Free Wartime farm booklet from the Open University

Those interested in the history of War-time Britain or the topic of Food Security, may find this of interest from the OU (A free printed booklet or download as a printable PDF file):

Order your free Wartime Farm booklet

Posted under TV, Social & Economic History

How did a hungry island remain fed during a long, wearying conflict? Order your free Wartime Farm booklet to find out.

29 Aug

2012

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Order your free Wartime Farm booklet

In the booklet, you'll discover:

• the effect rationing had on hospitality during the war
• why the British government stepped in to run restaurants for war workers
• the agricultural legacy of the conflict

... and much more. Order your free copy of the Wartime Farm booklet now.
If you have any problems ordering online, you can also request a booklet by calling 0845 366 0257 (local rate).

Get closer to the Wartime Farm

OU on the BBC: Wartime Farm

Feeding a nation under fire: How did agriculture cope with the changing demands of a wartime economy? Ruth, Alex and Peter travel back to the...  Read more : OU on the BBC: Wartime Farm

4th-10th October is World Space Week

Those interested in space and European efforts especially may find this of Interest:

 

4th-10th October is World Space Week. The UK Space Agency are holding a series of 'Tweet the Expert' one hour twitter Q&As each day from 15.00-16.00. Twitter followers are invited to tweet a range of space experts, including European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake, who will be answering questions on their areas of expertise each day.

Please join us on twitter (@spacegovuk) for the event where ever you are and feel free to pass round details to anyone you think might be interested.

During the live period, simply tweet your question to @spacegovuk and the @ of the expert you want to ask, e.g. “@spacegovuk @astro_timpeake What is your daily routine? #wsw2012”.

Or send us your questions now either via twitter @spacegovuk, facebook or email steven.watson@ukspaceagency.bis.gsi.gov.uk and we will put them to our experts via twitter. Again, please make sure you indicate who you want to ask.

The hashtag for the event will be #wsw2012.

You can find more information on our website here: http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency/news-and-events/2012/Sep/tweet-the-expert-world-space-week-4th-10th-october-2012  

I hope you can join us!

Best wishes,

Madeleine

Madeleine Russell | Projects and Events Officer | UK Space Agency | Department for Business, Innovation & Skills | madeleine.russell@ukspaceagency.bis.gsi.gov.uk | http://www.bis.gov.uk/ukspaceagency | http://twitter.com/spacegovuk | http://www.youtube.com/user/spacegovuk

The UK Space Agency is an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and is at the heart of the UK efforts to explore and benefit from space.

Thursday 4th October - Space Science - Prof Matt Griffin @ Principal Investigator for the Herschel-SPIRE instrument

Friday 5th October - The ESA Astronaut Corps - Tim Peake @astro_timpeake European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut

Saturday 6th October - Space Exploration - Ralph Cordey @RalphCordey Head of Robotic Exploration Business Development

Monday 8th October - Space Security and Near Earth Objects - Richard Crowther @spacegovuk Chief Engineer at the UK Space Agency

Tuesday 9th October - Space Careers - Emma Lord @spacegovuk Director of Policy and Operations at the UK Space Agency

@ScienceGrrl Calendar 2013 - to encourage young women into science & engineering

For good role-model images of women in science and engineering careers, this might be a good resource:

 

ScienceGrrl is a network of (mostly) female scientists who are

passionate about passing on their love of science, technology,

engineering and mathematics (STEM) to the next generation

(www.sciencegrrl.co.uk, @Science_Grrl).

We're currently working on producing the ScienceGrrl Calendar 2013,

which celebrates the work of female scientists, and will be sold to our

peers, colleagues, friends and beyond. The proceeds will be invested in

projects that enable girls and young women to engage with STEM role

models, to encourage their aspirations and open their eyes to the range

of potential futures available to them within STEM. These projects

include "Breakthrough: the gender stereotypes project" and funded places

at the Mission Discovery summer school.

The calendar will feature 13 stunning images of female scientists from

a diverse range of backgrounds, showcasing a variety of science-related

careers. Three engineers on a London rooftop overlook a striking

cityscape, showing the structural impact of STEM all around us. A

medical physicist explains her work to a busy group of colleagues and a

patient in University of Manchester’s PETCT scanner. In Bristol, an

epidemiologist is surrounded by a blur of pedestrians as she examines

data for a link between cannabis-smoking and mental health. And there

are many more...

The calendar will be launched on 18 October 2012 and is available for

pre-order now:

https://sciencegrrl.wufoo.eu/forms/sciencegrrl-online-shop/.

Please share this information on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and by any

other means with colleagues, friends and family and anyone else you

think would benefit from knowing more about ScienceGrrl.

