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Space Academy funding announced

New project to help boost support for science, technology, engineering and maths teaching in East Midlands.

The country’s first Space Academy will soon be opening its doors to young people from schools and colleges in the East Midlands and throughout the UK thanks to a £990,000 grant from East Midlands Development Agency (emda). The Space Academy will be set up at the National Space Centre in Leicester, with partners at the University of Leicester, the University of Nottingham, the Regional Science Learning Centre for the East Midlands and STEMNET.

The Space Academy provides education programmes, summer space schools, road-shows and conferences, built around schools’ curricula in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) using space as the inspirational hook. It is especially aimed at students from 14-19 years of age, and their teachers, in the East Midlands and beyond, encouraging and supporting them to consider the benefits and challenges of careers in these fields. It will draw on the skills and reputations of Universities in the region, which are international leaders in space-related subjects, and employers who need scientists and engineers.

Professor Alan Wells, Emeritus Professor at the University who led the Space Academy bid, says; “I am excited at the prospect of the Space Academy providing young people, and their teachers, with unique insights of the role of space in modern life; science, technology, the environment, history, human issues, even artistic creation. We will be helped by some of the world’s leading experts in space science and will be adding to the successful science education programmes already being delivered by the National Space Centre and its partners. The Partnership is grateful for emda’s vision and support”.

Dr Bryan Jackson, Chairman of emda, says; ”The Space Academy is a terrific initiative and is testament to the globally renowned skills we have in the East Midlands in space research, education and communication. We are delighted to support such an imaginative programme to help increase the number and quality of scientists and engineers available to business in the East Midlands and the UK.”

The focus of the Space Academy will be to:

deliver space-related STEM education programmes linked to the national science curriculum for learners from secondary school up to college and university;
link with employers, with particular focus on the space and aerospace sectors in the region;
provide educational resources and training opportunities for teachers and educators that fit the national STEM agenda and the new STEM curriculum.

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Editor’s Notes

The National Space Centre has pioneered the use of space in science education since opening in 2001 with over 50 000 school children and 2000 teachers annually undertaking short education visits to the Centre. The Space Academy will build on these existing programmes by providing progressive, sustained curriculum support for 14-19 year olds and their teachers whilst sharing with them the excitement and discoveries of space scientists from our region’s world leading space universities.

Other leading institutions in the Space Academy Partnership include:

The East Midlands Development Agency - Funding support of £990K over three years -Space Academy is a major plank in the Agency’s wider STEM Skills agenda.

emda is one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England, set up in 1999 to bring a regional focus to economic development.
Working in partnership with public, private and voluntary organisations the aim is to deliver the 2006 Regional Economic Strategy (RES) ‘A Flourishing Region’, which sets out regional priorities until 2020.
The RES, coordinated by emda, highlights the themes of productivity, sustainability and equality and builds on the previous two strategies; ‘Prosperity Through People’ and ‘Destination 2010’.
In early 2007 the National Audit Office announced emda had received the highest possible grade of 'performing strongly' in an independent assessment of our work - scoring 22 out of 24.
For more details visit www.emda.org.uk

University of Leicester - The Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester houses some of the world's leading research in space, planetary and astrophysical science. The Department has a vibrant undergraduate degree programme in these areas and also carries out a wide-ranging outreach activity in schools and the wider community. Space School UK, an annual residential summer school and an important part of the Space Academy plan, has been a feature of this for 10 years.

University of Nottingham - The University of Nottingham is Britain's University of the Year (The Times Higher Awards 2006). It undertakes world-changing research, provides innovative teaching and a student experience of the highest quality. Ranked by Newsweek in the world's Top 75 universities, its academics have won two Nobel Prizes since 2003. The University is an international institution with campuses in the United Kingdom, Malaysia and China.

Science Learning Centre East Midlands – based at the School of Education, University of Leicester, the Centre provides a programme of innovative Continuing Professional Development for all those involved in science education including primary, secondary and FE teachers as well as technicians and classroom assistants. The courses are presented by leading academics, scientists and educationalists who set out to bring cutting-edge research and innovative pedagogy into schools.

