WIREDGOV

Driving over the surface of Mars with a remote control buggy, seeing floating magnets and understanding the concept behind invisibility cloaks are just some of the activities to get involved with as the country gets ready for World Space Week. (4-10 October 2013).

Events for people of all ages have been organised all over the country both in the lead up to World Space Week and over the next few months as part of a highly successful project called Explore Your Universe which aims to inspire future scientists. Explore your Universe is a national programme of events, experiments and activities designed to celebrate excellence in space and particle physics and the wonders of how different materials behave.

To complement the project a series of events have been arranged for World Space Week, many using grants from the Science and Technology Facilities Council. World Space Week is an annual UN-declared event which this year, has the theme, Exploring Mars, Discovering Earth.

Some of the events organised include:

• ‘World Space Week: Mars Lab’ being run by At-Bristol from 4-14 October inclusive where people can drive over the surface of ‘Mars’ with a remote control buggy and gather rock samples to analyse in the lab
• Learn about Mars – Past, present and Future and make your own clay aliens and flying saucer at Satrosphere in Aberdeen on Saturday 5 October
• Meet the Experts, see how science can be illustrated in comics and see Explore Your Universe: Invisible Science workshops at Glasgow Science Centre (4-11 October)
• Talks from leading space experts on exoplanets and live stargazing at Techniquest Glyndwr during World Space Week
• Making water rockets and seeing Mars Rovers at Intech in Winchester on 12 and 13 October
• Learning about comets at Armagh Planetarium from 4-11 October in preparation for the majestic sight of Comet ISON in November
• A teacher workshop on robotic telescopes being hosted at STFC’s UK Astronomy Technology Centre on 4 October with the National Schools Observatory
• Special Starlab shows at Cransley School in Northwich on 9 October and a one off rockets event at Grange School in Hartford, Cheshire on 10 October put on by STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory
• The National Space Centre ‘Space Late’ event supported by STFC’s RAL Space on 5th October

Many of the events will use sets of equipment given to ten centres as part of the Explore Your Universe project. The equipment includes thermal imaging cameras, meteorites, an optics kit and part of the CMS experiment at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, one of two experiments involved in the discovery of the Higgs Boson a year ago.

Daresbury and Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, run by STFC, also have the equipment which centres use to explain science in a fun and engaging way to inspire future young scientists. The project is the result of a partnership between STFC and the UK Association of Science and Discovery Centres.

Explore Your Universe has already reached tens of thousands of people and comments so far, ranging from teachers to Beaver leaders, include:

“I know our Beavers had a great time - in fact they said it was one of the best things they had done so far. It was very educational but so much fun and excitement was being had that I don’t think the kids realised they were learning!”

“Explore your Universe gave us access to resources we don’t have in schools such as an infrared camera”.

“I think the project’s activities ignite an interest in science long term”.

“A very enjoyable activity which I think will encourage interest and motivate pupils to continue studying science”.

Notes to editors

Images: Images of Explore your Universe activities are available. Please use the contacts below.

Contacts

Dr. Michaela Livingstone, Special Projects Manager
UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres
Tel: +44 (0)117 915 0184.

Lucy Stone, STFC Deputy Media Manager
based at STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Tel: +44 (0)1235 445627

Further information

Further information about World Space Week.

World Space Week grants were awarded to the following centres:

• Armagh Planetarium, Northern Ireland
• At-Bristol, South West England
• Dundee Science Centre, North East Scotland
• Eureka!, West Yorkshire
• Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, Cheshire
• National Space Centre, Leicester
• Royal Institution, London
• Satrosphere, Aberdeen, North East Scotland
• Techniquest, South Wales
• Techniquest Glyndwr, North Wales

More details are available.

Explore your Universe

More details about Explore Your Universe are available.

The ten centres with Explore Your Universe kits are:

• At-Bristol
• Catalyst in Cheshire
• Dundee Science Centre
• Glasgow Science Centre
• INTECH in Winchester
• Observatory Science Centre in East Sussex
• Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh
• Royal Museums Greenwich in South London
• Satrosphere in Aberdeen
• Science Oxford

ASDC/STFC partnership

The UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ASDC) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) have formed a new strategic partnership bringing together some of the most fascinating and diverse science in the country with the talents and infrastructure of the nation's largest network of science engagement organisations.

Overall, the partnership will create a series of exceptional hands-on activities, experiments, schools workshops, public shows, meet-the-expert sessions and a variety of other events, all focussing on STFC science and giving young people the confidence, curiosity, and interest to continue to explore and ask questions long after they leave the science and discovery centres. This national project will be led by ASDC in collaboration with The National Space Centre in Leicester and Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre in Cheshire.

The partnership aims to inspire more young people across the UK with the wonders of the physical sciences by sharing the amazing stories and technologies of STFC. One of the first activities within this project were stargazing events at science and discovery centres across the UK between March and June 2012, in partnership with local astronomy experts from the STFC-supported Dark Sky Discovery Project. The World Space Week grants are building on the success of these grants.

ASDC

ASDC brings together more than 60 of the UK's major science engagement organisations including all the key science and discovery centres and science museums. The ASDC membership makes up the largest network of science engagement professionals in the UK who together engage over 20 million people each year with the wonders of science.

Between them, these centres engage members of the public every week, in all parts of the UK, helping people to explore and delve into science in a hands-on, involving and personal way.

• Map of all the centres