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)

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

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

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

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

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

26 September 2008: Lisbon, Oporto and Matosinhos, Portugal
Science festival: Researchers' night 2008 'Scientists across Portugal'

As part of the European Researchers' Night initiative by the European Commission, the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, University of Oporto and Inova+ invite you to join the largest science communication event in Portugal.

In Lisbon, events and activities at the Cultural Centre of Belém include:

• A 'walk for science'
• Speed-dating with scientists
• Science-art exhibits
• Hands-on experiments
• A ‘scientists’ bands’ stage
• Interactive science in the Champimovel.

In Oporto, at the ocean-front of Matosinhos and the Planetarium of the University of Oporto, the activities include:

• Exhibitions and workshops
• Starlab – the portable planetarium
• Speed-dating with scientists
• Hands-on experiments
• Cafes scientifiques
• Performances by university music groups
• Interactive science in the Oceanário Shuttle (Oceanário de Lisboa).

More information: www.igc.gulbenkian.pt/investigadores2008

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

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

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

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)

20 July - 2 August 2008: Petnica Science Center, Serbia
Petnica International Science School

PI 2008 is a summer programme of out-of-school science education, focusing on critical and creative thinking and approaches in science and scientific research. The goal is to gather gifted, inquisitive, open-minded students motivated for scientific research, and to give them a short but intensive course on systematic problem solving.

All students aged 17-20 (regardless of the type of school they attend or their nationality) are eligible to apply. The main criteria for admission are motivation for out-of-school learning and a demonstrated interest in science and independent thinking. School results are important, but they are not the decisive factor – an open and inquisitive mind and the readiness to engage in intensive work are much more important!

The programme fee – including tuition, learning materials, accommodation, meals, admittance to the recreation centre and field trips - is €500. There are no application fees. Deadline for applications: 15 May 2008.

More information: http://pi.petnica.net

28-31 July 2008: ExploHeidelberg Teaching Lab, Heidelberg, Germany
Training course: Gene technology

The course for senior secondary-school students gives an introduction to standard molecular biology techniques. The aim is to clone an interesting region of the bacteriophage Lambda into the plasmid vector pUC18. The properties of DNA and protein, their isolation, production and manipulation are taught theoretically as well as practically. The course is run in German.

More information: www.explo-heidelberg.de/en/lernlabor/ Schnupperkurs_programm_eng.htm
Contact: wendt@explo-heidelberg.de

21-31 July 2008: Davidson Institute of Science Education, Israel
Seminar: Schwartz Family International Leading Science Teachers' Seminar

Are you a motivated secondary-school science teacher? Do you want to make a long-lasting impact? Do you want to help improve science education in schools?

At this 10-day seminar at the Weizmann Institute of Science, you will:

• Be exposed to cutting-edge research by top scientists
• Develop leadership in school science education
• Establish international collaborative initiatives with like-minded colleagues
• Improve your science teaching strategies.

All lectures will be in English.

More information: davidson.weizmann.ac.il/international
Contact: Zahava Scherz (zahava.scherz@weizmann.ac.il)

9-11 July 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

16 June - 8 July 2008: XLAB, Göttingen, Germany
XLAB International Science Camps

Organised by XLAB, the international science camps are for motivated high school and undergraduate students, from all over the world, aged about 17 to 20 years old. Courses are offered in biology, chemistry, physics and computer science and are supervised by scientists from the University of Göttingen and affiliated research organisations. The students work in small groups of two or three to do hands-on experiments. Demonstrations are rarely used and are limited to highly sophisticated experiments, to the use of NMR, X-ray or other large research instruments.

During the science camp each participant will attend three different weekly courses. Students select courses of their interest and indicate their first and second choices. The final schedule will be set according to the interest of the applicants. The working language is English.

The science camp last for three-and-a-half weeks, including an excursion to Berlin during the last three days. At the weekends and in the evenings a cultural and social programme is arranged.

