Forthcoming events

4 December 2007 - 30 September 2008: Explor@dome, Paris, France
Exhibition: Bougez Vert: the development of sustainable transport

This exhibition invites pupils and teachers to address environmental questions related to transport. It offers an interactive and pleasant way to test their knowledge and develop an understanding of sustainable development. Among the many hands-on exhibits are the energy bike and interactive exhibits that produce hydrogen for a fuel-cell or allow visitors to investigate different ways to move around a city.

Scientific and multimedia workshops are also available for children aged 7-14.

More information: www.exploradome.com
Contact: Eloise Soucours (eloise@exploradome.com)

By 31 March 2009: World-wide
Competition: The Plus magazine new writers award

Plus magazine is again looking for the science writers of the future, who can make mathematics lively and interesting for a general audience. There are three categories to this writing competition: school students; university students; and the general public. In the first category, secondary-school and sixth-form students are invited to write a piece of up to 900 words about the life and/or work of any mathematician, living or dead.

The winning entries will be read by an international audience of over 100,000 in the June 2009 issue of Plus. There are also prizes for the best submissions, including signed copies of popular science books and an Apple iPod.

The closing date is 31 March 2009.

More information: http://plus.maths.org/competition

6-11 September 2008: University of Liverpool, UK
Science festival: BA Festival of Science

Organised by the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA), this week-long event is the biggest celebration of science, engineering and technology in Europe. There are events for everyone: talks, plays, debates, hands-on activities and more. In special events for young people, school groups can explore Earth's atmosphere, discuss important issues with eminent scientists or investigate the best material to make a successful catapult.

More information: www.the-ba.net/festivalofscience

19-20 September 2008: Poznan, Poland
Science teaching festival: National Science on Stage 3

The Polish Science on Stage 3 festival will bring together over 300 teachers and high-school students from 40 schools, as well as university teachers for 20 performanaces, 13 demonstrations and 18 multi-media presentations. The festival is organised by the Faculty of Physics at the Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, where the event will take place.

More information (in Polish): http://main3.amu.edu.pl/~fizscena/SOS3informacja.htm

19-28 September 2008: Norway
Science festival: Norwegian science week

School students, teachers and the general public are invited to take part in the Norwegian science week. Learn about and experience science through science fairs, demonstrations, lectures, performances, exhibitions and discussions, as well as tours, information stands, and cultural and hands-on activities. Nearly all events are free of charge.

As part of the science week, school classes are invited to carry out a project about solar energy and write a report on the results. See www.miljolare.no

More information: www.forskningsdagene.no/artikkel/vis.html?tid=30355

29 September - 1 October 2008: European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
Training course: ELLS LearningLAB

The European Learning Laboratory for the Life Sciences (ELLS) is an education facility to bring secondary school teachers into the research lab for a unique hands-on encounter with state-of-the-art molecular biology techniques. ELLS also gives scientists a chance to work with teachers, helping to bridge the widening gap between research and schools.

The three-day course is designed to enable the participating teachers to explore a range of activities, which they can practice in the lab and then take back to the classroom.

The course is open to 20 European high-school science teachers and is run in English. The course, including course materials, catering and accommodation, is free of charge; participants are expected to meet their own travel costs.

More information: www.embl.de/ells
Contact: ells@embl.de

1-3 October 2008: Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Italy
Training course: Incontri di Fisica

Organised by INFN Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Incontri di Fisica is a three-day training course for secondary-school science teachers and people involved in science communication. The goal is to provide teachers with further professional training, and to encourage interactive and hands-on contact with the latest developments in physics, as well as direct contact between teachers and researchers.

The programme includes plenary sessions, working groups, discussions, and visitss to experimental areas. There will be lectures on the new frontiers of physics, including the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), cosmology, and nuclear energy, as well as a consideration of science and society. In small groups, participants will work on physics experiments typical of the research of Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) and Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (LNF).

The course is free and is run in Italian. The registration deadline is 30 May 2008.

More information: www.lnf.infn.it/edu/incontri/2008/
Contact: sislnf@lnf.infn.it or tel: +39 (0)69 403 2423/2942/2552/2643

23-26 October 2008: Berlin, Germany
Science teaching festival: National Science on Stage festival

About 250 science teachers from Germany and other European countries will participate in the first national Science on Stage festival in Berlin, Germany, organised by Science on Stage Germany and THINK ING. Participants will present teaching projects and experiments in a fair and discuss innovative methods in workshops and round tables. The festival programme also includes scientific talks, exhibitions at the science and research institutes in Berlin, and stage performances.

Interested teachers are invited to visit on the open days, on 24 and 25 October from 11am to 5pm, in the Urania conference centre. The conference language is English and admission is free of charge. To register, please write a short email, including your name and institution.

More information: www.science-on-stage.de
Contact: info@science-on-stage.de

24-25 October 2008:Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany
Workshop: Genlabor & Schule IV

Science teachers, research scientists and representatives of learned societies, governments, companies and foundations are invited to attend the next Genlabor & Schule workshop. This two-day event consists of lectures, discussion workshops and panel discussions.

