Sci-Fun
Encyclopedia
Sci-Fun, the Scottish Science and Technology Roadshow, is a non-profit science roadshow experience for schools run by the University of Edinburgh
.
The organisation states its aim as 'increasing enjoyment of and participation in science and technology-based subjects in Scottish schools' and operates mainly at Scottish Standard Grade
level. It operates a travelling roadshow which visits schools in Scotland and the north of England, and organises special events such as at the Edinburgh International Science Festival
. Its mode of operation as a travelling roadshow enables Sci-Fun to provide a science centre experience to pupils in remote areas of Scotland, such as the Highlands and Islands
.
, chemistry
, physics
, maths, engineering
and technology
. The Roadshow is presented to S1 and S2 pupils (11-14 years old
) with assistance from senior pupils studying sciences at Higher
or Advanced Higher level.
The 2010/11 Roadshow includes presentations focusing on the senses and research, along with a talk encouraging pupils to consider the study of science subjects at Standard Grade
. Current research at the University of Edinburgh
is also covered in collaboration with FUSION; information on research in stem cells, the Large Hadron Collider
, the Highland midge
and Carbon Capture and Storage
technology is currently included. In previous years, talks have discussed Climate change
, the chemistry of the stars and survival
.
There are around forty-five hands-on exhibits included in the Roadshow to allow pupils to have a go at a number of scientific experiments in a short time.
which is held every year in Edinburgh over the Easter holidays. Elements of the Sci-Fun Roadshow are incorporated into the Science Festival programme, including exhibits and presentations. In 2011, as previous years, Sci-Fun was at Adam House on Chambers Street
. They also presented their Senses show for the general public.
, Johnny Ball
, the University of St Andrews
, the Institution of Engineering and Technology
, Mr Boom and the Stornoway Astronomical Society.
and has been developed alongside the Schools of Engineering and GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh. The CCS Interactive can be used to demonstrate the process of Carbon Capture and Storage to school and public audiences. The CCS Interactive consists of a model of a fossil fuel
burning power station
with CO2 being introduced into the system using a gas cylinder. There are two carbon capture columns, filled with high surface area zeolites which CO2 adsorbs to. Directions of gas flow and CO2 content of gas emissions are indicated using LEDs, and water vapour is used to simulate the gas emissions from the power station.
The Roadshow has evolved over time, increasing collaboration with researchers at the University of Edinburgh and responding to changes in the school curriculum.
events. The PP4SS team visited CERN
as part of its 50th Anniversary celebration, along with Professor Peter Higgs
who theorised the existence of the Higgs boson
.
for a six week placement to work on exhibits for PP4SS.
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.
The organisation states its aim as 'increasing enjoyment of and participation in science and technology-based subjects in Scottish schools' and operates mainly at Scottish Standard Grade
Standard Grade
Standard Grades are Scotland's educational qualifications for students aged around 14 to 16 years, which are due to be fully replaced in 2014 when Scottish Qualifications Authority's Higher Still system becomes the main qualifications as part of the major shake up of Scotland's education system as...
level. It operates a travelling roadshow which visits schools in Scotland and the north of England, and organises special events such as at the Edinburgh International Science Festival
Edinburgh International Science Festival
The Edinburgh International Science Festival is a science festival which takes place each April in Edinburgh, Scotland. The festival features hundreds of talks, tours and exhibitions for children, families and adults in locations around the city...
. Its mode of operation as a travelling roadshow enables Sci-Fun to provide a science centre experience to pupils in remote areas of Scotland, such as the Highlands and Islands
Highlands and Islands
The Highlands and Islands of Scotland are broadly the Scottish Highlands plus Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides.The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act of 1886 applied...
.
Sci-Fun Roadshow
The Sci-Fun Roadshow tours secondary schools around Scotland offering a combination of presentations and hands-on exhibits encompassing scientific subjects in the fields of biologyBiology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, maths, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
. The Roadshow is presented to S1 and S2 pupils (11-14 years old
Education in Scotland
Scotland has a long history of universal provision of public education, and the Scottish education system is distinctly different from the other countries of the United Kingdom...
