Science: Unlocking potential

Dr Caroline Oprandi Keeping you up to date with science and technology at PACA

We are finalists for the TeenTech awards!!! Judges from last year included Stephen Fry and James May, prizes are awarded by Royalty and the CEO for these awards is Maggie Philbin. The key to the success of this project has been the fantastic volunteers from University of Sussex’s Informatics Department. After being to several STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) conferences recently it is evident that someone within secondary or primary schools has to co-ordinate these connections between university, industry and the school. It cannot just be an extra role to add onto an already over-burdened teacher’s shoulders. Tony Moloney from the National Grid said that he had free resources and workshops to give away to schools but in most cases he cannot get past the school receptionist because there is no-one to connect with!

Also at the conference I heard a talk by Mark Dawe, Chief Executive of OCR exam board. The message from OCR was clear, they recognise the work STEM teachers are achieving in their project- based curriculum approach, and OCR are working hard to try and match the content of these projects to their qualifications. However, one message that stood out was Mark’s call for STEM teachers to just “be brave”. I think OCR are trying their best to drag education away from the Victorian model. It might have served us in the past to recall facts and figures at the drop of a hat but we now have resources at our finger tips to do just that. Our children have far bigger things to grasp and conceptualize, such as 3D interactive computer design packages, as seen in Iron Man, the concept was developed by Siemens (also at the conference).

I would like to say a massive “thank you” to Chris O’Hare from Hare Digital for donating five new Raspberry Pi computers to the school’s coding club which will undoubtedly add to securing the win at the finals! Nice one Chris!
It really is heartening when these small businesses can see what we are trying to achieve here at PACA STEM centre and are donating equipment from gardening tools to computers, as well as expensive telescopes. I just hope that policy makers start to realise that we don’t have to wait to see what other countries are doing in order to change our current Victorian model of education … UK are experts in the field of education and it’s time to be brave and lead the way!