Science Communication Unit (SCU)

Speeding cars, traffic jams, air pollution… these are but a few of the grievances the average city dweller contends with on a daily basis. Below the driving age, children in the West of England do not contribute to these problems, yet they are among the most vulnerable to their consequences. To allow children to safely … Continue reading "Empowering WECA pupils with data for sustainable school streets"

A new Minecraft programme featuring iconic Bristol and Bath landmarks is allowing children to digitally engineer the West of England, improving their scientific knowledge and encouraging them to consider Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers. The Digital Engineering Technology and Innovation (DETI) programme team at UWE Bristol have been exploring digitally engineering the West … Continue reading "New Minecraft programme allows children to digitally engineer the West of England"

STEM @ Baggator is a community STEM club for young people in Easton that takes place after school on Mondays (3-8.30pm) and welcomes all young people in the area to drop by and join in! The club was co-developed with members of the local community, with support from the STEM Ambassador hub for the West of … Continue reading "New community STEM club launched in Easton"

Based in the Science Communication Unit and Department of Engineering Design and Mathematics at UWE Bristol and organised by Dr Laura Hobbs and Dr Laura Fogg-Rogers, Women Like Me is a peer mentoring and outreach project, aimed at boosting female representation in engineering. It is supported by the initiative for Digital Engineering Technology & Innovation (DETI). Engineers on our Women Like Me programme are … Continue reading "Women Like Me engineers inspire Bristol primary school students"

In science communication, we often talk about science capital: the concept of feeling like science is “for me” as a result of sum of all the experiences and resources we’ve encountered that build up an interest in science. Everything from having parents in science, being taken to science-related events and having just one excellent teacher … Continue reading "Meet Me in Another STEM Career"

Margarida Sardo and Sophie Laggan WeCount is a citizen science research project funded by the H2020 SwafS-programme and aims to empower citizens to take a leading role in the production of data, evidence and knowledge around mobility in their own neighbourhoods. The project started in December 2019 and was designed to have lots of face-to-face … Continue reading "Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in delivering Citizen Science projects: Insights from the WeCount project"

This post was originally published on the Engineering our Future and Curiosity Connections blogs. Neurodiversity Week (15-21 March 2021) celebrates our unique strengths and differences, while recognising that the many talents of people with ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other neurodiverse ways of thinking and learning are often not suited to traditional, formal learning environments. … Continue reading "Providing space for social communication in a STEM engagement project"

When children are asked what an engineer is, and what they look like, it can often be a tricky question.  They may jump to the image of an engine mechanic, or a man in overalls with a spanner and a hard-hat.  They may also have trouble recognising familiar jobs as coming under the umbrella of … Continue reading "What is an engineer anyway? – Communicating engineering careers to pupils with DETI’s Engineering Curiosity project"