This is a strange time here at Catalyst.
It is half term school holidays in some education authorities but others are not off school until next week.
We made the decision to put on holiday events over both weeks which means we are having fewer people in but it will stretch over both weeks and hopefully we will get the same number as usual in the end.
But the workshops have smaller audiences - not a bad thing really as we are usually so packed it is a stretch on resources BUT running a show for 2 families is rather too intense!
Especially as the shows is supposed to be interactive with lots of volunteers coming out to have ago. The short show is all about medicines from the old days - old wives tales etc the "show" bit lasts about 15 minutes then the audience get to have a go at hands on stuff themselves - making a nosegay posy to keep off the plague; testing fruit juice for Vit C, curing stings with old wives tales and so on....
One good thing about doing two weeks is that I don't have to worry this weekend about setting up - it is all ready and I can relax!
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Monday, 7 February 2011
Madness and mayhem
Last week was amazing! We had a guest speaker here at Catalyst - Dr Bunhead AKA Tom Pringle from the TV show Brainiac
Naturally anything to do with the TV brings out the crowds and we were heaving! Tom has been coming here for a number of years with his exploding energy show for KS3.
Most days we had 200+ teenagers who were extremely excited. Also most days the Education team were busy teaching lots of workshops and stuff because the schools didn't just come to see the show they wanted to do extra stuff too.
So by Friday we were all a bit dazed and extremely tired but great financially for Catalyst - as ever it is hand to mouth!
It looks like most of the funding we do get will disappear so we will be left to fend for ourselves.
However bookings are good and we expect a great National Science and Engineering week.
This week is quieter but we are getting ready for half term. We sit astride two different areas as far as school holidays are concerned. Although we are in Halton which tends to follow Liverpool holidays, most of our visitors and from Cheshire, Manchester and Wales who are not following Liverpool holidays. So for Feb half term we are doing 2 weeks - this is a bit of a gamble so we will see what happens.
Naturally anything to do with the TV brings out the crowds and we were heaving! Tom has been coming here for a number of years with his exploding energy show for KS3.
Most days we had 200+ teenagers who were extremely excited. Also most days the Education team were busy teaching lots of workshops and stuff because the schools didn't just come to see the show they wanted to do extra stuff too.
So by Friday we were all a bit dazed and extremely tired but great financially for Catalyst - as ever it is hand to mouth!
It looks like most of the funding we do get will disappear so we will be left to fend for ourselves.
However bookings are good and we expect a great National Science and Engineering week.
This week is quieter but we are getting ready for half term. We sit astride two different areas as far as school holidays are concerned. Although we are in Halton which tends to follow Liverpool holidays, most of our visitors and from Cheshire, Manchester and Wales who are not following Liverpool holidays. So for Feb half term we are doing 2 weeks - this is a bit of a gamble so we will see what happens.
Thursday, 20 January 2011
Sharing a chemical moment in time
Went to an all girls event on Tuesday. The first one in this International Year of Chemistry. A breakfast for women chemists at Liverpool John Moores Uni. We skype linked with numerous other breakfasts from around the world and thought about how to get girls into chemistry.
Great presentation from Dr Helen Aspinall Liverpool Uni showing how once women are at uni there is very little difference gender wise in take up for undergrads.
Some super speakers sharing a schools point of view, the industry scene and then I talked about how to get the very young interested and to keep up interest in the non specialist.
It was certainly worth doing especially as this is the first event in a year of celebrations.
I think perhaps people like me have the hardest job - it certainly seems that once you choose chemistry there is nothing to stop you getting on in academia although industry still doesn't have enough senior women and anecdotal reports seem to say it is still very blokey. But getting girls interested in the first place is still hard - we are so influenced by the media and girls want to fit in so being a scientist especially a chemist is still just that little bit too strange.
Great presentation from Dr Helen Aspinall Liverpool Uni showing how once women are at uni there is very little difference gender wise in take up for undergrads.
Some super speakers sharing a schools point of view, the industry scene and then I talked about how to get the very young interested and to keep up interest in the non specialist.
It was certainly worth doing especially as this is the first event in a year of celebrations.
I think perhaps people like me have the hardest job - it certainly seems that once you choose chemistry there is nothing to stop you getting on in academia although industry still doesn't have enough senior women and anecdotal reports seem to say it is still very blokey. But getting girls interested in the first place is still hard - we are so influenced by the media and girls want to fit in so being a scientist especially a chemist is still just that little bit too strange.
Monday, 10 January 2011
Communicating science
Spent lots of last week in meetings or speaking about science communication.
First day back after the hols and I was off to Manchester to Centrescreens Productions to view the final edit of a fantastic DVD for primary teachers. The Royal Society of Chemistry North West Trust commissioned me and my great friend and colleague Lorelly Wilson ( http://www.lorellywilson.co.uk/) to create something to inspire primary school teachers to have a go at hands on science in their classroom. We have all heard the tales of health and safety closing down science - NOT TRUE!!
These are just tales and lots of great teachers out there are having a go but there are also lots who are not sure where to start or what to do to make their science fun.
This is especially true in chemistry - which isn't called chemistry in primary school but Materials and their Proprieties - hey ho!
Anyway - Lorelly and I have put together this fun DVD full of clips of experiments to have a go at using little or no equipment and everyday household ingredients.
We had a wonderful time filming it and now it is almost ready... just a couple of days away from going into lots of schools in the North West for free.
