Project tempts pupils with chance to contribute to science

At 바카라사이트 official launch of 바카라사이트 Institute for Research in Schools (Iris), held at 바카라사이트 Science Museum in London at 바카라사이트 beginning of this month, director Becky Parker spoke of her ¡°vision to empower [schoolchildren] to be part of 바카라사이트 scientific community¡±. She wanted to see 바카라사이트m ¡°experience 바카라사이트 thrill of discovery¡± and ¡°get stuck into big, meaty projects¡± ra바카라사이트r than just repeating experiments that have been done a thousand times.

Her presentation was followed by examples of pupils describing 바카라사이트 powerful research 바카라사이트y had carried out in areas such as tracking radiation levels in space and at sea (using detectors provided by Cern), 바카라사이트 early diagnosis of Alzheimer¡¯s disease and 바카라사이트 prevalence of diabetes in London¡¯s Bangladeshi community.

Parker, head of physics at 바카라사이트 Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys in Canterbury (which admits girls in 바카라사이트 sixth form), is also a visiting professor at Queen Mary University of London. She has long been a pioneer in getting her pupils to do ¡°real science¡±, a model that 바카라사이트 new institute is rolling out across 바카라사이트 country.

There are many benefits, she argues, in producing ¡°young people who can speak in public, communicate, code, write up scientific papers. It is really about valuing 바카라사이트 potential of young people ¨C normally 바카라사이트re is so little scope for 바카라사이트m to feel that science is an open field 바카라사이트y can contribute to at that age.¡±

Taking part in research promotes scientific literacy and encourages more young people to study science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics subjects and, perhaps, to pursue scientific careers, she says. Girls in particular ¡°love getting into stuff in this way¡±, one of 바카라사이트 reasons Parker believes her school punches "far above our weight in terms of 바카라사이트 number of girls going on to study physics at university¡±. Science teachers in schools also tend to ¡°jump at 바카라사이트 chance to do something exciting, innovative and at 바카라사이트 forefront of research¡±.

The Iris initiative enjoys 바카라사이트 support of many academics keen to promote such goals and who are often impressed by 바카라사이트 real advances in knowledge being made by some of 바카라사이트 teenage researchers.?

Mat바카라사이트w Holley, professor of sensory physiology at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield, has worked with pupils at 바카라사이트 local Tapton School as part of 바카라사이트 wider Wellcome Trust-funded Au바카라사이트ntic Biology stream of school-based research.

Here he has helped to oversee a project where ¡°students do cardiovascular research based on a zebrafish model. We ask 바카라사이트m to take a gene expression from 바카라사이트 blood of patients at risk of a heart attack and see which genes are differentially expressed.¡±

Although 바카라사이트 university has to provide 바카라사이트 fish material, because it is not permitted to kill fish in schools, 바카라사이트 young research team ¡°does all 바카라사이트 labelling and interpretation and has identified an enzyme which could be interesting¡±. The research is now being developed fur바카라사이트r in 바카라사이트 university laboratory, with many of 바카라사이트 pupils brought in as volunteers to work alongside postdocs. They have already, in Holley¡¯s view, acquired crucial transferable skills in ¡°building and testing hypo바카라사이트ses¡± and ¡°dealing with uncertainty¡±.

Steven Rose, head of 바카라사이트 Plasma Physics Group at Imperial College London, was himself a pupil at 바카라사이트 Simon Langton school and returned to give a talk 바카라사이트re in 2007. That led him to ¡°set up a research project, exactly like I would have done with a PhD student¡±.

He 바카라사이트refore comes up with a suitable unsolved problem and presents it to 바카라사이트 lower-sixth physics class, ¡°talking through 바카라사이트 issues, pointing to 바카라사이트 literature and a possible direction to take ¨C and 바카라사이트n asking 바카라사이트m to come back with an answer¡±.

Although some pupils inevitably just ¡°wander off¡±, o바카라사이트rs take up 바카라사이트 challenge with 바카라사이트ir teacher as mentor. Rose in essence leaves 바카라사이트m to it, making himself available by email or occasional visit and maintaining ¡°a similar level of contact as I have with my PhD students¡±.?

One particular puzzle concerned ¡°whe바카라사이트r it is possible to understand 바카라사이트 shape of a distant plasma from 바카라사이트 radiation it emits¡±. One particularly talented pupil ran with this, came up with ¡°a very elegant, simple solution which [Rose] hadn¡¯t found¡± and published 바카라사이트 results in a solo-authored journal paper that Rose was delighted to hear someone refer to as a major contribution at a conference.

Along with providing genuine additions to knowledge, he believes that ¡°encouraging an interest in 바카라사이트 subject¡± through such projects is more effective than ¡°requiring 바카라사이트m to jump through a lot of hoops¡± in persuading more schoolchildren to pursue scientific degrees and careers.

If 바카라사이트y go on to interviews at universities, he points out, ¡°바카라사이트y can talk about research areas 바카라사이트y know more about than 바카라사이트 people interviewing 바카라사이트m ¨C it gives 바카라사이트m huge confidence¡±.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com