Pythagorean Astronomy: ExoMars

Posted on 19 December 2014 by Chris North

It has been announced that the UK will lead the design and build of Europe’s next rover to Mars. Part of the European Space Agency’s ExoMars programme, this robotic explorer will drill down up two metres to search for signs of microbial life beneath the Martian surface. To find out about the rover, its mission, and the challenges
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Teacher Training Event in Mid Wales

Posted on 11 December 2014 by Sarah Roberts

Inspire, Inform, Enable. The motto of the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth (Mid Wales) and the aim of the Cardiff School of Physics and Astronomy outreach department. This is why the Inspiring Science Education and Universe in the Classroom projects joined together on 3rd December to run parallel CPD sessions for primary and secondary teachers at
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Celebrating Science, Art and Culture at the Gravity Fields Festival

Posted on 29 September 2014 by Sarah Roberts

In the late summer of 1666, a 23-year-old man saw an apple from a tree on the outskirts of Grantham, Lincolnshire. That man was Isaac Newton, and that small act of nature sparked the discovery of the principle of universal gravitation. Over 300 years later, this discovery is celebrated every two years at the Gravity
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Postgraduate student is a Science Showoff

Posted on 22 September 2014 by Haley Gomez

Postgraduate student Matt Allen, participated in the somewhat terrifying Science Showoff competition earlier this week.  Science Showoff is an open-mic night for scientists to flex their funny bones and, well, pretty much show off. Matt talked about a hypothetical manned NASA mission in 2057 to the centre of a black hole. Going through the gory
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Universe in the Classroom: Impact Figures

Posted on 10 July 2014 by Sarah Roberts

The last Universe in the Classroom workshop for this academic year wrapped up last week in Cardiff. We’re well on target to reaching our goal to hand out 100 Universe-in-a-Box toolkits to 100 welsh primary schools by March 2015! Between January and July 2014, Universe in the Classroom hosted seven full-day teacher training sessions, reaching 73
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Primary School Students’ Guide to Surviving in the Solar System

Posted on 1 July 2014 by Sarah Roberts

“What would you take with you on a trip to Venus?” “Suncream!” “A million bottles of water!” “Goggles!” The latest Universe in the Classroom school workshop took 60 kids on a journey to the most extreme environments in the Solar System, as we wrapped-up their topic for the term: “Castaway”. The children of Hengoed Primary
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LittleBits and the Great Exoplanet Hack

Posted on 27 June 2014 by Edward Gomez

This blog is a cross posting from Dark Matter Sheep blog by Edward Gomez. This week I have been at the National Astronomy Meeting in Portsmouth. There have been many great talks and I particularly enjoyed organising the “Engaging the public and schools with astronomy” session with the famous Jen Gupta. Wednesday was Hack Day
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Over Half Our Universe-in-a-Box Toolkits Are Now In Welsh Primary Schools!

Posted on 20 June 2014 by Sarah Roberts

Universe in the Classroom has now handed out more than half our Universe in a Box toolkits! Yesterday, six more Welsh primary schools received a toolkit during a teacher training CPD, along with a range of other astronomy-based resources, including our brand new Welsh language Cosmos in Your Pocket activity books. Membership of Universe in
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How to teach an entire school in one day

Posted on 18 June 2014 by Sarah Roberts

A STARS workshop yesterday managed to reach an entire primary school in Newport — in just one day! Two of our Physics undergraduates spent the day at Monnow School getting kids excited about science, and also training year 5 pupils to use Universe-in-a-Box to teach astronomy to the rest of the school! The teachers of
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Students Learn the Secrets of the Sun

Posted on 11 June 2014 by Sarah Roberts

With the sunshine making a rare and glorious appearance across Wales, it’s been a perfect day to teach children about our Sun — and that’s just what we’ve been doing! Physics PhD and Stellar Role Model, Peri Jones, joined me at Murch Junior School today where we entertained year 6 students with facts, demos and observations
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