer people but more time was spent with them.
At least 4 cubs did six activities (required for their Science badge) with most doing two to three and being on the way to their badge. I also had a wider range of ages and had to modify some activities for some who were under five years old. Their parents were also quite interested and helped focus their children's attention on the activities (6 activities is a big ask for 8- to 11-year olds).

I was able to demonstrate some math when making rockets i.e. using folding to find the centre of a circle and transforming it from a 2D shape to a 3D nose-cone

Home brew heater

There were some attempts at yoghurt making - however, I'm still having trouble with keeping them at 40 degrees C at the venues
(this time a school arts & crafts room - The cool-bag & hot-water bottle just aren't cutting it). Maybe something like those heating bands used on demi-johns by home-brewers might be the way to go?

Lights, camera, action!

I simplified the switch circuit by using the flashing LEDs that people mount on cars (12V) in a circuit that then only needed a 9V PP3 battery connect to & paper-clips to attach croc-clips test leads to with it all interconnected by screw-down "chocolate-block" electrical connectors (no soldering). The fact that graphite (in a pencil) conducted surprised many as they often decided that only metals conducted.


The children also liked making the CD hovercraft which I used to demonstrate Newtons first law of Motion (i.e. effects of inertia and friction).

Launch-time at Lunchtime (Climbing wall in background)

A completed stomp rocket

Blastoff!

3-2-1-stomp!

Stomp rockets were unsurprisingly popular and we went out and launched them on the Sunday lunchtime whilst the rain-clouds were refilling. Some went really well and some were rather erratic (probably down to their fins). A common point of failure was the nose-cones blowing off(!) so some serious pressure must have come out of the 2L bottles when stomped... I'll make a point in the instructions about using lots of tape to secure the nose-cone.

On the launcher front all three designs worked well but only the mating connectors where I had taken the time to bore out a hole in the bottle top worked reliably. The cut-off fruit-shoot cap just wasn't up to the pressures it experienced.