The camp costs €1750, which includes everything except travel expenses to Göttingen and from Berlin. Financial support is possible.

More information: www.xlab-goettingen.de
Contact: sciencecamp@xlab-goettingen.de

Until 6 July 2008: UK
Competition: Making a Mint

Making a Mint is a botany and enterprise project for 7-14 year olds from NESTA’s Future Innovators team and Planet Science. Each team receives a free pack of mint seeds; the challenge is to add as much value to the grown plants as possible. Ideas include making and selling mint tea, or producing a booklet on 101 uses of mint. The children are encouraged to be as creative as possible.

At the end of the competition, the 50 entries that have made the most money are examined and a prize awarded to the most creative money-making scheme. Participants also have the chance to win £1000 for their school in either Amazon or garden vouchers. Closing date: 6 July 2008.

More information: www.planet-science.com/outthere/mint

5 July: ExploHeidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Family open day: Humans, Nature and Technology

ExploHeidelberg, the Pädagogische Hochschule Heidelberg and other partners invite parents and children to attend a family open day. Between 11am and 5pm, families can do their own experiments and discover the fascination of science and technology with over 50 hands-on exhibits in and around ExploHeidelberg.

The event celebrates the fifth birthday of ExploHeidelberg and is free.

More information: www.explo-heidelberg.de

3-5 July 2008: Universidad de Aveiro, Portugal
Conference: Science Education and Sustainable Development

The Iberian Seminar for Science, Technology and Society in Science Tuition is organized biannually, alternating between Portugal and Spain. Due to the increasing participation of Latin American participants, this year’s conference will also be the first Ibero-American Seminar.

This seminar, in Portuguese and Spanish, aims to promote dialogue and cooperation between institutes, researchers, teachers and other education professionals with an interest in science, technology and society in the Ibero-American countries. It will deal with science, technology and society issues, trying to integrate them more into the practice of Ibero-American science teaching and reviewing the latest research results. Literacy and sustainable development are other topics to be discussed. There will be plenary sessions, round tables, invited talks, workshops and poster sessions.

Registration fee before 31 May 2008: 120€; thereafter 150€.

More information: http://web.dte.ua.pt/vcts/
Contact: Sónia Pião (sonia@ua.pt), Belinda Gomes (bgomes@ua.pt)

1 July 2008: Merlin Theatre, Pembrokeshire College, Haverfordwest, UK
Road show: Bionic Ear Road Show

Secondary schools in west Wales are invited to attend the Bionic Ear Road Show. Organised by the Darwin Science Festival and Deafness UK, the free road show involves a giant ear, a giant brain and lots of audience interaction. Learn about hearing and the science behind many types of deafness.

More information: www.darwincentre.com
Contact Marten Lewis: +44 (0)1437 753193

24-28 June 2008: Burgundy, France
Conference: BioEd 2008

Scientists, biology teachers, teacher trainers, policymakers, business people and media specialists, as well as philosophers, theologians, and ethicists, are invited to take part in this year's BioEd conference. Organised by the International Union of Biological Sciences, the conference addresses the topic 'Sustainable Development, Ethics and Education for the 2020s: What Challenges for Biology?' and aims to:

• Explore the links between biological sciences, the environment, sustainable development and society
• Promote bioliteracy and education reforms that integrate biology, sustainability, health, wellbeing, ethics and citizenship
• Provide recommendations for improving education worldwide in support of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainability, adopted for 2005-2015.

Participants from around the world are invited to report on their research, experiments, and practical and empirical results, and to demonstrate educational materials (e.g. posters, videos, exhibits, and theatre).

Registration fee: 240 € (or 200 € before 24 April 2008).

More information: www.ldes.unige.ch/bioEd/bioEd2008.htm
Contact: Daniel Raichvarg or +33 607 63 33 01 (mobile)

2-22 June 2008: UK
Online event: I'm a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here!

