Crowdfunding Astronomy Education

Universe Awareness are raising 15,000 EUR through a Kickstarter campaign to send the education kit "Universe in a Box" to underprivileged communities around the world.

Rewards are available from as little as 5 EUR and there are many astronomy resources on offer if people pledge to the campaign. These include EarthBall (an inflatable globe without national borders) and Universe in a Box itself (a toolkit for teachers and educators to make astronomy and space science accessible) .

Universe in a Box is a physical toolkit with the materials necessary for implementing more than forty astronomy-related activities for 4-10 year olds. Activities range from explanations of the seasons to stories behind constellations to the scale of our solar system. With the money from the campaign we will send more than 160 boxes around the world to communities who couldn't otherwise afford them, as well as providing training so that the materials are implemented effectively.

Please check out and share our campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/unawe/universe-in-a-box

Abi Ashton
Universe in a Box project
Universe Awareness International Office, Leiden University

Today's Google Doodle is about mathematician Maria Gaetana Agnesi...

Maria Gaetana Agnesi, an Italian Mathematician,..is credited with writing the first book discussing both differential and integral calculus

Todays Google Doodle clebrates Dorothy Hodgkin (Protein Crystallographer)

Dorothy Hodgkin was the third woman to win the Nobel prize (for chemistry) for her work including structures for penicillin and Vitamin B12. All done despite suffering from progressive and crippling arthritis. She was also concerned with social inequalities.

Schools compo (ages 7-14) Design a meal for Tim Peake to eat on International Space Station

British Astronaut TIM PEAKE is asking schoolchildren to create a meal for him to eat in space.

The UK Space Agency is today launching a competition for school children between the ages of 7 and 14 to design a British-inspired, balanced and exciting meal for British ESA astronaut Tim Peake to eat during his 6 month mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

The winning contestants will be invited to develop their ideas further with celebrity chef HESTON BLUMENTAL, and these ideas will be turned into real space food that will be launched to the ISS. They will also be invited to an event that will include a live link up with Tim during his stay on the ISS.

http://www.esero.org.uk/news/great-british-space-dinner-competition

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.