) with assistance from senior pupils studying sciences at Higher
Higher (Scottish)
In Scotland the Higher is one of the national school-leaving certificate exams and university entrance qualifications of the Scottish Qualifications Certificate offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. It superseded the old Higher Grade on the Scottish Certificate of Education...
or Advanced Higher level.
The 2010/11 Roadshow includes presentations focusing on the senses and research, along with a talk encouraging pupils to consider the study of science subjects at Standard Grade
Standard Grade
Standard Grades are Scotland's educational qualifications for students aged around 14 to 16 years, which are due to be fully replaced in 2014 when Scottish Qualifications Authority's Higher Still system becomes the main qualifications as part of the major shake up of Scotland's education system as...
. Current research at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
is also covered in collaboration with FUSION; information on research in stem cells, the Large Hadron Collider
Large Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. It is expected to address some of the most fundamental questions of physics, advancing the understanding of the deepest laws of nature....
, the Highland midge
Highland midge
The Highland midge is a species of small flying insect, found in upland and lowland areas especially in the north west of Scotland from late spring to late summer...
and Carbon Capture and Storage
Carbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage , alternatively referred to as carbon capture and sequestration, is a technology to prevent large quantities of from being released into the atmosphere from the use of fossil fuel in power generation and other industries. It is often regarded as a means of mitigating...
technology is currently included. In previous years, talks have discussed Climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
, the chemistry of the stars and survival
Survival
Survival is the struggle to remain alive and living. The term may refer to:- Companies and organisations :* Survival International, a non-governmental human rights organization working for tribal peoples- Literature :...
.
There are around forty-five hands-on exhibits included in the Roadshow to allow pupils to have a go at a number of scientific experiments in a short time.
Sci-Fun Primer
Sci-Fun Primer states its aims as 'explaining to upper primary school children that science is something that is all around them' and is aimed at primary school pupils P6 and P7 (age 9-12). Sci-Fun Primer is based on the hands-on part of the main Sci-Fun Roadshow programme, with activities scaled down so it fits within a classroom environment. This may be hosted by an associated secondary school.Edinburgh International Science Festival
Sci-Fun have a presence at the Edinburgh International Science FestivalEdinburgh International Science Festival
The Edinburgh International Science Festival is a science festival which takes place each April in Edinburgh, Scotland. The festival features hundreds of talks, tours and exhibitions for children, families and adults in locations around the city...
which is held every year in Edinburgh over the Easter holidays. Elements of the Sci-Fun Roadshow are incorporated into the Science Festival programme, including exhibits and presentations. In 2011, as previous years, Sci-Fun was at Adam House on Chambers Street
Chambers Street (Edinburgh)
Chambers Street is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, at south of the Old Town. The street is named after William Chambers of Glenormiston, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh who was the main proponent of the 1867 Edinburgh Improvement Act, which gave permission for the street's construction.-Notable...
. They also presented their Senses show for the general public.
Hebridean Science Festival 2011
Sci-Fun took part in the Hebridean Science Festival in 2011. The festival is run by ESTEEM (Engineering, Science, Technology, Employability, Enterprise, Mathematics), which is based in Stornaway and aims to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, technologists and mathematicians from the Western Isles. Sci-Fun ran their usual Roadshow for Hebridean schools, as well as hosting an evening session and a drop-in session for the general public. Other guests at the Hebridean Science Festival include the Astronomer Royal for Scotland Professor John C BrownJohn Campbell Brown
John Campbell Brown FRSE is an astronomer, Regius Professor at University of Glasgow, Astronomer Royal for Scotland, and is an honorary professor at both University of Edinburgh and University of Aberdeen....
, Johnny Ball
Johnny Ball
Johnny Ball is a British television personality, a great populariser of mathematics and the father of BBC Radio 2 DJ Zoë Ball.-Early life:...