Genlabor & Schule is a network of learning laboratories for the molecular life sciences in Germany, coordinated by the German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Gesellschaft für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, GBM).

The event will run in German and participation costs €40.

More information: www.gbm-online.de/Arbeitskreise/AkOe/
Genlabor_Schule_IV/impressum.htm

28 October, 5 November, 12 November 2008: DECHEMA, Frankfurt, Germany
Open day: Science days (Wissenschaftstage)

School students, their teachers and interested members of the public are invited to participate in one of three days of chemical demonstrations, lectures and experiments. Visits to the laboratories of the Karl Winnacker Institute are also possible. The science days are organised by the German Chemical Society (Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, GDCh) and the German Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (DECHEMA).

All events are free of charge and are held in German. Please register in advance.

More information: www.dechemax.de/wita08
Contact: presse@dechema.de, tel: +49 (0)69 7564 375/296, fax: +49 (0)69 7564 272

13 November 2008 - May 2009
Competition: The chemical detective (Mit Chemie auf Spurensuche)

The ninth DECHEMAX school competition will start in November 2008. In the first round, teams of three to five students from Years 7 - 11 answer weekly questions on the Internet about biology, biotechnology and chemistry. Teams that pass the first round can take part in the second - experimental - round. There are certificates for all successful teams, and attractive prizes for the winners.

The competition is run in German. Registration open online on 1 October: www.dechemax.de/anmeldung

More information: www.dechemax.de
Contact: dechemax@dechema.de, tel: + 49 (0)69 7564 164/172

12-14 December 2008: Engineering Department, University of Cambridge, UK
Training course: Cambridge Update

All practising teachers of physics are invited to take part in a course run by the UK's Institute of Physics. Through a series of talks and workshops, participants will learn about recent developments in physics and the applications of physics, try new practical techniques and find out about developments in physics education. The course costs £130 (residential) or £70 (non-residential). There is a discount for members of the Institute of Physics.

Flyers and application forms will be sent to UK schools early in September. Schools from outside the UK who would like to be informed about the course get in contact.

Contact: Leila Solomon (leila.solomon@iop.org)

Until 15 January 2009: Germany
Competition: Siemens school competition

This year's Siemens school competition in science, engineering and mathematics is all about water. How can we reduce our water consumption? How can we avoid water pollution? What technologies are available for acquiring drinking water and treating sewage? Students in Years 11-13 are invited to compete.

The deadline for registration is 31 October 2008. The submission deadline is 15 January 2009. The competition language is German.

More information: www.siemens.de/generation21/schuelerwettbewerb

15-17 February 2008: London, UK
Training course: Physics in Perspective

This study course for 6th formers and college students (aged 16-19) offers insights into the many aspects of modern physics, including cutting-edge physics topics, technological applications, as well as some 'fun' physics. The programme of six lectures is designed to counteract misconceptions that physics is a dry, narrow subject concerned only with certainties and remote concepts, and to demonstrate how physics is used to help us understand our environment, our planet and our universe.

Organised by the UK’s Institute of Phyiscs, the course costs £20.

Contact: Leila Solomon (leila.solomon@iop.org)

All year: CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
Training course: CERN high-school teacher programme

CERN, the world's largest particle physics laboratory, organises one-week courses for secondary-school physics teachers who would like to increase their knowledge of particle physics and cosmology, who want to find out more about the world of frontier research, and who wish to bring modern physics into their classrooms. The course materials are aimed at students aged 13-16.

The courses cover (at an introductory level) particle physics, cosmology, detectors, accelerators, and applications. Teachers have the opportunity to visit CERN's experimental installations. Each course is aimed at teachers from a particular European country and is run in the national language.

The courses are free of charge, but the participants are expected to pay for their travel expenses and accommodation.

More information: http://education.web.cern.ch/education/
Contact: Mick Storr (mick.storr@cern.ch)

All year: Schullabor Novartis, Basel, Switzerland
Workshop: 'Gentechnik Erleben' (Experience Genetic Engineering)

These workshops focus on practical laboratory work, but background information is given for all experiments. Secondary-school students isolate plasmid DNA from bacterial cultures and digest it with restriction enzymes. The resulting DNA fragments are separated and visualised by gel electrophoresis.

The workshops are for secondary-school students who already have the necessary theoretical background and are over 17 years of age. The workshops are free of charge, are in German or English (on request), and have a maximum of 20 participants. Teachers are invited to get in touch to arrange a workshop for their class.

More information: www.schullabor.ch
Contact: Gesche Standke (gesche.standke@novartis.com)

All year: Schools and other venues in the UK
Roadshow: Cool Seas

Run by the Marine Conservation Society, the Cool Seas Roadshow visits primary and junior schools throughout the UK. It entertains and educates school children about the importance of conserving the UK’s spectacular marine wildlife, using life-size inflatable models of whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles  and seals in dynamic presentations given by a marine wildlife education specialist. The roadshow involves a full day of presentations to different classes, and costs either £175 or £350, depending on how much the school can contribute.