Are you a secondary science teacher who wants help to bring the curriculum topic of 'how science works' to life in the classroom? With the free pilot event, ‘I’m a Scientist, Get Me Out of Here!’ you can get your students talking to real scientists online. Then get them to vote who should get the prize.

The event is supported by well-structured, thoroughly-tested lesson plans and resources that teach students how to debate and discuss issues. There are separate sites for GCSE (aged 14-16) and A/AS Level (16+) students. If you would like your class to be one of 40 classes across the UK taking part, please get in touch.

More information: http://imascientist.org.uk/?page_id=8

4-8 June 2008: Cheltenham, UK
Cheltenham Science Festival

At the 7th Cheltenham Science Festival, events for school students of all ages include many interactive workshops and activities which bring the science curriculum alive.

More information: www.cheltenhamfestivals.com
Contact: science@cheltenhamfestivals.com       

5 June 2008: Rugby School, Rugby, UK
Conference: 20th Annual Meeting of Teachers of Physics in Schools and Colleges

The day consists of three lectures (one each on research physics, physics education and both education and entertainment), plus a series of six parallel workshops and a discussion session. Dame Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell (who, as a research student, discovered the first radio pulsars) will speak about astrophysics and Professor Peter Main (director of education and science at the Institute of Physics) will talk about the future of physics education in schools.

The meeting is open to teachers, teachers in training and technicians from all countries. It will cost £30 per person including lunch and refreshments (£15 for newly qualified teachers and trainee teachers.

More information: www.iop.org/activity/education/Events/Events%20for%
20Teachers/Schools%20Physics%20Group/page_5736.html
Contact: Chris A Butlin (ChrisAButlin@aol.com or +44 (0)1904 607 169)

December 2007 - May 2008: Life Learning Center (Fondazione per le Biotecnologie), Turin, Italy
Training course for high-school science teachers and students

The Life Learning Center organises one-day theoretical and laboratory courses for science teachers who would like to increase their knowledge of biotechnology and bioinformatics and bring modern biology into their classroom. The courses are free of charge, including printed materials and an activity booklet.

One-day practical laboratory courses are also available for high-school students. They cover biotechnology and bioinformatics topics and molecular biology techniques (PCR, digestion with restriction enzymes, gel electrophoresis). The students are guided by young scientists; after the hands-on laboratory work, the students can discuss the experiment with their teacher and the supervising scientists. These courses cost €5 per student, including printed materials.

All courses are run in Italian.

More information: www.llctorino.it
Contact: Enrica Favaro or Elena Spoldi (divulgazione@fobiotech.org)

8-10 May 2008: Braga, Portugal
Conference: I International School Congress

Scientists, researchers, politicians, teachers, nursery teachers, parents, students and pupils are invited to attend the I International School Congress. Organised by the Lamacaes School Cluster and the Instituto Superior de Saúde do Alto Ave, the event addresses ways in which education can find new solutions for the global problems of health and the environment.

Participants will have the opportunity to interact with a panel of international specialists in:

• Education: humanities, environment, law, pedagogy and health
• Climate: climate change, both global and national
• Biology: botany, zoology, biodiversity and conservation
• Geo-conservation
• Physics and chemistry: energy, both fossil and renewable
• Anthropology and sociology
• Primary health care, nutrition andhygiene
• Arts: dance, literature, design and creativity.

The official languages are Portuguese, English and sign language. The registration fee is 30€ (10€ for students).

Simultaneously, there will be seminars for students (9 May) and a fair entitled 'Environment, Health and Well-being' (9-10 May) taking place in two museums in Braga.

More information: www.cie-portugal.net
Contact: info@cie-portugal.net

Until 6 May 2008: Worldwide
Competition: Designing Darwin

The year 2009 sees both the bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth (12 February) and the 150th birthday of his most famous work, On the Origin of Species. In anticipation of the celebrations, the British Society for the History of Science Outreach & Education Committee is offering prizes for original designs that best illustrate the significance of either (or both) of these anniversaries.