STEMNET aims to ensure that more young people in the UK make a choice to enter science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related careers at all levels, and future generations are properly informed about the science and technology that surrounds them.

With the support of its partners, STEMNET achieves this in two ways:

By bringing science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities, experiences and excitement into classrooms throughout the UK, enhancing and enriching the national STEM curriculum.

By linking those companies and other organisations that employ STEM educated people, and schools, in such a way that young people can get a clear idea of the diverse and exciting range of careers available to them For more details visit www.stemnet.org.uk

Space Academy FAQ

How will it work?

The Space Academy is a partnership between the National Space Centre, the University of Leicester, University of Nottingham, Science Learning Centre East Midlands, STEMNET and emda. The National Space Centre is the lead organisation and many of the educational activities will be held at the Centre itself. Other elements of the programme will be held at the partner universities, with industry organisations in the aerospace/space sector and with student participation in national and international events.

What will it deliver?

The Space Academy programme will work simultaneously with pupils, educators and industry to:

Enrich and enhance the learning experiences of students, with a specific focus on those in the 14-19 age range. This will be achieved by a range of curriculum-based programmes that will use the contexts of space and climate change to boost learners’ engagement and understanding in a range of subject areas including the STEM subjects (sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics) as well as geography and environmental sciences.

The programme will be aimed at both academic and vocational learning routes, encompassing traditional AS/A2 and GCSE programmes as well as the new Diploma pathways. Learners will be encouraged to access the various programmes successively as they progress through their educational career thus building continuity and further motivating them.

The programmes will build on those currently being piloted by the National Space Centre which were developed with the assistance of recognised Lead Practitioners and Advanced Skills Teachers from across the UK.

Enhance the subject understanding and teaching of classroom teachers through masterclasses, workshops, seminars, and conferences conducted by internationally-recognised experts in the fields of space sciences, climate change and education.
Show learners how they can map out careers in aerospace, space-related industries and engineering by hosting careers fairs and industry visits to put them in direct contact with the industries that most need educational backgrounds in the STEM subjects.

Who can take part?

Quite simply, any learner (either with a school group or individually), educational organisation or teacher who wishes to! There will be special subsidies and events specifically focused for those schools/organisations within the East Midlands but this is a national programme in its scope.

Who are the partners and why were they chosen?

All of the lead partners from the organisations participating in the Space Academy programme have received national and international recognition for achievements in their respective fields of expertise. They are:

Space Academy Lead - Professor Alan Wells - space scientist with University of Leicester and Pennsylvania State University; co-founder and non-executive director of the National Space Centre.
Space Academy Project Director - Anu Ojha - Director of Education and Space Communications at the National Space Centre - an Advanced Skills Teacher of Physics and former Director of Science/Mathematics at the largest Specialist Science College in the UK
Professor Martin Barstow - Head of the Physics and Astronomy Department at the University of Leicester and commissioned by the UK Government to report on the potential for space as a context in science education (Barstow Report, 2006)
Professor Terry Moore - Director of the Institute of Engineering, Surveying and Space Geodesy at the University of Nottingham - the UK's first Chair of Satellite Navigation
Dr Tina Jarvis – Director of the Science Learning Centre East Midlands, with wide experience in national and international continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers and research in science education.
Dr Kelly Manders – emda Project Manager
Cathy Brown – Director, East Midlands region, STEMNET

Why is this so important?

The decline in uptake of students pursuing higher education or training in STEM subjects has been well documented. The potential long-lasting effects this could have to the UK economy was highlighted by Sir Gareth Roberts in his report to Government in 2002 and is of special concern when considering the UK’s global competitiveness in a rapidly changing world.

The UK has a thriving space industry and world-leading areas of expertise in space sciences and climate change modelling. Information gleaned from space satellite systems has been key to fully understanding the effects that climate change has already had on the environment and in trying to model future consequences regionally, nationally and internationally.

Space Academy is a project that couples the UK’s proven areas of excellence at the cutting edge of space technology and innovation with the subject that so often provokes inspiration and wonder in young people – in a programme that sustainably addresses the pressing needs of business, industry and the country’s future competitiveness in a global market.