Each school that is visited receives printed materials and web-based resources, including an activity booklet for each student, and a poster for every classroom. The curriculum-linked, web-based resources can be viewed here: www.mcsuk.org/coolseas

The roadshow is also suitable for public events outside school, so if you are planning an environmental event or have a large and suitable audience in mind, please get in touch.

More information: www.mcsuk.org
Contact: info@mcsuk.org

All year: 10 locations around the UK
Training courses: Science Continuing Professional Development

The national network of Science Learning Centres, set up by the UK Department for Skills and Education and the Wellcome Trust, provides continuing professional education for everyone involved in UK science education, at all levels. With nine regional centres and a national centre in York, access to innovative and inspiring courses is within reach across the UK. The centres not only deliver hundreds of courses, but also act as a focus for all the science learning activities in their region.

More information: www.sciencelearningcentres.org.uk
Contact: enquiries@national.slcs.ac.uk

All year: Glasgow Science Centre, Glasgow, UK
Free teacher visits

Teachers, classroom assistants, nursery teachers and technicians are invited to visit the Glasgow Science Centre, free of charge, to explore and investigate what is on offer.

More information: www.glasgowsciencecentre.org
Contact +44 (0)871 540 1003

All year: Many Scottish venues, UK
Roadshow: Science Circus

Glasgow Science Centre’s outreach team brings all the fun of the science centre directly to schools and community groups throughout Scotland thanks to its lively travelling Science Circus. Science Circus activities consist of amazing live science shows and interactive exhibits delivered at your venue.

More information: www.glasgowsciencecentre.org
Contact: +44 (0)871 540 1004

All year: Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK
Field trip: Rockpools

The Pembrokeshire Darwin Science Festival invites all primary schools in Pembrokeshire to book a rockpool ramble and identification field trip. The course is aimed at Key Stage 2 pupils (ages 8-11), takes half a day and is led by three qualified marine scientists. Cost: £250 with a bus or £170 without a bus. Maximum 30 children.

More information: www.darwincentre.com
Contact: Marten Lewis (M.B.Lewis@pembrokeshire.ac.uk)

All year: Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK
Workshops: Primary school

The Pembrokeshire Darwin Science Festival offers a double workshop visit for a maximum of 30 Key Stage 2 pupils (ages 8-11) and costs £200. The group is split into two workshops, which run simultaneously:

• Plankton/microscopy identification workshop
• Energy workshop using dynamos, solar panels and a steam engine as hands-on props.

Also available are three 90-minute workshops, each for a maximum of 20 pupils and costing £120:

• Oil-spill workshop for Key Stage 2 pupils (ages 8-11)
• Climate-change workshop for Key Stage 2 pupils (ages 8-11)
• Marine-litter workshop for Key Stage 1 pupils (ages 4-7).

More information: www.darwincentre.com
Contact: Marten Lewis (M.B.Lewis@pembrokeshire.ac.uk)

All year: Paris-Montagne, Paris, France
Science Academy

Throughout the year, Paris-Montagne runs an outreach programme in all Parisian suburbs and in the Lyon area. The science academy is for high-school students who are interested in science but not confident enough to enrol for undergraduate studies, due to social and cultural hindrances. The organisation offers students personal tutoring and the possibility to discover the world of research by meeting researchers in various fields and by carrying out their own research in real laboratories during their holidays (100 labs, from three hospitals and a dozen universities and research institutes, participated in April 2008). The most dedicated participants in the programme are offered the chance to take part in a summer camp during the Paris -Montagne science festival in July , and also to attend other scientific summer camps in Europe (including Petnica, Kut Diak and Visnjan).
Since its creation in 2006, nearly 300 high-school students have participated in the science academy, and each year around 1500 participants visit Paris Montagne science festival.

More information: www.scienceacademie.org

All year: Portugal
School visits: MIT professors go to Portuguese secondary schools

Ciência Viva is organising short talks by MIT professors in Portuguese secondary schools, as part of a co-operation between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Portuguese universities in the areas of bioengineering, sustainable energy and transport systems. The students have direct contact with MIT professors and can discuss their ideas and ask questions about these important engineering areas.

Schools are selected based on their motivation for participating in the programme and on the projects they have developed in the areas of science and engineering.

More information: www.cienciaviva.pt/divulgacao/mit
Contact: mit@cienciaviva.pt

All year: INTECH, Hands-on Interactive Science and Discovery Centre, Winchester, UK
Free teacher visits

Teachers are invited to visit INTECH, the hands-on interactive science and discovery centre, free of charge or to attend a teacher preview session to discover what is available for school visits and workshops.

More information: www.intech-uk.com
Contact: Angela Ryde-Weller (AngelaRydeWeller@intech-uk.com)

---

If you organise events or competitions that would be of interest to European science teachers and you would like to see them mentioned in Science in School, please email details - including date, location, title, abstract, price, language, registration deadline, website and contact email address - to editor@scienceinschool.org.