, the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, the Institution of Engineering and Technology
Institution of Engineering and Technology
The Institution of Engineering and Technology is a British professional body for those working in engineering and technology in the United Kingdom and worldwide. It was formed in 2006 from two separate institutions: the Institution of Electrical Engineers , dating back to 1871, and the...
, Mr Boom and the Stornoway Astronomical Society.
Other Science Festivals
Sci-Fun has previous attended other Science Festivals around Scotland, including in Shetland and Orkney, and plan to attend more.FUSION
FUSION (Focusing on University Science Interpretation and Outreach Needs) is the sister group of Sci-Fun that collaborates with research groups within the University to find ways to promote their science to a wider audience. FUSION projects also lead to new topical science materials and exhibits, some of which have already been incorporated within the Sci-Fun Roadshow.CCS Interactive
A major project of FUSION has been to produce the CCS Interactive (Carbon Capture and Storage Interactive) exhibit, with funding from the EPSRC. The CCS Interactive is a working model of Carbon Capture and StorageCarbon capture and storage
Carbon capture and storage , alternatively referred to as carbon capture and sequestration, is a technology to prevent large quantities of from being released into the atmosphere from the use of fossil fuel in power generation and other industries. It is often regarded as a means of mitigating...
and has been developed alongside the Schools of Engineering and GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh. The CCS Interactive can be used to demonstrate the process of Carbon Capture and Storage to school and public audiences. The CCS Interactive consists of a model of a fossil fuel
Fossil fuel
Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years...
burning power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
with CO2 being introduced into the system using a gas cylinder. There are two carbon capture columns, filled with high surface area zeolites which CO2 adsorbs to. Directions of gas flow and CO2 content of gas emissions are indicated using LEDs, and water vapour is used to simulate the gas emissions from the power station.
History of Sci-Fun
Sci-Fun started out as FUNdamental Physics in the early 1990s. This was a small scale, volunteer-run show focusing on talks about the physical sciences. This was expanded and in 1999 became Sci-Fun in its current form, incorporating the hands-on exhbits about all the sciences and touring the whole of Scotland. A pilot project involved the hiring of equipment from the National Science-Technology Roadshow Trust in New Zealand.The Roadshow has evolved over time, increasing collaboration with researchers at the University of Edinburgh and responding to changes in the school curriculum.
PP4SS
Since 2004, Alan Walker from the Department of Physics at the University of Edinburgh has led the PP4SS (Particle Physics for Scottish Schools) project, funded by the PPARC. This is a workshop activity aimed at senior secondary school pupils which has been used at school visits, University functions, the Edinburgh International Science Festival and at Scottish ParliamentScottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
events. The PP4SS team visited CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
as part of its 50th Anniversary celebration, along with Professor Peter Higgs
Peter Higgs
Peter Ware Higgs, FRS, FRSE, FKC , is an English theoretical physicist and an emeritus professor at the University of Edinburgh....
who theorised the existence of the Higgs boson
Higgs boson
The Higgs boson is a hypothetical massive elementary particle that is predicted to exist by the Standard Model of particle physics. Its existence is postulated as a means of resolving inconsistencies in the Standard Model...
.
LERU
In 2005 and 2006, Sci-Fun organised and ran the University of Edinburgh's part of the Europe-wide LERU Kids' University programme. This programme aimed to allow secondary school pupils to experience the University environment at an early stage.Work experience placements
Previously, Sci-Fun has taken on S5 and S6 pupils for work experience placements. One week work experience places were offered to pupils to either travel out to schools with the Roadshow, or to work in the office developing exhibits or shows. In the past, pupils have also been offered a chance to apply for a bursary from the Nuffield FoundationNuffield Foundation
The Nuffield Foundation is a British charitable trust, established in 1943 by William Morris , the founder of the Morris Motor Company. Lord Nuffield wanted to contribute to improvements in society, including the expansion of education and the alleviation of disadvantage...
for a six week placement to work on exhibits for PP4SS.