Entries may submitted in one of the following electronic formats:

• A poster up to A3 in overall size
• An illustrated essay of 500 words
• A PC screensaver

Entries may be submitted as jpeg files or in other standard formats including digital photographs or digital scans (for any entry prepared initially on paper). The file size should be no more than 500 kB to ensure that the winning entries can easily be downloaded from the website.

There are three age categories for entrants, a prize of £100 being awarded in each category:

1. 11-14
2. 15-18
3. 19+

For categories 1 and 2, the age of the entrant must be confirmed by a responsible adult (parent, guardian, teacher) and the entrant’s age should fall within the relevant category by the competition deadline of 6 May 2008.

Entries should be emailed by 6 May 2008 as a file attachment to outreachcompetition2008@bshs.org.uk. The body of the email should include the name, address, and other relevant contact details for all the entrant(s) who have contributed to the submission. The winning entries will be announced at the BSHS/CSHPS/HSS conference at Keble College, Oxford, on 5 July 2008.

More information: www.bshs.org.uk/bshs/outreach
Contact: outreach@bshs.org.uk

6 May 2008: Communication Centre of the German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany
Conference: 4th Symposium for Pupils of the Initiative Youth and Science

This symposium offers school students the chance to present activities in the life sciences and technology, to get in touch with scientists and to learn about neurobiology in a series of scientific lectures. It is organised by the Initiative Youth and Science, which cooperates with industry, research institutions, universities and schools to establish a network of out-of-school activities for young, talented pupils. The conference language is German.

More information: http://www.explo-heidelberg.de/lernlabor/Symposium_JuWi.htm
Contact: wendt@explo-heidelberg.de

March - April 2008: Five venues in the UK
Training course: Advanced physics revision roadshows

The Institute of Physics advanced physics revision roadshows for students feature exciting experiments and interactive lectures summarising key information from the AS and A2 physics courses.

The courses cost £20 per student, and include revision lectures, student handbooks, lunch and refreshments. Accompanying teachers are free.

More information: http://advancingphysics.iop.org
Contact: Anastasia Ireland (Anastasia.ireland@iop.org)

Until 30 April 2008: UK
Competition: Podcasting competition

Are your students podcasting? Well, here’s a chance for them to show off their skills by entering our SciencePod competition by interviewing friends, family or teachers on one of these health-related topics:

• Diet and cancer – does it matter what we eat?
• Should smoking be totally banned?
• Is the cervical cancer vaccine a good idea?
• Should under 18s be allowed to use sunbeds?

The competition is open to 14-16 year olds and links particularly well to the GCSE Science, English and Citizenship curricula, encouraging students to debate topical issues and examine science in society. There’s an MP3 player for the winner, plus prizes for second and third place winners.

Entries should be no more than 4 minutes and we can only accept UK entries. The closing date is 30 April.

More information: www.sciencepod.org.uk

8-12 April 2008: Tartu, Estonia
Conference: Show Physics 2008

EuroPhysicsFun, the European network of physics shows, is organizing its third annual conference on physics shows, Show Physics 2008. The conference consists of talks, group discussions and experimental sessions. At the end of the week, the participants will take part in a science festival.

Contact: Kaido Reivelt

By 7 April: Europe
Competition: Science Film Script Contest for Secondary Schools

Pupils, and their teachers, from European secondary schools are invited to take part in a science film script contest with the chance to have their film produced by a professional team, to present their film to the European Commission in Brussels, and to win €5000-worth of teaching aids for their schools.

To enter the contest, a class and their teacher need to write a script for a film no longer than 6 minutes, on the topic of ‘Impact of climate change or human activities on marine ecosystems’. Teams need not cover the whole topic, but can choose just one aspect and examine in depth.

