SCIENCE at school: Dry? Boring? Uninteresting? Not in Newcastle it isn't. While science has not always enjoyed the most enviable reputation in the classroom, in the North East new life is being breathed into the subject thanks to the enthusiasm of school teachers, businesses, the universities and numerous organisations keen to show just how important - and fun - science can be.
And much of this activity designed to rejuvenate biology, chemistry and physics has been co-ordinated by Newcastle Science City.
Peter Arnold, Newcastle Science City’s chief executive, explained that a crucial element of Newcastle’s future economic success depends on recruiting and retaining the region’s bright young scientists.
“Newcastle has an ambitious vision to be a global leader in terms of generating economic wealth and job creation from the science that is undertaken here. We’ve already got a brilliant reputation for world-class research and innovation, but we need to build on that by engaging with the talent growing up on our doorstep – the pupils of today who could be the leading scientists of tomorrow.
“As well as being important for regional success, careers in the sciences often lead to happy, fulfilling lives for the individuals who pursue them – and so our work promoting science in school is as much about personal development as it is about economic gain.”
Arnold added that skills shortages in STEM-based careers (careers based on science, technology, engineering and maths) needed to be addressed urgently and much of Newcastle Science City’s effort was to make sure the city region followed a strategic policy that talked up science in schools.
“It is one of Newcastle Science City’s fundamental objectives to increase the skills level in the North East,” he added, “and we’re going about that with a mix of tried and tested programmes, along with innovative new ideas, to make science really live for youngsters.”
Innovative programmes bringing science to life
Karen Marshall, Newcastle Science City’s education skills and community engagement manager, said much of the organisation’s support for science in schools manifested itself as competitions and events, opportunities for pupils to see science in action outside the classroom and access to specialists visiting schools and bringing the subject to life.
“The trick with teaching science is to generate enthusiasm, and science is blessed among most subjects in that it can be very visual and hands-on.
“Sure, there is a lot of theory that needs to be taught in the traditional sense, but where there are ways the theory can be illustrated through practical experiments and activities, it’s important that we grab those opportunities because they are an effective way of fostering engagement – and that benefits the city in the long-term.
“Without trivialising the subject, most of the programmes we support and facilitate capitalise on the interactive side of science. The feedback we get from teachers and pupils alike for this approach is important and has been very positive; it’s something that we’re going to continue doing,” she said.
Currently Newcastle Science City is supporting a number of projects and, where possible, working with North East partners to improve the content. One example is Leading Edge, in which groups of 12 and 13-year-old pupils work with specialists from Newcastle and the Northumbria universities on a project the youngsters will eventually present to Fellows at the Royal Society in July. For another, Newcastle Science City teamed up with the New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) to offer schools a city-wide science competition in which teams develop programmes to raise consciousness about the importance of renewable energy in the future.
Marshall added: “The thread that runs through all this activity is the strategic nature of the programmes we support. Newcastle has very strong credentials in fields like sustainability and the environment, stem cell and regenerative medicine, molecular engineering and ageing and health, so all the programmes we co-ordinate complement these themes. This focus will ensure that we convert as much enthusiasm for science as possible into fulfilling careers that benefit the economic performance of the region in the long term.”
CASE STUDY: Studying science in the city: Sara Frost, graduate ambassador at Newcastle University
Sara graduated from Newcastle University in 2009 in zoology and since then has been working as a graduate ambassador, promoting the advantages of studying science in the city to A-level students around the north of England. Sara has combined her university post with that as a STEM graduate ambassador which encourages schoolchildren to consider further study and careers based on science, technology, engineering and maths.
She said: “So far, I’ve really enjoyed promoting science to youngsters and when you get them excited about it it’s extremely rewarding.
“I’m very enthusiastic about it myself and had a fantastic time studying at Newcastle – for example I went to Canada to study wolf packs as part of my degree.
“This passion was a direct result of originally becoming interested in science – mainly biology – at school, so interests can start at a young age.”
As well as using her own experience to illustrate where science can take youngsters, Sara and the other STEM ambassadors also use novel techniques and experiments to bring the subject to life for pupils.
“When we tour schools the best way to engage with the pupils is to show them how science is applied in everyday life, and we’ve got a few tricks to show this. For instance one of my presentations gets children to make their very own digestive system and in another we look at the role of DNA and how it can be used to identify individuals.
“One of the experiments involves them taking their own DNA sample which they can wear in a necklace – that’s always really popular.”
Sara added that some youngsters are already interested in science while others seem initially determined not to show any engagement.
“You get the odd pupil who almost think they’re too cool for school, and it is really rewarding when they start in that frame of mind but by the end have been really drawn in and are genuinely interested – it’s a great feeling and I really enjoy it.
“Science often gets a bad wrap, but showing pupils how it translates into their world can spark an interest and who knows where it might take them. “
