Enter MINDSTORMS® Challenge and win a trip to Hawaii!

This may be of interest to school science clubs (Possible arts project too in making video):

The 2014 MoonBots Challenge is an international on-line competition run by Google Lunar XPRIZE that challenges youth from 9 to 17 years old to form a team and design, create and program robots to simulate a lunar mission.
The competition is divided into two phases: in Phase One, teams create and upload a video in which they answer the question, “Why should we go Back to the Moon for Good?”   At the end of Phase One, 25 teams will be selected. They will receive a LEGO® MINDSTORMS® robotics toolkit, LEGO bricks and other materials to create their own robot and lunar landscape.

In Phase Two, the 25 teams will be asked to design their own game-play using the resources provided. Teams will also be asked to create and upload a video showing how they have used their MoonBots game to engage children and adults in their community.

The Grand Prize is a trip for the winning team to visit Hawaii and test out their robot at the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES) Facility on the slopes of the Mauna Kea volcano.

Registration closes on 15 May and Phase One videos must be submitted by midnight (Pacific Time) on 1 June 2015.

For full details, see: http://moonbots.org

Havago Festival at Forum, Norwich on 18th & 19th August

havagofestival.co.uk

Great new venture for Norfolk at the Forum! 

Meander invites you to “HAVAGO”!

Ever wanted to have-a-go at something new, but wanted to “try before you buy”?

If so put the 18th & 19th of August in your diary! “The Havago Festival” is a celebration of skill, a-“share’n-show” opportunity for you to meet the most skilled, passionate creative’s of Norfolk and see what they have to offer.

Music Teachers who will let you try out getting a C on the guitar, dance troupes who teach you a few steps to get you started, crafts and arts professionals of all guises will be there, ready and willing to let you “HAVAGO”.

Free to the public, this two day event is an invitation to all those interested in trying something new and seeing what the Best of Creative Norfolk has to offer..

Norwich Science Cafe 26/3/14

'Nanoparticles: Small things for big applications.'

Norwich Science Cafe is back for a new season on Wednesday March 26th, at the Maddermarket Theatre. The café starts at 7.30pm in the bar and is completely free, just turn up and grab a seat.  

This month’s café is sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry East Anglia Section and is presented by Susan Van Der Heide from the UEA School of Chemistry. 

Susan will explain how and why nanoparticles are made, and will discuss the research being done locally at both UEA and the JIC using nanoparticles for a range of different applications.

Explore the Universe at UEA (FREE Astronomy activities for all ages)

Explore the Universe with FREE Astronomy activities for all ages!

Join us in celebrating the UEA Astronomy Society’s very first Astronomy showcase, AstroFest 2014! The event is on Saturday, 1st March, 16:00 - 20:00 in the UEA LCR. This date also marks the beginning of the UK National Astronomy Week 2014 (1-8 March).

We will be hosting a series of activities including talks, presentations and demos, games & trivia, arts & crafts, and a theatrical show on the history of astronomy. There will also guided tours of the night sky, as well as telescopes for observing!

This event is free and open to the community, so come and enjoy Astronomy activities for all ages!

AstroFest Activities

Astronomy Talk - By Mark Shepherd from the Norwich Astronomical Society
Games & Trivia - Identify constellations, show off your knowledge of astronomy, make moon craters, launch a rocket, and have tons of fun!
Arts & Crafts - Make your own constellations, glitter galaxies, and more!
Histronomy Theatrical Show:•    Astronomy from Mythology to Science - A brief history of astronomy
Workshops, Presentations & Demos:

•    Solar System model + Planet Exposés - A display of a model of the Solar System, with exposés on the different components.
•    Moon phases demo - A demonstration of why we see the different phases (shapes) of the moon
•    Spectroscopy (Electromagnetic Spectrum) - A demonstration on the electromagnetic spectrum with a focus on visible light.
•    Comet Demo - Building a comet using common household items and observing sublimation
•    Solar and Lunar eclipse demo - demonstration explaining how and why eclipses occur
•    Pulsars demo - presentation on pulsars and a demo illustrating conservation of angular momentum and how pulsars spin•    Imaging Workshop – using an interactive imaging kit to take pictures of objects in the sky

Observing the night sky: (weather permitting)
•    We'll have members of the Norwich Astronomical Society with telescopes out on the field by the LCR, if we have clear skies. The aim is to get more people to appreciate and be comfortable with identifying stars/constellations, planets, galaxies, and other celestial objects that are visible in the night sky.

For more information, contact us via email atuea.astroclub@gmail.com , or find us on Facebook as the UEA Astronomy Club.

Using Games Theory to explain benefits of Forgiveness

(This page is a work in progress - I will be updating it after the event for which it was created has actually occurred).
I'm planning an outreach activity for the Local Methodist Church's Messy Church family event. It involves showing how a branch of mathematics (Game Theory) can demonstrate the benefits of forgiveness in a game.
I'm using the classic Peace-War game.
The cards and the activities text for the game are downloadable from Dropbox, just follow the links. These are both in Adobe PDF format so you will need to install the free Acrobat Reader software if it is not already on your computer. I printed them, used a laminator and then cut the cards up. Despite printing a pattern on the other side, the cards came out a little transparent for my liking. I'd suggest printing on some lightweight coloured card rather than white paper.

Magnificent Women (Stixx Project) - calling women engineers...

As part of our 95th year anniversary celebrations at the Women's Engineering Society we have a schools outreach event called Magnificent Women (and their flying machines) that we are delivering for the first time on 14 March 2014 in London, which uses Stixx (rolled up newspaper) to build aircraft wing structures, to replicate the work that women did during the First World War. I am looking for some experienced helpers for this event who could help me to deliver it to a hundred or so school students. Bizarre request, I know, but any help would be gratefully received.
Beyond this first event we are looking to deliver this activity more widely to schools in the UK, so if you can't make it to London on 14 March but would be willing to get involved at other schools throughout the year then let me know. Further details can be found here http://www.wes.org.uk/magnificent
Additionally, we are looking for women aerospace or aeronautical engineers to complete the activity by speaking to the school students about the work that they currently do, so if you are a woman aerospace engineering willing to get involved then please let me know.

Dawn Bonfield office@wes.org.uk

Science Communication Masterclass (for Scientists) at UEA

Come and meet some engagement practitioners in a free lunchtime masterclass session: Tuesday February 11^th – MED 1.02 – 12.00-1.30pm

Dr Laura Bowater (Norwich Medical School) MED & Dr Kay Yeoman (School of Biological Sciences)

A masterclass on engagement with schools (e.g. Kay’s mobile family science lab) and on their publication, ‘Science Communication: a practical guide for scientists’

Science communication is a rapidly expanding area and meaningful engagement between scientists and the public requires effective communication. Designed to help the novice scientist get started with science communication, this unique guide begins with a short history of science communication before discussing the design and delivery of an effective engagement event. Along with numerous case studies written by highly regarded international contributors, the book discusses how to approach face–to–face science communication and engagement activities with the public while providing tips to avoid potential pitfalls. This book has been written for scientists at all stages of their career, including undergraduates and postgraduates wishing to engage with effective science communication for the first time, or looking to develop their science communication portfolio.

http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-111999313X.html?cid=RSS_WILEY2_CHEMISTRY

PUBLICATION: Kay Yeoman, ‘Keeping it in the family’

http://www.uea.ac.uk/documents/1006177/1325318/Keeping+it+in+the+family/384a8946-d9cd-42b7-b9d6-eb7f5b5ba618

Book your place by Tuesday 4^th February: community@uea.ac.uk