Best wishes,

Lucy Harper

Press Manager

Science Grrl Calendar 2013

Free program (Windows/Mac/Linux) - Virtual Moon Atlas

For those interested in the Moon and planning telescopic examination of it, a free program is available form Virtual Moon Atlas

Name That Asteroid! (OSIRIS-REx Competition)

NASA / Goddard / University of Arizona

 If you are a parent or teacher of a child (under 18) who is into
Space Science - this compo might very well hit the spot:
OSIRIS-REx is going to fly to an asteroid and bring back some pieces. Right now, the asteroid's name is 1999 RQ36, but we think students can do better!  The Planetary Society, MIT's Lincoln Laboratory, and the University of Arizona are asking students around the world to suggest better names for the asteroid.
Enter by December 2, 2012 to have a chance to name a piece of the solar system!
The contest is open to kids under the age of 18.  To enter, parents or teachers must fill out an online entry form with the proposed name and a short explanation of why that name is a good choice. 
Asteroids can't be named just anything, of course.  The International Astronomical Union governs the naming of big and small objects in the solar system, and they have guidelines on how to name near-Earth objects like 1999 RQ36.

http://planetary.org/get-involved/contests/osirisrex/ 

Wolfson OpenScience Laboratory - a promising online resource

From the Institute of Physics (@PhysicsNews) Classroom Physics newsletter :-

Online access to practical science with Wolfson lab
The traditional physics practical may have
had an occasional electronic facelift but
it has not changed much in decades. The
appearance is still of wooden benches,
wires and springs, for instance — very much
a hands-on environment.
Physics in professional laboratories is
different. Many physicists have no direct
physical connection with their experiments.
Actuators drive instruments and data
arrive through a computer linked to central
facilities such as CERN and satellites.
Conversations are with colleagues across
the world. It is an online environment.
The Open University has been awarded £1 m by the Wolfson Foundation to
reflect this change in practical science in its teaching. The Wolfson OpenScience
Laboratory will provide online access to practical science, not only to Open
University students but also to students across the globe. All science subjects will be
covered and many of the experiments will be relevant to schools.
The laboratory will include remote access to real laboratories and
observatories, for example optical and radio telescopes; virtual instruments such
as gamma-scattering apparatus with real data accessed interactively; immersive
3D field investigations with digitised real landscapes; and access to citizen science,
including “Treezilla”, a massive tree survey. The Open University will be collaborating
with other universities, schools and professional bodies and the priority will be
to improve access in developing countries For more information: visit www.open.
ac.uk/blogs/openscience

This includes the utterly brill Virtual Microscope - a web microscope (see screenshot above) with a selection of Histology & Pathology specimens to look at. The controls let you focus the microscope and take pictures.

FameLab UK 2013 Competition

A competition to celebrate science communicators & help them further develop their skills:
 
FameLab UK 2013
The search is on for the new voices of science communication. Over the autumn FameLab UK heats will be taking place across the country from Aberdeen to London, Cardiff to Cambridge. New for this year, and with help from the Royal Academy of Engineering, FameLab UK has also been able to produce two engineering specific heats to encourage more engineers to enter the competition and develop their skills.
If you're currently working in science. technology, engineering or maths, and think you can explain a science or engineering concept in an engaging way to non-scientists in just three minutes, FameLab wants to hear from you!
The winner of the heats will get the chance to take part in a weekend MasterClass with experts in media & communication skills, before vying for the title of FameLab UK champion at the National Final in April 2013 where they will have the chance to take home £1,750 to further their career.
So if you think you have what it takes visit http://famelab.org/uk for more information.
FameLab was set up in 2005 by Cheltenham Festivals in partnership with NESTA to find and nurture scientists and engineers with a flair for communicating with public audiences. Since 2007, thanks to a partnership with the British Council, FameLab has gone global, with competitions now held in 20 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and the United States. Globally more than 4,500 researchers have taken part. The result is a vibrant network of exciting scientists and engineers engaging international audiences but also engaging with each other, broadening each other's views of what it means to be working in science right now. In 2013 the UK competition is supported by EDF Energy.
Dr Claire Rocks
FameLab UK Manager
Cheltenham Festivals
Tel:01242 264185
Mob: 07966 768256
cheltenhamfestivals.com
famelab.org

@cheltfestivals cheltenhamfestivals.com
Cheltenham Festivals is a registered charity - Charity No 251765
The Times Cheltenham Literature Festival 5-14 October 2012
Cheltenham Jazz Festival 1-6 May 2013
The Times Cheltenham Science Festival 4-9 June 2013
Cheltenham Music Festival 3-14 July 2013

Cheltenham Festivals Ltd: Charity No 251765 / Vat Reg No 100114013
109-111 Bath Road, Cheltenham, GL53 7LS