The script should be in the language of the country in which the school is, but we would appreciate an English translation. Whatever the chosen approach (e.g. interviews, investigations, dance or other artistic activities), teachers must encourage a scientific approach, and points will be awarded for the scientific accuracy of the facts presented, as well as for the students' personal point of view on the topic.

The contest is open to students of all ages from France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Monaco, Poland, Spain, and Sweden, who have signed up for EUR-OCEANS’ educational program 2007-2008 (only one registration per class is allowed). The deadline for entries is 7 April 2008.

More information: www.eur-oceans.info
Contact: osana.bonilla@oceanopolis.com

By 31 March 2008: World-wide
Competition: Medicines from Fungi

Why not get your students to enter the Microbiology in Schools Advisory Committee's writing competition?

Patients often ask their doctor or pharmacist for information about the medicine they have been prescribed to treat their illness. They want to know how it is produced and how it works. There is a need for a range of information sheets for patients explaining the facts about different drugs.

Many of the medicines in common use today are produced by fungi. Imagine you are a medical writer and you have been asked to produce a factsheet about one drug of fungal origin. Your factsheet should be A4 in size, attractively illustrated and factually accurate.

More information: www.microbiologyonline.org.uk
Contact: education@sgm.ac.uk

By 31 March 2008: World-wide
Competition: Plus 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 200,000 in the June 2008 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 2008.

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

10-16 March 2008: Portugal
School activities: Brain Awareness Week - Get Connected

Brain Awareness Week is an international effort organized by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives to increase public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research. During this week, school activities (visits to scientific laboratories, school visits by scientists, science lectures at schools) will be held all over Portugal, involving students from primary, middle and secondary schools.

More information:http://brainweek.dana.org and
www.cienciaviva.pt/divulgacao/semanacerebro2007/home/
Contact: jomalva@fmed.uc.pt

12-14 March 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

Until 29 February 2008: worldwide
Competition: Catch a Star

This international competition for school students is run by ESO (the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere) and the EAAE (European Association for Astronomy Education).

Students can win a trip to visit the ESO Very Large Telescope on Cerro Paranal in Chile, and many other prizes. Choose from three different competition categories:

• Catch a Star Researchers: Select an astronomical object, such as a star, galaxy, comet, planet, moon, or nebula. Become astronomical detectives, forming teams to research your chosen object. Write an article about it, to learn and share some of its secrets. Projects must be written in English, and prizes are awarded by an international jury.


• Catch a Star Adventurers: As with Catch a Star Researchers, write about your chosen astronomical topic, but entries do not have to be written in English, and prizes are awarded by lottery.


• Catch a Star Artists: You can also take part by making a drawing or painting for the artwork competition. Prizes are awarded with the help of a public web-based vote.

Submission deadline: 29 February 2008

More information: www.eso.org/catchastar

17-19 February 2008: London, UK
Study course: Physics in Perspective

Organised by the Institute of Physics (IOP), this study course for sixth formers and college students consists of a series of 6 lectures. The course costs £20 per person for three days or £7 per day.

Contact: Leila Solomon (+44 (0)20 7470 4821 or leila.solomon@iop.org)

16 January 2008: Zaventum, Belgium
Conference: Playful Sciences 2

Organised by Science on Stage Belgium, this conferences is aimed at secondary-school science teachers, as well as teachers and students of pedagogy. During the course of the afternoon, participants from the Science on Stage international teaching festival will present many of the ideas that they saw demonstrated there. At the end of the day, each participant will receive some innovative teaching materials.

More information: www.scienceonstage.be

Until 4 January 2008: UK and rest of Europe
Competition: Planet SciCast Awards

Why not encourage your students to enter this competion for short films of science demonstrations - or enter it yourself?. Deadline: 4 January 2008.

Competition entries must be from the UK, but - depending on demand - films from elsewhere in Europe may be included on the website. Email and ask.

More information: www.planet-scicast.com
Contact: scicast@nesta.org.uk

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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.