Thursday lunchtime I was out at West Derby Rotary speaking about my work and sharing the joys of being a science communicator with the good folk of Liverpool. What a super bunch of people and thanks for the donation to Catalyst funds guys!
Friday and off I was again, this time to Chester to the School of Education to talk about a project we got involved in last year linking student teachers, schools and learning outside the classroom placements like us.
We worked with a school in Ellesmere Port giving their year 6 pupils a chance to make a real difference to our displays, notices and trails. The project is running again this year so I was sharing case study information with the prospective placements. Good luck everyone!
First day back after the hols and I was off to Manchester to Centrescreens Productions to view the final edit of a fantastic DVD for primary teachers. The Royal Society of Chemistry North West Trust commissioned me and my great friend and colleague Lorelly Wilson ( http://www.lorellywilson.co.uk/) to create something to inspire primary school teachers to have a go at hands on science in their classroom. We have all heard the tales of health and safety closing down science - NOT TRUE!!
These are just tales and lots of great teachers out there are having a go but there are also lots who are not sure where to start or what to do to make their science fun.
This is especially true in chemistry - which isn't called chemistry in primary school but Materials and their Proprieties - hey ho!
Anyway - Lorelly and I have put together this fun DVD full of clips of experiments to have a go at using little or no equipment and everyday household ingredients.
We had a wonderful time filming it and now it is almost ready... just a couple of days away from going into lots of schools in the North West for free.
Thursday lunchtime I was out at West Derby Rotary speaking about my work and sharing the joys of being a science communicator with the good folk of Liverpool. What a super bunch of people and thanks for the donation to Catalyst funds guys!
Friday and off I was again, this time to Chester to the School of Education to talk about a project we got involved in last year linking student teachers, schools and learning outside the classroom placements like us.
We worked with a school in Ellesmere Port giving their year 6 pupils a chance to make a real difference to our displays, notices and trails. The project is running again this year so I was sharing case study information with the prospective placements. Good luck everyone!
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
Christmas Break
This time of year the science centre is very quiet - no schools obviously and not too many public visitors so I can have a holiday!
Really enjoying being away from work and although a fairly quiet Christmas it has been really peaceful.
The long run up meant that I was so ready that there was no rushing around or anything!
Today almost all the snow and ice which has been such a nuisance has gone - there is just a patch on the front lawn. My cat Smartie is thrilled - it has been way too cold for him to stay outside for long but he hated being in all the time so has driven us mad coming in and then asking to go out again!
Am getting a bit stir crazy now though so we are thinking about getting out somewhere.
We plan to go and see TRON tomorrow - sad how much of the original I remember extremely well - like lots of the actual dialogue OOPS!
Have probably conned Mike into going - telling him it is all about computers... well it is... honestly!
Have been reading ( and listening ) to some trashy type sci fi over the hols but am now becoming very serious. Mike bought me Bettany Hughes book about Socrates - a little light reading before I drop off. Actually it is fascinating but much heavier than my usual holiday reading - I disappear into sci fi or fantasy to escape reality.
So off into the countryside somewhere before it gets too dark... enjoy the holiday if you are still off.
Really enjoying being away from work and although a fairly quiet Christmas it has been really peaceful.
The long run up meant that I was so ready that there was no rushing around or anything!
Today almost all the snow and ice which has been such a nuisance has gone - there is just a patch on the front lawn. My cat Smartie is thrilled - it has been way too cold for him to stay outside for long but he hated being in all the time so has driven us mad coming in and then asking to go out again!
Am getting a bit stir crazy now though so we are thinking about getting out somewhere.
We plan to go and see TRON tomorrow - sad how much of the original I remember extremely well - like lots of the actual dialogue OOPS!
Have probably conned Mike into going - telling him it is all about computers... well it is... honestly!
Have been reading ( and listening ) to some trashy type sci fi over the hols but am now becoming very serious. Mike bought me Bettany Hughes book about Socrates - a little light reading before I drop off. Actually it is fascinating but much heavier than my usual holiday reading - I disappear into sci fi or fantasy to escape reality.
So off into the countryside somewhere before it gets too dark... enjoy the holiday if you are still off.
Sunday, 19 December 2010
Scouts Sleep Over
Always looking to improve our "offer" at Catalyst we decided to take the plunge and have a Scout group sleeping the night. We have been asked to do this a few times but now with our new Director behind the idea all the other staff had to get invovled too!
44 scouts and leaders came in the snow to sleep over in our observatory which is a glass floor on the very top of the building. We kept the galleries open for them so it was fun to be able to stay when everyone else went home.
Lynn in our cafe made a great supper Hot Pot and then they watched a 3D movie in our theatre. Early next morning the education team and Lynn served breakfast and then we all made science pressies - we had done that with science club the week before so we were well set up.
Over night we had heavy snow but the scouts were really tucked up warm and said it was amazing being on the 4th floor with the snow falling and the Runcorn bridge all lit up.
Everyone really had a great time and it was certainly a super way to start the Christmas holidays.
44 scouts and leaders came in the snow to sleep over in our observatory which is a glass floor on the very top of the building. We kept the galleries open for them so it was fun to be able to stay when everyone else went home.
Lynn in our cafe made a great supper Hot Pot and then they watched a 3D movie in our theatre. Early next morning the education team and Lynn served breakfast and then we all made science pressies - we had done that with science club the week before so we were well set up.
Over night we had heavy snow but the scouts were really tucked up warm and said it was amazing being on the 4th floor with the snow falling and the Runcorn bridge all lit up.
Everyone really had a great time and it was certainly a super way to start the Christmas holidays.
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